Watch the video below Listed to the podcast below Graham: What are we looking at? Phil: I don't know, there are so many different options out there. Like you said, you can run a competition, a likes and a shares competition. You can run a free membership competition. It could be just literally adverts of advertising your school, a special discount or offer that you're doing. So it's all these. There are so many different opportunities out there to test and measure the market. I don't really have one that works better than anything else. The way I sort of see it, personally, is Facebook marketing is just like any other marketing. It's just another touch point. And as Graham mentioned, we don't put all our eggs in one basket. I think the statistic last time I heard is something about 16 times someone has to see your brand before they make a buying decision. That's why you've got to have at least 10 to 15, to 16 to 20 things going on at once. Which means internally in your school,...

Watch the video below Listed to the podcast below Phil: Well, we've got another cracker of a topic today. Graham came up with this one in particular, because with some of our coaching clients, we've been discussing this recently. The topic actually is, "Has the consumer changed?" You know like, from 10, 20 years ago, to now, has the consumer changed? Are they easier now, or is it harder now? Are there certain things you have to do that is different, or is it the same? Graham? Graham: Look I definitely, personal opinion and you guys might have your own sort of chime on this. I feel that people have changed a hell of a lot. What they expect for their dollar, nowadays, is ten times more than what it used to be when times were good. Now, I'm speaking generically about the GFC - Global Financial Crisis, so for all of our listeners all around the world here, this may hit home to you, it may not, but certainly I know that in places where I speak to clients, in America, on the East Coast...

Watch the video below Listen to the podcast below Phil: We're coming at you with another podcast with great tips, tools, and strategies on how you can transform not just your business but your life also. Because, you know what? Isn't that why we're in business, Graham? Graham: Oh yeah. Phil: So we can get the results that we want. I nearly cut you off there. And getting the results that we want in business so we can have the life that we want. That's what we're here to help you with. Graham: Today's topic comes from one of our viewers, one of our listeners, Jack O'Valley, who actually we do some personal coaching with. He was wondering all about curriculum, creating curriculum and class plans, and how to do that. I know that we've had the pleasure of sharing with Jack a little bit on how we operate, but geez, what a monster of a task if you are looking to get what's in your head, get it out, and have your team be able to follow. The real reason behind it is to be able to start...

Watch the video below Listen to the podcast below Phil: And we're coming at you once again with another amazing podcast, helping you guys get to the next level of business and personal life. Graham, I believe you got a pretty cool topic for us tonight? Graham: Already, this one's quite a big one, Phil, events and marketing. Now, chatting with lots of the different clients over the many months and years that we've been involved with them, they're talking about marketing for the future, what's changing. The old traditional market from years ago is definitely still valid, but you've got to innovate. And I guess what we're looking at is events and marketing - we would find out at our WAIMA schools they both go hand in hand - and understanding what are they for. Really, what is the event for, and how do you market that? Is it for a retention of students? Because, again, that's something that is really, really important. If you are starting new people up, but you're losing just as many,...

Watch the video below Listen to the podcast below Phil: Whether you're at zero students, 100 students, 200 students, 500 students, we have, I believe, the tips, tools and strategies that can help you get to that next level of ability, next level of results, by implementing hopefully some of the things that we've used to get the success we have. Talking about that, just in case you're quite new to our podcast and don't know much about us, we're in Western Australia, in Perth, down in Australia, down under, and we really have three main schools where we teach to about 1,700 members. We have 20 full-time staff, a ton of part-timers and volunteers. Graham and I have now been able to be in the business of really just running it, sitting on the top of the ship, pointing a finger and helping, guiding the business. We really only spend probably one day a week of this business that we do. It's a multi-million dollar business. It feels really good to be out of there and get this content and...

Watch the video below Listen to the podcast below Graham: Now today, Phil, what we're going to do is, I've had a couple of people asking these questions. And again, from my personal experience recently going around to our schools and identify, how do you run dynamic classes specifically for kids? Now we run a multitude of different levels, but this is more around kids and keeping that retention, that enthusiasm, in their classes. So first and foremost, what I've identified is following a plan, and what I mean by plan is your class plans. There are plenty of great instructors that can do classes on the fly, but if you're looking to scale your business, or again even step out of classes, class plans are vitally important. So Phil, just give me a bit of an insight into how we operate with class plans. What are some of the things that are in there? Phil: Look, for those guys who have class plans, well done. For those who don't, it's something that you've got to get into and just do....

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Phil: And we are from TIMA, The Institute of Martial Arts, bringing you great business advice for your martial arts school. But also giving you great tips, tools, and strategies on how to transform your life as well, because really, isn't that why we are in business? To try and give us the life that we want. Yep, well look. This podcast topic is a doozy! This is going to be one of those things that you have two camps. You have one camp believing one thing, and the other camp believing the other. And really we're just going to give you our thoughts and advice, and I really, really, really would love to get everyone's feedback on the pros and cons for both because I am sure people are getting results in both areas. And I guess, you're wondering what I’m talking about. Graham: Well.. Phil: Should we talk about this or not? Graham: I am sure they're hanging. It's about what we would call in our language a...

Watch the video podcast below Listen to the audio podcast below Phil: Today, we're talking about how to get your instructors to take the load or share the load so pretty much, at the end of the day, you can steer your ship and not be stuck in the engine room. Graham, what have you got? Graham: No, this one's a. Some people that are going to be listening don't want to let go. They don't want to let go. They get stuck thinking it's their baby, you know. You've gotta really think back and think, what's the outcome? Where do you want to be? Begin with the end of mind. You hear us talk about this often. There are certain things that you don't want to let go of, and that's find. But you then got to understand that the only way a person or instructor is going to grow and have fulfillment in your school is if you give them responsibility. Allow them to be able to experience what it's like to make decisions, but also own those mistakes if they are made. So first and foremost is identify...

Watch the video podcast below Listen to the audio podcast below Phil: In this podcast, we're going to be talking about something that everyone has to deal with in their martial arts school. What is it? Well, it's the dreaded cancellation process. Graham, now, the thing is with the cancellation process, how do we deal with that initial contact? I mean, people will either come in in person at reception desk, or they'll probably hide behind a phone. How do we deal with these type of cancellations? Graham: There's many different ways that I'm sure that people encounter and whatnot, but we can only speak from experience, really working and trying the testing here at our school at WAIMA. I know straight away, when the person they first make contact with is maybe inexperienced, it's important that they take as much information as they can to potentially prevent it. We'll talk about that shortly. But first and foremost, if they are adamant that they want to stop, they're going to cancel,...

Watch the video podcast below Listen to the audio podcast below Phil: And you are listening to us at the Martial Arts Business Success podcast, where we're giving you awesome business advice, tips, tools, and strategies on how to take your business and life to new heights. Now, today, we have a topic that gets asked quite a lot with our coaching clients. So this isn't any particular person who's asked this question, but it's just something that always comes about, especially those people who have been in the business for quite some time. And the topic is: What do we do when we hit that glass ceiling? Graham? Graham: Look, firstly, what is the glass ceiling? I suppose that's what some of you guys are going to be asking. Think of it like when you very first started your business. You may have grown from 0 to 50. And then how do you grow from 50 to 100? What mindset shifts? Or you hit that point where at what point do you need to expand, or your systems aren't ready to grow with you....