How To Become An Elite Guitar Teacher
Becoming an elite guitar teacher is not easy. It takes time, dedication and above all persistence. When I first started teaching guitar out of my house, I was hardly getting any students and the one's I did get didn't seem to stick around very long.
Well, over the years, I have learned some strategies that can help you become not only a better guitar instructor, but an elite guitar teacher that people want to pay money to study with.
So what can you do to make yourself a better guitar teacher so that you attract more students and keep them longer?
Tips For Becoming An Elite Guitar Teacher
1. Promote Yourself As If You Already Are One
When it comes to selling a service, whether it's guitar lessons, personal training, or whatever, you have to show people that you are an expert. One the biggest problems facing new guitar teachers is that they do not have a lot of credibility to back them up. When I work with music teachers in my Rockstar Business Coaching, one of the first things we focus on is credibility.
The best way to get credibility is to get reviews and testimonials from customers raving about how amazing and awesome you are. Word of mouth is one of the best promoters for your business. Encourage your clients to post about you on social media, review your business and give you an amazing testimonial.
2. Be Professional In All Aspects Of Your Life
While my first teaching space was nothing to write home about, I learned much later that looking the part is part of the job. When someone walks into your teaching space, are they walking into a professional and clean environment, or, are they walking into a cyclone? Having a clean and neat teaching space is critical to being taken seriously and signing up more clients.
Not only does your space need to be clean and professional, your dress and appearance also needs to be professional. No ripped jeans, stained clothes or t-shirts with profanity on them. I once had a teacher walk into my school with a Johnny Cash t-shirt where he was flipping the middle finger. I was like dude, take that off right now! This doesn't mean you have dress up in a suit and tie (although that will probably increase your chances of people taking you seriously) you should be clean cut and professional. Someone once told me, if you are expecting someone to pay you $100/hr, you should be dressed like you are worth $100/hr.
3. Charge The Right Amount Of Money
The best is not cheap, so why are your lesson prices? If you want to be considered an elite guitar teacher, then you need to charge prices that reflect that. Will you scare away some clients? Yes. But you will be scaring away the people who are not committed to lessons in the first place. You should be one of the most expensive teachers in your area. Or better yet, THE most expensive teacher in your area. You want people who value quality over price and once you sign them up, over deliver.
4. Over Deliver On EVERY Client Interaction
Customer service is big in my company. This doesn't mean that we let clients walk all over us and that they get whatever they want. It's far from that. But, we do make sure that everyone who walks through the door is greeted by their first name with a huge smile and a "How are you doing?" When you teach hundreds of students every month, it gets harder and harder to make people feel appreciated.
From the moment someone inquires through your website or gives you a call, make yourself stand out from the rest. Stop winging lessons and show up prepared. Shoot off a random e-mail to let a client know they did a good job in their lesson today. Take an honest and serious interest in all prospects and current clients and you will reap the rewards. Go out of the way to go the extra mile for your clients and they will reward you with longevity, referrals and loyalty.
There are a number of other little secrets I use throughout the year to show our clients we care and over deliver on our promise to help them learn music.
These are just a few tips on how to become and elite guitar teacher in your area. If you would like to learn more about growing your guitar teaching business, check our my Business Bootcamp Coaching Program.