Alex: Now today, we're talking about the topic of cancelling or quitting. So Graham, just explain a little bit more about quitting. Graham: It's a heartbreaking process for any business owner, losing a client. For us, it's a process that years ago used to be quite an awkward one and now we've realized what we want to do is we want to try and celebrate as much as we can this process with the students. There are going to be some factors where you leave on sketchy terms. And just a while ago, some people uproot. But how we try and do is, we try and make the process as joyful as we can, as much as internally it's the worst thing in the world. Alexa: It's joyful you're quitting. Graham: Yes, we've got to explain. Like any relationship, a good relationship where it comes to an end, it's a hard thing if you leave on bad terms, that then poisons that relationship and they then may just spread the word. If you leave with the door always open and that welcome feeling, it may simply be the...

Alex: Today we're going to be discussing pricing your martial arts service, which, I guess, is...well, where do you start with that one, Graham? Graham: Look, it's...you know, having traveled the world and speaking to lots of different business owners, they get nervous about putting their fees up, or charging, you know, a premium for what was traditionally considered like a hobby. But, it's important now in this sort of new economy, in this new age, to look around at what other parents are spending on other activities. For example, how much would it cost for gymnastics? How much would it cost for dancing? What about another sport like football, or a private training guitar lesson? And just get a general understanding of what other sports and activities are charging in your area. You may be actually quite surprised at what the dance studio is charging versus what you as a martial artist are charging. And you ask any martial artist, the service we provide isn't just kicks and...

Does your martial arts school prioritise word of mouth marketing? It’s one of the most convincing and cost-effective marketing techniques available to businesses, yet it’s often overlooked when you’re first starting out. Word of mouth marketing (referred to as WOMM by many businesses) is a successful martial arts marketing tool for schools all over the world. Following his experience in his own school, WAIMA, co-founder Graham McDonnell believes: “Word of mouth is by far the best way to get your brand out there without it being a major cost.” 

What is word of mouth marketing?

Has someone else’s experience with a business ever been so good you decided to try it yourself? Perhaps you were told about it in conversation after you expressed your desire for a similar service. Perhaps you were told because your connection felt compelled to tell you simply to share the good news. If you’ve had conversations like this, then you have participated...

https://soundcloud.com/tima-38/martial-arts-business-success-14-handling-helicopter-parents

Alex: Today we're going to be talking about a difficult one. We're talking about helicopter parents and how on earth you handle them. So, Phil, kick us off. What are your tips for handling difficult parents hovering around? Phil: Yeah, I suppose if you're in any business or you're around any sporting activity, you should know what helicopter parents are. Alex: Yes. Okay, first off, define them. Phil: For those of us who aren't too sure, they're the parent who hovers around offering, well, I wouldn't even say advice. They're bantering. They're yelling at their child. They might be negatively pointing out other children, that they're not meeting standard and all that sort of stuff. So they're that splinter in your foot while you're trying to teach class, and they're yelling out on the sidelines. In particular in martial arts, we have you know...the bigger your school, the more you're going to...

Are you finding it difficult to draw the line between employer and employee at your dojo? At most martial art schools it is common for former students to become instructors. It is important to remember the chain of command. Here are tips for ensuring positive relationships with your employees while still showing who’s boss.  Stay Structured with Regular Team Meetings It is important to have a constant flow of communication throughout the dojo, especially between the owners, managers and instructors. This means regularly touching base with each other and ensuring everyone is on the same page. Staff meetings are a great way for martial arts owners to communicate with their employees as they allow for questions to be answered and brainstorming about the future and now.  TIMA co-founder Phil Britten says he and business partner Graham McDonnell have penciled various meetings into the work calendar, including a management meeting once a week, a team meeting once a month...

https://soundcloud.com/tima-38/martial-arts-business-success-13-training-great-instructors

Alex: Today we're talking about how to approach instructor training. I guess you have to have this nailed if you're going to have consistency across your schools. Particularly for you when you own three schools and you've, that consistency is absolutely essential. So Graham, where do you start with this? Graham: Look, it's a daunting task when you talk to instructors and go, "Aw jeez, I want more instructors. I want to, you know, free up some time so I'm not doing every single thing but where do I start?" Again probably one of the key factors is having a look, if you do have a leadership program available to you. Whether you've got your own or you've got then the resources to find one and it’s important to have that program. But then when you go through the program, we have a great sort of little phrase when it comes to hiring and obviously that's the pointy end of sort of the product...

How often have you asked students to copy your movements on the mat? A question we frequently get asked by martial arts business owners is<span>,</span>"<em>What are your secrets for converting enquiries to business?"</em> Little do they know the first step to successful enquiry conversion is something they’ve been teaching for years.

In addition to being a great training technique, the ability to mirror and match behaviour can <span>be </span>incredibly useful in a business context, as it is a <span><a href="http://lifehacker.com/5894462/use-mirroring-and-matching-to-build-a-good-rapport-and-become-more-persuasive" target="_blank"><span>proven method of building rapport</span></a>.</span><span> </span>
<h2>An unconscious preference</h2>
Humans instinctively like and trust people who are similar to them<span>. W</span>hen people are faced with the prospect of...

https://soundcloud.com/tima-38/martial-arts-business-success-12-dojo-learning-portal

Alex: Today, we are talking about TIMA's favorite teaching tools. Come on, kick us off, Graham. What is this all about? Graham: All righty. Well, this next thing here that I am going to talk about is our learning portal and has so many different facets to it and to explain from an instructor's point of view or a boss's point of view, having this forum where all of your IP, all of your intellectual property, all of your systems and procedures are hosted. Now, as we enter the information age and modern era, it's really vital to make sure that we stay current. Gone have the days of having a big lever arch fall with all of your systems written down and thumbprints all over it that your staff can maybe look at or learn from. What we've done is actually taken everything over the last, goodness, five years that myself and Phil have created and put it into an online platform where all of our staff have...

How do you rate your communication skills? Whether it’s speaking to one, to many, over the phone, in a webinar, in a team meeting, or with a new client, communicating professionally is an essential skill for any martial arts business owner.  But this is easier said than done. According to Glen Croston, Ph.D in Psychology Today, most studies indicate people fear public speaking more than death. However, public speaking is a simple skill and the key is to replace fear with confidence. Here are 8 tips to help you overcome your fear of public speaking and begin communicating confidently:  1) Know Your Audience The first step to communicating confidently is defining the audience you are addressing. Whether it’s a large group of business owners at an international summit, a web conference with a potential client, or a weekly staff meeting at the back of your martial arts studio, it’s important to understand whom your target audience is so you can tailor your...

https://soundcloud.com/tima-38/martial-arts-business-success-11-industry-benchmarks

Alex: Today, we're talking about martial arts industry benchmarks so Phil, kick us off with this. Phil: Sure, well look, in every industry, I suppose, there are benchmarks which you need to, I suppose, keep in mind, because it helps you understand where you're tracking and with statistics or benchmarks, it's important that as you're reading those statistics, that you can see the curve before it happens. So I know in our industry, we have certain benchmarks that we have, I suppose, that are renowned around the world for the martial arts industry, for example, we're talking about quit rates, join rates, the average student fee, over-the-counter sales, all that sort of stuff that we in our business basically align ourselves with or check off with and see where we're tracking. And obviously we want to try and be ahead of the game and be the best in the world, so that's why we come with quit rates. I'm...