"You are, at this moment, standing, right in the middle of our own 'acres of diamonds'." - Earl Nightingale

My friend Kathleen has been taking her three-year old daughter to dance lessons at our studio this year.

Kathleen didn't have the experience of growing up taking dance classes. So she didn't have any expectations of a dance studio, nor did she really know the difference between a performing arts program, recreational program, and more. I assured her that she was in good hands. :-)

I'm sharing this story with you because the tip may shed some light on how to identify your target market, potential students, and get clear on how to grow your business. Thanks for letting me give you some background.

My home is about 45 miles from our studio - sort of a long commute - but my husband and I love where we live. He also travels extensively for his career and our home is convenient to two major airports.

When I asked Kathleen this fall if she wanted to take the ride over to the dance studio on Friday mornings to have our 3-year old daughters take baby ballet she said, "why not, it sounds fun". We agreed that if for any reason the her daughter didn't like it or if she lost interest there would be NO hard feelings if she wanted to drop out.

Here's what happened...it turns out her daughter loves to dance! And our girls ask just about every day, 'is today ballet?'.

We still have classes left in the school year and at the end of June the girls will dance in our recital. But my friend has already started to plan ahead for next year since our daughters will have school five days a week and it won't be possible for her to make the trip with me to our studio.

Just this month she went on the search to find a new dance studio. This process that my friend has recently gone through is very representative of what many moms do when it comes to making the decision on where to send their child to take dance class.

Here's the three step process she went through.

Step #1. She asked for a referral

Kathleen asked me if I have heard of any good dance studios in our town. She was looking for a referral. I do know the reputation of some local studios but instead I asked her, what are the top three things that you feel made this year a success?

Step #2. She knew what she did and did not want in a dance studio

She determined the top three things that made this year a success were that the enthusiastic and organized dance teacher kept the students engaged, her daughter looked forward to being able to wear a pretty leotard and fun dance skirt, and she appreciated the clean, well managed dance studio. I suggested that she contact some of the local studios and drop by for a visitor week or a tour.

Step #3. She gathered information online and in person

My friend contacted some studios by first going to the websites and then setting up a visit to the actual studio locations of a couple of the choices she had narrowed down. After visiting the couple of potential studios, she thought informed me that she had made her decision on a studio that was about 15 minutes from home.

But then....

Kathleen called me to tell me that she bumped into a mom from one of our playgroups from years ago and her daughter has been taking dance this year at one of the dance studios in town. This mom went on to say that her daughter has loved it and it's been a great fit.

This woman gave the local studio a glowing referral and recommendation. Decision made. Kathleen chose THAT studio. The one that this mom said was great. My friend happens to use social media, is very tech savvy, shops online and turns to the internet first for information. Even with that said, the referral was the deciding factor.

This week's tip: Invest in your relationships with your raving fans. They are the ones who are talking with the people looking for your dance studio. Get innovative with your referral programs.

This is what we help our members do to go way beyond bring a friend and grow their business for both the short-term and for long-term success.

Get testimonials and reviews from your raving fans. Show what makes your dance studio special, unique, fun and outstanding. How do you infuse your spirit and personality into the love of learning to dance?

Never underestimate the power of location, location, location. Connect with the people in your immediate area.

As Earl Nightingale said, "You are, at this moment, standing, right in the middle of your own 'acres of diamonds'."

How to Partner With Parents at Your Dance Studio

This time of year parent complaints and concerns seem to be at an all time high. When asked what the biggest challenge of owning a dance studio is,one of the most common answers is always "parents!" Dealing with parent concerns and problems can be tricky because if the parents aren't happy, their kids won't be coming back.

Read the full article here: http://www.dancestudioowner.com/public/121.cfm