Whenever the subject of martial arts and self-defence training comes up we often hear the conversation of money follow.
So often people do not teach martial arts as a primary career but instead, it is seen as a secondary hobby. One where you are lucky if you break even.
Right now I know of instructors that sleep on their gym floors. I know of coaches that can barely afford to eat.
But how can that be?
After all, you have studied for years, paid out thousands of pounds on your training costs. Driven hours or even flew across an ocean to get to seminars.
And when you make the decision to teach others your art and craft you struggle.
Thus cannot be right can it?
Sure you might have 5 or 10 loyal students but 100 or even 200 seems the stuff of dreams.
And secretly you hate the thought of the local cross fit gym getting members in their droves.
So what is the answer? How do you change the game?
In this article, we will you teach you to remove the 7 mental barriers that are holding you back from earning a great full-time income teaching martial arts.
1. Positioning
One of the key factors that martial arts instructors make is a lack of positioning.
Imagine this; the new I phone comes out and people stand for hours outside a shop for a phone.
Sure it has a camera and a few new gadgets and it is a little better than the phone they already own. They don’t need the phone, but they want that phone.
They even stand in the rain to ensure they get it first.
Now think of your classes. Would you love to be oversubscribed?
Would you like it if every time a student left you had 20 people waiting in line all willing to learn from you?
Well, it has everything to do with positioning and nothing to do worth.
I think we all know that your martial arts classes are more valuable than the latest I phone, but you are going to struggle to compete with Apples marketing.
The good news is that you don’t have to, you just need to position yourself as the best at what you do.
That is simple, tell people you are an expert. Unless you are exceptional in what you do, you simply do not deserve to be in the business of teaching martial arts.
This is the key.
Now you might be reading this and think that you are not exceptional, well you need to go out and become just that.
Strive to be the best at what you do and the positioning is the easy part.
2. Increasing the Perceived Value
Value is a perception, nothing more and nothing less.
A handbag in Top Shop is the same as one in a designer store. Same purpose and built using similar methods.
So why is there often a £1000 price difference?
The perception of value
But how do you increase your perceived value
You have to be clear about what you do and craft that into a powerful message that you embed in the very fabric of your DNA.
If a person you meet at a pub asks you what you do, a simple conversation with you should be so inspiring that they consider training with you or even recommend a friend.
If a person lands on your website, they should be in no doubt the value your art offers.
People buy benefits not features.
Nobody thinks to themselves that they want to train in BJJ, Judo, Defence Lab or Krav Maga.
Instead, they have a problem, and they need a solution.
And depending on your marketing efforts, they found you.
So let’s take this further, perhaps you are in a shopping centre and running a promotional stand.
A person walks past your stand, and you stop them and talk to them.
You gain a spark of interest, and you learn that the passer by wants to lose weight but they tell you that they are considering going to Cross Fit.
So there you have it, right there you are in your fight. You now have to increase the perception of value about your classes over those of training in cross fit.
Could you do this? If not then you need to work on this skill.
3. Put Your Needs First
You walk into the petrol station and leave with £40 less in your account.
Your gas bill comes through the post; your rent is due, and your family needs feeding.
It is the harsh reality of life.
Your students have their issues. Perhaps they lost their job; perhaps they spent too much on the kids Christmas presents and had a payday loan.
None of this matters because your rent is due.
None of this matters because your children need feeding.
In an ideal world, you could give free lessons, but you are not on this path. You want to be a professional martial arts instructor, and that means getting paid.
There are lots of people out there who will try and tell you that the martial arts should not be about money.
Come back to them when they are 70 years of age, with no pension and struggling to pay the heating bills.
You don’t walk into a shop and take a TV from the shelf and walk out.
Why not? Because it is against the law to steal.
So when you teach for pennies you are letting your students do just that. They are stealing from your kids, stealing from your pension and stealing from your knowledge.
Put your family first above anything else.
4. Raise Your Rates
Every year your mobile phone bill goes up by a few pounds, you don’t like it but you accept this.
Every year prices go up because we live in with an economy that has inflation.
So what does the martial artist do?
Nothing. They keep charging £5 per lesson like they did 5 years ago.
And your students will keep paying it.
However you need to raise your rates and the students will support you if tell them why you are raising the rates.
You can raise your prices by 10, 20, 30, 50, or even 80% and your students will pay.
But they will only pay if they value what you do and the reasons why you need to raise the prices.
Buying yourself a new car isn’t a reason.
Investing in a new centre, training courses and buying new equipment are all valid reasons.
But remember if the students don’t value what you do then you can’t ask them to pay more money.
5. Value Yourself
This part is the most important element in being a professional martial arts instructor.
So let me share you a story about my superhero club.
When I was a young boy, I created a club with my friends.
It was a superhero club.
We all had names and powers.
We made badges and had a rule book.
We even had a base by the big tree in the park.
Have you done that? I am pretty sure that most kids do something similar.
Well guess what, a lot of adult martial arts instructors do the same.
They set up a club, have a rule book and even give themselves names.
That, however, is not a business.
Business is all about value. Someone is paying you money for a service they need or want.
However unless the money coming in is greater than the money going out you simply don’t have a good business.
But a good business starts with the value, and by this, I mean establishing the value that you deliver.
In essence, it means that you need to ask yourself a question:
What are you worth?
Here is my one rule for business.
If I can’t get paid what I am worth I will shut up shop and go and work at McDonalds.
I have no worries about knocking door to door and washing cars if that helps me to support my family.
Would you do this?
Would you rather give up teaching if students didn’t pay what you are worth?
I would.
That is because I value what I teach. I value the knowledge I have, and if people don’t pay what it is worth, then they don’t get to learn from me.
Sounds harsh?
Harsh is my kids not having a home.
Harsh is not having food in your cupboards.
Asking someone who wants and can afford your services to pay what they are worth is not harsh.
6. Pick The Right Clients
I heard a story once about a martial arts club that charged unemployed people less than those with jobs.
Think about that for a second.
You offer your services for less money to those without money coming in.
What does that message say about your value?
Sure it says your compassionate, sure it tells me you are a good person.
But what message does it send to the other students that are paying top dollar for your services?
I never went into a supermarket and saw the prices for those unemployed and those working.
Straight away, the second you start trying to alter your prices for anyone you devalue yourself.
You put their needs in front of your own.
Professionals work for people that can afford your services.
So this is how it goes:
Prospect “I would love to try your classes but its too expensive for me, the gym is just £10 per month.”
You: “Ok, really sorry to hear that, I’m certain you would have loved our lessons. However if things change in your financial situation please feel free to give me a call.”
Why would I end the conversation like that?
Because the prospect just doesn’t value you.
Now there are ways around this; you can start to increase the perception of value with this client.
Or you can just let them on their way.
But if someone says you are too expensive or starts to compare you with the gym, are these the sort of clients you want?
Instead, you should go back and look at your website, look at your branding, look at your business cards, look at your uniforms and look at your leaflets, your stands, and your approach.
Then ask yourself if that shows your value or does that look like your superhero club when you are younger?
If you are valuable, then show this in everything that you do.
7. Stop Dictating What People Can Afford
This final aspect of becoming a well paid martial arts instructor is to stop telling people what they can afford.
Have you ever seen the film Pretty Woman?
In the film the lead character played by Julia Roberts walks into a designer shop, and the staff does not want to serve her because she is dressed badly.
In truth, she has a load of cash on her person, and she was going to spend a lot of money.
Most martial arts instructors make a huge assumption as to what people can afford to pay for lessons.
I have heard some say “People won’t pay £50 per month.”
What????
Who are you to tell me what I cannot afford for myself and my kids.
Now there is, of course, a ceiling price for everything.
You can’t charge £100 per person for an hour in a class of 30 people.
Logic dictates that you have to look at like for like services.
But your competition is not a gym that charges £10 per month.
They are not even in your league.
Charge what you are worth, charge what will help your business grow and what is a reasonable sum of money for your services.
Do not make yourself cheaper than a kebab.
Do not make yourself the price of a Happy Meal.
You are worth more than that but at the same time do not make the mistake of telling others what they can or cannot afford by creating a pricing structure doomed to fail.
Conclusion
The goal of this lengthy article is to transform your way of thinking.
Remove the mental barriers that prevent you from having a secure financial future.
Defence Lab is leading the way for others to enjoy a great future teaching martial arts by creating business systems that allow for people to teach martial arts on a professional basis.
This is not for everyone but if your goal is to have a great life and to teach your passion then get in touch, we might be able to help.