Training for Success: Frank Brown, Mile High Karate Training Director
Frank Brown. As a longtime member of the Mile High Karate professional team and now as one of its training directors, Master Frank Brown’s primary responsibility is to help the school owners and their staff members, who become new MHK schools, understand and implement new systems to operate their schools more successfully.
During this interview, Master Frank Brown, will share some of his insights about staff development at your school. He’ll help you understand how to integrate operational systems and staff members effectively, since they will operate those systems every day.
One of the areas of his expertise that will be very useful to you is how to advance a school’s staff members from their current training and performance to much higher levels of professionalism.
Of course, this assumes that you currently have staff members, but if you don’t, then you’ll learn some ideas about how to develop a source and constant flow of staff members.
One of Master Brown’s important big-picture points is how to shake your current staff members from their apathy, help them implement new systems and improve your school’s structure.
This applies to schools with two or three full-time staff members, just one key staff members or even three volunteers and no paid staff. These are the people in your school who are answering the phone and setting appointments; using follow-up communications to maximize the number of honored appointments; interacting with prospects, students and their parents and families; and conducting enrollment and upgrade conferences.
“Role-playing is a critical element of staff training…”
Toby Milroy: Master Brown, I imagine that many of the school owners and staff members you train are exposed to ideas and concepts that are totally new to them.
How are you helping those school owners make sure their staff members are learning these concepts and using them effectively?
Frank Brown: First, as we both know, training is essential, so I must make sure that they’re training their staff members. Training, from the Mile High Karate perspective, is much more than just handing them various scripts and letting them find their way. Role-playing is a critical element of staff training, and not just to memorize the contents of those scripts, but also internalize those scripts.
Second is the “prove-it-to-me” concept, which is the perspective of many staff members I train. If, as a school owner or manager, you decide to implement new systems, processes or programs, then you must be the first one to prove that they work. Only then, can you expect your staff members to have a positive attitude about your changes.
If you are introducing a new phone script, then you should answer all calls for a set period of time and show them that the script works, that it successfully improves the number of appointments scheduled, for example.
The mistake that too many school owners make is to provide extensive training, but then leave it to their staff members to first use the new phone script, for example, and experience some success with it. Otherwise, without a tested phone script (by you), as soon as it doesn’t work for them, they’ll throw their arms in the air and say, “It doesn’t work, so we shouldn’t change.”
Leading by example, to show that the new system works is of primary importance, and second is repetition, so when staff members make mistakes, you can catch them right away before they become permanent habits.
Toby Milroy: School owners must remember that their staff members are human beings, with agendas, needs and comfort and discomfort levels. It’s not unusual for them to be initially skeptical about the credibility of the new systems or procedures you want to implement. The source of their skepticism is often a lack of self-confidence.
What are some of the tools and exercises you use to train new Mile High Karate franchisee staff members to internalize the technical parts of systems, and make sure what they learn takes hold?
Frank Brown: Keep it simple. Once you’re ready to implement a new phone script or school system, make sure that everyone has read it carefully. The second step is to transcribe the script. What I mean is that although your staff members have copies of the written script, and have read it; they must now begin to internalize it.
The script is the script, which you don’t want to change, but there may be some wording that some staff members may consider awkward or odd for them to say. You can allow them the flexibility to make note of alternative words that are more comfortable for them. Now, they own it; the script is more believable when they use it.
The second tool or exercise that I use is role-playing. This should not be a foreign concept to school owners and their staff members because they should know (and have probably experienced) that you can practice and shadow spar all day, but until you spar with another person, your timing is not as good as it could be.
That point also applies to using any type of script (info calls, enrollment and upgrade conferences, etc.). To be successful with those scripts, staff members must practice their pacing and timing with other staff members in role-playing scenarios.
Your staff members must be ready for any objections or hiccups that can happen, and frankly, do happen; and role-playing is the strongest tool to make sure they are prepared. You can test your staff members’ readiness by calling your school as a “mystery shopper,” or ask someone to play that role (since your voice may be recognized), as you listen on an extension.
“Share those stats with your staff members and make it clear that those stats are measuring sticks of their performance.”
The third critical tool is statistics, accurate and comprehensive statistics. This is where the lead dog theory is applicable again. If two staff members at your school typically answer the phones, then create a friendly competition, quantifying their ability to make appointments with good statistics. In that environment, they will take your new script (and their responsibilities) much more seriously.
Statistics also provide you with an opportunity to expose the problems and mistakes. For example, you want to know how many people are calling to schedule appointments and the ratio of those who honor their appointments, and then enroll as students. Detailed statistics will reveal what you must fine tune and where you are weak and strong.
The other point about statistics is don’t keep them secret. Let your staff members know that you are tracking every step of the process. Share those stats with your staff members and make it clear that those stats are measuring sticks of their performance.
Toby Milroy: The big-picture view is that there’s more to staff training than the technical, which is the script as a tool to overcome prospects’ objections. You must also teach your staff members that their objectives are their jobs and performance, not the perfect use of the techniques.
Not only must staff members internalize scripts and other materials word for word, which is the technical, but also they must understand that their proficiency isn’t measured subjectively, with statements, such as “I thought you did a good job today because XYZ.”
Instead, their proficiency is objectively measured, using statistics. “You did a great job today because you conducted three renewal conferences and all three students renewed,” or “For this month to date, you’ve conducted 16 enrollment conferences, and 14 people enrolled. Great job! Your ratio is 81%, which is a good ratio.”
Tracking and analyzing statistics is extremely important, but what’s even more important is to make that tracking and measuring part of their jobs, to make their jobs to be the numbers. The reason you’re introducing a new (or first-time) phone script is to help increase that ratio. You must measure the ratio, and not just respond to your staff members’ performance with “Yes, you did a great job; you did it word-for-word.”
You mentioned mystery shopping as one of methods school owners can use to be sure their new scripts are being used, correctly and effectively. What are some other methods to “verify” that staff members are following through with their training?
Frank Brown: The mystery shopper method is very effective; a student, friend or you can call or visit your school, as a test of your staff members and their use of your scripts and/or systems. Not only is this method an excellent “window” for you to see what is occurring in real-time, but also is good training for your staff. You’ll be able to notice when they make mistakes in a “real-world” situation, so you can provide them with solutions that they’ll be more confident will work the next time.
Another method is mirroring and modeling, which is simply a staff member observing you using your phone script or conducting an enrollment conference-and vice versa-you observe the staff member, so you can provide constructive feedback. This method helps you make sure that all your staff members are congruent with your scripts, systems and mission.
Toby Milroy: Let’s move to the next step, which is honestly a bigger challenge, and that is one-on-one interactions with prospects, students, parents and family members.
It’s relatively easy to implement a phone script, and use the methods we’ve discussed above, to track staff performance and follow up to correct mistakes, compared to tracking and evaluating the proper use of an enrollment or renewal conference system and “selling from the floor.”
What are the systems and tools that our readers can use to make sure that their staff members have the skills and tools they need to enroll prospects and renew students, effectively?
Frank Brown: Quite frankly, it’s very similar. You should create an outline of what you expect to occur, during that class or event. There should be checkpoints or benchmarks: Did you do A, B and C? The role-playing method should be used again: mock classes, training sessions, etc. We use a SWAT team, so we can work the pacing of our classes in an environment where staff members can practice, practice and practice some more to develop better timing.
For example, we’ve finely segmented a class schedule, and developed a clockwork process, so it starts and ends on time and techniques, forms, etc. occur at the same time during a class and for the same amount of time. We want those processes to become second nature for every staff member.
Mirroring and modeling work very well as methods to teach staff members your enrollment, renewal and other systems. Teaching your staff to use the right words is only part of the training. It’s a two-part process: the right words AND the right tone, inflection, posture, etc.
You can say any words, but unless you say them correctly, they won’t work. Just like the motivational speaker that you and I think is excellent-his books and materials are phenomenal, but seeing him live makes the greatest impact. Your staff members need that same “live” experience in your training program, modeling an excellent classroom instructor or enrollment conference specialist in a one-on-one environment.
Toby Milroy: With so many new school owners coming into the Mile High Karate franchise system, what have been the big obstacles that those school owners must overcome to provide their staff members with this higher level of training? What have been those school owners aha moments and the methods and concepts they’ve learned that those reading this profile can implement at their schools?
Frank Brown: Mindset is one of the largest roadblocks, believing that they can do it, that it works and that the change is doable. School owners and their staff members are human; and humans are reluctant and resistant to change. As a trainer, such as myself, or as a school owner, you must make sure that staff members understand that the change will work, and why the systems and processes are changing.
If you’re adding a new system, then 9 times out of 10, it’s purpose or benefit is to make everyone’s job/life easier or produce higher quality students, hopefully both. Changing mindsets can be accomplished with the lead dog theory we discussed earlier, reading and assimilating the right educational materials and asking a third party to explain to your staff members why they must follow a new system or process.
Toby Milroy: The other big challenge or roadblock I would add to your list is the preconditioning of staff members.To use a martial arts metaphor: You’re a Taekwondo instructor and you’ve taught all your students Taekwondo for the three years to the Brown Belt level. Suddenly, you tell them to forget everything they’ve learned because you’re switching to Jujitsu, and it’s better because of XYZ. Very few of those students will be attracted to that change because you’ve taught them for three years that chambering their hands by their ribs is correct, chambering it by their belts is wrong, or you taught them why chambering by the belt is more effective. They believe you, and have built trust and a rapport with you; they believe what you said, and it’s logical.To change their training now will be very difficult. A much better way to handle that transition from Taekwondo to Jujitsu is to say to your students that the chamber at the rib is effective for a direct attack; however, to attack from the hip requires the generation of more power, so Jujitsu will provide them with another way to do it, or improve their current technique.That thinking also applies to implementing staff training methods. You must understand that you will be fighting some belief systems, but it’s not a difficult transition to make if you are aware of it ahead of time. You must educate your staff members as to why the change is important, how it will benefit them and the results you expect.As you said, third-party reinforcement is an excellent technique; and NAPMA has served this function for years, not just with packages of materials, but also the opportunity for schools’ staff members to communicate with and be consistently surrounded by other school owners and staffs that are using systems and processes and producing great results; it helps to lubricate their thinking.
I completely agree that thinking, or mindset, is definitely the biggest issue. Another component of that issue is the lack of follow-up. Unfortunately, as we described earlier, school owners often say here’s the new phone script, learn it, love it and do it. Those school owners follow up aggressively for 30 days to be sure staff members are using the script, and correctly, but, for the next six months, very little discussion, evaluation, follow-up and correction have occurred. School owners assume that everyone is still on the same page.
Master Brown, you and I know from direct experience that that is never the case. There’s always a gravitational pull towards the previous comfort level of staff members or the methods they were taught years ago and have been using since. School owners must be able to outmaneuver that tendency, consistently. It’s a big objection that you must address.
Our next discussion point is a bit of big-picture thinking too, and that is how your staff should be interacting with customers and students on the floor. One of the challenges to change staff members’ mindset is how they respond to the “sales” element of school systemization.
Most staff members are uncomfortable with the role of “salesperson.” They don’t want to be salespeople or ask for money. Please provide our members with some direction on this concept.
A school owner may be reading this discussion and in the process of introducing staff members to new systems or re-training them. That school owner will undoubtedly have staff members who have never been in the sales role and would rather avoid it; but now, the new systems require that they assume that role. The school owner will definitely have mindset issues to address.
How can school owners help their staff members see that sales role in a positive light and understand the school’s objectives and goals to create win-win situations for everyone?
Frank Brown: I think school owners must start by explaining to staff members what is meant by sales in the martial arts school environment. I’m fond of the analogy that sales is the transference of enthusiasm because the sale starts with the info call, and then peaks in the classroom. If staff members are enthusiastic about what they’re doing, believe it works, it’s measurably effective, and you can translate that enthusiasm to students, so they can understand it, then 90% of the sale has been completed.
Once staff members understand that concept and embrace that mindset, then asking for the money is no longer a problem. Staff members resist the sales process when they misunderstand or are misinformed that they must assume the stereotypical behaviors of the slick salesperson. They have a natural aversion to that image because their self-image is that of a martial artist who teaches students for the love of the art.
The mindset conversion comes when they realize that if they have a love of the art and want to preserve it, then they should also want to expose as many people to its great benefits, retain them longer, so the benefits are even greater, and finally refer others, so instructors have even more opportunities to teach the art they love.
Toby Milroy: This confusion about sales in a martial arts school relates to the concept of a school owner’s vision for his or her school. It’s not unusual for the typical school owner to become preoccupied with the day-to-day tasks, to be mired in the minutia and the busy-being-busy routine.
The big-picture goals or vision can become lost or diffused into the background of the day’s activities, which leaves many staff members confused or unable to understand that vision. One of the ways to address that challenge is to help staff members understand that the school’s objectives are also their personal objectives.
School owners must help their staff members adjust their mindsets, as is part of the NAPMA mission, that, together, they want to create a better world, a better universe; and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to create more confident, more focused people living in it. When staff members understand that their collective mission is that big, then it’s very easy for staff members to be on board with the big mission.
Conversely, if a school owner’s mission and vision for his or her school is just to make money, then you’ve violated what’s good for the universe. If you’re the kind of school owner who puts a big number on the white board at the beginning of the year, then declares that your goal is to make $750,000 that year-in other words, your mission-and then tells your staff to go get ‘em, then you shouldn’t be surprised that your staff members are confused and resistant. They don’t recognize their skill sets (and mindsets), as martial artists, to be applicable to accomplishing your goal.
An excellent analogy or story to support this concept was shared by one of the Kennedy children during a recent news interview. It’s also a story I’ve read from another source about the Kennedy family. At one level, the story was instructive by revealing why it is so beneficial for entrepreneurs and small business owners to study how wealthy American families, such as the Kennedys, created such enormous wealth and success.
The Kennedy family member revealed another level to the story when he explained the typical conversation at the dinner table. He said that when he “graduated” to the grown-up’s table, the children were always asked what they would do to make the world a better place to live. They weren’t asked what they would do to buy an expensive car or clothing. That’s a big-vision mindset.
This is similar to Robert Kiyosaki’s rich-man, poor-man concept. He is an investor, businessman, self-help author, motivational speaker and inventor, whose father forbade him ever to say, “I can’t afford it.” Instead, his father insisted that he ask himself, “How can I afford XYZ by creating win-win opportunities for people, solving problems, creating solutions to problems, etc.”
Those are the mindset examples staff members should emulate. They need a big mission, an embraceable mission and a mission that leads to a win-win. That big mission must be good for prospects, students, their family members, staff members, the school and the community, in other words, the immediate universe of any martial arts school. Don’t be afraid of a big mission because I think it’s completely congruent with the goals of virtually all school owners and the ultimate benefits of martial arts.
Of course, it’s difficult to accomplish a big mission with a school of five students and $900 a month in gross revenue, which is why NAPMA and so many leading experts in the industry “preach” that a successful martial arts school business is not a negative, but the positive route to accomplishing a mission as big as changing the world-or at least your part of it.
This leads to the conversation of what can you do to create a better universe, if you want to have a big impact on your community and more of its citizens. The more students you have, the bigger the impact; and, more importantly, if you provide them with excellent student quality and outcomes, then when they graduate, the impact is even bigger, more positive and longer lasting.
Master Brown, next, let’s move this concept from the theoretical to the real classroom and discuss some of the techniques that staff members can use to advance the school’s big mission.
I think this can be extremely helpful for those staff members (and the school owners who employ them) who have a sales aversion. They’re not comfortable transferring that enthusiasm when it relates to dollars and cents.
For those instructors who perceive their primary role is to teach classes, how can they support the mission of the school and help to generate enrollments and renewals and maximize retention during the classroom experience? What should be their thinking while they’re teaching classes?
Frank Brown: When an instructor is teaching a class, he or she must be aware of the opportunities to “sell” the benefits of the school from the floor and help it grow, without having to act like “salespeople.”
The first opportunity is obviously retention. Instructors should be thinking, “Is this the last class I’ll be teaching Susie, Johnny, etc.? Will they return for another class?” Most instructors have a group of students that think they are the greatest; and it’s quite easy to be mesmerized by your students’ adulation. It’s the other 5% or 7% that don’t tell the instructor they’ve had a bad class, or go unnoticed in the back of the room, the quiet ones, that require instructors’ attention. The action they should take relates directly to the success of the school. They must learn to teach every student, to give each of them one-on-one interaction, so they remain excited and enthusiastic, and return for more classes.
The second opportunity adds to the first, in that the excitement and enthusiasm an instructor engenders in his students to remain students should be focused on creating a new vision for each student every time.
Now, this may be a small vision, such as earning the next tip on their belt or their next belt rank. When instructors can provide students with a tangible goal, then they become excited and are willing to put forth the effort and energy to reach that next goal.
Obviously, martial arts fits this model perfectly, since the goals never end; there’s always more to learn, more ranks to achieve and more opportunities. Master Oliver has been great at creating a vision for each student, so they’re focused on progressing from the next belt rank to assistant instructor to instructor. That is how Mile High Karate develops much of its internal staff-by helping students set those goals.
The third opportunity for instructors to grow their schools from the floor is to learn more about their students and building a rapport that leads to students “selling” the school’s benefits, mainly because they are excellent examples of the product.
At Mile High Karate, we use the term POGO-People Organization Goals and Obstacles. What do you really know about your students? What type of rapport have you built? Is there a way that you can help the local kids’ basketball team stay in shape during the off-season by inviting the team members to classes? Do you know which of your parents are schoolteachers and would be willing to help you access the elementary schools? If you train adults, then which of them are chiropractors and doctors? Who are the students and family members that can help you reach the overall goals of your school?
This is where instructors can use their awareness skills. They want to know what’s occurring at their schools, in terms of their students and families’ lives, and using that information to create ways for them to help their schools reach its goals.
Toby Milroy: What you’ve said, Master Brown, reminds me of the famous Zig Ziglar quote: You can get anything in life that you want, if you help enough other people get what they want. Instructors, who are on the floor every day, have the opportunity to help many people get what they want. For students, that could be more confidence, more focus or more coordination; but instructors have the opportunity to help parents accomplish some of their goals. That results in a sense of reciprocity that compels those that you helped to help you accomplish your goals too.
Let me reinforce your comments about how instructors can maximize retention from the floor. I suggest that NAPMA members consider making a big poster with the following information. Put it in your office, off limits to students.
Master Lewis described this concept to me several years ago. As each of your students walk through the front door of your school, he or she can have only one of two different attitudes: I will be a Black Belt and a lifelong martial artist, or I will quit today. It’s the job of every instructor to make sure that each student leaves the school with the first attitude. If that isn’t one of the primary tasks of each instructor, then students only have the default position, which is “This is my last class.”
Think of each student as having an A/B switch on his or her chest, and the switch is teetering in the middle. It’s the instructor’s job to control that switch and help students flip it to the correct position.
Too many school owners and staff members have “their switches in the wrong position” because they think the opposite. Unfortunately, they think, “The contract is signed and the family is committed to being a member, so as long as I don’t screw up, the family will be here forever, or at least they’ll pay me for the contract it signed.”
It’s the opposite approach that leads to success. Instead, you should be thinking, “The contract is signed, so all the business is completed. Now, I can focus 100% on flipping that switch every day when they come to class to ‘I will be a Black Belt and a lifelong martial artist’.”
I encourage our members to create a big poster of a student with a big switch superimposed on his chest. That should be the philosophy for each of your instructors as they walk onto the floor.
Toby Milroy: Let’s take the next step in this process, and we’ll assume the instructor on the floor has developed the right mindset and understands that he or she must interact which each students and help them flip the switch.
What are some of the techniques that instructors can use to flip the switch and facilitate renewals? How do instructors help that Green Belt, Orange Belt or Yellow Belt think about being a lifelong martial artist? How do instructors encourage them to participate in the Master Club, Leadership Team or other upgrade programs?
Frank Brown: The first technique is well known to instructors and that is to help students set goals; however, the goal must be more specific than the broad goal of achieving Black Belt. It’s very important that students experience regular success or moving toward their specific goals, such as weight loss, better grades, better focus, more energy, etc.
Another technique is how an instructor creates each student’s vision. A vision of becoming Black Belt is rather gray and broad. What does it mean to be a Black Belt? What is a Black Belt? An instructor must create a Black Belt vision for each individual; customized, if you will. An instructor must know what each student wants to accomplish as a Black Belt, on their journey to Black Belt. Once an instructor understands that, then he or she can translate features into benefits.
When an instructor can guide his or her students toward those benefits, then students recognize they are making progress. They now have the aptitude to excel in the martial arts, which helps to facilitate the upgrade or renewal.
Another part of this process is that instructors must make sure they are helping students work toward meaningful, and not random goals. I’ve seen this occur, when, for example, the stress is on students to be excellent academic students to become Black Belts; however, some students may earn all “As” on their report cards, but have no self-confidence.
Students can have great grades, and their martial arts instructors can stress great grades all the time, but how are they helping those students develop A+ confidence? That starts with having the right tools and systems to interact with students and parents, so the training and your curriculum is focused on specific goals and that your students experience progress, success, towards their ultimate goals.
Toby Milroy: It’s all too common for school owners to approach this process too technically. What I mean is that when Mile High Karate starts to help a school become much more efficient, specific monthly enrollment and renewal goals are set.
If, for example, a school’s renewal goal is 16 students per month, then that means the school must have 16 students who have the enthusiasm and willingness to ask their instructor to become part of the Master Club, Leadership Team, Black Belt Club or whatever. What often happens, however, is the pendulum swings too far and school owners and instructors lose sight of why students renew.
School owners start to focus on the technical and tell instructors, “Make sure you mention Black Belt Club during the class four times, and then ask students, who wants to be part of the Black Belt Club today. Ask them to raise their hands and shake their heads yes.” That’s where the school owners leave it.
They miss the big vision; they miss translating features into benefits. They miss that step, and it’s not a mistake you want to make. Yes, there are systems and tools to use during class to convince students to raise their hands and show interest in your upgrade program. Instructors should use those tools, but this step in the process is showing students how they’re accomplishing their goals in a physical, direct and concrete manner.
An instructor may have translated features into benefits for students on the floor, but instructors must also translate features into benefits for the decision makers.
Master Brown, would you please explain the right mindset for instructors, so they can include parents and family members in that dialogue, making sure parents understand the benefits and also observe their children advancing toward their goals.
Frank Brown: One of the techniques is focusing on those specific goals accomplished during a short timeframe. Explain to parents that they should see progress in their children to reach the goal of greater self-confidence, self-esteem, discipline, etc. within a specific amount of time.
When parents know their children have advanced, then it is much easier to equate the small goal accomplished with the big goal of the future. In other words, if Johnny or Susie can become more disciplined during a six-week period, imagine what he or she can do during a four- or six-year program, such as Leadership.
You want parents to understand that if their children continue on the current trend line and achieve their Black Belts, then they will become a XYZ kind of person; but you must also provide social proof. Share the stories with parents of longtime students who started at much the same place as their children and were able to reach the same goal of Black Belt, and here is how he or she did it.
Tell parents about those students that may be only a few months or ranks ahead of their children, who are following the same trend line and have accomplished the following goals.
These are all positive techniques, but don’t overlook revealing the negatives or what the child and the parents will miss if they decide not to enroll. What goals will the child not achieve or benefits he or she will not receive?
The social proof I mentioned above is key; and the Mile High Karate system provides it in written form as well as audio and video. When the parents of renewal prospects can watch other parents talk about why they decided to upgrade to a new program or students stand in class telling everyone why he or she wants to work toward a new goal, as a Leadership student, for example, then that is very compelling.
Toby Milroy: As we discussed above, this process is more than instructors shouting from the top of their lungs to students to enroll in Black Belt Club. It’s a more nuanced approach that certainly requires the engagement of parents in that process. You want them to believe truly in what the outcome will be as well as identify the pain or loss if they don’t renew or upgrade. You want parents to say, “If XYZ are truly our goals for Johnny or Susie, then why on earth would we wait to renew? Why on earth would our family not participate at the highest level possible?”
