You are a consultant. You are not a slick salesperson out to make a quick commission. These skills combine soft-selling with integrity. That is why these skills work so well in the martial arts profession.

Questions

Asking the right questions is the first area of concern when learning how to sell a product. The idea is to gather as much information as possible about why the prospective student is looking to join the martial arts. If you don't know what the prospect hopes to gain, how can you sell the prospect on the correct benefit? If they are there because of your self-defense classes, you don't want to begin selling them on your cardio program. That's why you need to ask questions like, "What is it about the martial arts that interests you?" or to get them to talk about their child. Is the child shy or outgoing? By getting these facts and many other facts, you can relate the correct benefits and get them interested in taking classes with your school.

Another area of concern when asking questions is keeping yourself relaxed and keeping the dialogue conversational. If you are playing twenty questions with them, you won't get them to open up and make a connection with you. Another way to get a potential client to open up is to ask open-ended questions. Don't ask them if they have ever tried martial arts. They will answer, "Yes" or "No". Ask them why they want to try the martial arts. You will get a much better answer.

Listening

Listening is a big part of sales and it's something we don't want to do. For some reason many sales people don't want to listen. Instead, sales people like to talk. It's their product, their school, their art, their teaching. They know about it and want to tell you everything you could possibly need to make your decision. Yet, we forget the other person is the one who is thinking about being your student. If they don't get a chance to speak, how are they going to feel about joining your school? It needs to be a conversational dialogue. It helps air their concerns and answer the questions that are pertinent to your school. You need to also show excellent listening skills because listening is a skill parents want you to reinforce. If they can't rely on you to listen to them, how are you going to be able to teach their child? Remember, telling is not selling. When the prospect starts talking, don't interrupt with an answer. Let them talk. Listen to all the little questions and insecurities they have. Listen and create that conversational dialogue necessary to get them involved with you and your school.

Persuasive Communication

Now that you have asked questions to pinpoint areas of interest and concerns and have listened to their responses, it is now your turn to explain to the prospect how your school can help them achieve their goals. They have just told you what they wanted. As a consultant, you need to take the information and prove to the prospect that your school can help them get what they want. If they want a children's program and you can provide it, then tell them this and explain what your children's program is about. If they are concerned about contracts or joining in when they are out of shape, address these concerns. But you must be honest. If they want a children's program and you don't offer it, be honest. An unhappy client is more likely to tell others about their disatisfaction with you.

In conclusion, these skills are excellent tools for you to use, but they are not the end-all-be-all in sales techniques. You will also need to be an expert of basic sales techniques, looking for buying signals as well. You will also need excellent telephone skills, a catchy greeting, a professional school, and a solid benefit-oriented introductory lesson. If any of those are missing, you may not see them for a second lesson.

Works Consulted

• Joshua Meredith, personal experience
• National Association of Professional Martial Artists- NAPMA
• McGaulley, Michael T. Selling 101: Essential Selling Skills for Business Owners and Non-Sales People. Adams Media Corp., 1997.