If you want to keep your Yoga students coming back for more, you have to keep your classes interesting. Don't keep doing the same thing every week. How would you feel if the restaurant you went to served you the "usual" every time you sat down? Most of us would change restaurants, because it's boring.
If you are bored, and feeling stale with the routine and lesson plans in the Yoga classes you teach, so are your students. This is time to develop alternate lesson plans. Look around your class to get a feel for the energy; if there is none, you have to make changes. Design Yoga classes with a slightly different emphasis to see if you can recapture some excitement or find a trend.
Monitor your drop out rate and know your stats. Are you losing more students out the back door, while focusing on bringing new students through the front door? This is very common, but many health clubs and Yoga studios make the mistake of taking repeat business for granted.
When you have a small number of Yoga students to track, you don't have to drive yourself crazy with statistics. If you grow into a large Yoga studio, you have to pay attention on a weekly basis. Who is out? Why are they out? ...and so on.
I'm not telling you to hit the panic button every time your numbers drop. Some slow downs are seasonal and others just happen. What you are looking for are trends. Trends tell you the average life of a student / teacher relationship and why most of them leave.
Many of them leave, because they don't feel like they are acknowledged. No one greets them or makes any small talk. Others leave because of the class atmosphere; they didn't bond with the particular teacher, they didn't like a student in the class, or the material covered went stale. Other reasons might be a job/family change. This is why you have to get to know your students, and if you don't like it, find someone who will. A person who greets your students is important, no matter what size your business is. This person serves as a "sounding board" and can head off a few disasters at the pass.
Sometimes you can guide a student gently into an alternate Yoga class. Without understanding and identifying trends, we would all fly blind. This takes a lot of guesswork off your back in the future. When the company grows, you will need to understand your direction and make corrections accordingly, just like any other business.
When it comes to advertising, and marketing, your web site is only part of your marketing mix. You should always remember there is no single ?magic bullet.? Spread your area of influence, with the money you save, by advertising on the Internet. You can do this by testing ?offline methods? that are cost effective for your Yoga business.
Let's look at another way to get more business for your Yoga teaching services, without ?breaking the bank.? Develop an inside referral program for new Yoga students, and create referral incentives among your regular Yoga students.
This is low cost and you only pay for results. Instead of waiting for referrals to just happen, you encourage them to happen frequently, with rewards for bringing in new members. Give away guest passes to all your Yoga students. Have them sign their name on the back, so you know where the referral came from. When the new referral signs up for at least an 8-class package, you reward the person whose name is on the back of the card.
You don't have to give away the store. Give your referring Yoga students free classes, a T-shirt, strap, block, mat, $10.00, or whatever you can afford. Most of all, say, ?thank you? to each active Yoga student who gives referrals. Some of your students just won't take a reward, but all of them want to be thanked.
Student retention is one area that most Yoga teachers do not give enough consideration. You have to protect, satisfy, and keep, your active Yoga students. In any other business, these are called ?repeat customers,? and your Yoga students should be treated ?like gold,? since they are much more than customers.
Your students are loyal and will allow you to remain a Yoga teacher for years to come. You will have time to pursue Yogic knowledge, due to the loyalty of your Yoga students. Never take your Yoga students for granted, abuse them in any way, or adopt an air of superiority. Everyone is good at something, and we have to keep the big picture in perspective: A Yoga teacher should be humble at all times.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Both Jackie & Paul M. Jerard Jr. are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jackie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Yoga Practice, Anger Control and Yoga Practice. Paul Jerard is director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He's a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches that along with fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students who want to be a teacher.http://ww. Jackie's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
Paul M. Jerard Jr. has sinced written about articles on various topics from Leadership, Yoga Practice and Anger Control. Paul Jerard is director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He's a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches that along with fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students who want to be a teacher.. Paul M. Jerard Jr.'s top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.