First time I decided to sell my service I was 18 – Teaching schoolchildren English as a foreign language, yaps!
Back then I had not read a marketing manual.
Instead, at the end of every class I would ask child’s mother if she could recommend to anyone my services, “I have a slot available, and I can visit them at home”.
One client soon became 4, and by year 3 I had hired a classroom, so I could teach 3 groups of 25 adults back to back Tuesdays and Fridays!
It was fun and the room was always PACKED!
Group of medics
CEOs of recently emerged companies
Lady wanting to visit relatives in the USA
Daughter of a priest
Russian artist…and my big crush of the late 90s!
Back then I did not call it a business…it was something I did to support myself until I graduated form the university and became a “real” business/woman!
Neither did I know what marketing meant (honestly).
But I did know, that if I had not announced at the end of EVERY class “I’m taking new students next term ask your friends and friends of friends to register” I would have nobody in the room!
Years later, and now that I am wise and smart:) I still believe in word of mouth marketing. Referral marketing has worked for my many clients and continues to be one the most effective and Free ways to advertise service based businesses such as teaching yoga.
These days life is a lot easier and apart from traditional “after class” announcements, you can easily set up referral program online and leverage your yoga business big way!
I posted a few months ago How to set up free referral program in 7 easy steps. Re-visit and use it in your yoga business.
Happy word of mouth advertising
Namast
Tamara
PS. In case you wondering, I come from Georgia and English is my third language, and I hope my students today speak better English than me 🙂
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