The Secret of Standing Out From Your Competition
What Small Thing Could You Do in an Extraordinary Way?
What’s the best way to separate yourself from your competitors and stand out in the marketplace? Well, here’s a quote from George Washington Carver that might reveal the answer:
“When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.”
Often it’s the “small things” that spell the difference between an ordinary, “ho-hum” business and an extraordinary business.
Business doesn’t have to be that tough. You don’t have to put on a three-ring martial arts circus or a Taekwondo extravaganza to stand out in your marketplace. And usually, it’s not even your program itself that’s the crux of the issue. It’s all those little, “ordinary” things that you can do better. Those human touches.
Start small. Ask yourself, “Where is there room for improvement?”. For example…
Could you acknowledge parents more?
Could you acknowledge students more?
Could you answer the phone in a more friendly way?
Could you be more accessible to students?
Could you follow up better with past leads?
Could you have a quarterly (or better yet – monthly) “progress meeting” with each student to keep them pumped up?
Could you return phone calls sooner?
Could you keep parents and students informed better?
Could you do a better job of making sure everybody reads your newsletter?
Could you have more efficient staff meetings?
Could you become more organized? If so, in which small area?
Could you conduct a “new student orientation” when a new student enrolls in your academy?
Could you organize more school functions to unite all the students in your academy better?
Could you provide more information to prospects?
Could your signup process be smoother?
See, when you push the simple things in your academy to the forefront and execute on them flawlessly, not only do you set yourself apart from your competition, you also breed an attitude of “excellence only” in your staff. This carries over to other parts of your academy.
So…for the next 30 days, select one small area you can improve in your business. Don’t try to overhaul your entire school – instead, focus on one small facet of your operation. Then think about it. Ask yourself, “How would an extraordinary martial arts academy approach this?” Write down specific steps you could take to improve that area. If you have staff members, rally them behind the change. Then implement.
An extraordinary business is the sum total of many common tasks done in an uncommon way.