Step 1: Logo Everything in Sight

The first step to increasing your product sales is to logo everything in sight. Harley Davidson now makes more money selling t-shirts and jackets than they make selling motorcycles. 

That’s the power of a recognizable logo and a good line of merchandise. Disney, Warner Brothers, and Coca-Cola make huge sums of money selling their logo merchandise. 

If it works for sugar water, it will work for us. Of course, you have to have an attractive logo that people won’t be embarrassed to wear. Be sure to read the report on how to create a good logo.

Step 2: Logo-wear Works on Multiple Levels

People like to show they are an accepted member of a group. The more prestigious and “cool” the group, the better. Provided you do a good job, students and parents will be proud of their association with you and your school. When someone is proud of their association, they typically want others to know.

Step 3: Implement a “School Logo Only” Policy

A “School Logo Only” policy helps to reduce the temptation for students to purchase items outside the school.

When a student or parent buys products through the mail or at your local sports discount store, this cuts you out of the profit loop. 

Logo your uniforms, sparring equipment, and t-shirts but don’t stop there. Logo hats, sweatshirts, pens, and anything else you plan to sell or give away.

Step 4: Identify Items to Sell in Your Pro-Shop

Consider selling the following items in your pro-shop:

  • Sparring equipment
  • A full line of logo t-shirts, tanks, and sweats
  • Caps, headbands, and visors
  • Polo style embroidered shirts
  • Warm-up suits
  • Martial arts shoes
  • Regular gi’s, colored gi’s, and custom gi’s all screen printed with the logo
  • Black belt club specialty items
  • Books and videos pursuant to your style
  • Kicking and punching pads

Step 5: Promote Training Aids for Home Use

Training aids are not just for use in the school. Their purchase and use at home could be encouraged by you and all your staff since this not only helps profits but also aids in retention.

Few schools that I know of make much of an effort to sell training aids for use outside the school. This is usually simply because they have not created a system to do this.

Step 6: Create a Plan for Selling Training Aids

If you enroll 20 students per month, let’s create a plan to sell 20 kicking shields to them. Kicking shields are used extensively in the school but do all of your young students have a kicking shield at home? No, but they have a baseball bat, a ball, and a glove.

They have a soccer ball to play with. You can be sure mom or dad enjoys throwing or kicking the ball as well! What is the best way to show a parent that the child is really interested in martial arts? Get the parent involved.

Step 7: Provide Educational Booklets for Parents

Create a booklet with photos showing the parent how to hold the target, what techniques to practice, and how, plus tips on what to remind the child to focus on. This can be produced with a digital camera, a computer, and a printer at minimal cost. Encourage parents to buy a kicking shield and work out with their children on weekends.

Step 8: Expand Training Aids for Adult Appeal

Heavy bags, blockers, and focus mitts are ideal for encouraging practice at home and interaction with other family member. Each time a parent sees his child practicing at home it reinforces the child’s commitment to martial arts and the parent’s resolve to continue investing in lessons. Other training aids such as stretching machines are more adult in their appeal but should also be promoted for home use, especially around Christmas time.