So as of Feb 2012 my new school will be up and running, I am so exited and nervous!

Just out of curiosity I wanted to ask other SO's what's the average time it usually takes to turn an enquiry into an enrolment?

I began advertising a week and a half ago (online directories, facebook, website and letterbox drop) and so far have received 4 enquiries, sent out all the enrolment info but haven't heard back from any of them. I'm putting it down to being so close to christmas they are hopefully just waiting until the new year.

I know it probabl varies person to person but would be interested to hear other's experiences

This would be just my opinion but I think it is really hard to build new registration at this time of year. Most people commit to a studio in fall, unless there isn't one in town. Maybe have a big open house or something. I personally find that if people are going to commit after an inquiry it happens almost right away. If I haven't heard back in a week typically they've moved on to their next whim.

If you are a new SO I would highly recommend joining the SO board. It is really worth it. You will get scads of advice and support. It's well worth the investment. More people will also reply to you.

offer free classes for all ages & styles and maybe someone who already is signed up for a studio will try you out and switch (either now or for next season)

Congratulations on your new studio! I'm coming up on my first year anniversary on February 1st. I'm expecting an influx of new students in January, not as big as the fall opening, but definitely as a result of our December recital. Hang in there - Word of mouth is your best advertising!

See if you can get a living social deal going asap.

The bigger problem, when you're starting up, is keeping the few who enroll initially. If your classes aren't big, the kids who do come lose their motivation, and drift away. You really need a core group of friends, and their moms, who like each other, and will stick. And even at that, there's the siren song of sports, and other free but demanding school activities, come Spring. I would definitely do a Groupon deal ASAP.

momof1gr8girl wrote:

This would be just my opinion but I think it is really hard to build new registration at this time of year. Most people commit to a studio in fall, unless there isn't one in town. Maybe have a big open house or something. I personally find that if people are going to commit after an inquiry it happens almost right away. If I haven't heard back in a week typically they've moved on to their next whim.

If you are a new SO I would highly recommend joining the SO board. It is really worth it. You will get scads of advice and support. It's well worth the investment. More people will also reply to you.

Thankyou for your responses!

Sorry I should have mentioned, I'm from Australia so our school terms work a bit differently, schools and dance schools finish n Nov/Dec and then resume at the beginning of Feb for a new school year so over here it's the perfect time.

It's been a week since I received the enquiries, (some not quite a week) but like I said I'm hoping people are just busy with christmas preparations!

I looked into doing a groupon offer just briefly but didn't make a decision, I think I will do now!

I also made a website using Yola, here is the link if anyone would like to give me feedback...www.turningpointedancecentre.yolasite.com I need to remove the enrolment form download on the home page as it doesn't work for some reason

Nice web page - but may I ask just out of interest why sleeveless leotards only, would not long sleeve or short sleeve leos be better in the winter months. The owner of the school I went to insisted that shoulders were to be covered by your leotard in the winter as she felt it cut down on colds.

There are a lot of spelling errors. I'd read through everything. On the front page: exciting, enrollment

On your time table page at the bottom, you say
"If you have a class or level request that is not on the timetable, please do not hesitate to put in a request and we will do our best to get a class up and running.".

I would add in there that you must have 4 students (or whichever number) in order to open a new class. Otherwise people are going to expect you to open a class for them now. This will also encourage them to get their friends involved and make referrals.

It looks pretty good. I like the colors you chose.

Thanks for the webpage feedback, I have to say I'm a little embarrassed about those spelling errors, I can't believe I didn't notice them. My keyboard is a little hard to type on and easy to skip letters on if I don't press them correctly due to my 2 year old son ripping some keys off! Anyway that's another story completely and all the more reason I should have proof read more carefully so thankyou for pointing it out!

bearcat245 wrote:

Nice web page - but may I ask just out of interest why sleeveless leotards only, would not long sleeve or short sleeve leos be better in the winter months. The owner of the school I went to insisted that shoulders were to be covered by your leotard in the winter as she felt it cut down on colds.

I'd like to do exams and if everyone has the exact same style leotard it keeps them all the matching and parents don't have to buy extras for exams. In the winter they can wear crossovers over their leotards to keep them warm.

Well I'm off to proof read my website again, much more carefully this time!

DanceTumbleCheer wrote:

There are a lot of spelling errors. I'd read through everything. On the front page: exciting, enrollment

Just changed all the spelling, then looked it up but turns out enrollment is the American spelling and Enrolment is the British/Australian spelling. Lucky, I was worried because I had spelt it that way on all the forms I sent for the enquiries!

Congratulations to you!!! I know this is an exciting and scary time (I just opened this August). This site is a great resource because it provides advice and feedback from many seasoned studio owners.

I've found that turning inquiries into enrollment to be one of the most challenging aspects of owning a studio. I probably get 30+ calls or emails a week inquiring about classes, and this maybe results in 2 or 3 new students a week. It can be a bit discouraging, but the 2 or 3 that stick make all of work in responding and promoting the studio worth it!

The best advice I can give is to try your best to get the students that inquire about classes in the door! I started offering free trial classes to get students in the door, and it has worked well. Every student that has tried a class (except for maybe 2 students) has signed up for the class immediately afterwards.

My partner and I have worked very hard to build a strong internet presence--we put our information on every site we can find. Google ad words is a little costly, but is a great way to get your name out there--I can notice a HUGE difference in the number of calls I receive when we are running the ad words.

Getting out in the community is also a great way to get your name out there and bring in students. Look for local farmer's markets, parades, festivals, etc. and just pass our brochures, t-shirts or balloons. I give students a free t-shirt upon registration, so now I have a ton of young girls providing free advertisement.

Also, try to connect to schools in your area. I went to a local elementary school and spoke for career day and was able to promote the studio and pass out brochures. If you have a high school in your area with a strong arts program, try to make a connection there--a lot of schools look to local schools in the area to provide supplemental training. Maybe ask if you can teach a special "workshop" for the students one school day?

Groupon and livingsocial are great avenues to bringing in students, but those might be better to run later after your classes are more established....it will be very chaotic at first when trying to build a schedule--you will have to cancel empty classes and open new classes that you didn't expect due to interest that you did not anticipate--it's crazy! But stay flexible--use your first schedule as a starting ground and test the waters to see what days and times and classes people gravitate towards.

I had to open some classes with only one student---eventually these classes grew (and some even had to cut off new enrollment!). It's scary at first--when you only have one little student, but keep pushing on! Eventually your name will get out there, you'll build a reputation, parents will tell other parents, and the classes will grow.

Word of mouth really is the key ingredient in building enrollment. Work very hard to build an excellent reputation.

I hope this advice is useful to you. Mostly just remember to be flexible, be patient, and be proactive in building a student base. It can be very scary and crazy at times, but somehow things seem to work out ok.

Best of luck to you!!!

Free Structure
You use 'I' and 'we' in the last 3 lines. Make it all 'We', that's businesslike.

Uniform
-Check the fonts. You use several on this page. Be consistant.
Layout is messy. Work on that.

-Senior Ballet
Students are not to buy pointe shoes without Miss Claire’s permission, a physio test needs to be passed)
A/ You can not forbid students to buy pointe shoes.
B/ Do not use your own name, but "their teacher's".

BTW: There is no Senior Ballet on your time table.... So, why mention a uniform? Same for the Grades.

News and Events
You have to get this on the same line as the rest. Shorten some titles.

Get rid of your own name under the announcements. Turn it into the studio's name, or leave it completely.


I did like what you said about not watching classes to see improvement in terms.
I do like the Google map. How did you get that?

ngsb, thanks for all the advice you have some really great ideas. The free t-shirt has crossed my mind as I got a free one for myself from Vistaprint (slightly addicted to that site!) but was a little put off at the upfront cost, I might look into it some more though. I can't really do much with schools at the moment as they are all on their summer break, but I as soon as school resumes I will be sure to contact them. There is also a small daycare centre within the building my hall is in so I might speak to them also.

Lidwina thanks for your website feedback, it's so good getting other peoples opinions and help. I have changed a few of the things you mentioned, had trouble with a few though (I'm not that great at technology), like changing the name in events and announcements, I think because it's a blog page, it's taken my name from my account? Anyway I had a look and couldn't find a way to change it. I also had trouble with the layout of uniform, I changed the fonts but the layout changing the layout is giving me headaches!
In regards to the graded ballet and senior ballet, I want to build the school up to have all these levels so I wanted to set everything at the same time and so that parents know what to expect as the children get older. I'm also going to add in another night with some ballet grades just waiting to confirm hall hire.
Maybe I worded the pointe shoe bit wrong, sure they can go out and buy pointe shoes, but it is in my school's policies that students can only be taught pointe once they have passed a physio's exam to say they have sufficient stregth and technique. If a student is not strong enough I will not put them on pointe and having the physio report backs me up and gives reason not to buy pointe shoes. I hope that makes sense, do you agree? Perhaps I should re-word that bit or leave it ou together?

I just opened in July and officially started our season in September. I had birthday parties in the studio in the summer, and offered a few drop in classes.

From this I got a core group of friends who all followed on of the birthday girls....they were my first 7 girls. It is the same way with my Senior girls were all friends who came from a studio they did not like. I do offer a free month of dance for each friend they bring in...they love that. I also had a "bring a friend week" that brought in a few too.

Facebook is huge too....I post pics and videos (with permission) and they tag themselves...then their friends see them having fun at dance and want to be involved!

I am at about 43 families...many taking more than one class....growing slowly!!

Best Wishes!!

Oh and lidwina with the map, I used Yola to create the site and it was one of the options on the side that you could drag across and put where you want, I woudn't know how otherwise!

I think I will add an about section and put a few paragraphs about my training and experience, I had a few people suggest this.

bbdc, congratulations on a successful first few months sounds like you've done great. Once term starts I think I will do a bring a friend day, I've heard from others how good they can be.

I also had another idea which sprung from the free tshirt suggestion, I thought I could give out some sort of free enrolment pack once they enroll. It could have things like a key ring and drink bottle with the logo, a tote bag, a balloon (I can get most of these things from vistaprint and with their specials hopefully it won't cost too much. I may also make up a little flier to go in there on what to bring to your first dance class and what to expect maybe. Do you think this is a good idea and if so any more ideas on what to include?

Hi Claire,

I suggest you forego the enrollment packet and try to get t-shirts made. Students will wear the t-shirt around town (not as likely they will display the other items) and that is more advertisement for you. I'm not sure who delivers to Australia but you may try customink.com. I find them cheaper than Vistaprint for t-shirts. You may want to look into a local shop that makes tees too. I have found that they are much cheaper than ordering online. There is usually a set-up fee for the design but a flat rate for each shirt after the design has already been created. Best of luck!

bearcat245 wrote:

Nice web page - but may I ask just out of interest why sleeveless leotards only, would not long sleeve or short sleeve leos be better in the winter months. The owner of the school I went to insisted that shoulders were to be covered by your leotard in the winter as she felt it cut down on colds.

\\ We only allow sleeveless leotards too. Our reason is because you then can add things and use them during recital. We do not charge a costuming fee so if we use the black sleeveless leotards as our base it can save a lot of money. Also, it looks more uniform. Besides, germs cause colds, not chilly arms which aren't even chilly after 5 minutes in dance.

Definitely spend the money on t shirts. Also, car magnets are great because people see them around town!

Good luck with your new school.
I'm in WA & having my enrolment day on Saturday 14 Jan. I have advertised quite a bit using various methods. I've had a small amount of feedback but only ONE definite who can't actually make it to enrolment day. I'm only hiring local school halls so my outlay isn't very huge at the moment & my daughter is teaching for me. I'll let you know how I go after enrolment. I'm actually not expecting many to come as it is smack bang in the middle of holidays for many in WA. I have thoughts of doing the rounds of PP & Schools once school starts in Feb but also think word of mouth will happen natually. Luckily for me there are no other dance schools around & that is one of the reasons I am opening where I am. Another thing is most of my interest has been pre primary & adults believe it or not!

Nice web page - but may I ask just out of interest why sleeveless leotards only, would not long sleeve or short sleeve leos be better in the winter months. The owner of the school I went to insisted that shoulders were to be covered by your leotard in the winter as she felt it cut down on colds.

The reason is it is too hot in Australia for them. Very few people wear them & those who need covering usually wear a little ballet cross over jacket.

Ok well I've decided no enrolment pack, but I am giving away a free bag with the school logo and website on it. I figure students can use it to put their dance shoes in or they may even take it to school, shops etc. I was tossing up between these, t-shirts and drink bottles but the bags worked out cheapest for me. I will eventually get t-shirst done, but I might sell them once I have more students.

sewingismyhobby wrote:

Good luck with your new school.
I'm in WA & having my enrolment day on Saturday 14 Jan. I have advertised quite a bit using various methods. I've had a small amount of feedback but only ONE definite who can't actually make it to enrolment day. I'm only hiring local school halls so my outlay isn't very huge at the moment & my daughter is teaching for me. I'll let you know how I go after enrolment. I'm actually not expecting many to come as it is smack bang in the middle of holidays for many in WA. I have thoughts of doing the rounds of PP & Schools once school starts in Feb but also think word of mouth will happen natually. Luckily for me there are no other dance schools around & that is one of the reasons I am opening where I am. Another thing is most of my interest has been pre primary & adults believe it or not!

Good luck with your enrolment day! It does make me feel better knowing you only have 1 definate as that's exactly where I'm at. Not sure about WA bu school doesn't start here until 2nd Feb so I'm hoping as school gets nearer there will be more enrolments. I'm having my enrolment day at the end of Feb and I'd like to offer free classes/workshops on the same day, just trying to work out the logistics of it.
That's fantastic for you that you're the only school, I think that can only work for your favour. I was suprised in my area of interest too, it's looking like my most popular class is going to be the toddler class.

Just a bit more.....
I am offering a free gift to the first 50 enrolments. I have bought a lot of dancing books from the BookDepository.com bookstore in UK. They are very cheap & postage is free!! Also ebay purchases of various kinds including jewellery, little girls bags, have purchased lots of FREE things via Vista with my info branded,(this was great for all my flyers etc which I managed to get for postage only).
Hope that helps with your promotion side of thing.

Just discovered after talking to a lady at work that there is a ballet school in one of the suburbs I have been targeting but I can't find it advertised anyway so don't know if it will be a negative for me at this stage:(