September Update

Hi everyone, I am delighted to be writing this foreword at what has always been the beginning of the best three months of the Martial Arts calendar for taking on new students. At NEST we have also taken on more new clients than ever and have also seen a record number of new locations opened by existing clients.

We are also seeing a significant increase in the use of our school management system (V3) as we quickly approach the changeover from Version 2 for all remaining schools that are not yet there. The communication functions of the system coupled with the ease of taking attendance in a number of ways, including using a mobile phone, will continue to support schools efforts to make real improvements in retention rates as well as making the task of managing the business more effective. This is really important as we go into this part of the year when school owners can take advantage of a rising market as children have returned to school and parents look to enrol them into new extra curricular activities; but remember that adults too are looking for new activities post summer holidays and should also not be forgotten.

Throughout the summer months we have seen schools continuing to make progress in increasing the volume of business they achieve. Some schools have increased business by double digit percentages this year with the best performances showing monthly increases of up to £5K. In addition to these successes, we have also seen student retention rates at higher than anticipated levels, which is great and this continues to give us confidence in the industry for growth potential for every school.

The three months of September, October and November always stand out as the biggest opportunity every year for our industry, but we have to work at it to achieve our goals. While I am sure that you have been taking notice of our marketing prompts in preparation for this time please also remember that those with consistent success also show a consistent approach to their marketing activity. That means formulating and executing a well prepared plan to implement marketing actions which support your goals for getting new students and retaining the ones that you have. It is clear, from our analysis of schools, that success will only come where there is a consistent focus on the business of getting and retaining students throughout every single month.

Martial Arts has given us the tools to enable us to “dig deep”, focus and demonstrate commitment to success. Use these skills in your business now and irrespective of the economic climate as reported on the news, you will end the year with the success you planned and truly deserve.

I wish everyone all the very best for success in this last part of the year. If you need any help or guidance please do not hesitate to call us. 

Very best wishes

GDT

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