When restaurateurs open up a new food joint in town, what’s the first thing they do? Give away food! People will stand in line for the better part of a day to sink their teeth into a free hamburger, sandwich, or wrap. If I hadn’t done the same thing in the past, I’d laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation… but that fact is… people. love. free.
People will switch cable providers for the prospect of a new flat screen, ‘like’ Facebook posts by the thousands for the shot at a complimentary hotel stay, and camp out in sub-zero temperatures for a concert ticket giveaway. Free is addicting. Which is why we recommend new piano teachers give trial lessons a shot… at least once.
If you are an experienced teacher with a boatload of students, you’re probably in the enviable position of being able to pick and choose your clientele, making trial lessons something you probably don’t need to consider.
But for teachers just starting out, offering free trial lessons can help you build a student base (and build it fast)… which means you’ll be able to ditch the Kraft Dinner and ketchup soup for something a little more appetizing.
It’s a New Teacher Kind of Thing
Experienced teachers are much less likely to want to give away piano lessons than new teachers. Which leads new teachers to believe that giving away trial lessons are a bad thing. And the truth is… it might be. But it might not be. Everyone’s experiences will differ, which is why I encourage new piano teachers to try it, at least once.
At our music school we built our initial student base on the back of trial lessons. Of course, our awesome teaching and programming had a lot to do with it… but in order for families to experience our teaching awesomeness we had to first get them through the door.
So if you’re considering giving away trial lessons, here are 3 myths that our experiences debunked when we offered trial lessons as a marketing tool.
Myth 1 – I Can’t Afford to Give My Time Away
When you offer a trial lesson or community-building group session you are no more giving your time away than you are when you plan you regular lessons, create advertising, or enter accounting data. Piano teaching involves a considerable deal of non-teaching time. Giving trial lessons can be as beneficial to the long-term success of your studio as is keeping accurate accounting records.
If you make sure your lesson rates account for non-teaching activities such as bookkeeping and lesson planning, then trial lessons can be added to this list. The financial harm for piano teachers is not doing trial lessons, but rather undercharging for the service they offer.
Myth 2 – The Public Will Exploit My Offer
Well… this is true; some potential piano parents will exploit your offer. But here’s the great thing about piano lessons… a potential client “purchases” your services over and over and over. Therefore, it is worth the risk of being exploited by a few in exchange for gaining a new piano family. Even if six families take advantage of your offer and only one signs up, that one family will pay you month after month for years to come. Consider the families who took advantage of your offer as simply the cost of doing business.
Most businesses (piano-related or not) would pay much more than the value of a few trial lessons to acquire a high-paying customer for life.
Myth 3 – Your Current Piano Students Will Feel Jilted
We have offered various giveaway and trials at our piano studio for over a decade. Having provided lessons to over 3oo students per year during this time, we have never once had an existing family complain about feeling jilted. People are used to the concept of trials and giveaways and have no doubt taken advantage of these offers in many areas of their own lives, so they are unlikely to complain about something they themselves have jumped all over in the past.
Also, many of our piano families entered our studio through a trial so they understand it is simply part of our lesson process!
Focus on Finding Life-long Friends and Fans
Successful new piano teachers know that in this era of social connectivity, their survival depends on building trust and relationships with their clients. All new teachers need money to survive, but focusing solely on getting paid will threaten your survival. Instead, focus on providing your piano students and your potential piano students with over-the-top incredible value… and financial security will follow.
And since we’re talking about giveaways… if you’re not already a Teach Piano Today subscriber, sign up here and we’ll send you our free eBook, Piano Hands Shouldn’t Flip Burgers – The Essentials!
I do free sample lessons for every new student. It works great! I currently have 17 students, and each got a free lesson to start them off. I only had one family take a sample lesson and decide that piano lessons weren’t for them. i.e. no one has taken advantage of me offering my time for free.
Also, offering this sample lesson gives you the opportunity to assess the student and their family and see if they will be a good fit for your studio specifically, and for piano lessons in general. Sometimes, families will realize they don’t want piano lessons before they even begin, thus saving the teacher the headache of holding a spot, and then having to fill it again shortly after lessons begin.
I have been teaching piano for 30 years. My studio is small (because I also teach music at a public school). I just did a free trial month for a student whose mom has been talking to me about lessons for the past 2 years. It was time to get their feet wet and so I offered a free trial. My new student is off and running and the parents are already talking about upgrading their instrument from a keyboard to an acoustic piano! I would not hesitate to make this type of an offer again. You are right, the “key” to a successful piano studio is in the building of relationships! Piano lessons are a big commitment. Sometimes folks need a little encouragement to take the plunge!
I completely respect the idea idea of offering free trial lessons and I see that it is successful for many…which is great!! But personally, I think is NOT always the best idea for a business.
As the Batman saying goes, “If you’re good at something, you should never do it for free.” When students agree to do a first lesson, parents know that it is just a trial lesson BUT they are still taking up a designated time slot in your day. Our time is precious, and we as teachers have spent too many years cultivating our training in music to cheapen ourselves just to get more students. If you set a fair price, whether it’s a first lesson or not, parents will respect that and honor your time. By charging, you are projecting the idea of “I am a confident, qualified teacher who is in demand.”
Even though we can be laid-back and fun people;), we must always demand a certain level of respect for our business from our clientele (something we as piano teachers often struggle with unfortunately).
Love this blog by the way!! Keeo up the wonderful posts!:)
I just came by this. I totally agree with you, it is important that teachers be true to who they are as professionals. Every case I guess is different but like you said, a particular time in the day has value and even more so when a teacher offers his or her hard earned experience.
I teach 20 students and have had a “First lesson is free” policy since the beginning. It’s a great way for me to meet the student and make sure it’s a good fit. I’ve only had one student decide to wait before taking. But I’ve also turned away a student who wouldn’t have been a good fit for me. IT’s great!
can anybody advice how to make trial lesson interesting?thank u 🙂
I moved to a new city and although I had a full studio at one time and charged a pretty high fee for lessons… starting over was tremendously difficult. I was only able to find five students at the beginning of the year… not enough to make a living. So I decided to begin the WunderKeys program. I took the beautifully designed marketing materials and posted them on several different FaceBook sites in my new area. These were mostly Moms or selling sites and I began 17 new students within two weeks time. I offered everyone four free trial lessons. A couple four year olds weren’t quite ready to continue piano so those moms are eagerly waiting for fall to re-enroll, but thanks to WunderKeys and their great marketing approach, I am now at least on my way. I agree that free lessons are a bargain compared to the price of newspaper ads and costs to make brochures and fliers because once they come, they really don’t want to stop!
Each year, our music academy owner asks us if we’re willing to donate a month of free lessons to several dinner auctions at local schools and churches. Two years ago, I gained three new students this way. Two are still with me and they are a joy to teach!