The discounts that are killing your studio

If you’ve been following me on Facebook (you can add me here) then you know I’ve really taken it up a notch when it comes to my health and fitness.

I had a big realisation a few weeks ago that if I want to achieve all these grand plans I have for my life and helping others that I need to put more ME time into my week.

So a few weeks ago I hired a personal trainer to work with me 3 times per week. As I sit here typing this email to you, my arms are feeling like they are about to fall off (I think the training is helping…I think).

When I signed up for the training sessions I was shocked at how much of a discount he provided when I paid for multiple sessions upfront.

Me being me (why can’t I shut my mouth to save me money!), I asked him how long he had this fee structure and encouraged him to go home and work out how much money he was losing each month and each year.

I came back the next week for my training session and I forget about the conversation we had.  The first thing he said was “Man, I did the exercise you gave me and…I’m losing stacks of money from this discount!”

The next morning in the Dance Studio Owners Association we had a post from one of our members about discounts. This person asked the group to give feedback on her pricing structure and whether or not she should stop all the discounts.

We have over 330+ members in the Association from around the world, so as you can imagine everyone jumped in to help her out.

Her discounts included:

• Sibling discount
• 10% Pay early discount
• 10+ class discount
• Pay upfront for the year discount

And the list really went on…

I don’t know when or why the studio industry decided that discounts were a great idea, but as some of you know I’m not a fan of the heavily discounted fee model.

I’m sure you offer brilliant service and training at your studio. What needs to be understood is that people should pay for that awesomeness being provided!

I shared with our members reasons why discounting is not the smartest move and wanted to give you my thoughts on this today as I know it’s something that many of you do.

It Devalues Your Classes

I don’t know about you, but when I see a discount on a service based business I automatically think that it’s not very good. Discounting your classes does little – other than to lessen the worth of your studio as well as the benefits, outcomes and overall value your dance families will receive through enrolling with you.

People Will Always Expect A Discount

Your marketing message should never be based on your low prices – EVER. This model means you might have thousands of students but you’re expenses will be high and you’ll be making no money plus you’ll be working long hours for nothing in return. When you compete on price, that’s all you have and when you’re selling point is that you offer discounts then you’re doing yourself and your customers a disservice.

If you’re currently using this method to market and sell your studio… please stop. You don’t need to. What you need is to craft your unique positioning statement and start marketing that.

It Decreases Your Self Belief

When I first starting working with Studio Owners to help them grow their business, I remember talking to my mentor at the time about the fees that I would charge for coaching. She wanted me to charge more, but inside I just didn’t think I was worth the amount she was suggesting. I remember for the first month I charged a lower fee and thought to myself “See, that’s all I can get.”  Once I started to see my clients really accelerate the growth in their studios a few months later I started to put the price up. My self-worth grew stronger and I was confident in the value I was bringing to the table through how I was changing lives and businesses. I wish I listened to my mentor in the first place! Charge what you’re worth!

I hope my blog has just started to get your clogs going on your pricing structure, especially if you have discounts in place!

You are providing your community with an awesome, out of this world experience. Know your worth!

Take care,

Clint

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