Over the past 40 years that I spent in the ballroom dance industry, I found the schools that are the most successful are the ones with good, sound, pressure-free sales procedures.
I also noticed that the studios without procedures and sold dance lessons on a hit or miss basis usually failed. It always comes back to the first lesson, the lesson that is the most important.
We all know that if a new student is dissatisfied after their first lesson they will probably never return. Everyone who has been in the business long enough is nodding their head up and down right now saying, “Ain’t that the truth!”
Getting it right the first time takes a good, pressure-free, sales procedure. A system using good service and information as their business tool. This will build a loyal partnership between you and your student.
When I assign a lesson to an instructor, it impacts my income. I want to know what information they are giving to my new student. An instructor must be articulate and able to show a customer that dancing is an attainable goal.
If an instructor loses a student, I feel responsible. Giving instructors the right tools and knowledge will improve a studio’s intro special sales ratio.
What makes a good procedure so effective? It answers the right questions in a logical and systematic way.
People come to your dance studio because they want to take dance lessons. Remember, most of the time they call us. If after they take a lesson and decide not to continue, that is our fault as an owner.
If instructors keep losing more students than they keep, it is because they do not understand the process of what a buyer of dance lessons is thinking. Unfortunately, they are just flying by the seat of their pants.
Most people, who say they hate sales, don’t actually understand what a procedure is for. A quality procedure does not trick or manipulate people into buying something they don’t want.
A good procedure answers the questions and informs. It helps people see themselves using the product. The procedure is a way to help the salesman sound professional and trustworthy.
Pressuring students into buying is a thing of the past and has no place in the dance industry any longer. It has tainted this industry for decades, giving studios a bad name even before they open their doors.
After the Great Depression, people were more frugal and saved much more than they spent. Now, we live in an era of spenders. When someone wants a new smartphone, they buy it; a new laptop computer, they buy it, and it doesn’t stop there.
Ergo, when a new student comes through your doors they are there to because they want to take dance lessons. So, if you, your receptionist and your instructors are professional, polite and are service oriented, 99% of the time they will continue.
When I designed the procedures for Amazing Dance Solutions, I knew that using pressure was unnecessary. I steered away from the “Battle Sales” approach and instead, opted for the “Enrollment Sales”
Battle Sales is a simple concept – if you buy, I win, if you don’t buy, I lose. That’s why so much pressure is used in these studios. Enrollment Sales, on the other hand, is much the same as going to college and enrolling in a class.
For example:
If you reach the window to pay for a class in college and decide at the last minute not to take it, no one pressures you to change your mind. This is the essence of selling dance lessons without pressure.
Even if they don’t sign up, that is okay too. Invite them back for a free social dance party and a goodbye. Leave it at that.
At least your studio won’t be labeled as a high-pressure business. Once the community sees you as a pressure school, your unpleasant reputation spreads quickly.
The same applies to studios that don’t apply pressure; they gain a reputation for being an honest and trustworthy business. Procedures allow you to work your business professionally and with some autonomy.
To make your income steady, showing a consistent profit, you must use scalable methods i.e., procedures. Contact me for more information on how to step your business procedures for your school.
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