The ABCs of the Martial Arts Business: Understanding The Basics Makes All The Difference, Part 2

In my previous column, I presented a business seminar model I call the "ABCs of Business." I explained the importance of the "A" in the model: Attitude. Attitude accounts for a large portion of your success or failure in any business, especially in the martial arts business. In this issue, we'll explore "B," which stands for Be­lief. Everyone has a be­lief system; some are more rigid than others, but everyone has a set of life rules. Even career criminals, who you might think believe in nothing at all, have a strong and dominant belief sys­tem that promotes self-gratification at the expense of all others, no matter what the cost to society. To be successful in the mar­tial arts business, you need a strong and directed belief system that focuses on three key areas: Your ability, business system and contribution to society,

  "If they're selling the right product, anyone can sell."

1. You must believe in your abilities-both physical and psychological. Most instructors don't have a problem believing in their physical abilities. In fact, most middle-aged instructors (yours truly included) often comfort themselves with the fanciful belief that they can still perform as they did when they were 20. I wish it were so, for all our sakes, but, unfortunately, it's not. Nevertheless, martial artists generally be­lieve in their physical abilities well into their golden years, so physical belief is not a problem. What is a problem, however, is the general lack of self-belief of the average instructor of his or her selling abilities. Most instructors don't psychologically see themselves being very good at selling because they don't believe they have the "natural" ability it requires. We have all heard the old saying that the ability to sell is a gift that some people have and some don't, but that's not necessarily true. If they're selling the right product, anyone can sell. Can you imag­ine anyone who couldn't sell water to people lost in the desert? Everyone is a salesperson when they find their product. I've spent much of my career becoming a master salesman, and I've sold successfully at the highest levels of corporate America. I can tell you truth­fully that the easiest sale I've ever made was enrolling new students in martial arts classes. Regardless of your previous selling ex­perience, just training yourself to believe that you can easily enroll people who visit your school will help you tremendously. 2. You must believe in your busi­ness system. Front-line employees of large companies often don't under­stand why so many apparently useless tasks are required in their jobs. For in­stance, a manager at McDonalds^® may not totally understand why some of the small­est details in the operation of the restau­rant are necessary, but he does them anyway. All the manager knows is that the company says these steps must be completed for the system to work properly, and he believes what he is told. A McDonalds manager has complete and total belief in the company operat­ing system, and knows that for the store to perform well, the small, seemingly unimportant jobs must be done. You must have the same kind of belief in your operating system. When you must do the tedious little tasks, such as making the absent-student calls or reading and reconcil­ing the collection statement from your billing company, you must believe that those activities are necessary for your success, because it is. 3. You must believe that what you contribute to society is very valuable. I was always proud to tell others that I was a martial arts instructor; in fact, I even stuck my chest out a little when I said it. In the beginning, that pride stemmed from the fact that I was on the old First-Degree Black Belt ego trip, you know, the one where you think you can, as Muhammad All said, "lick the whole world." Once I matured a bit, however, I began to take great pride in what I taught people because martial arts would greatly improve their lives, if they stuck with me long enough. You must believe that everyone, regard­less of age, sex or disability, can have a posi­tively changed life from experiencing your classes. Someone once said, "Believe in you or no one else will." Rick Bell is a marketing specialist and veteran martial arts school owner, and is considered one of the leading experts on enrollment in the industry today.