4 Mistakes Keeping Your Martial Arts Gym Under $1 Million a Year

First things first, if you're not running ads on Meta or Google, do a brief face palm, followed by HUGE jumps of joy.

Because you've been missing out on serious amounts of growth. But you also have the most room to grow. So this is actually good news.

I'm not here to convince you that you should be running ads. Martial arts school owners use them every day to get new students. And if you found this guide through one of our ads, the fact that you're reading this is proof they work.

The real question is, how successful can they be?

Let's take a look.

This is the ad that Wolverine's previous agency was running.

You might think, "Looks okay to me." And you're right, it does look "okay."

But let me ask you a question. Do you want to run an "okay" martial arts school? When someone asks a student about your program, do you want them to say, "It's okay"?

You put time and effort into helping your students get results and learn the magic that is martial arts. Your marketing should get that same care.

Now, here's the ad we ran head-to-head against it.

So why did this work?

An adult isn't lying awake thinking, "I need a beginner martial arts program."

They're thinking...

We show real people from the gym and talk about what they want to change.

Find out what they want. Then show how your classes help them get there.

What about kids?

So why did this work?

A mom isn't waking up at 2 a.m. thinking, "I need 30% off a jiu-jitsu program."

She's lying awake thinking...

We dig into the pains parents are feeling. Then we show how martial arts can help.

Okay. So the ads are working and the leads are coming in. What happens when someone fills out the form while you're teaching a class?

Picture this...

Someone's on Facebook, scrolling. They see your ad, click, and actually put their info in.

And the only thing they get? An automated text asking what program they're interested in.

No call. No one building trust and rapport.

Now, don't get me wrong. Automated texts and emails are great and an important part of a good follow-up sequence. But they can't be the only part.

Every new lead still needs a phone call. Yes, every single lead.

So assuming you are calling people... how long does it take you to call them?

A few hours? The next day?

Why? One study of web leads found you were 100x more likely to make contact at five minutes or less.¹

It's called "speed to lead" for a reason!

Now think about what you're doing when that lead comes in. Teaching a class? Driving home? Spending Saturday with your kids?

If you're the only person who can call, what happens when you're busy?

So before you spend more money trying to get more leads, look at how long you're making the ones you already have wait.

And yes, fixing this can have a huge effect on sales. Another study estimated 128% more sales conversions from its call and email timing strategy.²

So you called in less than five minutes. They didn't answer. Now what?

You call once. Send a text. Maybe try again tomorrow. Then decide the lead was no good.

But did they say they weren't interested? Or did they just not answer?

People are busy. They're at work. They don't know your number. They're putting their kids to bed.

One missed call doesn't tell you if they want to join.

You need a plan for what happens next. And "I'll try again when I have time" isn't much of a plan.

Here's the one we use...

Six calls. Eight texts. Six emails. That's 20 contact attempts over four weeks for leads you haven't reached. If you're not doing at least that many, there's room for improvement!

And no, we aren't spamming people. We strategically time calls, texts, and emails while maintaining a professional brand image and respecting stop requests.

Calls are for building trust and rapport. Texts make it easy to reply. Emails give them a reason to choose your school by showing reviews, student stories, and what to expect.

They should work together. Just like martial arts works as a system, so should your follow-up.

Your follow-up plan

When	Calls	Texts	Emails
Day 1	2	2	1
Day 2	2	1	0
Day 3	1	1	1
Day 6	1	0	1
Day 7	0	1	0
Weeks 2–4	0	3	3

On Day 1, make the first call within five minutes. If there's no answer, try again about an hour later.

Okay, they answered. What do you say?

Don't rush to get them booked. Find out why they want to start.

Then listen. Repeat back what you heard:

"So it sounds like you have [specific pain], want [benefit], and have tried [previous thing]. We hear that a lot and have several students who say the same."

Then explain how your program can help with that. Show them what's different from what they've tried and why it works.

If a parent says their child is being picked on, talk about how your classes can help them stand up for themselves. Don't launch into a speech about your class schedule.

Now they have a reason to come in beyond "the first class is free."

So they answered. You found out why they want to start. You booked the class.

You're done... right?

Getting someone to book a class is one thing. Getting them through the door is another.

They forget. Something comes up. They get nervous.

Think back to your first class. Did you know where to go? What to wear? Who to talk to?

You've walked through that door a thousand times. They haven't.

So help them feel like they've been there before they ever arrive.

Show them what to expect.

Here's a welcome video we had filmed for Wolverine. About 60 seconds. A quick look at the school, the team, and what to expect in their first class. We send this the day before their first class.

Then, on the day of their class...

Flip the camera around and send them a quick video before they arrive. Use their name. No edits. Nothing fancy.

Now they know where they're going and who they'll meet. That's a lot less to worry about.