To enroll or not to enroll? It’s an emotional decision full of hopes and fear for the parent of a prospective student. A parent hopes that their child will love playing music but often fear that they will hate music lessons and want to quit. This fear often originates from the parent’s memory of not liking music lessons when they were a child.
You can build a parents trust by reassuring him or her that their child will have a positive experience in music lessons at your studio. An experience that is fun, inspirational and full of opportunities for personal growth.
THE 6 ESSENTIAL POINTS IN A SALES PITCH
- Gather Information
- Define a problem
- Express their fear
- Establish your expertise
- Display empathy
- Offer a solution
1. Information
Gather basic details about the prospective student and parent. This includes parent and child’s name and child’s age. This information will allow you to tailor design your pitch to address their needs. Listen for details from the parents’ story you can weave into your pitch.
2. Define the Problem
All products and services fix a problem or serve a need. The problem, in this case, is that the parent is seeking an activity that will provide personal growth and enrichment to their child. You have to convince them that you are the one who should lead the way.
3. Express Their Fear
Parents fear their child will hate music lessons, just like they might have as a child. They didn’t like these lessons because they weren’t fun and they felt like practice was a burden.
4. Establish Expertise
You establish expertise when you appear to be thoughtful and methodical. You establish expertise when you are able to paint a clear picture of what success looks like for the student. You do not establish expertise when you flaunt your credentials. No one cares about your credentials. They care about your ability to connect and inspire their child. Quality will be of greater interest after the sale.
5. Display Empathy
You will gain instant trust if you can express a parents’ feeling or concern in a way that they are unable to. This makes a parent feel like you understand them and makes you likable and relatable.
6. Solution
Now that the parent trusts you they will be open to receive your solution to their problem. The solution is fun, easy and engaging music lessons that will provide their child with all of the benefits music has to offer!
A PHONE SALES PITCH IN REAL TIME
C: I’m calling about guitar lessons for my son.
S: Great, I can help you with that. Could you first tell me your name and your child’s name?
C: I’m Julie and my son is Tyler
S: And how old is Tyler?
C: He’s 7
S: Has he ever played an instrument before or taken music classes?
C: No he’s a complete beginner. He’s always liked music. Neither myself or his dad are musical. We bought him one of those toy guitars for Christmas a few years ago. He use to play it all the time when he was younger. His uncle plays in a band so maybe he has some of his musical genes.
S: It’s always helpful to learn a little bit about a child’s musical interest. Let me tell me you about our schools’ approach to music education and then we can explore some different options for Tyler. Our hope for all of our students is that they feel playing an instrument is fun and that they’re good at it. Kids who feel that that playing an instrument is easy for them and that their good at it, are so much more likely to want to continue on in lessons. All kids love music but they don’t always love music lessons. We’re committed to building on a child’s love of music. I’m just curious. Have you ever taken music lessons before?
C: My mother made me take piano for 2 years and I hated it. She finally let me quit after all my complaining.
S: Most people have a similar story as yours when it comes to music lessons. Our main objective is to allow kids to experience everything that’s fun about music. Our students learn music the same way kids learn a language. With language, you first listen, make sounds, start speaking, reading and ultimately you learn the rules of grammar. Our teaching methods follow that same process. You’ll find out soon enough if Tyler has some of his uncle’s musical genes.
S: For someone Tyler’s age I would recommend weekly 30-minute lessons. The time frame is long enough to allow Tyler to have a quality lesson and experience substantial musical growth. Perhaps a 60-minute lesson would make more sense after he has established some core skills and wants to take his playing to another level.
ANALYSIS OF THE PITCH
Seeds: “Has he ever played an instrument before or taken music classes?”
- This question will get a parent talking.
- Listen for “seeds” or story details that you can weave into your pitch.
- In the above pitch the parent mentions her son’s Uncle. The salesperson incorporates the uncle into the pitch.
Expertise, and Empathy “So let me tell me you about our approach to music education”
- Music education implies something broader than lessons.
Problem, Fear, and Empathy “Our hope for all of our students is that they feel that playing an instrument is fun and that they’re good at it”
- “Our students” This allows the parent to imagine her child “playing an instrument” and “having fun”
Problem and Fear: “All kids love music but they don’t always love music lessons.”
- Insight and wisdom
- Strikes a nerve in the prospect
- Express’ the prospects greatest fear
- An emotional point in the conversation
Expertise: “Our programs are designed to make playing an instrument fun and easy for kids. Kids who feel that that playing an instrument is easy for them and that their successful at it, are so much more likely to want to continue on with their musical growth.”
Empathy: I’m just curious. Did you take music lessons as a child?
- This question allows you to understand the prospects level of connection and knowledge of the service. Opens the door for a prospect to tell a story. The telling of a story always makes a prospect feel good. Make a pitch about the benefits of music if the parent’s answers ‘no’ to question “It’s very cool to see the positive impact music has on kids and I hope Tyler gets to experience this.”
C: My mother made me take piano for 2 years and I hated it. She finally let me quit after all my complaining.
- A painful memory or regret. Allows you to reassure the parent that history won’t repeat itself.
Expertise: Our students learn music the same way kids learn a language. They first listen, then make sounds, start speaking, then reading and ultimately they learn the rules of language. Music is a language and our teaching methods follow this same process. We’ll find out soon enough if Tyler has some of his uncle’s musical genes.
- Enlightening and thought-provoking
Solution For someone Tyler’s age I would recommend weekly 30-minute lessons. The time frame is long enough to allow Tyler to have a quality lesson and experience substantial musical growth. Perhaps a 60-minute lesson would make more sense after he has established some core skills and wants to take his playing to another level.
RECOMMENDED READING
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff
