Here’s one of the dumbest, simplest, most genius retention strategies I’ve ever used.
Every summer, martial arts school owners across the country brace themselves for the dreaded Summer Slump.
You know it’s coming.
You pray it won’t be “that bad.”
But what if this year, hear me out, you just got proactive instead of reactive?
This Stupid-Simple Summer Trick Might Save Your School from a slump this summer..
Print. A. Vacation. Sheet.
Literally, just a piece of paper with 3 questions:
1. Where are you going?
2. What dates will you be away?
3. How long will you be gone?
That’s it. Hang it at the front desk. Have your instructors casually ask about it. Make it part of your check-in process.
Now here’s the magic…
When you know who’s leaving, when, and for how long, you can actually help them stay on track:
- “Hey, let’s double up classes the week before you go.”
- “When you’re back, we’ll do a couple privates to catch you up.”
- “You’re going to be gone all of July? Cool, let’s put together a training schedule and send you Zoom links.”
(Yeah, I said it. Zoom classes. Don’t shit your gi pants. Calm down. It’s just an option, you don’t have to)
But here’s where you take this strategy to the next level.
Send a handwritten postcard.
Once a week, peek at your Vacation Sheet.
For every student who's away, write them a short postcard and time it so they get it while they’re gone.
That way, when they check their mail after vacation, BOOM! A handwritten card from YOU or one of your instructors.
(And yes, if you’re thinking “Damn, this guy’s a genius,” I totally agree.)
No one does this anymore.
It shows effort.
It shows care.
It gets them back to routine.
Because once they’ve been gone for 2+ weeks, the odds of them returning drop off a cliff.
Bonus: Now your instructors have conversation starters.
“Oh, you guys went to the Bahamas? I hear that’s a great place to listen to the Black Belt Business Podcast!”
(Okay, maybe don’t say that last part, but still.)
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If you want our exact Vacation Sheet Template and the script we use for postcards, I’ll send it to you for free.
All I ask:
✅ Share this podcast episode on your faceook or instagram (your martial arts friends will thank you)
✅ Tag me in it
Fair enough?
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