EFC – Educational Funding Company Ltd UK & Ireland

By Keith Hafner

You know how it works. You are really hot to sign up for tennis lessons. The salesperson is smooth and persuasive. This is something you really want to do. You sign up for the jumbo package of lessons. You head home.

And on the way home, you start to rethink your decision. “Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into? Maybe I would have been better off waiting until next spring? I’m so busy with other commitments right now.”

We all experience this to a degree. Usually it’s not enough to make us change our minds. But if we get home and the spouse says, “Oh, you signed up there, huh? All the people at work say the other club is better.”

Or maybe an unexpected bill arrives in the next day’s post.

Buyer’s remorse might put the sale of the tennis lessons in jeopardy.

But what if, when you get home, there’s a voice on the voice mail, saying, “Hi, Alexis… it’s Sean from the tennis club. I’m the head teacher. The manager told me you signed up… and I just wanted to say I’m excited about working with you.”

Then, a day or so later, here comes a post card from the club. It’s a note, signed by about a dozen staff members. “Glad to have you on the team!” it says.

Then, a day or two before the first lesson, Alexis finds a package in her mailbox. It’s a can of three bright green tennis balls. A note is taped to the outside, “Alexis, I know you will have a ball in our club.”

Now, Alexis is sold. There is little danger she will be rethinking her decision at this point. Why? Because the sales process (or could we say the “courting” process?) didn’t stop when she paid her money. The tennis club wisely demonstrated that they valued her decision to sign with them.

By EFC Chairman Nicholas Cokinos

Are you a problem maker or a problem solver? Too many people get these two situations confused. Some people think that consistently pointing out problems is really helpful. Think how much better everything would have been if you were capable of identifying and coming up with solutions. Pointing out problems often is intercepted as complaints.

The blame game is all too prevalent. Pointing the finger at someone else is a common phenomenon. It’s doubly harmful in a business. All too often, we blame others when things are not going our way. We have come to expect too much from our company and our surroundings and too little from ourselves. Check to see if you are a “moaner and a groaner.”

Just think for a moment about the difference that can be made by asking the right questions: “If I can’t stand the way things are around here, what am I going to do about it?” Or do you say, “wouldn’t it be great if we could have a discussion to find out what could be done to make things run more smoothly?”

The point is obvious: train yourself to think positively. See through the problem to the solution. Be among the first to suggest positive solutions and, best of all, if you can solve a problem without calling attention to it, you would be really ahead of the game. You are the kind of a person the boss is looking for!

Now here is a key sentence: “Make sure you contribute more than you cost.” A great attitude, positive approach to problems, viewing problems as temporary “challenges,” makes a world of difference. By the way, do you hate change? Become part of the “change.” Help to make it work.

Things to remember:

• Do not waste energy.
• Do not get angry.
• Do not give into grief about what has already happened.
• Do not be emotional. Use logic and seize every opportunity to be a problem solver!

Claude Bergernon of Bergeron Karate in Ottawa, Ontario has not only managed to arrange for a promotional event for his school at the local theatre during the release of Karate Kid, but will also have the theatre staff wear his school uniforms during the event. He says he was able to do this by being in touch with the theatre manager and forming a relationship with her during the release of Kung Fu Panda, when he had first made the offer about the uniform. It didn’t work out back then, but when he got in touch with the manager again about Karate Kid, she brought up the subject of the uniforms, and agreed to her staff wearing them.

During the release of Karate Kid, Bergeron Karate will set up a booth with a prize wheel and will also do three demos, one in the morning and two in the afternoon. In addition, VIP passes for the school will be handed out with each ticket to movie watchers. The pass includes an offer for one free month of lessons. At the booth, the Bergeron Karate staff will work hard toward getting contact info from parents, so that they can later call and email them with invitations for Bully Buster or Stranger Danger classes.

By Zulfi Ahmed

We don’t test beginners at all. We evaluate them in class and we do graduations… It’s just that we prefer the word “evaluation” to “testing,” and very seldom does someone fail at this level. We start putting our students in the “testing” mindset at brown belt level. Only in the black belt testing level is there a possibility that they may have to re-take the tests. Testing puts a lot of pressure on students and their families, and we do it only when it is required.

This is an excerpt from an insightful interview scheduled to appear in the next Eagle.

Anthony Arango

Consider the impact of bringing in a guest instructor. Would a guest instructor add a fresh, new dimension to your program for advanced students? Anthony Arango had the idea of offering his advanced students something that really stirred up his school. According to him, “Our jiu-jitsu training with Gene Dunn has really elevated our retention level and our excitement. This is because

1. It’s giving them a new reason to train extra, instead of going through the normal routine, especially for those who have been with me for 10 plus years.
2. They feel they can advance in an area of martial arts that was not explored as well as I would have liked. Now they are able to work the stand-up game and do their ground and finishing game with someone who is the best. I couldn’t think of somebody better to teach the art in his methodical way of being able to transfer what he knows to a new student learning that art.”

Dave Kovar

Want great retention? Learn to communicate in a positive and empowering way. As every successful martial arts instructor knows, effective communication consists of so much more than using the appropriate words. It consists of being completely engaged on every level of communication possible. Let’s look at four different aspects of communication.
Here’s a great idea courtesy of Kovars, Inc.

Physiology. This is our body movement and posture. Imagine someone videotaping you teaching class and then watching it with sound muted. What story is your body telling? Would it appear irritable or angry, limp and lazy, or engaged and powerful?

Tip for implementation. Concentrate on keeping your shoulders back, your chin up and your arms moving freely. Avoid the “master stance” (arms crossed, weight on back leg, chin down, etc.)

To read about other transformational communication skills, read the next issue of the Eagle Express.

Master Vince Cassar

At the last EFC Summit in Florida, during the banquet, Keith Thompson, John Lynn and Mike Allen suggested that it would be a good idea to have me talk at the next EFC Meeting of Minds in the UK, on how I managed to grow the Cassar Academy of Choi Kwang Do by 300% in just 17 months, during the worst recession in living memory.

My first reaction was, “no way!” I thought to myself, “What on earth could I talk about that the other speakers haven’t already done so brilliantly. Besides that, I’m a rookie school owner and still have so much to learn and grow myself.”  Someone had mentioned to Mike that when they had asked me what I did to achieve this, I just said, “I didn’t get in my own way” and he suggested this would make a good topic for my talk. I don’t know whether it was the atmosphere and excitement of the evening or Keith, John or Mike’s enthusiasm and encouragement that swayed me but by the end of the night I agreed.

The Meeting of Minds in Wales last year was a fantastic weekend. John Lynn and his amazing team put on a great event and were the perfect hosts; Keith and Debbie Thompson were again Guest speakers. The last time they were in the UK was 4 years ago and that was my first ever EFC event. After one of Debbie’s sessions I got the chance to have a chat with her and as we parted she said “you’re going to do very well, I’m going to keep an eye on you”.

Hearing that from Debbie Thompson had an amazing effect on me. I went home and couldn’t stop thinking, if someone like Debbie Thompson says that I can be successful at opening a full time centre then maybe I can, all I’ve got to do is get out of my own way and stop thinking the way I have been and start thinking the way the top school owners do. At this time I was teaching Choi Kwang Do part time and only had about 75 students.

I want to share with you some of the thoughts I used to have back then.
1.    My school is different from theirs
2.    Won’t work with my students
3.    Won’t work with my style
4.    My students won’t pay that
5.    Hard to find new students
6.    Successful schools are in better areas
7.    Can’t find the right staff
8.    Can’t find the right property
9.    Don’t know how to run this type of business
10.    Marketing costs too much
11.    Advertising doesn’t work

When I look at this now it’s so clear to me why I wasn’t growing my school, I was standing in the way of my own success, I had to get out of the way, start introducing all the EFC systems and change my way of thinking. So this is how I did it, I just started saying to myself:
1.    If the top schools can do it then I can
2.    How do I introduce this to my students?
3.    Doesn’t matter what style I teach, it will work
4.    I must increase our fees/gross as our classes are great value
5.    Look for lots of different ways to increase enrolments
6.    Our success has nothing to do with the location of our school
7.    I have great staff
8.    Contact all the real estate agents and find a location for a full time centre
9.    Use the EFC systems and manuals and start learning the business skills I need to run a professional Martial Arts centre
10.    I must start spending at least 10% of my gross on marketing
11.    I must Increase advertising streams

Once I started doing this, then everything began to fall into place. We found a location a year later. 6 months after that on May 4th 2008 we opened. Our gross at the time was under £5,000.00 including tuition fees, gradings and sales. Just eighteen months later our gross is £22,000.00 a month with a steady increase of 2.5% every month. We now have 340 students and the Cassar Academy of Choi Kwang Do is rocking! All the students and team are very excited about what’s happening and we have very big plans for the year ahead. Thank you EFC, Debbie and Keith Thompson, Dave Kovar, Nick and Donnalynn Patakos, John Lynn and all the other great people that have not only helped me develop the skill needed to succeed but also change the way I think so I will never again stand in my own way!

By John Cokinos, EFC President

One of my teenage daughters is in a ballet class. She complains that the teacher is not simply strict but almost abusive. She actually feels stressed out, and it’s an uphill fight just to get her to go each week.

When she came to me insisting that she quit, I said, “I have nothing to do with it. You must contact the owner.” We know this person, Rachel, on a first name basis. When my daughter went to her, we found out that not only does Rachel have a gift for talking to my daughter but also for talking to her ballet teacher. She reminded my daughter of her progress, re-established her goals, while simultaneously straightening out the teacher.

From a parent’s perspective, I was totally relieved that my daughter can’t come to me but must speak to Rachel. In my case it worked like a charm and got me out of the hot seat as a parent.

Why not implement a similar policy in your school? Indoctrinate the parent from the beginning that this scenario may arise, and they must refer their child to a certain staff member whom you designate. The parents will appreciate not having to deal with this difficult scenario and it will also help you with retention.

Tim Barchard

My staff have really taken an interest in our students’ lives. For example, we have a 90-day fitness challenge and a presidential fitness challenge. The feedback we have received from out students is that this is the greatest they’ve felt in a long time. They feel greater now than they did when they were in their 20s. Their confidence is high and their attitude is great. They’re finding out that things are much better around them. So the fact that our staff is taking an interest in our students, not as a group but as individuals, is helping.

By Charles Chapman

Young students need direction and growth and experience of life in general. They are always looking for a good role model. Some of the kids have been bullied at school. They come and talk to us about that. We’ve got to talk to them about it and help them see how the bully operates. Bullies are looking for victims and we must teach them not to look like victims. They must learn to defeat the bully with confidence and the right attitude.