In this episode of the Rock School Proprietor Podcast, John Kozicki (Michigan Rock School and RockSchoolProprietor.com) and co-host Mandy York (Music Time of Milford) discuss the topic of offering free trial lessons or demo classes. They explore whether this strategy is beneficial for music studios and examine it from both the studio owner and the parent/student perspectives.
The episode kicks off with a discussion on the primary reasons studios might consider offering free trials: as a tactic to attract more students and fill up schedules. John and Mandy weigh the pros and cons of this approach and share personal experiences from their own studios.
From the parent’s viewpoint, they discuss the appeal of free trials as a way to lower the risk of committing to lessons, particularly for those unsure if their child will enjoy music lessons. However, John argues that a free trial lesson may simply delay the risk instead of truly informing the parent about the child’s interest and commitment.
The hosts also offer alternative strategies to free trials, such as offering studio tours, discounted rates for longer commitments, and integrating new students into established classes to give them a sense of the studio’s culture and community.
Finally, John and Mandy emphasize the importance of evaluating whether a free trial strategy aligns with a studio’s goals and suggest ways to make it work effectively for both the studio and the prospective students.
Join our private Facebook group, “Performance-Based Music Programs and Rock Schools,” a community for like-minded professionals to connect and share insights.
Episode Transcript:
00:00:00.017 –> 00:00:03.717
On this episode of a Rock School Proprietor Podcast, we’re talking about the
00:00:03.717 –> 00:00:06.397
free trial lesson or demo class.
00:00:06.557 –> 00:00:10.397
Should you offer it? Should you not offer it? We’re going to break it down.
00:00:10.577 –> 00:00:15.537
We’re going to talk about the reasons why a studio would want to employ that tactic or why not.
00:00:15.717 –> 00:00:19.557
But also, we’re looking at it from the parent and student’s perspective.
00:00:19.877 –> 00:00:23.757
What are the reasons that an offer like that would be attractive to them?
00:00:26.757 –> 00:00:31.257
Oftentimes I’ll hear, well, I’m not sure if my kid’s going to like it.
00:00:32.677 –> 00:00:37.837
When I first started, my demos were free, but I stopped that a long time ago.
00:00:39.257 –> 00:00:42.757
The kid is going to be like, oh yeah, that was fun. I loved it.
00:00:42.957 –> 00:00:45.157
It wasn’t a real music lesson.
00:00:45.537 –> 00:00:51.117
Does it really inform the parent anymore or does it just delay that risk?
00:00:52.857 –> 00:00:57.677
Welcome to rock school proprietor podcast i’m john kazicki and joining me as
00:00:57.677 –> 00:01:00.137
always mandy york hey john how are.
00:01:00.137 –> 00:01:02.857
You i’m really great thanks so
00:01:02.857 –> 00:01:10.537
We’re gonna talk about the free trial or free demo class today or maybe it’s
00:01:10.537 –> 00:01:15.477
not free i don’t know well i guess we can get into that aspect of the conversation.
00:01:15.477 –> 00:01:19.857
But I guess you offer demo classes, yes?
00:01:20.097 –> 00:01:20.837
I do, yep.
00:01:21.157 –> 00:01:21.497
Frequently?
00:01:21.797 –> 00:01:26.737
Frequently. It’s a big part of my recruiting strategy, for sure.
00:01:26.997 –> 00:01:35.337
I occasionally offer demo classes, but I almost never offer the classic free
00:01:35.337 –> 00:01:39.957
trial private lesson. and definitely we’ll get into that.
00:01:40.157 –> 00:01:47.637
But in writing out my notes for this, I started thinking about this as a tactic
00:01:47.637 –> 00:01:49.957
and kind of the two sides of it.
00:01:50.077 –> 00:01:58.097
So you’ve got the goal for the student and parent, and then you’ve got the goal for the studio.
00:01:58.657 –> 00:02:04.957
So I would say, and chime in if you have other thoughts, but I would say the
00:02:04.957 –> 00:02:09.877
goal for the studio, there are basically, in my mind, two reasons to do this.
00:02:10.117 –> 00:02:18.297
Two reasons to do a free demo class or a free trial lesson, or even if it’s maybe discounted.
00:02:18.897 –> 00:02:22.577
Number one, it’s a tactic to attract more students.
00:02:23.217 –> 00:02:31.337
And number two, it’s a tactic to fill up schedules other thoughts anything else yeah.
00:02:31.337 –> 00:02:34.957
No i i agree with you yeah okay that’s the goal
00:02:34.957 –> 00:02:42.417
All right so now from the parent or student side i think there’s also two reasons
00:02:42.417 –> 00:02:47.757
why they would want this number one is,
00:02:48.642 –> 00:02:53.462
And this is, I think there are certain people who are looking for a lower price.
00:02:54.282 –> 00:02:55.222
Right? And so these are
00:02:55.222 –> 00:02:59.142
The tire kickers. Okay, so that would be number one, someone who wants something
00:02:59.142 –> 00:03:01.062
for free or at a discount.
00:03:02.122 –> 00:03:06.102
Number two, and this I think is the more important one, the one we would want
00:03:06.102 –> 00:03:14.122
to talk about, is it’s going to lower the risk for primarily the parent because oftentimes I’ll hear,
00:03:14.362 –> 00:03:18.062
well, I’m not sure if my kid’s going to like it, right? Right.
00:03:18.482 –> 00:03:25.482
So any other reasons you can think of that the student or the parent would want
00:03:25.482 –> 00:03:30.302
a free trial of a demo class or a private lesson?
00:03:30.642 –> 00:03:36.662
No, I would agree with you that. Yeah, there’s the people that like to get all
00:03:36.662 –> 00:03:40.502
the freebies in right around town and they pop in for drop ins.
00:03:40.742 –> 00:03:45.142
And yeah, that try it before you buy it. Yes. mentality.
00:03:45.842 –> 00:03:50.422
And like you said, they want to see if their kid likes it, which in my case
00:03:50.422 –> 00:03:52.402
always kind of makes me giggle a little bit.
00:03:52.542 –> 00:03:56.382
You know, when they’re calling about their one-year-old, I’m like,
00:03:56.682 –> 00:03:58.962
I’m pretty sure they’re going to love it.
00:03:59.222 –> 00:04:03.802
But like I’ve mentioned before, my classes are about the grownups too.
00:04:03.942 –> 00:04:06.402
They want to see how they feel in the space. I get it.
00:04:07.102 –> 00:04:12.382
Yeah. So I think I don’t want to spend too much time because,
00:04:12.722 –> 00:04:16.942
all right, let me say this. I, the reason I broke it down like this is I think
00:04:16.942 –> 00:04:21.602
it’s important, you know, I’m going to get all sort of like analytical about it, right?
00:04:21.662 –> 00:04:25.002
I think it’s important to kind of look at it from both sides and figure out,
00:04:25.122 –> 00:04:31.062
is this a valuable tactic for us as the studio owners to actually employ?
00:04:31.422 –> 00:04:36.702
But in order for us to really make an assessment on that, we also have to understand
00:04:36.702 –> 00:04:42.122
what our potential clients want and why they would want this, right?
00:04:43.187 –> 00:04:44.427
And if that’s the case,
00:04:45.327 –> 00:04:50.407
Breaking these two reasons down why the student or the parent will want it.
00:04:50.507 –> 00:04:52.767
The first one, the lower price.
00:04:53.727 –> 00:04:58.207
I don’t think any of us want those clients, really.
00:04:58.867 –> 00:05:00.247
Not usually. Yeah.
00:05:00.567 –> 00:05:09.547
No, I would say that, again, from the studio side, sometimes there’s a need to fill up a schedule.
00:05:09.547 –> 00:05:12.367
And in those situations you might
00:05:12.367 –> 00:05:15.247
need to fill up a schedule like as quick
00:05:15.247 –> 00:05:18.007
as possible you might have to kind of be a little
00:05:18.007 –> 00:05:21.287
bit more loose with who you let into
00:05:21.287 –> 00:05:26.127
the studio right so yeah maybe you’ve got a brand new instructor that you just
00:05:26.127 –> 00:05:31.827
hired and there’s an urgency to fill up that instructor’s schedule well you
00:05:31.827 –> 00:05:37.407
might want to loosen the reins on on like your qualifications for students a
00:05:37.407 –> 00:05:39.087
little bit and be like, okay, well,
00:05:39.887 –> 00:05:44.687
yeah, this person’s probably a tire kicker, but it’ll buy me some time to then
00:05:44.687 –> 00:05:50.267
find someone else to fill that space when they leave in a month or whatever, right? Oh, yeah.
00:05:50.947 –> 00:05:56.807
But I do want to talk about this other reason, which is lowering the risk.
00:05:57.467 –> 00:06:03.467
And you said in your studio, with music together, it.
00:06:03.467 –> 00:06:05.567
Makes you laugh yes
00:06:05.567 –> 00:06:10.387
So yeah i mean can you expand on that because i think you’re right.
00:06:10.387 –> 00:06:12.487
Right well it makes me laugh because
00:06:12.487 –> 00:06:15.687
Baby’s not gonna want to dance and sing yes.
00:06:15.687 –> 00:06:21.667
And play with you know play drums yeah yeah exactly but i do you know i recognize
00:06:21.667 –> 00:06:25.327
that it’s the parents that want to feel comfortable doing this and see what
00:06:25.327 –> 00:06:27.307
it’s like that’s that’s what it’s about really
00:06:29.007 –> 00:06:35.507
And well and also there’s i think there’s an element of when you read about
00:06:35.507 –> 00:06:39.607
something on your website for instance even if there’s pictures even if you
00:06:39.607 –> 00:06:44.647
see videos it’s hard to picture yourself in that situation and how you will
00:06:44.647 –> 00:06:48.947
feel in that situation until you see it for yourself and i think that’s valuable yeah.
00:06:48.947 –> 00:06:51.227
It’s totally fair yeah i get it
00:06:52.432 –> 00:06:59.192
And it’s valuable for my studio. It allows those families, kids and caregivers,
00:06:59.552 –> 00:07:02.952
to step inside your culture, right?
00:07:03.272 –> 00:07:07.572
Yes. They get the real picture, like you mentioned.
00:07:07.692 –> 00:07:13.012
So it helps you and them determine if it’s a good fit, right?
00:07:13.232 –> 00:07:16.512
It’s more than just a phone conversation. It’s more than just looking at the
00:07:16.512 –> 00:07:17.452
pictures on the website. Right.
00:07:17.832 –> 00:07:23.072
So when they come in, they’re going to see the community that’s there already.
00:07:23.372 –> 00:07:29.952
Yeah. Like the way I have things set up is that I have my demos are regularly
00:07:29.952 –> 00:07:32.472
scheduled classes. So established classes.
00:07:32.852 –> 00:07:34.952
I mean, that’s definitely by design.
00:07:35.572 –> 00:07:41.372
Once upon a time, you know, early I was doing, you know, exclusive demo classes.
00:07:41.652 –> 00:07:42.012
Yeah.
00:07:42.172 –> 00:07:45.012
Right. Just a group of people that had never done classes before.
00:07:45.012 –> 00:07:49.492
So you’re saying scheduled at a time that you normally wouldn’t have a class.
00:07:49.492 –> 00:07:52.872
You’re saying, here’s the time. We’re doing a demo.
00:07:53.432 –> 00:07:55.832
Come do the demo. Anyone who wants.
00:07:56.032 –> 00:07:59.652
And then you have a room of, you know, newbies.
00:07:59.832 –> 00:08:03.012
Yes. I don’t do that anymore because I have a full schedule now.
00:08:03.192 –> 00:08:09.792
And so I’ll just open spaces where I’m able and invite visitors.
00:08:10.112 –> 00:08:15.612
Yeah. It’s easy. We advertise it. They can register themselves on the website and all that.
00:08:15.892 –> 00:08:18.412
But they’re walking into an established class.
00:08:19.152 –> 00:08:22.952
That is really valuable. Because like I said, they’re stepping into your culture.
00:08:23.152 –> 00:08:25.592
They’re seeing the community and the relationships.
00:08:28.072 –> 00:08:34.352
Oh, this is always my favorite too. When they’ll hear encouragement from other
00:08:34.352 –> 00:08:39.032
parents in the room, which is always so great. Those are like magical moments when…
00:08:40.208 –> 00:08:45.288
If this family is a little apprehensive and their child isn’t,
00:08:45.308 –> 00:08:48.288
quote unquote, participating the way they think they should,
00:08:48.448 –> 00:08:52.108
and I hear the mom next to them say, like, oh,
00:08:52.888 –> 00:08:56.708
my kid was the same way. Don’t worry about it. They’re totally fine.
00:08:57.708 –> 00:09:04.128
That’s so great when they’re in an environment where they feel safe, accepted.
00:09:06.088 –> 00:09:13.608
That’s priceless. You’re right. That is so valuable to you as the studio owner. Yes.
00:09:14.328 –> 00:09:15.988
Because it’s like, it’s a real
00:09:15.988 –> 00:09:20.988
life testimonial in real time from someone who’s actually in the class.
00:09:21.188 –> 00:09:27.648
I have similar things happen in my studio when someone will come in who’s brand
00:09:27.648 –> 00:09:32.908
new and we may have, you know, we may have four parents sitting in the waiting
00:09:32.908 –> 00:09:35.768
area because their kids are in a band rehearsal. Yeah.
00:09:36.228 –> 00:09:41.648
And they’ll hear the parents talking about the program. They’ll ask parents questions.
00:09:42.108 –> 00:09:45.988
The parents will say good things about the program. You know,
00:09:46.148 –> 00:09:47.688
like, I don’t have to do any work.
00:09:47.888 –> 00:09:52.988
Right. And that’s going to carry so much more weight than coming from me,
00:09:53.248 –> 00:09:56.068
the owner of the business, or you, the owner of the studio.
00:09:56.468 –> 00:09:58.628
Exactly. Because it’s unsolicited.
00:09:58.908 –> 00:10:01.848
Yes. Yeah. I love when that happens. That’s great.
00:10:01.968 –> 00:10:06.968
So it’s, it’s great to, to bring them in to these spaces and,
00:10:07.148 –> 00:10:08.728
you know, take the opportunity to do that.
00:10:09.728 –> 00:10:15.648
I like, oh, and when they hear, you know, all the other caregivers like singing
00:10:15.648 –> 00:10:19.708
the songs, you know, it’s, it’s like slightly uncomfortable at first.
00:10:19.708 –> 00:10:23.068
They’re like, oh, everyone is singing this song. I don’t know this song.
00:10:23.208 –> 00:10:26.868
But they realize, like, you know, I explained the program to them and that,
00:10:27.228 –> 00:10:29.288
well, we’ve been singing these songs for four weeks now.
00:10:29.428 –> 00:10:34.448
And everyone has this app and they have this music at home. And they’re like, oh,
00:10:34.908 –> 00:10:35.688
Cool.
00:10:36.028 –> 00:10:42.568
You know, it’s this nothing compares to bringing them into the space like that.
00:10:42.728 –> 00:10:47.608
I do something very similar, obviously, with the rock band program.
00:10:47.608 –> 00:10:52.508
Now we do have like, we’ve got Kids Rock for our four to seven year olds and
00:10:52.508 –> 00:10:58.068
we can do demos in that situation. We do it very similar to what you do.
00:10:58.268 –> 00:11:02.848
We’ve got the established classes and we’ve got, if we’ve got a spot open in
00:11:02.848 –> 00:11:05.708
one of those classes and someone says, hey, I really want to check it out,
00:11:05.948 –> 00:11:09.228
then we’ll just invite them to come sit in on that class.
00:11:09.668 –> 00:11:14.808
So very similar to what you do with the older kids with our rock band program.
00:11:16.397 –> 00:11:22.397
I invite people in for a tour. And when I schedule those tours,
00:11:22.657 –> 00:11:29.577
I try and schedule it at a time when I’ve got a band in rehearsal of kids that
00:11:29.577 –> 00:11:35.897
are maybe similar age or similar skill level to the student or prospective student
00:11:35.897 –> 00:11:37.037
who’s coming in for the tour.
00:11:37.237 –> 00:11:43.237
So again, just like you had said, so that they can sort of see what it is and
00:11:43.237 –> 00:11:45.497
maybe picture themselves in that situation.
00:11:45.637 –> 00:11:45.957
Yeah.
00:11:46.657 –> 00:11:49.617
Yeah. Because it can be scary. It can be intimidating. It can be like,
00:11:49.757 –> 00:11:52.217
I don’t know. I don’t know what this is. Yeah.
00:11:52.657 –> 00:11:57.577
Yeah. I have just a couple classes that are without caregivers.
00:11:58.017 –> 00:12:01.237
You know, I do like kindergarten through second grade, djembe drumming.
00:12:01.617 –> 00:12:04.957
And in that case, I do the same thing. I invite the student in.
00:12:05.237 –> 00:12:09.297
If they’re not comfortable being dropped off, a caregiver will stay.
00:12:09.297 –> 00:12:15.697
But oftentimes the kids, you know, will let mom or dad go and they’ll stay in the group.
00:12:16.837 –> 00:12:20.857
And kind of the same thing that happens with the parents is that you get your
00:12:20.857 –> 00:12:24.697
class on board. Like, hey, Timmy’s joining us today.
00:12:25.257 –> 00:12:29.777
Let’s show him how we do this. Right? Yeah. And then give him opportunities.
00:12:29.777 –> 00:12:32.997
We do a lot of like soloing in class, you know, on the drums.
00:12:33.197 –> 00:12:36.737
And do you want to try it, Jimmy or Timmy, you know, whoever’s visiting?
00:12:37.822 –> 00:12:41.282
So, yeah, getting the kids on board with, like, welcoming someone new.
00:12:41.782 –> 00:12:45.482
So, like, I think we’re on the same page with this.
00:12:45.642 –> 00:12:54.042
The concept of allowing someone in to see a class or a group program is incredibly valuable.
00:12:54.362 –> 00:13:01.742
Now, I guess the – and I want to get into the concept of the free trial private lesson, too.
00:13:01.922 –> 00:13:07.362
But before we go there, I want to talk about, like, what is the cost?
00:13:07.362 –> 00:13:11.582
Now, when you do these demos, do you do them for free?
00:13:11.862 –> 00:13:17.662
Do you make people pay maybe not the full class price? Maybe you do have them
00:13:17.662 –> 00:13:18.702
pay the full class price.
00:13:18.882 –> 00:13:23.262
What is your strategy there and why do you employ that strategy?
00:13:23.262 –> 00:13:29.282
Yeah. When I first started, my demos were free, but I stopped that a long time ago.
00:13:30.342 –> 00:13:35.462
I’m like probably 75% of what the class costs.
00:13:35.902 –> 00:13:40.082
So it’s not a full price. It’s discounted.
00:13:41.182 –> 00:13:49.482
And even that went up. It used to be more like 25% of what the class cost was.
00:13:49.482 –> 00:13:51.182
And I mean, I’ve bumped it up.
00:13:51.762 –> 00:13:56.402
No problems. No one is not coming to a demo class because of the cost.
00:13:57.522 –> 00:14:03.702
But what it did do was drastically reduce the number of no-shows that I had.
00:14:03.862 –> 00:14:07.322
That was my motivation initially for doing that.
00:14:07.582 –> 00:14:13.742
I mean, even if it is a small amount, it’s the motivation to get them in the door. We paid for this.
00:14:13.842 –> 00:14:17.242
We’ve got to go. right kind of thing yeah and then
00:14:17.242 –> 00:14:20.002
like you said there are you know
00:14:20.002 –> 00:14:24.322
there are some families that are just looking for the free free trials free
00:14:24.322 –> 00:14:30.042
demos free opportunities around town that aren’t interested in sticking around
00:14:30.042 –> 00:14:34.442
yeah they’re just trying whatever free class yes which is great but that’s not
00:14:34.442 –> 00:14:38.262
what we’re looking for right when we invite people in so yeah
00:14:38.262 –> 00:14:38.942
So i think.
00:14:40.352 –> 00:14:43.092
And I think it’s kind of important to see like,
00:14:43.212 –> 00:14:49.672
And this would be my advice for any newer studio owner, is that you employed
00:14:49.672 –> 00:14:53.172
a free demo class when your studio was new.
00:14:53.612 –> 00:14:57.812
And you were, again, going back to the reasons for the studio owner,
00:14:58.012 –> 00:15:01.452
it’s a tactic to either attract more students or to fill up schedules.
00:15:01.792 –> 00:15:07.672
So you were in a situation when your studio was new where you needed both those
00:15:07.672 –> 00:15:11.412
things, right? You needed to attract more students. you needed to fill up your schedules.
00:15:11.632 –> 00:15:17.372
But over time, you got to a point where you’re like, you don’t necessarily need it as much anymore.
00:15:17.952 –> 00:15:22.592
So your incentive to offer it for free changed.
00:15:22.812 –> 00:15:27.932
And I think that’s like, it’s important to look at that and consider like, where am I in my studio?
00:15:29.032 –> 00:15:36.612
And is it worth my time and effort to just open the door for anyone to come in for free? Yeah.
00:15:37.092 –> 00:15:40.372
I would, if you are offering free demos,
00:15:40.852 –> 00:15:44.332
free classes, free lessons, I would challenge you to consider it right now,
00:15:44.432 –> 00:15:50.452
you know, and really think, are you going to lose business if you don’t charge
00:15:50.452 –> 00:15:54.492
$10, $15 for a visit, right?
00:15:55.032 –> 00:16:01.032
I would, whoever’s listening right now, make the change. I highly encourage that.
00:16:01.032 –> 00:16:06.512
So I think that’s the perfect segue into the concept of the free trial lesson.
00:16:06.752 –> 00:16:15.512
Yeah. Because the free trial private lesson, it’s out there all over the place, right?
00:16:15.792 –> 00:16:22.332
It’s like people ask me, like, oh, do you offer a free trial lesson? And I don’t.
00:16:22.652 –> 00:16:24.672
Just put that out front first.
00:16:24.992 –> 00:16:30.032
But it’s so prevalent that people almost expect it when it comes to private lessons.
00:16:31.134 –> 00:16:38.834
So, I think in large part why I don’t do it, and again, this goes back to the
00:16:38.834 –> 00:16:42.494
parent and the student expectations or the reasons why they would want that.
00:16:42.754 –> 00:16:48.154
Number one is that we talked about the tire kickers. They want that low price.
00:16:48.854 –> 00:16:55.414
Someone wants something for nothing, right? And you said it perfectly when you
00:16:55.414 –> 00:17:01.254
mentioned you get a different quality of student when there’s a little bit of
00:17:01.254 –> 00:17:03.554
money involved, when they have to pay for something.
00:17:04.854 –> 00:17:10.634
I agree with you wholeheartedly. But I do want to get into the second point
00:17:10.634 –> 00:17:15.554
that I mentioned, the second reason why students or parents would want a free trial lesson.
00:17:15.974 –> 00:17:20.314
It’s to lower the risk because they’re not sure if their kid will like it.
00:17:20.314 –> 00:17:26.654
And I understand that when you decide you want your kids to be in private lessons,
00:17:26.654 –> 00:17:33.894
it’s a bit more of an investment than coming to a music together class because
00:17:33.894 –> 00:17:36.294
it’s not only the weekly commitment,
00:17:36.514 –> 00:17:40.334
but it’s I’ve got to get an instrument, right?
00:17:40.334 –> 00:17:43.654
And then from the parent’s side, they’re also probably thinking,
00:17:43.974 –> 00:17:49.994
I have to then put on my schedule some way to keep my kid accountable so that
00:17:49.994 –> 00:17:52.674
they’re practicing every week.
00:17:52.794 –> 00:17:56.914
And we’ve gotten into that part. We’re going to talk about that part.
00:17:57.814 –> 00:18:06.314
But I want to kind of dig a little bit deeper into if a free trial private lesson
00:18:06.314 –> 00:18:14.114
actually lowers the risk for the parent or it just delays the risk for the parent
00:18:14.114 –> 00:18:16.914
is my thought. Here’s where I’m going with this.
00:18:18.549 –> 00:18:23.969
So, and you said this too, like what kid wouldn’t want to come to a music together
00:18:23.969 –> 00:18:26.749
class and sing and play and have fun?
00:18:27.709 –> 00:18:34.649
I am of the belief that unless your instructors are just not very engaging,
00:18:34.909 –> 00:18:39.249
and that’s a whole nother problem, if you offer a free trial lesson,
00:18:39.569 –> 00:18:43.009
the kid’s going to come into this brand new environment.
00:18:44.069 –> 00:18:49.589
It’s new. It’s interesting. They’re trying things that they’ve never seen before.
00:18:49.589 –> 00:18:51.869
They’re doing things that they’ve never seen before.
00:18:52.049 –> 00:18:57.529
They’re not really learning anything in that free trial lesson, right?
00:18:58.549 –> 00:19:02.169
Kid’s going to like it, right? The kid is going to be like, oh,
00:19:02.289 –> 00:19:04.029
yeah, that was fun. I loved it.
00:19:04.149 –> 00:19:08.189
It wasn’t a real music lesson, you know?
00:19:08.549 –> 00:19:13.349
So my point is, does it really inform the parent anymore?
00:19:14.189 –> 00:19:18.029
Or does it just delay that risk? What do you think?
00:19:18.189 –> 00:19:24.629
Right. It just delays it. Yeah. One thing that I tell my parents,
00:19:24.749 –> 00:19:26.629
I think this is related, right?
00:19:27.409 –> 00:19:32.809
When they come in and they see that their kids are not, well,
00:19:32.929 –> 00:19:37.809
my daughter was just looking at the picture on the wall the whole time. Maybe this isn’t for us.
00:19:38.309 –> 00:19:42.089
I’m like, it’s week one, right? Like you said, this is week one.
00:19:42.089 –> 00:19:45.349
Yeah. I I’ve started saying a lot.
00:19:45.749 –> 00:19:50.809
Trust the process. Yeah. Right. Educate your parents. You do a good job of that.
00:19:51.249 –> 00:19:56.889
I mean, you’re going to your your parents are going to learn more from what
00:19:56.889 –> 00:20:02.829
you tell them than the 30 minutes they sit, you know, getting acquainted with
00:20:02.829 –> 00:20:06.229
an instructor and, you know, holding an instrument for the first time.
00:20:06.589 –> 00:20:09.669
Yeah. You know, they need to know what what this looks like.
00:20:09.909 –> 00:20:14.829
Yes. week to week, you know, during a semester long. I mean, that’s what I do.
00:20:15.769 –> 00:20:18.949
These are the kind of things you’re going to see. These are the musical behaviors
00:20:18.949 –> 00:20:22.649
you’re going to see in your kids. Week one to three to eight.
00:20:23.636 –> 00:20:26.556
All different, right? But you’ve got to go through the process and you have
00:20:26.556 –> 00:20:30.636
to trust it. Right. One lesson isn’t going to give you that.
00:20:30.836 –> 00:20:36.276
Exactly. Okay. So let me put this scenario out. So you get a phone call.
00:20:36.856 –> 00:20:42.016
Hi, I’m thinking about getting my kid into guitar lessons. Oh yeah. Okay.
00:20:43.116 –> 00:20:44.376
Tell me about your kid.
00:20:44.776 –> 00:20:45.336
Well, he hasn’t
00:20:45.336 –> 00:20:48.596
Had any guitar lessons, but do you offer a free trial?
00:20:48.876 –> 00:20:52.636
Yeah, we can set up a free trial. What time? When do you want to do it?
00:20:52.696 –> 00:20:54.276
We’ve got these times for it.
00:20:54.596 –> 00:20:59.356
Oh, yeah, that time works. Okay, we’ll see you then. And they come in for the trial lesson.
00:20:59.896 –> 00:21:02.836
Okay, well, this is your guitar, and this is where you put your fingers.
00:21:03.136 –> 00:21:05.716
And like, this is, look at this. These are some things that you can do.
00:21:05.896 –> 00:21:07.156
The kid’s like, wow, that’s great.
00:21:07.476 –> 00:21:11.496
Then the parent asks the kid, did you like it? Yeah, it was awesome.
00:21:11.496 –> 00:21:13.836
I loved it. Do you want to do it again? Yeah.
00:21:14.756 –> 00:21:17.896
Like, they haven’t learned anything, right?
00:21:19.256 –> 00:21:24.036
They figured out they can come at a certain time.
00:21:24.096 –> 00:21:28.556
The kid kind of did the musical petting zoo thing with the instrument.
00:21:28.996 –> 00:21:36.256
So yeah, that’s my point. I don’t think the trial lesson really informs the parent.
00:21:36.736 –> 00:21:39.736
So I do have other tactics though.
00:21:39.936 –> 00:21:45.016
So the other tactics that I think will lower the risk for the parent.
00:21:45.156 –> 00:21:49.676
Because that’s what, like, if you really want to help the parent and you know
00:21:49.676 –> 00:21:51.136
that that’s their goal, they want
00:21:51.136 –> 00:21:54.736
to lower their risk, they’re not sure if their kid’s going to like it.
00:21:54.856 –> 00:22:01.556
Well, then it’s your, you have the power to help determine if the kid’s going to like it, right?
00:22:01.636 –> 00:22:10.076
So what I always suggest is if someone even asks me for a trial lesson, I tell them this.
00:22:10.076 –> 00:22:13.816
I’m like, well, you know, I don’t know if a trial lesson is really going to
00:22:13.816 –> 00:22:17.956
help you figure out what you want to find out.
00:22:18.116 –> 00:22:21.556
Like, if your kid’s really going to like it, why don’t you come in for a tour?
00:22:22.756 –> 00:22:27.576
And this is, I always do this with myself too. Like, I do the tours because,
00:22:27.836 –> 00:22:30.796
and this gets into that whole other side of things with like,
00:22:30.936 –> 00:22:33.376
if you are going to do a trial lesson
00:22:33.376 –> 00:22:38.656
and then you’re having your private instructors give that trial lesson,
00:22:39.236 –> 00:22:42.896
Well, are they going to give the student the lesson or are they going to give
00:22:42.896 –> 00:22:46.396
the parent the information that they need? And that’s a whole different thing.
00:22:46.616 –> 00:22:52.736
And then, oh, side note, I know there’s some studio owners who don’t pay their
00:22:52.736 –> 00:22:54.836
instructors for giving trial lessons.
00:22:55.696 –> 00:22:58.616
Stop doing that. Yeah. That’s not cool.
00:22:58.696 –> 00:22:59.036
Not cool.
00:23:00.554 –> 00:23:06.654
So, yeah, I give them a tour and I say, well, why don’t you come in if you’re thinking guitar?
00:23:06.914 –> 00:23:10.734
Then we’ll put the guitar in the kid’s hands. I can talk to the kid and figure
00:23:10.734 –> 00:23:13.054
out, like, is this the right instrument?
00:23:13.294 –> 00:23:16.314
Why do they like the guitar? Why are they drawn to it?
00:23:16.474 –> 00:23:19.994
Maybe there’s another instrument that might be better suited for them based
00:23:19.994 –> 00:23:23.354
on their age and their skill set or whatever. Sure.
00:23:23.514 –> 00:23:27.614
You know, so I take the time to try and figure out what’s going to be the good
00:23:27.614 –> 00:23:32.534
fit for this student and this family rather than just saying like,
00:23:32.614 –> 00:23:34.954
yeah, sure, come in for a trial lesson where you won’t learn anything.
00:23:35.294 –> 00:23:35.554
Yeah.
00:23:35.994 –> 00:23:39.754
You know? Yeah. Because it’s always going to lead to other questions, too.
00:23:40.014 –> 00:23:45.714
Like, I’ve never bought a guitar before. I’ve never bought a drum set before. What should I do?
00:23:46.054 –> 00:23:51.354
Like, what do I need to get so that I can also answer all those questions if
00:23:51.354 –> 00:23:54.714
that’s what the right path is for the student?
00:23:54.714 –> 00:24:02.254
Yeah so you know again my goal is to help the parent meet their goal which is
00:24:02.254 –> 00:24:08.054
to lower the risk not just keep a kid entertained for 30 minutes yeah totally.
00:24:08.054 –> 00:24:13.114
Yeah yeah i do think that tour and information that you give in the beginning
00:24:13.114 –> 00:24:16.334
is a really great practice well and a good thing going
00:24:16.334 –> 00:24:21.674
And all that i do for free you know that is like i’m not going to charge him
00:24:21.674 –> 00:24:26.574
for it But that, again, that’s like, that’s my time personally,
00:24:26.574 –> 00:24:27.874
because I give those tours.
00:24:28.154 –> 00:24:33.234
I mean, sure, I could train my, like, you know, I could train my staff to do those things as well.
00:24:33.354 –> 00:24:37.094
And of course, they would be paid for that time because they’re on the clock.
00:24:38.054 –> 00:24:40.594
But I just, I think it’s a better tactic.
00:24:42.334 –> 00:24:47.034
And we say this a lot. Oftentimes, the parents just don’t know what to ask.
00:24:47.254 –> 00:24:47.634
Yeah.
00:24:47.934 –> 00:24:51.994
So they ask what they think they’re supposed to ask. Like, well,
00:24:52.214 –> 00:24:55.834
I’ve seen free trial lessons at other places. Do you do that?
00:24:56.714 –> 00:24:59.194
You know, I don’t know. I just…
00:25:00.680 –> 00:25:02.700
I don’t think it’s a good tactic.
00:25:03.020 –> 00:25:10.200
No. Yeah. I could say like, not everyone is the same. There’s not a one size fits all.
00:25:10.760 –> 00:25:14.560
So perhaps there is a very anxious student, right?
00:25:14.860 –> 00:25:19.760
That wants to, even after the tour, you know, if you get, if you have talked
00:25:19.760 –> 00:25:27.740
to these parents and you get to know the student and, and there’s like a desire there to, to try this.
00:25:27.740 –> 00:25:30.800
Maybe maybe have them visit
00:25:30.800 –> 00:25:33.560
a lesson sure right sure i love
00:25:33.560 –> 00:25:39.260
because i don’t do private lessons but like i said earlier you know other kids
00:25:39.260 –> 00:25:46.700
love to bring other kids into the fold so like hey timmy come watch suzy’s lesson
00:25:46.700 –> 00:25:51.300
yeah see what she’s doing you know i mean there’s be creative i guess is what i’m saying yep
00:25:51.300 –> 00:25:55.240
I’ve heard of that tactic the bring a friend okay friend week or whatever.
00:25:55.240 –> 00:25:55.740
Yes.
00:25:55.940 –> 00:26:02.980
And so I have, like put this out there, I have given free lessons before, right?
00:26:03.140 –> 00:26:11.000
I guess a scenario might be, we’ve had private lessons for three years at this other place.
00:26:11.500 –> 00:26:16.640
We want to make sure it’s a good fit between my student and your instructor.
00:26:17.660 –> 00:26:21.140
After I’ve gone through all the questions and figured out, I think this is the
00:26:21.140 –> 00:26:22.280
right instructor for you.
00:26:22.840 –> 00:26:26.900
Well, can we try it out? sure, come do a lesson.
00:26:27.380 –> 00:26:31.460
I’m not going to charge you, or maybe I’ll charge you a smaller fee.
00:26:32.240 –> 00:26:38.420
I think those are exceptions though, but I’m certainly not advertising and putting
00:26:38.420 –> 00:26:39.920
it out there. First lesson free.
00:26:40.800 –> 00:26:42.920
I mean, maybe it works for some people.
00:26:44.000 –> 00:26:47.360
It’s not for me. I’ve used other,
00:26:50.850 –> 00:26:52.790
discounted rates, right? Like
00:26:52.790 –> 00:26:59.170
three months discounted at like 15% off or something like that, right?
00:26:59.290 –> 00:27:03.450
So that’s another tactic I’ve used to sort of fill up schedules.
00:27:03.750 –> 00:27:07.870
So I’m lowering that risk for the parents. It’s not as expensive,
00:27:07.870 –> 00:27:13.130
but like we talked about, there’s still some money in it.
00:27:13.250 –> 00:27:16.250
They still have to commit and pay for something.
00:27:16.470 –> 00:27:21.910
Yes, it’s discounted, but over the course of like months rather than like yeah
00:27:21.910 –> 00:27:23.150
sure come and get this thing for.
00:27:23.150 –> 00:27:28.230
Free yeah because by the time they’ve gone through three months they’re in a
00:27:28.230 –> 00:27:32.770
groove and it’s either working yes or it’s really not but more than likely
00:27:32.770 –> 00:27:40.990
Yeah it’s working exactly uh let’s see other points i mean i i think i covered
00:27:40.990 –> 00:27:46.030
all my points right so it’s about like is it right for your studio.
00:27:46.410 –> 00:27:49.730
And I think it can be at different times, right?
00:27:49.850 –> 00:27:54.170
So again, it’s a tactic to either attract more students or fill up your schedule
00:27:54.170 –> 00:28:00.690
and then think about what the advantage is for the parent, right?
00:28:00.770 –> 00:28:04.310
And like why they want to do that and how you can actually help them.
00:28:04.430 –> 00:28:09.450
Because I don’t know if we necessarily want to help someone who’s looking for the lowest price.
00:28:10.050 –> 00:28:13.050
Yeah. That’s not a good fit for our studio.
00:28:13.050 –> 00:28:19.590
Race to the bottom in that situation. But we can figure out ways to help people lower the risk.
00:28:20.891 –> 00:28:26.791
Yeah. I think, you know, we didn’t talk about the difference between,
00:28:27.051 –> 00:28:31.771
like I said, in the beginning, I would hold demo classes just for newbies.
00:28:32.031 –> 00:28:33.331
Have you done that with Kids Rock?
00:28:34.551 –> 00:28:35.771
Yes, I have.
00:28:35.771 –> 00:28:39.871
And that’s, you have to handle those differently, right? You have all new people
00:28:39.871 –> 00:28:44.171
that is very different than bringing someone in to an established group,
00:28:44.171 –> 00:28:49.431
which as we’ve made very clear is optimal and works really well.
00:28:49.591 –> 00:28:56.431
But if you are newer and you need to be holding pure demo classes with all new
00:28:56.431 –> 00:28:59.491
families, you’ve got, that’s a different approach you have to take then.
00:28:59.491 –> 00:29:05.771
And maybe in your case with older kids, caregivers are involved.
00:29:06.051 –> 00:29:07.131
Maybe they’re in the room.
00:29:07.411 –> 00:29:11.571
Maybe they’re somehow doing something fun to participate with you.
00:29:11.851 –> 00:29:14.971
Or you’re just educating them on the process. Here’s what we do,
00:29:15.031 –> 00:29:17.971
how we do it, week to week, month to month, whatever it is.
00:29:18.871 –> 00:29:22.671
Because that goes for me too. It doesn’t happen as often anymore.
00:29:22.971 –> 00:29:27.651
But when I get in front of a group, like a brand new group, I start singing
00:29:27.651 –> 00:29:32.571
my hello song. I’m like, where is everybody? No one’s singing with me.
00:29:32.571 –> 00:29:32.991
You’re the only one singing?
00:29:33.251 –> 00:29:39.531
Yes, which doesn’t happen because I’ve got, you know, at least half of my families are returning.
00:29:39.851 –> 00:29:44.731
Yeah. So there’s more education that goes into those classes. Yeah.
00:29:44.931 –> 00:29:45.591
Like, this is.
00:29:45.591 –> 00:29:51.511
What I need from you because, you know, you are your child’s teacher and you’ve
00:29:51.511 –> 00:29:55.231
got to show the kids how to make music and all the pieces, right?
00:29:55.451 –> 00:29:58.751
Yeah, yeah. I totally get where you’re coming from. It’s…
00:29:59.547 –> 00:30:05.387
You’re in a routine with your regular classes. So when you have one or two new
00:30:05.387 –> 00:30:08.347
people come in, it’s a cultural thing.
00:30:08.447 –> 00:30:11.127
They all of a sudden pick up on those cues and like, oh, we’re supposed to do
00:30:11.127 –> 00:30:13.947
this at this time because everyone else is doing this.
00:30:14.027 –> 00:30:20.107
But when it’s a group of 12 parents and caregivers and no one’s ever done it
00:30:20.107 –> 00:30:23.747
before, they can’t look to their left or right to know what to do.
00:30:23.927 –> 00:30:28.867
Everyone’s just like, okay, I guess, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on. Yes. Yeah. Yep.
00:30:29.127 –> 00:30:34.267
They’re not coming in and immersing themselves in your culture that you have established.
00:30:34.447 –> 00:30:38.207
So you have to paint the picture for them. And this is how we do things.
00:30:38.247 –> 00:30:40.247
And this is what you need to do. And this is why.
00:30:40.627 –> 00:30:40.987
Yeah.
00:30:41.467 –> 00:30:45.947
Yeah. So if that’s where you’re at, if you are, if you are actively trying to
00:30:45.947 –> 00:30:49.987
recruit and grow your studio, don’t just expect to, you know,
00:30:50.087 –> 00:30:54.847
have them come in the room, you know, teach your class as you would any other class.
00:30:54.847 –> 00:30:58.887
If these are new families and you are trying to grow your numbers,
00:30:58.887 –> 00:31:02.467
you need to up that educational piece. Yeah.
00:31:02.627 –> 00:31:07.567
Yeah. Yeah. I think my big takeaway is just like this tactic works.
00:31:07.767 –> 00:31:12.147
It does work. Oh, yeah. But just be smart about it so that it works for you,
00:31:12.147 –> 00:31:17.247
not just the prospective students. Yeah.
00:31:18.087 –> 00:31:22.267
All right. Well, I think we brought it home. So that’s going to wrap it up for
00:31:22.267 –> 00:31:26.747
this episode of Rock School of Proprietor podcast. We will see you next time.
00:31:26.927 –> 00:31:28.247
See you next time. Thanks, John.
00:31:30.647 –> 00:31:36.487
Contact us with show ideas or questions. Info at rockschoolproprietor.com is where you can do that.
00:31:36.667 –> 00:31:40.947
You can also find show notes and transcripts for this and all episodes over
00:31:40.947 –> 00:31:43.087
at the website rockschoolproprietor.com.
00:31:43.247 –> 00:31:48.747
I’m at rock.school.proprietor on Instagram and John Kazicki on LinkedIn. in.
00:31:48.947 –> 00:31:53.227
Hey, please hit us up on Facebook to join us over there for some great conversation.
00:31:53.227 –> 00:31:54.287
We’ve got a private group.
00:31:54.447 –> 00:31:58.527
It’s called performance based music programs and rock schools.
00:31:58.627 –> 00:32:00.567
We’d love to have you some great folks over there.
00:32:00.847 –> 00:32:03.547
If you enjoyed the show and gain insight from our conversation,
00:32:03.547 –> 00:32:06.927
we count that as a win. All we ask in return is pay it forward.
00:32:07.147 –> 00:32:09.527
Share the show with someone you think needs to hear it.
00:32:10.480 –> 00:32:17.702
