Just wanted to apologize for my limited appearance here lately...been working on a business venture due to the real estate market having cooled down.

You can find what I've been working on at http://www.tatbizguru.com

Nick

If you were that rich you'd have cosmetic surgery.

I hate to say it,Nick,but its this kind of marketing that has led to the sorry state of martial arts in the UK.The truth is it works and it works very well but some really dubious characters have got involved and they have got rid of the guys who have integrity as they can't compete with this kind of marketing.Here's an example.

http://www.masuccessguy.com/

nice copy, complete with yellow highlights and red ink.

Putrid,

I dont' think you can blame the sorry state of the arts on marketing mate...bit of a stretch.

Lazy people who don't want to train or put in the work are probably the biggest cause I'd venture.

As for my book - the mini sales site is a business model that works...would you have me pick a model that doesn't? Also, everything in the book is what the industry needs.

I'm gobsmacked every time I walk into a tattoo studio and see how badly they're run. No credit card machine, poor phone skills and customer service, no prices on the flash, no follow up etc etc.

The same can be said for a lot of martial arts schools. I've phoned them and the instructor has left class to answer the call, blurted out the price of lessons and then gone back to teaching. Sorry, but that's no way to run a professional business. They have no method of tracking students, dealing with retention and/or customer service. It's business 101 and it's lacking in a lot of industries. I don't see any problem with someone with a business background stepping in and showing them what's wrong.

Nick

I can agree with most of that,Nick,and having owned a couple of shops myself know the importance of good customer service.Everyone talks their business up,they would be fools if they didn't,but the guys in that advert take it even further by using dubious methods to get ahead of the guy who is honest about his credentials.I agree that students should take a lot of the blame as most want to buy a black belt rather than earn one through hardwork.But how does the honest student sort the wheat from the chaff when someone is dishonest about their credentials? Last year I trained with a guy who was a graduate of that franchise and his standard was shocking.He said he was an nidan but I would have ranked him at 6th kyu and that's being generous.Now this guy is raking the money in,has over two hundred kids training in his school all on prepayment,but he's turning out clones of himself and turning karate into a laughing stock.There are guys like like him all over the country and its the reason the public hold karate in such low regard.Before he started using this type of advertising his success was mediocre but within months his turnover had increased tenfold.The guys who are good won't use this type of advertising as they are frightened of being associated with the cowboys.

I don't think there's a soloution mate...sadly. In the old days guys like Frank Ruiz used to go round to their schools (in the days when guys were buying a book and teaching from it to cash in on the world wide craze brought on by Bruce Lee) and bash them in front of their students and tell them to cease and desist. My old instructor Bob did that a few times as well. Probably can't get away with it nowadays.

As for not following their methods...no, I don't either in the martial arts because their studies have taught them the major market is 8 - 10 year old boys and I won't teach anyone under the age of eighteen.

You'll be happy to know that years ago I attended one of their seminars (by the guy who created the whole marketing in the martial arts business) and he was saying that the attitude of one in a hundred people can make it to black belt was wrong and that everyone should be able to be a black belt. (as that is what the "market" wanted)

I stood up and said "Isn't that a bit like saying everyone who joins the Army should be able to be in Special Forces?"

He replied "Well, why not?"

"Er...because they'd no longer be special!!"

The house came down and I walked out the door and went back to my ill lit, dungeon like dojo to teach my adults how to fight.

Nick