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STARRINKS.COM NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2014 / 39 What to Look for When Hiring: • Knowledge of skills. • Support all rink programs. • Care about skaters. • Desire to learn and improve. • Great references. Someone may be a fantastic skater, but they may also lack knowledge about managing a rowdy class of 4-year-olds. A director can train coaches on the cur- riculum and teaching techniques, but they cannot train attitude and personality. Hire for attitude and train for skill. Supporting Your Staff: • Provide a handbook. • Host staff meetings and training sessions. • Encourage them to attend workshops and conferences. • Give positive reinforcement and handle incidents promptly and directly. 4. Marketing There are two main goals of marketing a skating program: Recruiting custom- ers and retaining current ones. It is much less expensive to retain a customer than to recruit one, but both are crucial to the success of our programs. The Rule of 7. Research shows that prospective customers need to see or hear a marketing message seven times before making a purchase. In the case of a skat- ing program, this could mean brochures at a coffee shop, an ice show, a radio announcement, a friend in the program or someone's social media post. Social media is a high-impact, low-cost marketing tool — just be sure someone in your facility is in charge of monitoring activity. Special Events increase your program's visibility. Host open houses, competi- tions, field trips, camps, birthday parties, National Skating Month, Olympics parties and more. Be creative! Get Involved with Your Community. March in parades, offer a Girl Scout Skate or a college night. Collaborate with your YMCA and public school district, or offer skating lessons as corporate teambuilding or wellness events. Donate lessons to local auctions and benefit drives. 5. Customer Service Customer service includes everything from answering calls to the attitude of instructors to the punctuality of classes. Parent Communication. Offer parent education meetings that cover such top- ics as equipment, policies and curriculum standards. Parents appreciate the infor- mation and skaters will arrive prepared. Provide a handbook and keep parents informed via email, rink announcements, text updates and social media. Use online survey tools to gather feedback at the end of each session. Appearance and Organization. Be sure the facility is clean, signage is clear and that classes begin promptly and keep skaters moving. Require instructors to dress profes- sionally and encourage directors to be active and present rather than sitting in an office. 6. Record Keeping/Analysis Know your numbers and measure them often! Records provide clues to a pro- gram's strengths and help with planning. Registration Trends. Track how your numbers change over time and identify what makes your program unique. For example, do you have a lot of boys enrolled or an exceptionally large bridge program? Use this information to plan next steps. Retention Rates are a clear indicator of a program's health. Sixty percent retention is good, 80 percent is great. Anything less is something to work on. Reward instruc- tors with high retention in their classes. Skater Drop-Offs provide another clue to areas that need attention. Is there a level after which you often lose skaters, or coaches who show significant drop-off after their classes? Monitor this information so you know when to intervene. All in all, with thoughtful planning, sound leadership, and an ear to the ground for new opportunities, the quality and suc- cess of your skating program will speak for itself. J Carey Tinkelenberg is the founding owner and executive director of Northfield Skating School and NSS Consulting, specializing in strategic plan- ning, training and assessment of skating programs. She is a Professional Skaters Association Master Rated coach and director. Tinkelenberg serves on the U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills and Program Development committees and is a regular present- er at USFS and PSA events. Contact her at info@ northfieldskating.com. GREAT PROGRAMS DO NOT HAPPEN ACCIDENTALLY. THEY ARE A RESULT OF CAREFUL PLANNING AND SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES. , The two main goals of marketing your program should be recruitment and retention.