3 Simple Tips to Convert Your Leads into Students

It’s no secret that the martial arts industry is drastically changing due to technology that provides for new business practices. Having an optimized website, social media presence and other advertising methods might generate a high volume of leads, but school owners often struggle with converting those leads into full paying students. There are some surprising statistics about what it takes to turn an interested prospect into a full paying student.

• 2% of sales are made on the first contact
• 3% of sales are made on the second contact
• 80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contacts
• 25% of sales people make one or two contacts and STOP!

Just a few years ago, it took on average three contact attempts to reach a prospect. In this day and age, it might be easier to get your marketing in front of a prospect but it takes more dedicated follow up to reach them. Here are a couple of tips on how to make sure that interested prospects never fall through the cracks.

1.) Have a couple of different options for prospects to choose from. Instead of only relying a general lead capture form on your website, integrate an option that allows them to sign up for a “Paid Trial.” If someone invests a small amount of money in an inexpensive trial membership they are more likely to follow through with showing up for their first class or introductory appointment.

Looking for more ways to get students? Check out our FREE Insiders Guide to Student Recruitment!

2.) Have a process and system mapped out for following up with any new prospects or paid trial members. Know how many calls will be made to the prospect and how many days apart they will be. This person is raising their hand saying, “I’m interested.” Be sure not to let them fall through the cracks but at the same time, don’t spam them with emails or come off as a telemarketer. Having a preplanned system of automated emails and reminders to call the prospect helps the school owner walk this fine line.

3.) Once the prospect is reached, ask for the right information. What are they interested in and why? What are their goals? If someone is interested in the self-defense aspect of martial arts, don’t steer the conversation towards the amazing competition team at the school. Focus what’s important to them and how training will get them to where they want to go.

Most importantly, be upfront and honest with the prospects on what is offered. Martial arts training has so many benefits that it can help everyone. But every person has different needs.

Be sure that the prospect is a good fit for the school and that the school is the right fit for the prospect. If they are looking to be a world champion competitor but the competition team is weaker than other programs offered, chances are they won’t be sticking around. Be sure that everything is laid out up front so that the newly signed up student sees the results promised and in turn the value in paying their monthly tuition for years to come.

Getting more students is essential to grow your school, check out our Free Insiders Guide to Student Recruitment