I have another secret for you. This secret is so important that it will increase your sales, guaranteed. Want to know what it is?

The secret is:

Always forward your office/school phone to your cell phone when you’re not in the office.

When leads call you in the early morning or on the weekend, they expect to get a machine. They expect to leave a message. Show them your awesome customer service skills by surprising them early…and answer the phone when they don’t expect it.

Two nights ago, I got a call from a lead while I was in the grocery store. I went to a quiet corner, took down their information, and talked to them about their child’s math issues like I normally do. Then the person said something I didn’t expect: “If you hadn’t answered, I would have called the next business on my list.” I told him that was how we do things at our business. He signed up for twelve months the next day.

I was surprised he said that because I know that people do that, but they just never tell me that they do that. I was surprised because he was honest.

Remember that I am the owner of a math tutoring business for kids. There’s not a lot of competition. I’ve worked with so many martial arts businesses and martial arts schools that I know this situation happens all the time.

It’s so hard to differentiate yourself as a martial arts business when everyone thinks of karate and tae kwon do as being the same. The one way to differentiate yourself right away is to be available. If you miss a call, return it right away. Especially the ones that don’t go to voice mail.

In my experience, very few people will leave a message unless they’re specifically looking for YOU. Since most aren’t, they’ll go on to the next name in their list.

Don’t forget to carry a notepad and pen with you so you can get their information when they call!