A Lesson for Martial Arts School Owners from "The Donald"
I watch VERY little television, but one of my “guilty pleasures” is the Celebrity Apprentice!
I’ve watched every episode of EVERY season of the apprentice and Celebrity apprentice (PVR is an amazing invention….and a big time saver) looking for the lessons buried in the episodes (sometimes DEEPLY buried, sometimes not). And, of course, looking for insights into the “thinking” of one of the wealthiest people in the world.
So the first episode was a couple days ago, and there was a HUGE lesson for Martial Arts School Owners!
In the first challenge the men (Bill Goldberg, Curtis Stone, Bret Michaels, Darryl Strawberry, Michael Johnson, Rod Blagojevich and Sinbad ) faced off against the women (Carol Leifer, Sharon Osbourne, Summer Sanders, Selita Ebanks, Holly Robinson Peete, Maria Kanellis, and Cyndi Lauper)
The challenge was to run a diner for 3 hours, and “whoever makes the most money wins”!
Without recapping the entire episode, the men won by MORE THAN DOUBLE the revenue!
The game was won before it ever started!
There was 1 decision that the men’s team made that won the contest for them.
Before they decided on the menu, before they discussed “who” would work the front, and who would stand on the street and drum up business……
Before they decided ANYTHING, they looked at the restaurant and said:
“Well, we only have 30 seats, so if we fill them with people eating $10 burgers, we’ll only make $300……So let’s fill them with people who will spend $100 – $250 on the lunch.”
They were EXACTLY RIGHT!
The Women’s team filled their restaurant with people, and some of their “big” buyers weren’t able to get in the door to eat!
Now, you might be thinking…..”Well, my school isn’t full, so I need to take anyone I can…….” (or something similar)
Well…..I speak to school owners from ALL OVER THE WORLD, and I don’t know many (if any) schools that charge $79/month and have 400 students.
Now, I DO KNOW a good number of owners who have 400 students, and they are NEVER the “cheapest” school in town. They are almost always the most expensive.
Having a health bottom line is VITAL to growing your school!
You HAVE TO be investing in “new student acquisition” consistently so keep your student base growing!
You will NEVER be the “cheapest” option…..there will ALWAYS be someone willing to come into your area “Cheaper”…..ALWAYS!
Yours for Success!
Toby Milroy
Chief Operating Officer – NAPMA
National Association of Professional Martial Artists
