In a recent music teachers workshop, a professor from our local university’s music department gave an excellent presentation on the topic of motivating your students. I imagine this is something every studio owner struggles with, and since students who aren’t motivated have a tendency not to progress and not to enjoy what they’re doing, this can also affect student turnover.
“Gratitude is the best attitude.” ~Author Unknown
The holiday season is a time for giving thanks. Do your customers really know how much you appreciate their business? What do you do to express your gratitude? In order to develop good customer service and build your brand, recognizing your clients for their loyalty goes a long way. Most businesses have some kind of special event, sale or special recognition for their customers. We, as studio business owners, are no different. When I first considered this, I asked myself the question and thought that I wasn’t doing much, but after some reflection, realized that I already do quite a bit – not to say that I can’t do more! There is always room for improvement!
Spring has definitely sprung! Soon your phone will be ringing (or your inbox will by chiming!) with parents of prospective students. How do you handle a transfer from a different teacher? If handled poorly, you lose respect among your colleagues. I have experienced both sides of the transfer student dilemma. When faced with this circumstance, one must practice integrity. Webster’s defines integrity as “a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.”
The Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) provides a Code ot Ethics that addresses this issue in its Commitment to Colleagues section:
The teacher shall maintain a professional attitude and shall act with integrity in regard to colleagues in the profession.
Furthermore, the last two bullets in the Commitment to Colleagues section speak to the ethics involved in transfer situations among students, parents and teachers:
Owning your own studio can be a bit lonely. Especially if your studio is small, and you don’t have other employees and aides with whom you interact regularly. But being a studio owner doesn’t need to be isolating. There are many professional organizations out there that can provide opportunities for comraderie and collaboration and the reasons to join them are many.
Networking
When I first knew our family would be moving, I contacted the president of the local music teachers organization from the area where we were relocating. When I got to town, I had coffee with her and discussed ways to get started with students. She was incredibly helpful in helping me understand the market in my new town, and since her studio was full, she referred three students my way. Through word of mouth, these three students grew to twelve students in a few short months. Another teacher in our organization gave my name out to a local school, where I also picked up several students. I have done my best to pay it forward; now that I have a waiting list, I have sent students to new teachers in our group and I know that they, too, have been grateful for the referrals. It is my experience that teachers in these groups want to support one another and help each other grow their studios whenever possible.
A few months ago I wrote a blog post about ways to communicate with your customers. I will now focus on specific ways the Internet alone makes contact with our clients simple and effective. I firmly believe that keeping the lines of communication with our business contacts open not only results in a long-term relationship with our customers but also a more pleasant and effective relationship for all involved.
The Internet makes it simple to keep customers up-to-date on everything happening in your studio–events, continuing education, performance opportunities. Using the Internet to frequently communicate information lets customers know that you are an active and involved teacher.