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 existing students than on potential new students. Put just as much focus into why people are leaving as you do into why they are joining.

Don’t be afraid of the truth

With around a 3.5% attrition rate, the West Australian Institute of Martial Arts knows how to keep a customer. According to co-founder Graham McDonnell, “In the industry it’s important to hear the praise, but it’s more important to hear the negative comments.” You need to be open to hearing the feedback of your clients, even if it’s negative. It’s important to remove your emotions from these situations and try to objectively collect information. You may also encounter difficulties when clients who leave don’t want to reveal why they really left. This discussion can be awkward for both of you, so make them feel comfortable and encourage open, honest communication

Stop Their Desire to Leave

Make an effort to stop them leaving  your school in the first place. You must start at the beginning by identifying:

  • Why they are there
  • Their needs
  • What they want to gain from your school

You should keep this knowledge in mind throughout their entire journey. To ensure a positive student experience, find a balance between making a student feel individually recognised but also part of the wider group and community. The way a student feels at your school can be just as important as what they learn.

Progress is key

Students do need to feel like they are making progress to recognise the value of the services you provide. This does not necessarily mean advancing students through levels or granting them belts when they are not ready. Progress can be acknowledged through communication, one-on-one attention and praise.

Keep your promises

It’s crucial you keep the promises you make. As a business owner you make a lot of promises to a lot of different people. It can be easy to lose track of what you have said. Your clients will have a better memory for your interactions. They will remember what they have been promised.  They will know if your promises are broken. Keeping your promises is important because it increases the level of trust between you and your customer. Trust is integral to success in a service industry such as the martial arts. For more expert tips on how to keep customers coming back to your martial arts business, get started with TIMA. We have heaps of industry experience and insights to share.

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