Build a reputation and
promote the reputation.
Is your store known for having the best
beginner classes, the trendiest techniques, the artsiest all-day
workshops? Establish your niche, then promote your store and
your classes that way. And don't worry if you can't tailor classes
to all experience levels or topics you can't be everything to
everyone, and it's better to be the best in one area than adequate
in three or four areas.
Promote your hook.
What's your class `hook'?
What is it that your teacher
does to make classes unique and special and
different from the teacher across town? Here
are a few examples: One teacher gives each
student a passport that's stamped once for
each class she takes. When the pages are all
stamped the customer has earned a free class
from that teacher. Another instructor provides
students with an unused pizza box to take
their samples and supplies home in. (Check
your local pizza place for boxes most places
will charge about 25-50˘ per box.) Another
buys plastic film canisters from a photo devel-
oper, then decorates the outside and fills them
with M&Ms for her students. These are all lit-
tle things, but they make a big impact on cus-
tomers and differentiate your teachers from
the competition.
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CNA
Scrapbook Insider
by Sara Naumann
reat classes don't just teach a technique they increase
your sales! Savvy retailers have a few tips and tricks for
maximizing the potential of consumer classes and prof-
iting. Read on to discover tried-and-true retailer tips:
education
Teaching Tips
CNA Scrapbook Insider
Top 10
Make a big deal
over your teachers.
It makes an impact on cus-
tomers and serves as a reward for instructors,
helping you recruit top teachers who want
local recognition. Here's one way: Create a
Wall of Fame by hanging 8"x10"
headshots photos of each
teacher along the wall. Have a
professional photograph them
or do it yourself but make
sure they're consistent with each
other to make the maximum visual
impact (no fuzzy candids). Write or
computer journal their names underneath,
including any competitions they've won or
magazines they've appeared in.
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