New customers are great.  But no customer is more important than the ones you have today.

So my first tip in this week’s blog is to make sure that you keep your current customers happy!   Never argue with a customer, and always go above and beyond their expectations so they will tell all their friends GOOD THINGS about you!  And with facebook and social networking, this is 100x more important than ever!

What about your list of customers from say… the past year or two?  This list is like gold!  I sure hope you have one!  Constant contact is the key  not only to keeping current customers, but also bringing back previous ones.   Let’s be honest, very few swim lesson families keep their kids in lessons 12 months out of the year.   Because of this, it is so important that you stay in touch with them.  That you keep yourself in front of them.  That you remind them of the importance of ongoing instruction.   If YOU don’t…WHO WILL?

With Black Friday coming up, I thought I’d share my “email of the week” with you.  That’s right, I send an email out every week all year long, with very few exceptions.  And oh yeah… guess which day of the week we do the most swim lesson registrations?  You guessed it!   We do the most registrations BY FAR within 24 hours of my weekly email.  Most of them register online on our website too, which is great because I can cut back on my office staff in the off-season (Would you like a great registration program?  Feel free to call me at 1-866-498-7946 and ask me about ours).

By the way, if you are looking for some more great ideas and tips on improving your swim school, you may want to consider a little gift for yourself!  Invest in one of our “SLU One Day Super Conferences” as low as $85.00 and/or my One-on-One Phone Consultations.  The phone consults start at just $25.00 and I personally promise that little investment will come back to you tenfold in no time at all!

Well here is this week’s newsletter…feel free to use it yourself!

SUBJECT LINE:  What gift should you consider BEFORE Black Friday?

What measures can you take to improve your swim school business?  As the unexpected first place San Francisco Forty-Niners Coach Jim Harbaugh said after yesterday’s win:”WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME ASKING QUESTIONS.”

Swim school owners must do the same.  What questions should you be asking?  Here are a number of good ones to get you started:

• How can we improve our staff training?
• What incentives do we offer our instructors to be even interested in improving what seems to be already working?
• How can we improve our customer service?
• What can we do to increase referrals?
• How can we advertise more cost effectively?
• What can we do in order to encourage ongoing instruction and repeat business from the students we already have?
• How can we use social networking more effectively?
• What costs do we have that are “wants” vs. “needs?”
• How can we communicate more effectively?
• What can we do to make doing business with us easier?

The list of questions you have to ask almost endless.   As business owners, we have to ask these questions and then act upon them if we are going to continue to improve.  As the saying goes,  “If what you did yesterday still looks good today, then you haven’t done much today.”

The best in any business don’t turn a blind eye to the negatives that are present–even when the business is successful.  The best are always looking to get better. Like a great coaching staff, you have to pick apart every aspect of your game and find ways to get better.

What if things aren’t going well for you?   Then double the importance of everything we just discussed.   Be resilient, find a way stay positive, and refuse to quit.  Be determined and enjoy the challenge.  Sometimes you have to take chances.  But learn every day, drink from good books, and seek help from those who have been there.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim was the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com 

We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).