[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]This is where all of your money spent is either multiplied in its return or wasted in its effort. The enrollment conference is not a hard-sell encounter with high–pressure tactics. If you are going to work with someone for three to five years, you want to get off on the right foot and that entails building trust. As I pointed out earlier, all of the possible objections should have been overcome in the introductory process.

They should already understand that you want an initial goal of 100 classes (Two classes a week for a year). However, it is also very important all of this is reviewed to anchor the commitment and make sure everyone is understanding of the arrangements. This is accomplished through your student application.

The student application is filled out by the staff member conducting the conference and consists of a series of questions that you’ll see below. They help to reveal any concerns or possible roadblocks. It is also designed to help the prospective student address in a very frank manner, the commitment they will be making.

Questions To Ask After The Introductory Lesson

After the introductory lesson, the first thing to do is to congratulate the prospect on earning their white belt.  You might also remind him or her about what they said they were seeking in the martial arts and how that was touched upon in the intro, or how they will get it once they become a member.  For instance, you can give examples of how their child overcame the shyness or how he or she persevered through the white belt exam.  Encourage them by telling them that if they can improve that much in 15 minutes, imagine how well he or she will be doing by coming to class twice a week.”

Review the Benefits

“Joey did very well, and not only will he get the self-esteem and self-confidence you were looking for him, but he will get a whole lot more. Our program has a great advantage in that we use the techniques to capture the interest of the child and use that to motivate them to perform better in all areas of life. In our school, sidekicks lead to self-confidence.”

“It’s great for us to see parents like yourself who recognize how much this can help a child to grow.”

The Ascending Close

If you did your prep work well, all of these answers will be YES. This creates a momentum of YES that helps the student to make the final decision. If any of these questions is answered NO, then you have to make sure it’s converted to a YES before making the final enrollment presentation.

1. How long have you been thinking of learning (or getting Joey into classes)? What was preventing you from starting before?

(Why ask this? This exposes any potential obstacle. The key is to find out if the situation has changed to allow the enrollment to happen. For instance, “My work schedule was crazy. Now I work during the day, so it’s shouldn’t be a problem…” That is a major buying signal.)

2. Based on what you have seen so far, what has impressed you the most?

 (Why ask this? – Gets prospect to tell you what they like so you can emphasize it in your presentation.)

3. Is there anything you saw or heard that concerned you at all?

(Why ask this? – Gets prospect to tell you what they didn’t like so you can address it before making your presentation.)

4. Can you attend classes on Monday and Wednesday at 6pm?

(Why ask this? If they can’t make class, they can’t enroll. You can also ask, “will you be coming to class on…? This is a test close. If they answer, YES, then they are ready to enroll.)

5. Based on everything we have discussed, would you like to continue to learn?

(Why ask this? This is getting them to give you permission to enroll them.)

Price Presentation

Since every school and market is different, we chose a mid-range pricing structure that you can change as needed.

There are three options to each program.

1. A registration fee and monthly payments for 11 months.

Sample: $249 Registration and then $129 per month for 11 months. Total: $765

2. A registration and monthly payments for four months. This gives the student a 10% discount for paying the program off quicker.

Sample: $249 Registration and then $110 per month for 11 months. Total: $689

3. One single payment that is about 20% off the full monthly total. Total: $599

Ideally, you would have the majority of your students choosing option 1 or 2. This way, you get the financial relationship satisfied so you can focus on training. If a student has paid in full, you are less apt to “push them through” a rank or two to keep them on board.[/text_block]