I hear the same complaints from my peers at our Section and Chapter meetings, time after time, about how bad their instruction business is since the financial downturn of 2008. Although I sympathize with them, I know and understand how they too can be successful and have a “full” book of business if they will commit to executing the tried and tested ways of developing a customer base.
Most of us are relatively good at what we do but there is always more to learn in any profession, be it golf instruction or running a retail business. We must seek out more information from others that have been more successful in our field. I have spent many years attending seminars and coaching summits in Florida and other parts of the United States. To be successful we need to study what others before us have done to be successful, and then add our own touch to what we learn from them. I have NEVER attended a seminar, conference or teaching summit and not been invigorated and ready to return to my place of business with renewed energy and enthusiasm!
Yes, it requires an investment in yourself and your business. But you cannot build a model without investing in yourself and your future. IT WILL PAY OFF! To be more successful we need to stay up with the technology trends in our industry and invest wisely in products that will help advance our teaching skills. My first investment was a new video system that allowed me to confirm to the student that indeed what I was telling them was actually happening in their swing motion and positions. Two years later I upgraded my system to the V1 and have used it with great success. In 2007 I was attracted to a new technology called TrackMan. Because it was so expensive it took me a year to finally make the purchase, and once I found out what it could do, I was really upset with myself for not making the purchase sooner! This product has changed how we teach and has provided us with more “measured” information on what is happening with the club and the ball through the impact position. These types of products just add to the arsenal of information that we can provide to our students. They do not detract from your teaching ability but in fact enhance it.
To be successful as a teacher/coach/instructor we must be able to communicate effectively. All of us have our own personality and methods of communicating to our students. It is worthwhile to watch other successful teacher’s communicate and see how they might influence you and encourage you to “tweak” your presentation skills. This has been particularly beneficial for me, because I have spent countless hours at various seminars listening to a wide range of talented coaches that have impacted my presentation skills. We need to be enthusiastic about what we teach and how we coach our students.
We need to be involved with our local media. We need a web site developer (try Golf Web Design) that can design a site that will be exciting for our students to log onto and see updated useful information that can or will pertain to them. We need to be on Facebook and Twitter. More exposure is better. We need be able to e-mail a short synopsis of the student’s lesson so that they can review it on their smart phone, tablet, or computer.
And finally, we need MORE students! The best measure of your success will be how many of your students/parents refer others to you for instruction! THAT IS A KEY ELEMENT! Any success is based on what your customer thinks of YOUR product (instruction) and how effective you are in translating it to the student. Once you have success with a player at any level, MORE WILL SEEK YOU OUT. THEY WANT TO SEE HOW YOU HELPED THE FIRST PLAYER IMPROVE. The cycle of success has now begun!
We can all be better at what we do, but we need to invest in ourselves and our business to improve. If we don’t, we will remain stagnant and will always complain about business being bad. Remember, we are responsible for our own success or failures! NOW LET’S ALL GET BUSY! IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME!
