First Impressions Count

I have been trying to get my son to join a new swimming club, on four separate occasions I have called and e-mailed their contacts over a 3 week period, and yet I have had no response – even a sorry we don’t take new members at present....if it wasn’t for the location I would be going somewhere else.

Contrast this with a Chinese I went to on Friday a lunch time I was met at the door, directed to a table and ask if I was in a hurry – as they had a quick lunch menu or whether I could take my time and order off the main lunch menu. Within second they had established my needs.

Even supermarkets have greeters helping shoppers find trollies information etc, so why when I go to visit Dojos in the UK and abroad am I often greeted by blank faces, or left stood waiting for up to 15 minutes before someone says hello?

When looking at player acquisition and retention we must consider first impression. A judo club is part of the service industry and you should treat everyone who come into your Dojo or class as a potential new student. So how can we make this a positive experience?

Have a designated greeter – could be a player on the mat, a parent – who when somebody new comes in, they go and say hello and introduce themselves and find out about why they have come. Try and agree a time scale – within 2 minutes.

When someone enquires – do you take details? Do you have an information pack or sheet on the club – training times fees etc. It could include a “What is Judo” sheet, a bit about your clubs history and instructors.

Does anyone follow up the enquiry – a phone call or email to say thanks for coming to see us.

Now these are not difficult to implement but they show a club cares, and if you get the right feeling from the moment your walk in then the rest is easy.

So do you understand the expectations of your potential members and do you meet and exceed them?

So next time you go to your club try and have a look at it with the eyes of someone who hasn’t been before ....Is it welcoming? Is it easy to find? Would I if I wanted to send my child to Judo at your club are you easy to deal with?

I sometimes feel we forget that Judo is now a business and any people can do the judo but we shouldn’t forget the business.

Retention

I have spent the day doing a match reports for a number of matches and chatting with Lance Wicks. The subject of retention came up.

In the USJA Coaching manual level 1 they lay out the coach’s goal and I quote...

“Regardless of your coaching aim, your primary goal is to recruit and retain students.”

Dr Chris Dewey

Dr Dewey is worth looking up if you are serious about coaching judo (http://www.msstate.edu/dept/geosciences/people/dewey/index.htm)

So I thought today I would talk about retention and area I have dealt with in marketing but is often over looked in coaching.

What keeps players coming back for more Judo lessons?

Now there are many different elements to this, but today I want to raise a series of questions for you to think about and then discuss them in the next few weeks.


You need to understand why are people trying judo and why your club?

Is it to build confidence, self defence, friends do it, do they choose your club because of recommendation, nearest best ad in the Yellow Pages?

Are they being forced or badgered in trying it by friends or family?

How do you engage them?

What is the best way to communicate with members?

You can provide them with information through a mixture of traditional and digital media (have a look at Lance Wicks Coaching Digital Natives Webinar):

Newsletters?
Emails?
Notice board?
Websites?
Social networking online?

Do you understand why people in YOUR club do judo?

How do you satisfy their needs?

What do they like or dislike about the club?

Have you ever asked for their opinions?

I know this sounds very marketing orientated – that is after all one of my jobs – but it is the difference between running a club as a hobby and coaching as a profession.

The BJA has a retention and recruitment drive on – but is basing it in clubs and it will be the same old clubs getting involved rather than locating areas that have no club and employing coaches to run them.

Why is it that when covering classes do I get asked where I teach because they enjoyed my lessons more than the usual coach – perhaps I inject more fun, I might not be as strict or I might just understand my audience better.

Membership acquisition ( recruitment) and retention are the heart of a Judo community, the BJA have a 50% turnover in membership – is that acceptable? What is your participation turn over?

I have ideas on the whole process based on years of Marketing and working with membership schemes and organisations. Some of these I hope to share in the future but if you have an issue on retention or recruitment let me know and let’s see if I can help.

Marc

Institue of Professional Judo Coaches

Hi

It was Cat Stevens who sang “Times they are a Changing” and so it is in the world of Judo in the UK and probably the rest of Europe. With the 2012 London Olympics the government has stated that its Olympic Legacy is going to be grass roots with 1000’s of new qualified coaches.

The BJA are supporting the UKCC coaching levels for new coaches but not yet integrating old caches. The EJU now have some of the best Judo Coaching courses in the world – a level 4 and level 5 Based at Bath University. ( http://www.bath.ac.uk/sports/foundation/judo/index.html ) These courses are recognised by the rest of Europe but The BJA don’t recognise them and you can’t get them added to your coaching idea....there is something wrong with this picture. The BJA will say they are don’t meet UKCC standards and then they promptly introduce a club instructor award to fill a gap created by people finding the UKCC to expensive or too much of a commitment – amongst other reasons.

We have a situation where there are a number of private companies providing excellent taster seasons and basic beginners Judo in schools and after school clubs. Probably more children in Judo are taught this way a week than in regular BJA clubs!

The BJA cater for the membership and clubs often run by volunteers, but their is no pathway or guidance, coaching model or franchise for the Coach who wants to earn a living teaching judo, so we get the man in a van syndrome who wanders like a ronin for school to school location to location.

They have no NGB backing just a coaching qualification and a membership licence if they are BJA.

So here is the radical idea copying the model from football who have a Managers Association would anyone like to join...

The Institute of Professional Judo Coaches ( name may be changed).

An organisation whose sole purpose is to advise and for the assistance people who earn money coaching judo. It will have a code of conduct, a coaching qualification will be a prerequisite, and you must commit to a Continued Professional Development Programme for your and your judo....this would be more then attending a single 4 hr course and include reflection, sharing ideas, seminars and courses. But it would be done at your pace and your level of coaching.

The aim would also include:

· helping provide business models for coaches,
· support coaches in running a business
· sharing best practice.
· Devleoping a knowledge base for coaches
· Creating world class support material
· Assisting participation coaches with retention
· Advice and shared experience of School and LEA Judo
· Possible dispute resolution
· Provide coach education as deemed needed by coaches!
· Lobbying NGB’s and funding authorities on the needs of coaches

It would be independent of the NGB, but would work with them, and focus on Coaching issues and Judo coaching issues, it wouldn’t matter if you were running a club or an after school activity the aim would be best practice in Judo Coaching.

Perhaps it is too radical for the UK, but with perhaps the right 20 members to start with you will be responsible for over 15,000 participation mat hours a week. A figure that Any NGB or Funding Body can’t afford to ignore. If you got the academic coach education providers behind it you also start to create a knowledge base, and a base of participation that could be used for serious Judo participation studies.

In three phone calls I mentioned the idea and everyone was for it –as long as it promoted good coach education. Whether or not the NGB’s would like it that’s another story. Someone suggested treating like a Professional body with different levels of membership so club coaches could be associates, others said it could provide support and help like a Union.

Blue sky thinking? It is outside the box, is it too radical for the UK? The idea is now out there, let talk about it – your comments please.