The real reason students
come to your studio
Recently I spoke with Mary, a studio owner from Colorado , who complained that students would take one class, but then most would never come back. She knew she really had a great studio with some good teachers and couldn't understand why people didn't come back. She was frustrated, and even felt a bit rejected. Perhaps some of you can relate to this.
So what was Mary missing? In her case, she didn't understand what students really come to a studio for. You see, we think of a yoga studio as delivering a class to a student, and being paid in exchange for this. But really, what is the student looking for? Same thing as you and me. It is an experience that the student wants, not merely a class. A student may be looking for peace and relaxation, perhaps a greater sense of balance and joy, maybe a deeper connection with spirit. These and many others are reasons why students come to a yoga class. Now you might be thinking, “But isn't that what the class does?” The answer is “Yes, but…” You see, your goal is to create an exceptional experience for a new student. If they get this, they will come back for more.
Think of your favorite restaurant. Why is it so great? Sure, the food is good. But it probably is a dozen other things as well. In one Italian restaurant, the hostess always greets you with a smile (and often even knows your name if you're a regular), all the staff is friendly and personable, they bring you complimentary bread and bottled water as soon as you sit down, the ambiance is peaceful with a hint of romance. If you need to wait for a table they have a comfortable area where they serve complimentary appetizers as well, and if you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary, they always bring out a desert with a candle for you. When you leave, they send you off with a complimentary flashlight keychain displaying their name and phone number. This particular restaurant is moderately priced, and while all their food is pretty good, it may not be the absolute best Italian cuisine in town. But, there is almost always a line to get in, and everyone who goes there raves about it to their friends.
This restaurant creates an exceptional experience for their customers. When a patron leaves, they invariably feel good and have a smile on their face. Notice that the food itself was only a part of the experience. So what does this have to do with a yoga studio? Everything.
If you can create an exceptional experience for new students, they will be back . So how do you do this? It starts with their first call or visit. Your goal at this stage is not to get them to buy anything. All you want to do is to get them to commit to attending a free class. The free class is not just any class they choose – it's a class that is taught by your most charismatic and personable instructor (and of course, it is appropriate for their level and the type of yoga they are interested in). You schedule them for a specific class, and their experience has begun.
When they arrive for the free class, you have a new goal. Now, you want to provide them with an exceptional experience that leads them to sign up for an incredibly low-priced 1-month unlimited package before they leave. Just a note here, these days, there's a lot of selling stuff that people don't need – I ask that you use your judgment, and if you recognize that your yoga offerings are really not something that would benefit the student or that they truly can't afford it, that you suggest other alternatives. Having said this, don't sell yourself short – most people who walk in your doors can really benefit from what you're providing, and they can afford it as well. Back to creating the exceptional experience. From the moment the new student walks through the door, you engage them in a carefully planned “process” that will help them to appreciate all that your studio has to offer. Below is a summary of one studio's process (it has been condensed from its full version, which was actually a part of last month's online tele-class).
Free class process
- Welcome – Hi, how are you.
- Sign-in (name, address, phone & email). Contact info will be used for later follow-ups.
- Intro packet (nice folder, Welcome letter, brochures, schedule, yoga music CD) Costs about $4.
- Brief studio tour (By friendly, empathic person who smiles a lot). Add brief notes to their “file” about what they're interested in and a couple of personal things (another studio they learned at, some inspirational experience they talked about, what their goals are, etc.) This can be done by tour guide or teacher. Work-exchange students are great (and inexpensive) tour guides.
- Class itself
a. Personal intro to teacher (by “tour guide”) – teacher asks them about their own interest and background in yoga
b. Class must be type appropriate (Beginner, Advanced, specialty, etc.)
c. Must be with highly charismatic teacher
- After class, teacher asks how class went for them. Tells them that there's currently an amazing special for first time students ($40 for 1-month unlimited w/Auto-renew). Walks students to front desk.
- Teacher “hands off” student to front desk person (“Can you tell ____ about the special unlimited deal we have going on right now?”). Teacher says goodbye and leaves. Or, teacher can do this themselves.
- Front desk person is warm and friendly, asks how class went. Tells student about $40 1-month unlimited special for people who sign up right after their intro class (if they leave, they can't come back and get it later).
- If student seems to be looking for something else, front desk staff mentions that they also offer first-time students 25% off any of their other packages (class cards & unlimited's), though the 1-month is the best deal.
Be prepared to address objections (Each time someone objects, make a note of what their objection was, then write up a positive response later for future use):
a. It's too expensive (Compare to the price of common things they may buy like 3 meals out)
b. I don't have time right now (What would yoga do for your life? Iis that worth a few hours a week?)
c. I can't do the poses well.
d. Etc.
- Be nice even if the student leaves without buying. You're still going to follow up with them (or maybe what you offer is honestly not what they need – even so, they may refer someone).
- Follow-up call in 2 days
a. “What are your goals for taking yoga this year?”
b. “What was your experience during your visit to our studio so far?”
c. LISTEN – let them talk. This is how they develop a connection with your studio.
d. Make calls during slow times – use front desk staff/work-exchange staff to do this between check ins. Or have teachers do it for the students they gave intro class to. This should ideally be the same person they talked most to during their visit. If this is the case, have them refer to the person's file and ask relevant questions (if it feels appropriate).
- Follow up call in 1-month
a. If they signed up, ask how it's going.
b. If they didn't sign up, ask how things are and if they have plans for the future. Ask questions, don't be pushy.
Imagine you were a new student and got this kind of treatment. How would you feel about this studio compared to the one that just hands you a free class pass and says “Sure, come to any class”? You have created an exceptional experience for this potential student, and actual results from this type of process have shown that 35-40% of students who experience this will continue to become loyal, ongoing students. Not just that, they will regularly refer others to your “Exceptional” studio.
You might be thinking “But this will cost money to do…” yes, it will cost something. It is an investment in marketing. The idea is, you earn far more in the end than you spend. This is just an example of one studio's process. You'll need to tweak or re-create it to work for your studio. My guidance is to simply focus on how you can create that exceptional experience for all potential students. If your thinking this might work for other areas of your studio as well (like workshops, selling larger packages, etc.) you are right (In fact, in the Homestudy Yoga Studio Success Program we go into detail for a number of different areas – if you're interested in learning more about this, see http://www.centeredbusiness.com/homestudy.htm or the sidebar).
Remember, students come to your studio for an experience, not just a class. If you can make that experience truly exceptional, they will become students for life. These students will rave about your incredible studio to everyone they know. Creating this type of experience will play a major role in making your studio a place where people come to visit, then decide they have found the place for their practice. Day after day, month after month and year after year, they will come back to the place that feels like home.
To your success,
Coach Al
About Coach Al:
Al Lipper is a master business coach, business teacher and writer. For free resources on running a yoga studio as a successful and fun business, visit www.CenteredBusiness.com.
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