school owners,managers, and program directors!!

[scad]

what are some ideas that you have used successfully to get new students in the door! i have my own ideas but i like to see what other people have come up with, so please let me know what you have thought of, i'm looking for new ways to recruit in the new year!

-scad

[bushido_man96]

Demonstrations are a good way to get noticed. We have done some at the Mall here in town, with decent results. Half-time demos, at high school basketball and football games get you exposed to teenagers as well.

Also, see if you can get the local newspaper to do an article for you as well. The public will at least know you are there.

[jaymac]

I have posted this before somewhere else, but getting involved with local charities is a good way to get visible in your community. You can also have a day where you allow students to bring a friend to come along and train for free.

[cathal]

I agree, demonstrations and community involvement are always quite easily done. They get the name out there as well. Advertising in the Sports section of local newspapers when you have exams and tournaments are also good to get more people watching.

[ninjanurse]

Demonstrations are always great. I have had good success with newspaper ads and brochures placed about the community. I also have a contact in a local school who has referred several youngsters to me. Finally, word of mouth from you own students and their parents is a plus for any school!!

[AngelaG]

Most of our students in the last 6 months or so have been recommendations.

We are doing a post-Christmas push for students at the moment and have put posters up, dropped leaflets around the area, submitted an article to the local paper, took a couple of PE lessons in local schools... and made sure the website is up to date and submitted to as many sites as possible.

[2007]

Here is something to think about :

Suggestions For Attracting New Students

: Leaflets

These are a good idea but rather than post them door to door or place piles of them in shops etc. go to your local shopping centre and hand them out. That way you can select whom you hand them to and therefore minimise waste.

: Advertising in the Media

This method is only useful if you are going to use a large area of the page or if your ad is to be repeated for a long period of time.

Ask your self how many of the small ads you actually read?

: Inserting Flyers in to the Media

Most small Local Papers will allow you to place a given number of Flyers into the weekly publication for a set fee.

Again this can be a waste of time as again how many of the loose flyers that fall out of your Local Paper do you actually look at let alone read?

I know a club that placed 2,500 in their own Local Paper and did not get 1 phone call.

: Door-to-Door Calling

This is a tried and tested method. But many make the mistake of simply advertising their own local club. Instead show the BIGGER PICTURE and say you are from a Martial Arts Association and that we have a Club in the area. Give them the website details and invite them to take a look.

Have your own Portfolio with you containing Insurance, First Aid, CRB etc in case they ask to see it.

Don’t mention your Style, unless they ask, as they may have done what they think is something similar in the past and may have been put off.

Instead mention Martial Arts, Self Defence and Fitness in general, but remember no hard sell. Treat them, as you would expect to be treated.

Give them a night that they can come to the club, give them a leaflet and then record their details. That way if they don’t turn up on that night you can give them a follow up by telephone.

Remember to keep a record of the area you have covered so as not to repeat the visit too soon.

: Car Stickers

These too are a good and tested method but in order to have any real impact they need to be readable from the car behind you.

Small stickers do not fit into this criteria as they can only be read by actually stopping on foot and reading them, in a car park for example and when was the last time you actually did that yourself?

The sign needs to fill the back window of the vehicle but without obscuring the driver’s vision. Using vinyl lettering is a suggested method. These can be made at low cost by most car spares shops and sign makers.

: Posters

The risk with Posters is having them taken down! If you are going to use them then laminate them first and then place them in a position that is not easily accessible, for example inside a window.

: Bring a Friend

Offer your members an incentive for brining their friends to the club that they will receive when the friend signs up for membership.

: Party Nights

Arrange a Party Night at your club and give guest passes to your members for their friends. May be show a film from the current DVD Charts.

Do a half hour to an hours training then show the film, lay on drinks etc.

: Family Discounts

Many Families would like to take up the Martial Arts but cannot afford it due to the cost. Also Parents would be encouraged to take part as well if there were some discount involved.

There is no suggested method for this as it must be based on your over heads, however I myself give the 4th member half fee and the 5th and over free.

: Monthly Payments

Direct Debit is a good tool but avoid contracts at all costs as these can cause more trouble than they are worth.

Instead use standing orders that way the Student is in control.

Another method is to have them pay you at the start of the month for all of the potential training they could do through out it.

In either case offer an incentive for paying monthly for example:

12 Lessons in the month pay as you go would cost (example): £42.00

Monthly payment for the same amount of lessons : £35.00

You could go further and work out the saving for the year, or even do one for families.

hope this helps ?