Martial Arts Professional Magazine

As a quick re-cap:

The essential keys to “lock the back door” for long-term student retention are:

1. Over-delivering on the expectations of customer at every turn.

2. Clearly communicating the benefits of ongoing training at your school, not only to the student, but also the entire family unit.

3. Creating a positive community in your school.

4. Exciting, valuable and productive classes. (Classes that the client perceives to be valuable.)

#4 -Social Engineering to Reinforce Student Longevity: Creating an Experience for your Students and Families

Consumers always have internal, unspoken pains, wants, needs, goals and reasons for “why they buy.” They are often embarrassed, protective, uncertain and/or unclear about these reasons; and, in many, cases we (as humans) don’t understand them. Since these needs are, for the most part, unarticulated, we have to understand them and fulfill them, if we want to provide a truly AMAZING experience for our students!

I live just outside Orlando and have the opportunity to visit the Disney Parks quite often. Consider the average experience at a Disney theme park. The rides are OK, the food is expensive, it’s usually quite crowded, very often brutally HOT, and it’s a 100% guarantee that you’ll see at least 220 three-year-olds throw fits! Does Disney have the cheapest admission or the best rides?

You’ll also notice that the Disney staff and cast are IMPECCABLE. The park is immaculate; in fact, after hours they actually vacuum the grass! Why does Disney put so much emphasis on its looks? Why does Disney consider it so important that EVERY cast member displays the “Disney Smile” and that each dramatic set is SPOTLESSLY clean?

It’s so important because the actual product or service is only one component of creating an outstanding experience for its customers, which also applies to you.

Just like Disney, vacuum the grass.

We must consider the full spectrum of the needs of our clients. Our classes, of course, must be exciting and productive for students and valuable to their families; but, in addition, they MUST address our students and families’ other unspoken needs. Your product or service must be impeccable just like the Disney property, but just as important is creating the right environment for your customers, so they experience the full effect.

For example, human are very social creatures. What are you doing in your school or what can you do in your school to create a social environment for your students and parents?

Obviously, a rich and deep event schedule, including family, buddy and martial arts skills activities activities, go a long way to create an environment that maximizes your student retention.

Consider this short list of natural human needs.

Acceptance
Acknowledgement
Admiration
Appreciation
Approval
Believable
Capable
Challenged
Clear-minded
Competent
Confident
Forgiven
Forgiving
Free
Fulfilled
Heard
Helped
helpful
Importance
In control
Included
Listened
Loved
Needed
Noticed
Private
Productive/Useful
Reassurance
Recognition
Respected
Safe/Secure
Supported
Treated fairly
Trusted
Understanding
Understood
Valued
Worthy

For example, humans need to feel helpful; so how can you structure a system in your school to ask for your students, parents or families’ help to maintain the classroom and reward students who are demonstrating the lesson of the day? We can also them to help us with referrals, to plan event and give us feedback on the results of our event.

Since humans like to be helpful, it is very important for us to systematically ask for their help. Simply by asking your students for help, they are naturally drawn to you, and become more anchored to you and your school.

Humans also need to feel important, listened and included. There are many techniques that we can use in a school to facilitate this need. One of which is having your students and their families participate in the growth of your school: asking their opinions about your facilities, their favorite instructors and their experiences and accomplishments as students - and by extension, stimulating their need to be accepted by their social group and by her peers.

Obviously, in our martial arts schools, we have a tremendous opportunity to recognize our students for their accomplishments and overcoming obstacles, but what about their families and the people watching from the lobby? Recognize families. What can we do to recognize those people who are valuable to our school and support what we do?

I would highly recommend that you refer to the list of human needs above, and very deliberately, attempt to structure the experience of the average student with systems to fulfill as many of those needs as humanly possible.

You’ll then be helping to fulfill the actual needs of your students and not just their spoken needs!

Next time, we’ll conclude with building HIGH perception of value in your classes.