Rink

Who is the customer? For all group lesson programs, the customer is the child or adult enrolled in the lessons. If the child or adult has a good experience in your group lesson program, it is likely they will return for the following classes. Customers are people who need or want your service. Lucky for you, you have a service to sell. Bottom line: are they having fun? When a child walks off the ice from their lesson, what is the first question asked by the parent/guardian? "How did it go?" If they have a huge smile and say they had fun and learned a new skill called a swizzle, landed a new jump, or mastered their stop and can't wait for a new lesson, what will happen? On the flip-side, if they say it was cold, their feet hurt, skating is too hard or their teacher was mean, what will the return be? Learning to skate is not a skill that is mandatory to survive. Therefore we must make skating enjoyable from the start. For the general public, skating is a fun, recreational, seasonal activity. Whether they wish to learn to skate backwards, show off to friends at the next birthday party, or have aspirations for Olympic caliber competition, skating can and should be for everyone! Where to look for customers? The ideal place to look for customers is right inside your own rink during the current group lesson program. Keeping those people happy and coming back for more is much easier and less expensive than always finding new customers. Skaters should always know what the next step is, like working toward the next badge or signing up for more lessons. A healthy program has a return business rate of 60-65 percent. People will always drop out due to scheduling conflicts, too-high expectations or because they simply didn't enjoy it. If your return rate is less than 30 percent, it is time to start asking some serious questions and acting upon the answers. Hosting a registration night with an open house is an ideal kick-off for every season. Invite the public, serve snacks and have tours of the facility. Allow people to ask questions about the program, meet some of the staff members or try on rental skates. If possible, allow for a free hour of ice with supervision and booster lessons. Each family should leave with all the information about your program, special events and parties. Hands down, the most powerful way to advertise is a personal recommendation, commonly known as "word of mouth." Whenever I am looking for something to do or a new place to go, I always ask a friend Your Group Lessons Marketing • Flyers • Welcome letters • Calendar of events and public skating • Free introductory lessons on public skating • Newspaper ads. Rule of thumb: 5-10% of total profit should go back into advertising • Local free shoppers • Yellow pages • Web sites: try free community links • Public schools (depends on the school district rules) • Answering machine at the rink • T-shirts/club jackets/sweatshirts with skating program name on it • Special appearances of elite skaters in the area • Host ice shows, exhibitions, in-house competitions, open house registration nights • Birthday party packages: 20% off first session for new skaters • Coupons: discount for multiple family enrollments or multiple session discounts • Bring a friend day • National Skating Week campaign • Community appearances • Video display in lobby • Brag board: wall chart with all skaters recognized for accomplishments 20 Bottom line: Are the students having fun? If they are having fun like the kids above at the Alltel Ice Den, return visits are likely. 26 R INK MAGAZ INE may/June 2007 IDEAS TO PROMOTE YOUR PROGRAM

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