The Yogipreneur » Sales

The Seasons of Business – Summer

yogipreneur — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:01:23 +0000

Every business is seasonal. For most of us, the summer is traditionally a slow time. Kids are on vacation, people are traveling, and routines are more relaxed. With a little planning, you can learn to use this time to grow your business and position yourself to have an incredible fall and winter!
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Summer

By the time July rolls around, there isn’t much time to create and implement new marketing or events before school is back in session. Attempting to put together a new program within weeks generally leads to poor results and destroys the integrity of your brand.

There are some things you can do to see a dramatic difference in both your students and the bottom line.

Relationships Many of your students came to yoga to learn about themselves. They had a goal – to achieve a certain yoga pose, to lose weight, to reduce stress – that is probably forgotten. A strong relationship with your students doesn’t only feel great – you work with friends all day – but you are helping them live their ideal life. So while things are a little slow, send a note to all your students to express your enthusiasm and support for their hard work and include an incentive for them to come visit you!
Newsletters If you don’t have a newsletter, now is the perfect time to start putting a monthly newsletter together. Begin by gathering all the email addresses of current students. For up to 50 addresses, you can simply used the CC on your email, however to make a more dramatic impact Constant Contact or Mail Chimp are great newsletter programs. Newsletters are a great place to feature stand-out students or teacher, announce upcoming events and promotions, and include an article to reinforce the students commitment to yoga & their health.
Summer Promotions Summer is a great time to run a promotion on classes! Announce to all of your classes that you are having a special on class packages. Put the announcement in the newsletter. Post an announcement on your facebook page. Send flyers home with every student. Make sure you tell every student you come in contact with – even telling people during class. Take the promotion to the next level by including a referral promotion – buy one get one half off! Bring a friend and get a free class! Be creative and reward your students for bringing their friends!

Now is the perfect time to start planning events for the fall. Once families begin to settle back into school routines and people are back from vacations, they will be ready to return to their regular yoga routine. So what can you do now to prepare for the fall?

National Yoga Month Yoga studios have a great opportunity to start the fall off strong in September! National Yoga Month is all about educating and sharing yoga with your community – a great time to bring in some new faces to your studio. Plan special events to be held throughout the month – some ideas could include: free or donation based community classes, strategic partnerships with another holistic health provider (massage, reiki, chiropractor), or:
Global Mala September 19th-20th is part of the Global Mala Project. Enroll your studio to participate in this Global Mala for Peace at www.globalmala.org. This site includes flyer templates and education you can use to promote this event. Host as a free community event or raise money for a charity!
Fall Schedule Class schedules should be created at least a month in advance. The best class schedules allow students to maintain a yoga practice at regular times throughout the week – such as Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10AM or Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7PM. The key to a successful schedule is maintaining it – studios that cancel class often will lose students very quickly. Students should not have to check the schedule before each class – set the schedule and commit to it!
Workshops & Events If you will participating in Global Mala, you may want to set up workshops for the months following September. Bring in a guest teacher and watch your workshop fill the room! Workshops are a fantastic way to expose your students to new styles and deepen their practice, and also a great income generator.
Special Class Series A series of classes can be a fantastic way to introduce people to yoga. Organize a 6-8 week series for beginners, brides, men’s yoga, yoga bootcamp – whatever your community is asking for. Set a special price for the entire series – asking your students to prepay for classes not only increases your bottom line, but greatly increases their commitment to completing the entire series.
Promotions Each quarter, you should have a special promotion. You don’t want to overuse promotions as this will dilute your brand image. What kind of promotions will help your studio? Prepaid class packages or monthly packages. You are doing your students a huge favor by offering these at a discount – they will become more dedicated to their practice, achieve their goals quicker, and you’ll save them a few bucks by offering a discount.

With two months till Fall arrives, you have just enough time if you get started now. Here is a quick timeline to follow:
Week 1&2: Create a fall gameplan! Decide what you will be doing for September – November. Outline the class schedules, set dates for events, and start putting together flyers or other materials for marketing. Make sure you’re following up with your students and generating some summer business too!
Week 3&4 Line up your support! If you are bringing in teachers for events or workshops, make all the arrangements and get contracts signed. Make sure the events calendar is on your website and facebook! Start sending out a newsletter and let your community know of the events you are planning.
Week 5&6 Time to start marketing! Engage your entire team in active marketing – talking to people face to face will generate more interest than just leaving some flyers laying around. Presell all special events and workshops. Make sure you tell people that the workshops are limited to a specific number of people. Don’t let students wait until the last minute! Offer an early bird discount for up to a month before the event.
Week 7&8 Make sure your students and community know what to expect this fall! In the weeks leading up to September, families are settling into “back to school” mode, so you will need to over-communicate for anything to stick. Send emails, newsletters, flyers, events on facebook, or whatever you need to do to let your community know what you have planned for them!
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So you want to teach yoga…Part IV

yogipreneur — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:00:53 +0000

You’ve done all the prep work. You know exactly what kind of student you are hoping to teach. You’ve brainstormed a few different locations to teach. So how do you approach an organization to set up a class?

Create a proposal

A well-crafted proposal is an essential tool to gaining entry into the “non-yoga” world. If you are trying to start a class anywhere but a gym or studio, a proposal helps you to create:

Clear expectations The location knows exactly what you are offering, options for payment, and how the program will be run.
Professionalism A written proposal maintains a level of professionalism. Too many yoga teachers start a program with just a conversation and nothing in writing. A written proposal shows dedication and will increase the support from the organization.
Education Most of the people you will talk to know nothing about yoga – and what they do know is often wrong! Educate them on the benefits of yoga. Provide clear points that answer the question “Why do the people here need yoga?”.

What’s in a proposal?

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Resume

All yoga teachers should have a yoga resume. This resume should be customized to show your yoga background. This is not a resume that is full of every non-yoga-related job you’ve had since college. The purpose of this resume is simply to show your major accomplishments in the yoga field to show potential employers or partners that you know your stuff!

Here are some tips for your yoga resume:

Keep it to one page! Most people take less than 30 seconds to skim your resume. If it is full of unrelated information, your resume will not stand out.
Education Include college and where you completed your yoga training. Just as you may include your college major, include the hours and styles of yoga in which you are trained. You may also wish to include additional training in specialties, such as prenatal or kids yoga.
Contact Information Include current contact information including email and cell phone. Make all contacts as professional as possible – use your name as your email address (example: rachealcook@asdf.com) and make sure your voicemail message is appropriate.

Bio

Your bio showcases your passion and purpose as a yoga instructor. This is not the place to tell your entire life story, however personal details will set you apart and explain your uniqueness as a teacher. A dynamic bio is a useful marketing tool for workshops, presentations, or any locations where you teach.

Include in your bio:

What attracted you to yoga?
How has yoga transformed your life?
How has teaching yoga changed your life?
Describe the experience you offer as a teacher.
Describe your mission as a teacher.

Proposal Letter

This is the most critical piece in your proposal package. A well crafted proposal letter can be used to generate interest and start negotiations for a teaching position.

This letter should be 100% custom tailored towards the reader. By providing details specifically geared towards their needs, you greatly increase the chances of securing a teaching position. As you create this letter, answer these questions for your intended audience:

What is yoga?
What are the benefits of yoga for THEIR clients?
What type of yoga do you teach? Include class descriptions.
How can providing yoga to THEIR clients help their business?
What is your process for managing their clients and referrals (once you get a name, how do you follow up)?
How can you help promote their business?

A note on discussing payment and pricing:

Set clear expectations around payment and pricing. There are several ways to get paid when teaching outside of gyms or yoga studios, however make sure to GET IT IN WRITING. Document your hours, classes, and private sessions to ensure that you are compensated correctly.

How can you get paid?

Insurance If you are teaching at a doctor’s office, chiropractor, or physical therapist, your clients can charge their insurance for your services! When looking towards these locations, provide a range for payment to ensure that you can fit within the insurance guidelines.
Hourly/Headcount If you are looking to teach at a location such as a martial arts studio or dance studio, it may be easier for them to simply pay you similar to how they pay other teachers. If they do not currently have a set pay structure, make sure to include a base range that is competitive locally and is a win-win as your classes increase in size.
Renting Space If you are simply looking to rent space from a location such as a church, recreation center, or community center, make sure to get a sublease agreement in writing. This will detail what your responsibilities are including when rent is due. If you are looking to rent a space, include your space requirements and proposed hourly rent in your proposal letter.

What do you do with your proposal packet?

DO NOT BLAST OUT VIA EMAIL OR MAIL! If they are not expecting this material and have no relationship with you, expect a 1-3% call back rate on unsolicited proposals. So what do you do?

Friends & Family Let your core network know you are interested in new locations to teach. Be specific and ask them if they know of someone who may be interested in helping you. Tell them about the type of locations you are interested in teaching.
Networking If you aren’t already involved in local networking groups, start looking for one! Many groups meet once a month and the members are all ready to provide contacts to grow small businesses. Carry your business card and let them know you are looking for new locations to teach.
Call List Create a list of prospective locations. If you are looking to offer yoga for a physical therapy office, make a list of 50 offices. Pick up the phone! Ask for an appointment to discuss how you can help them grow their business through a referral based strategic alliance. Meet face to face and build the relationship!
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Are you blocking the flow of abundance

yogipreneur — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:44:48 +0000

I received an interesting email the other day. A new yoga business owner was asking me “how do I discuss my fees with new clients”. He had not communicated clear expectations and these clients were walking in with no understanding of how he works. I could sense the uncertainty.

The fear in asking for money is essentially putting a brick wall right in the flow of abundance. You either attract money or you repel it. And it all begins with your personal thoughts and attitudes towards money.

Remember – what you think about, you bring about.

Many people have issues with money. We’ve all heard “money is the root of all evil”. I think that’s ridiculous – money is not good or bad. Money is just one of many currencies that people offer in exchange for services. Money allows you to continue your path of self-development – which allows you to offer more value to your students.

If you are not confident in your fee structure, you are attracting people who aren’t confident in your fee structure. You are attracting people who want to argue about how it costs too much to work with you.

If you do not set clear expectations of how you work with your clients, don’t be surprised when things don’t go as planned.

The first conversation with a potential student, whether someone is coming in to take a group class OR is a potential private client, needs to outline exactly how you work, expectations of the teacher and the student, and the fee structure.

If you don’t know how you work, the expectations of teachers and students, or have a fee structure in place – you need to create on asap!

Learn more about the Energy of Money at my workshop June 13th 2009!