I’ve developed an “awesome” yoga offering – but nobody is signing up. Why?
I got this question posted from one of my community the other day:
The student actually wrote:
Why aren’t people signing up for my classes and retreats? I create awesome programmes that I believe in, but people aren’t signing up. Why? Help!
Well – clearly, it would help to know exactly what those offerings were, and who she was aiming her marketing and promotion of these programmes to, but even without that knowledge I can make a few educated guesses about what’s going wrong here.
So here’s my thoughts on what some of the issues might be…………
3 reasons why your yoga workshops or retreats don’t “sell.”
- People don’t buy what YOU think they need, or is great – they buy what THEY want.
Rule number one in sales – selling anything is easy –
find what people want – then give it to them.”
It really is that simple. What is NOT simple, what actually does take some time and research, is figuring out exactly what it is people are looking for, and promoting it in a way which really resonates for them.
I made this mistake big time when I began my first business. I got all excited about
developing a programme I knew would be really useful for people. I knew they needed it – I knew the stuff I could teach them could make a massive difference in their lives - but they didn’t see it that way at all! It was a complete flop – and I’d spent hours and hours working on it.
So don’t get carried away with what you think would be great - find out what people
really want. Find out what their pain-points are: the things that keep them awake at night, or they struggle with – and then design your programme or classes around those wants.
I suspect the person who asked this question has designed something she thinks is amazing – but the people she’s promoting it to either don’t think it is – or don’t really understand how it will benefit them – so they don’t sign up.
Either that OR she is trying to promote it to the wrong group of people!!
Which leads to point 2…… - Who exactly is it you are aiming these classes or this workshop to?
Because the truth is, if you just advertise it to the general public, that’s what I affectionately call “spray and pray” marketing! You post on social media, or advertise locally – anywhere you can stick up a poster – and cross your fingers people will come!
But the chances you get the kind of people who might be really interested in your offering are slim. In the busy-ness of life , and the amount of advertising we are all exposed to – if your advert doesn’t “speak” directly to them, if they can’t see the benefit in a few seconds of what you offer – they simply won’t give it a second thought. Life is too full as it is.
And if you are offering your yoga workshop to your existing students and they don’t “bite” – then maybe you need to check – is this something which really resonates for them? And if it’s not – what would?
You MUST be clear who it is you’re trying to attract – and then try to focus all your energy,
time and money into targeting that group of people. (See my article “Why promoting your yoga style won’t fill your classes – and what will” ) - When you know what they want, write about it like you are talking to them 1-1 and speak to them in THEIR language – NOT yours.
I can’t tell you how important this is. I see SO many yoga teachers develop courses or
workshop on some aspect of Ayurveda, the Chakras; meditation or mindfulness and so on – but the language they use to describe their event is full of yoga jargon and terms that mostly only yoga teachers or those with special spiritual leanings and interest would
understand.
Yes – we all know meditation is a powerful tool - but unless your target market to fill these workshop or classes are other yoga teachers who you know love all that stuff – and know what you’re talking about – your average student will probably see it as something a bit too deep for them.
Don’t talk in your language – talk in theirs.
There will be other reasons potentially why this yoga teacher’s offerings are not being snapped up – (pricing, or timing for example might be an issue) but the 3 points above are, in my experience, the 3 biggest mistakes I see yoga teachers make when they try to promote what they do.
So before you fly off, spending hours and tons of energy into developing this “awesome” workshop or retreat ask yourself:
- Is this something my students actually WANT – or do I just think they want it?
- WHO is most likely to want this – and where can I find these people?
(And start building a list! This is where the “online” part of your business is going to come in really, really useful!) - What language might I need to use which these students would find really resonate with
them?
And if you can, find a few people you think would be perfect for your offering – and ask them if it’s something they would be interested in – and if not, what would they like more of?
Remember! Selling is easy – find what people want. Give it to them……………..
Good luck!
Namaste,
Shona
Actions you can take:
- Check out other articles around the topic of getting the right mindset to be a yoga teacher, on my blog which might be helpful around this topic. You’ll find a few mindset article here: https://yoginiors.co.uk/category/mindset-of-a-successful-yoga-teacher/
- Join our FB group; share your thoughts on this article and your own experience of “putting yourself out there.”
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