Responding to Criticism in Your Martial Arts Business

Without a doubt, you love receiving positive feedback about your martial arts school, but what happens when you receive negative responses? Holding your customers to the adage “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” can prevent your business from achieving growth.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

It’s important to use criticism you receive to improve your offering. Doing this will create a constant cycle of growth because no business is ever perfect. Even with years of experience in running martial arts schools, TIMA co-founder Graham McDonnell advises, “The tip that I’d recommend for most people is definitely find out first and foremost why people are leaving.” Finding out the reasons people are leaving is a great way to identify what tweaks need to be made to your business. Pinpointing these specific areas will allow you to provide a better service, and will improve your student retention.

Be...

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3 Ways Social Media Generates Leads for Your Dojo

Are your social media efforts translating into leads for your martial arts business? Regardless of which platform you use, they all offer a unique way to search, find and engage with prospective students. Although there isn’t an exact science to generating leads via social media, it’s easy to get lost in the social chatter with nothing to show for the hours spent toiling away at writing posts.  We outline three simple ways to ensure the time spent on social channels is not in vain and contributes to your overall business objectives.

Utilise gated content

Gating your valuable content with a simple form is one of the easiest ways to increase lead generation.  This involves asking for a user’s email address or requesting they share a link before they gain access to your tips and insights. Gating your rich content ensures you acquire qualified leads while being able to track your social media return on investment. Even if you haven’t put any dollars...

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Should You Use Free Trials In Your Martial Arts School?

Are you offering free classes in your martial arts school? Free trials are a great way to get people through the door  but many business owners wonder if they convert into real business.  Is it throwing money down the drain? Unfortunately, there is no universal answer whether free trials are right for every martial arts business. Here are some key factors to consider while determining whether free trials are right for you.

Whom are you trying to attract?

Free trials are most effective in attracting customers who currently have no strong feelings towards martial arts but could be easily persuaded to join. For most martial arts businesses the clients who frequently fill this description are children. Free trials are especially effective in getting children signed up to your dojo. Their attention can be fleeting and the parents who pay for the service want to know their children are genuinely interested before forking out the fees.

How will you manage expectations?

Is your...

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Is Your Martial Arts School Taking Over Your Life?

As a business owner, it’s easy to invest your heart and soul into your work. Your decision to open a martial arts school usually stems from a deep-seated passion. It’s important when running a martial arts business to make an effort to balance your work life and personal life. If you’re unsure if you’re letting your martial arts business take over your life, ask yourself the following questions.

Are you struggling to hand the reins over to someone else?

Especially in a martial arts business, your success can be very personality driven. Often people will gravitate to your school because of the instructor. This can make it particularly difficult to remove yourself from the business, as business owners wonder if they move the instructor out, will students leave. According to TIMA co-founder Phil Britten, the key to handing over the reins in a martial arts business is going slow. “It’s the slow process of introducing the new person and phasing...

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Keeping Students Returning to Your Martial Arts School

One of the most frequent challenges a martial arts business owner will encounter is how to keep students returning to your school. The rate of clients leaving martial arts schools is quite high.  According to Graham McDonnell, owner of TIMA, a semi-professional school has around a 10% attrition rate, with professional schools having an attrition rate of around 7%.

New students don’t make up for lost students

Often martial arts businesses attempt to bring in new students as a solution to their rate of attrition. This is a poor solution as it will result in a school gaining new students just to ‘break even’ and limit the school’s potential to grow. Attracting new students to your business can be costly and time consuming. Research has shown it takes 16 times for a new student to see your brand and choose your service, says Graham. It takes only five interactions with an existing student to retain and keep them. It is more cost-effective to focus on your...

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