What is the first step in retaining a customer? You must prove to them that your training works and that they can reach their goals by working with you. When a new member, child or adult, starts at your facility, make sure to ask them, “Why did you come here and what do you hope to achieve?” With these simple questions, you can agree on a list of goals and determine the level of effort and time needed to reach them.
Stick to the Plan
Everything tends to be more real if it is on paper.Keep these goals on a card and refer to them as a constant reminder to the student and to yourself what the training plan and goals are. Never lose track of why the student came to you in the first place!
The key is working with your students to define their goals. They can’t just say, “I want to lose weight.” Get them to say, “I want to lose 10 pounds by Easter.” It can’t be simply, “I want to become tougher.” It needs to be, “I want to be able to defend myself against someone who is bigger than me.”
Do More Than Helping Them Reach Their Goal
Any typical fitness gym can help people reach physical goals, but a martial arts gym is different. You want to make sure the student understands the culture of martial arts, and that their goals can involve much more than just physical peaks. You can offer much more than just a good workout that results in the loss of a few pounds; you can improve someone’s discipline and self-esteem; you can help a kid improve their focus in school or get better grades; you can help a young adult get through a job interview with confidence; and you can help a female student feel safe while walking to her car after work.
Leave and Impression
Many students leave a fitness gym once they’ve reached their physical goal, but once a student realizes that training in martial arts at your school is truly a vehicle for things like confidence, self-esteem and focus in life, you will have finally built a relationship that will last a long time!