What If Chuck Norris Visited Your School?
Posted on | October 5, 2011 | No Comments
The general manager of Kovar Systems, Mark Seidman, put the following piece together for one of our staff meetings. It is so good that I had to share it with all of my school owner friends.
Imagine for a moment that you just found out that Chuck Norris is in your city shooting some scenes for his next movie. And you’ve just been notified that he would like to visit your school tomorrow to get in a little training after a long day on the set. He knows he can’t be anonymous, but he just wants to get in some training with your advanced adult class. After you verify that this is not a hoax, you spring into action:
- You call your staff together and let everyone know that they need to bring their “A” game. You review your plans for every class to be sure everyone is on the same page and ready.
- You make sure that your school looks as sharp as the day you opened it. Your mats are cleaned. Your bathrooms are spotless. Your office is immaculate. Every sign is perfectly straight. Every piece of gear and furniture is exactly where it is supposed to be. You replace any burnt out light bulbs. Maybe even a candle or two to be sure the place even smells perfect.
- You walk outside and take a good look at your school from the street to be sure that it looks great when he arrives. You pick up every piece of trash within 10 yards of your door. You make sure that your staff has moved their cars so he can get a good parking space.
- You’ve been told that he might get there early, so you make sure that every class that day runs like clockwork.
- To be sure that everything goes perfectly, you make sure to have enough help so that every student in every class feels like today’s class was the best class they’ve taken.
- You pay attention to every detail to be sure everything is perfect. You even remind your staff to have a breath mint before they start each class.
- You get to your school just a little bit earlier than usual to be sure that you can attend to any last minute details.
- Just before the day starts, you remind your staff to make Mr. Norris feel welcome in your school. You remind them not to run at him the moment he walks in, but not wait so long to welcome him that he starts to wonder if anyone knows he’s there. Remind them that since he’s never visited your school, it might take him a few moments to feel comfortable there.
It’s not frantic. You don’t want him to feel that you’re all totally on edge. You want him to get the sense that you’re genuinely happy to see him but at the same time, you maintain a low key confidence that tells him that he has come to the best martial arts school in your city.
So when Mr. Norris walks in, he is completely impressed with you, your staff and your school.
And of course, you know that Mr. Norris isn’t really in your town. And he won’t be training at your school today. But what would happen if you treated every day like the day that a very special guest was coming to your school? How great would your retention be if you put that extra preparation and energy into every class you teach? And what percentage of your prospects would enroll if you made that extra effort to make an exceptional first impression?
Going the extra mile every day isn’t easy, but it will make your school stand out from all the other schools in your city. And it will clearly differentiate your program from all the other after school activities out there.
And it will make your school a very popular place to train for kids, teens, and adults.
Comments
Leave a Reply
About Dave Kovar
Mr. Kovar has been teaching Martial Arts professionally since 1978. Dave is a multi-style Black Belt who has been committed to ever-improving his Martial Arts skills. He updates this blog to provide tips and insights to martial arts instructors around the country. To learn more, click here.
Where Success Stories Begin
Dave Kovar In Action
- News10 - 50 Rounds to Celebrate 50th Birthday
- KCRA News - Basic Self-Defense Strategies
- Jujitsu Black Belt Test
- CNBC - Child Safety Report
RSS