No matter what your offering is, the only way people will believe in your product enough to buy it is if you believe in it first.

When you put the time, energy and resources into building a top-notch martial arts program by investing in your employees and coaches, you actively elevate your value proposition.

Your product becomes better, and, because your product is based on recreating an experience each and every class, the overall student experience improves. 

Simplifying your product and focusing on doing less better shows confidence. When you know what you’ve got is good, you don’t need to tack on any extras just in case.

How can you believe in your product more than you already do?

Simplify. Cut the fancy options and variation. When you add too many bells and whistles, it makes it seem that you don’t believe in your product. The core of what you offer is your martial art. Trim the fat and confidently put what counts front and center. Having fewer options shows that you’re confident in what you have. That stands out.

Invest. Invest in the right areas for growth. We don’t mean pay someone $1000 to teach you how to squeeze even more money out of your students. We mean spend the resources to get your coaches continuing education. Take the time to talk to your staff, and really listen. Prioritize marketing that highlights your product and tells your community’s story.

Prioritize. Whether it’s email marketing, quality content on social media or curriculum, prioritizing where you put your energy will enable you to conserve instead of leak your resources. When we try to do too many things at once, we don’t do any of them well. Take the time to assess your needs and figure out what’s most important to tackle first, and so on.

Systems-dependent. We say this constantly: your product is your class. By making sure each class is consistently structured and taught, you offer your students a consistently good experience. How can being more systems-dependent help you grow your product?

For one, instead of being solely people-dependent in your training process (like having all new coaches be taught by your best person), develop systems  that help you deliver the same product each and every time – even if your top coach suddenly moves out of state.

Value of perspective

If you focus your energy and spend time on these four aspects of your product, you’ll both increase your value and your own appreciation of it. 

Believing in yourself and your product is vital – when you stand behind what you offer one hundred percent, your confidence doesn’t need external validation. It doesn’t rise and fall with your member headcount. 

You don’t need contracts because you’ve got no reason to lock somebody in. You know that even if growth is slow, it’s real. You’re building lifelong relationships with individuals who truly see your value, and that is the best kind of marketing.

As you get clearer on the core of your mission, what matters most, you also get closer to the heart of your product. If you can put your product up to all of your values and it passes the test, then you’re headed in the right direction.

Don’t fall prey to the traps of insecurity that cause you to tack extra features or security measures onto your membership offerings. The more confident you are that you’ve got the best stuff around, the easier it will be for your potential students to see it too.

At Easton, we don’t have any enrollment fees or contracts. Instead, we offer a highly discounted trial month and have all of our members sign an agreement which grants a rolling, month-to-month membership thereafter with a 30-day cancellation notice policy. 

Then, we take it a step further and add an addendum that says if you take at least 8 classes during your trial month and don’t want to continue, we’ll give you a refund.

We believe in our product so much that if you prove us wrong, we’ll give you your money back.

By simplifying your product offerings, investing in your team's development, and prioritizing where you spend your energy and resources, you can build an authentic belief in your product that inspires confidence and loyalty in your customers.