WARNING: Embrace this philosophy and you will see how to sign up more karate students than ever before.
“The goal of the information call/inquiry is to set an appointment.” This was drilled into our heads day in and day out back in the “old days.” This has always been taught as the purpose of an inquiry and it is WRONG.
Don’t worry. We don’t blame you for believing this; we did too, initially. It makes sense from a certain point of view but when you start paying attention to how many people NO-show for their first appointment or trial with you, you should immediately realize that setting an appointment is NOT the goal.
The goal of helping your inquiry, whether its through your website or through the phone, is to build excitement and anticipation for the lesson or trial. You have to give them enough big reasons that it becomes important enough for them to actually break their regular routine and plan and arrive for your appointment together. When you put all this together, you will sign up more karate students.
The info call sample is less about a script and more about strategy.
The ultimate goal of an inquiry is to build rapport, get to know each other, paint a picture of the actual experience of the trial AND to eliminate fears that are associated by the prospect. If all of this is done properly, you will at minimum capture information that can keep you connected to expand the conversation and communicate in many ways. The better you get at doing these things the more appointments you will set and more importantly the better your show rates will become ultimately realizing MORE new members.
In 25 years I’ve never seen an inquiry process that helps relieve our prospects fears. This is a huge mistake.
What are some of the possible fears?
Here are a few examples of fears of a parent below:
Will my child be good at this?
Will they be scared?
Will they be safe?
Will they be able to keep up?
Will they get hurt?
Will they be able to learn this?
Will the other people in class be nice?
Sample Inquiry Call Flow
Thank you for calling [school name], how may I help you?
I’m interested in some information on your classes.
Great! My name is Scott, who am I speaking with today?
My name is Jess.
Hey Jess, it’s great to meet you! Is this for you or someone else?
=It’s for my son. He’s 7.
Has he ever done martial arts before?
No
That’s great! He’s going to love it. May I take a minute to tell you
about what he will do and learn during his first classes?
Sure!
Ok, listen closely. You’re going to love this.
We will start by going at a great pace that will help to keep his attention
but also go at a rate that will make it fun and easy for him to learn.
The kids in the class are very nice, respectful and welcoming to everyone.
We will do some simple stretches and exercises to warm up and then we
will learn some different types of techniques like blocking, balance and
coordination drills that are a lot of fun that actually improve balance and coordination for those
that need help in that area.
As the class goes on the kids will learn more with an easy to understand pace that
builds repetition so they start remembering more and more, every time they do class.
Now, parents ACTUALLY notice the kids start improving their focus AND their concentration
gets better. And we hear from parents all the time about how their kids level of respect is unbelievable.
What types of things are you wanting you son to accomplish in martial arts?
Well, I’d love to see him get a little more focused.
That’s perfect, he will fit in just fine here.
Hey, I’d love to let you get a peak into the program by having you check
out one of our kids program Facebook groups. How do I find you on facebook
so that I can add you to that group?
Parent’s answer.
Perfect. I’ve got you added to the group. Check it out, fee free to
interact or just read some of the posts. It’s totally up to you.
Now, lets talk about schedules. Are you in front of your computer?
Yes.
Ok, great go to [yourwebsite.com.] Do you see that box, on that right that says “Get Our Class Schedule, Web Specials and prices”?
Yes
Great, please go ahead and put your email in there and click “Gain Instant Access” and it’s going to take you to the schedule so I can explain it, okay?
You will see, We have classes Monday through Friday at 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, or 7pm and we also have Saturdays at 10am or 2pm.
Do you think any of those times will work for your schedule for your first lesson?
Yes, the Tuesday at 6pm.
Perfect, now, we don’t like to get people started to fast so we start all our kids with a simple trial for 6 weeks for $69 and that actually includes a free uniform to get started. On top of that, we have a 30 day money back guarantee, so if he doesn’t like it or you don’t like it, you can just let us know and if you want we will even give you back all of your $69 and you can still keep the uniform.
Are you ready to register for the trial? If so just click the “Buy Now” button that is circled in red towards the bottom of the page. Do you see that?
Great go ahead and fill out your registration information and we will schedule you for your time slot.
After actually setting the appointment, say, “we will send you a reminder message by text so it’s convenient for you. Is that okay with you?” Today the majority would rather get that text than a phone call, hands down.
Keep in mind, the time between the inquiry and the actual appointment is like a speed date and the best thing you can do is bring them along into several different places to feel like they know you faster.
They need to get an idea about what they will experience with that first lesson. Put them at ease about the experience being relaxed, fun and a safe atmosphere where its okay to try new things and not feel silly. Help them realize just how much they will like you and the class they will
get to be part of.
At the same time, connect with them through your Facebook groups and help them build connections to your other members by welcoming them to the group. Then perhaps take them to your youtube channel and show them a tour of your facility and introduce your instructors. And make sure they see you smiling, not looking tough and unapproachable.
APPOINTMENT REMINDERS:
FORGET THE PHONE. Instead of getting your calls going straight to voice mail with no return call, people will feel more comfortable cancelling or rescheduling with you if things change. Go for the gold standard and text message your appointments. SMS is opened 99.9 percent of the time. Automate this process so you never have to let it fall through the cracks again. Use 2 messages. One for the heads up the day before the appointment and a different message for the actual reminder the day of the appointment.
HEADS UP – DAY BEFORE:
Hey this is Pete at Pete’s Martial Arts Academy. We’re really looking forward to your class tomorrow. It’s going to be a lot of fun!
REMINDER – DAY OF:
Hey it’s Pete at Pete’s Martial Arts. Today is the day 🙂 . You’re going to love it. See you at 6pm. If you need to reschedule just reply back. We will take care of you.
Implement these steps right now and you will see your show rates soar and you will see a better way of how to sign up more karate students. Let’s do this!