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The Importance of Adopting an Integrity-Based Martial Arts Business Approach
Category: Editorials, Free Articles
Last night, I had a guy walk into my school to inquire about our programs. After I found out where this guy lived, my curiosity was immediately peaked.
Why? Well, the guy lives in a posh, upscale neighborhood about 7 miles from our studio. Typically, most martial arts schools only draw students from a three-to-five-mile radius, which made me wonder why he drove so far to check us out.
Furthermore, there are at least four martial arts studios within a three-mile radius of this guy’s neighborhood. So, I asked this gentleman straight-up why he drove so far, when there are so many schools right in his area.
He then explained how his children had been attending another studio for several months; however, when they had lost interest and informed their instructor they were “taking a break.” They were then informed that they had signed a contract that had several months left on the initial term, and it would cost them $3,000 to cancel.
Since that time, the guy had hired an attorney to handle the matter, since he had no recollection of the terms of the agreement ever having been explained to him. You see, it wasn’t the terms of the agreement that rankled this guy - it was that he had (I assume) been pressured to sign it without anyone explaining the details of his financial obligation.
At that point, I explained to him that yes, we use similar agreements, and I then told him exactly what his obligation would be should he join our studio. Further, I explained our 30-day guarantee, which is designed to allow potential students plenty of time to decide whether they want to commit to six months to a year of martial arts lessons. No hidden fees, no outrageous testing or promotion fees (and no automatic promotions, either).
Obviously, this gentleman was taken aback by the fact that I laid everything out for him up front. Nothing hidden; we have nothing to hide. As he left, he assured me that once he tied everything up with the other school, he’d be back to take our 30-day intro course.
Later, I found out from my assistant that he told her, “It was all about the money at our old school.” And he’s probably telling everyone he knows just exactly that regarding that martial arts school.
So, let’s examine how I handled this inquiry:
Did I sell the man on our services? In a manner of speaking, yes. However, I didn’t use a bunch of high-pressure techniques (which is probably what got the other school in trouble in the first place), nor did I hide any of the particulars of our membership terms from him in order to “grease the sale.”
And of course, I didn’t close him on the spot either. But, that’s not my primary concern when someone walks into my studio. My main concern is making certain that the student is right for the school, and that the school is right for the student. Once that is established, you see, everything else will follow.
Now, I know this may fly in the face of everything some of you have been taught about martial arts school enrollment procedures.
Things like:
- “Close every prospect on the first visit.”
- “Get the check up front.”
- “Don’t explain prices or terms until they’re signing the membership agreement.”
- Get as much cash up front as possible, in case they drop out.”
And so on.
Well, for a brief time in our old school (on the advice of others), we tried using those tactics, and quickly abandoned them, returning to what is commonly known as “consultant selling”or “integrity selling.”
So, we opted for honesty and integrity - meaning the ability to sleep well at night - over a solely profit-motivated business ethic. You see, we found that when our inner ethics were out of sync with our external actions, we felt horrible and couldn’t keep on like that.
For us, it wasn’t all about the money. While we value maintaining a comfortable, if not extravagant, lifestyle, we were (and still are) motivated more by the prospect of helping others through teaching martial arts. That makes me happy, it motivates me to go to work everyday, and it provides me with a vision that’s much bigger than a simple profit incentive.
Now, I may not ever become a millionaire by teaching martial arts. But I can tell you for a certainty that I would rather have a good name than riches, any day. Besides, my personal philosophy of business (and experience) leads me to believe that honesty in business will in fact lead to financial reward, when all is said and done.
But the best part about operating an integrity-based business is that honesty is it’s own immediate reward.
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