Okay, so it’s not a real insurance policy I’m talking abut, but rather a metaphorical one. And an important one at that. By “taking out an insurance policy” I mean doing everything you can to protect yourself from losing any of your current piano students. And this time of year is the perfect time to start.
It’s Cheaper to Keep ‘er
Piano teachers (unfortunately) do not have access to limitless marketing dollars. We don’t have an advertising team. We don’t have a PR manager. Sometimes we barely even have a computer printer that works! Lacking all of these things makes it difficult for the average piano teacher to really effectively market themselves. So, it makes the most business sense to invest in the students you already have. It’s cheaper to keep the students you currently teach than to go on the hunt for new ones.
Don’t Assume They’ll Stay
The biggest mistake we can make as piano teachers is to fall into the comfort zone. The place where we tell ourselves “I’ve got 23 students right now…I’ll have the same come next year!” or even “My students all love me… they’re not going anywhere!” Complacency is the kryptonite of your business.
Skip the Obvious… Go for the Unexpected
When you are considering what kinds of things you can do to create your “insurance policy”… skip the obvious. I hope your lessons are already enjoyable, that you project a professional image, that your students progress well, that you use innovative teaching methods, and that you keep up to date on what interests kids today. Put that to the side and now strive to be unexpectedly fabulous. Here’s how:
1) Identify the parents you see the least – these families are the fender bender waiting to happen in your insurance policy. Make sure you touch base with them by email or phone regularly at this time of year if only for a short update on their child’s latest lesson. Every family in your studio needs to feel a connection with you. If you run a large studio this is a difficult (but do-able!) task that is even more important than if you teach just 10 students.
2) Build a sense of community – because piano lessons are an individual activity, the families within your studio only see each other briefly in your driveway and then at the two or three recitals you hold per year. Keep in mind that people are like sheep – if one person is doing it… others will want to follow. Building a sense of community in your studio is the airbag that will protect you if something goes wrong. Create opportunities for your studio families to interact, chit-chat about how wonderful you are, and get to know the “who’s who” in your studio. It’s harder to leave something that you feel you have a real place in. Think family picnics, movie nights at your community centre, piano games day etc.
3) Brag… but tastefully – make sure you are regularly informing your studio of how wonderful you are! Post student achievements on your studio walls, send announcements in newsletters and emails, submit press releases to your local newspaper etc. etc. Show your studio families that YOU are where it’s at. They say the grass is greener on the other side… but if the grass on your side is emerald green and regularly watered your clients will stay put.
4) Choose your battles – We piano teachers are tired at this point in the year. It’s a demanding job and our smile muscles are starting to wobble with fatigue. You may be feeling as though you’ll snap if you get one more request for a make up lesson or if you receive one more late payment. Take a deep breath and choose your battles wisely and demonstrate all the patience in the world (without being a doormat). A little goes a long way. This time of year is not the time to take on the role of the “Inflexible Enforcer”.
Finally, go above and beyond… just that one step further than what is the norm. Act as though your clients can leave a “comment card” behind after every interaction with you. And while it does take extra time and effort to be this way, it’s much more efficient than pounding the pavement for new clients. Save those advertising dollars and do something wonderful with them instead.
Up for a challenge? Make it your mission to one-up your retention rate from last year (even if it was already fantastic). If you need a few more pointers, why not check out Piano Hands Shouldn’t Flip Burgers?
Hope Noar says
I needed to hear these things. Thanks. I have a student who has missed many lessons and her mother wants all the makeups. I have gone above and beyond, even offering to pick her up, because the mother works full time. She has cancelled some of the makeups. Now the next semester payment is due, and I told her, so I am waiting to hear back. I suspect she will stop lessons, as the family seems way too busy. I have offered to teach her all summer for free, but she said they are busy in the summer. How sad that sports is #1. The girl really likes the piano.
And I have a new student who wants to pay weekly and cancels. so I lose the money. I am letting it go this year, but next year I will be stricter. She knows my rules, but has made her own. I like what you said about choosing your battles. Thanks for good advice. This is a busy time of year for everyone.
Andrea says
Hi Hope,
Thanks for commenting! Yes, it can be tiring feeling as though you are being “used”. A well-worded studio policy is a great thing to fall back on when you are confronted with parents who want more than you want to give. If the same rules apply to everyone then you’ll be able to say “I’m so sorry, but my policy is…”. You are right, however, that now is not the time of year to change things. Start off fresh in the fall and people will more readily accept policy changes with the new start to the year.
Happy teaching 🙂
Ashley Daneman says
Great info, thanks so much for sharing. I’ll be linking to you guys on my blog!
Andrea says
Hi Ashley,
Thank you! We’re happy you “stopped by” 🙂
Ali says
We run a very busy music tutoring business, and we offer more than piano, but all the same things apply. These blog posts have been so wonderful in letting us know that we are “not alone” and while we often feel we are beating our head against a brick wall, we actually are doing the right thing. Thank you so much!
robin mdden says
We had a Back to School party today, and surprisingly the core group really showed up ready to party and lunch. We played “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” with limericks about composers who wrote music for their students, and Truth of Fiction about Bach. The main thing was to get them together, face to face, they couldn’t wait to play for each other, even if they weren’t recital perfect. They are fired up about playing piano – having fun with music. I might not have done this extra effort without your inspiration, Andrea and Trevor. Thank you. It’s fun for me too. And that certainly doesn’t hurt!