I need help on how to motivate myself to promote my business.?

[c2t]

It is so hard for me to do. I am an independent dance teacher. I have several ads on Craigslist which I enjoy writing, but everything else like posting flyers at community boards, on door knobs or cars or handing them out in the financial district or at clubs; going to wedding event/fairs to network, putting a table at clubs to get people to sign up with their email (for a free pair of dance shoes or free lessons) or handing out business cards at social events are all good ways to market. But, I am having a hard time motivating myself to go out there and do it so to drum up business, How should I motivate myself to promote myself as a dance teacher to gain more clients for my business. Some good advice is welcomed and needed.

[Ken W]

Give your clients the incentive to do it for you. If you're good, they tell people. A bussiness card that gives 1st lesson free is a good hand out.
Give each client a stack of them. Put a number or initials on the cards(in reference to the client handing them out) and give a reward for each new client they bring in.

[Dennis Fargo]

Make it easier on yourself.
Have a tee shirts made with saying
"I am a Dance Teacher"
and wear it everywhere and especially where people dance and when you dance. Always have business cards on hand.
It shouldn't take you much motivation to dance wearing a tee shirt.

[BuddyGuru]

Is it working? If enough money comes in you should be motivated by that alone. If it isn't working, find what does.

[WWG]

If you can't motivate yourself, hire someone who is motivated and can do this work for you. Pay that person a base salary plus a commission for bringing in business. PLUS if this person brings in business, this gives you time to teach the lessons while he/she brings in more business. If you find the right person, it's a win/win situation.

[scott.braden]

I suspect you're uncomfortable with "selling" and you feel "pushy" or "aggressive" when you do those things. Lots of people have the same problem (me included, which is funny since I'm a marketing geek).

And, maybe you hope there's a better way that fits your personality better. Well, there is.

When your product is YOU, sales and marketing is not a "one size fits all" deal - you are not laundry soap or a dry cleaner or a life insurance broker. Your customers to a large degree are buying YOU. So leverage that.

Here are some ideas, no particular order:
- what do other (successful) dance teachers do? copy what you feel comfortable with, ignore the rest
- whatever you write / say / do, make sure it feels right - the language / approach etc you use reflects who you are, and will attract clients that you're more likely to enjoy working with and who will stay with you for a long time.
- don't force yourself to be "sales-ey" - just talk normally, about why people come to you, your philosphy, background, goals for your students, how you run classes, etc. Just like you were telling your Mom or your best friend how much you love your job and how rewarding it is to see a client dance well.
- One great thing to do this is ask your clients to record testimonials for you - for example after a big event like the last lesson in a series or whatever, when they're feeling great about you, whip out a digital camera that has a video recording feature (most do) and say, "hey, can you do me a favor and say the first thing that comes to mind about why you signed up and how you feel about it now, and would you recommend somebody else do the same? " then hit the record button and hold the camera steady. From this, you can put 'em on the website, you can capture a still pic and type out their words, etc. Testimonials are the most powerful sales tool, and they are so under-used.
- the most likely person to sign up for dance lessons is... someone who recently signed up for dance lessons. So: work hard to find ways to move your current students into "advanced" or "special inner circle" classes (higher fees, exclusivity, etc. )Study frequent flyer programs and "snob appeal" marketing for ideas.
- The 2nd most likely customer is a past customer of your own. Send a nice simple letter to your past students, saying "here's what I'm teaching now, I really enjoyed working with you would love to see you back again so here's a coupon for you and 3 friends so you can double-date. Also, here's a survey - will you let me know how I did last time and what you'd like to see improved?"
- Finally, another source is other people's customers who bought the same thing. Go to other instructors, say, "hey, I have a number of students who for whatever reason aren't signed up anymore, and you probably do too. Instead of considering them lost forever, let's each send a letter to our lists, saying, "if you didn't like me, that's ok, here's a friend who does good work, try her out with my regards and here's a coupon" that way it's found money for each of us. Of course... only do this after you have exhausted the previous efforts.

Good luck,
Scott

[atmarketingdreamz]

There is a good website, which offers various advertising options and you set the advertising amount, since it is run by few college students. Please visit http://marketingdreamz.tripod.com/
or contact atmarketingdreamz@yahoo.com

Good Luck!