Libsyn Directory

How to Amaze Your Customers with Shep Hyken | Episode 13

Release Date: 04/04/2019

What Youth Sports Know About Retention That Music Schools Don’t | Ep 283

Music Lessons and Marketing

What if the families leaving your school aren’t actually leaving because of sports or busy schedules? What if there’s something deeper going on that most schools aren’t building on purpose? In this episode, I explore one of the most important retention insights I’ve come across in years of running music schools: the difference between students who do music and students who become musicians. Youth sports accidentally get this right all the time. Music schools often accidentally get it wrong. And once you see the structural reason why, you can start to fix it. What We Cover • Why the...

Recitals Are Band-Aids: Why Music Schools Are Solving the Wrong Problem | EP 282

Music Lessons and Marketing

Most music schools run two or three recitals a year and call it a retention strategy. I used to think that was enough, too. In this episode, I want to challenge that assumption, because I think it’s costing schools more students than they realize, and the fix has nothing to do with running better recitals. In today’s episode, I break down why recitals work when they do work, what’s actually happening in a parent’s mind when they re-enroll after a shaky performance, and why building your retention around two big events a year is less of a strategy and more of a rescue operation....

The Visibility Gap: The Hidden Retention Problem Killing Music Schools | EP 281

Music Lessons and Marketing

Most music school owners are fighting a retention problem they don’t fully understand yet. Parents aren’t quitting because their kids aren’t improving. They’re quitting because nobody ever showed them that they were. In this episode, I share a simple, practical tool that any teacher can start using this week to close what I call the “visibility gap” and keep more students enrolled for the long haul. What we cover: Why marketing promises and lesson experiences often don’t match up How the visibility gap silently drives your dropout rate A simple end-of-lesson formula that...

Great Teaching Isn’t Enough: The Parent Confidence Problem Quietly Killing Your Retention | EP 280

Music Lessons and Marketing

Most music school owners assume students quit because life got busy or they lost interest. But the real reason is something quieter, something that’s been building for months before that cancellation email ever arrives. In today’s episode, I want to climb inside the head of the parent writing you that tuition check every month and show you exactly what’s happening in her mind long before she decides to quit. Understanding this changes everything about how you approach retention. What we cover: Why retention is never a single decision and always a slow, quiet drift The three signals...

The Real Retention Problem Isn't Your Teaching | EP 279

Music Lessons and Marketing

In today’s episode, I discuss why student retention often has less to do with teaching quality and more to do with what parents can actually see. If parents don’t understand the progress happening inside the lesson, they start judging value based on how their child feels afterward. For music school owners, this is a big shift. Your lessons may be working, but if the progress stays invisible, parents may still question whether it’s worth continuing. Key ideas in this episode: Why parents use mood as a signal for lesson value Why real progress can look like frustration How music competes...

Why Students Really Quit Music Lessons (And Why It's Not What You Think) | Ep 278

Music Lessons and Marketing

Most students don’t quit because they’re busy or lose interest. They quit because parents quietly lose confidence that lessons are working. In today’s episode, I break down the hidden “visibility gap” that’s driving student drop-off, and why even great teaching isn’t enough if parents can’t clearly see progress. This shift changes how you think about retention. When you understand what parents are really evaluating each week, you can start fixing the real problem, not just the symptoms. Key ideas from this episode: The real reason students quit isn’t what most music schools...

Parents Don’t Just Quit: This Happens First | Ep 277

Music Lessons and Marketing

In today’s episode, I break down what’s really happening before a parent decides to quit music lessons. It’s not about lack of interest or bad teaching. It’s about something far more subtle that most school owners completely miss. If you’ve ever wondered why students leave even when lessons seem to be going well, this episode will help you see the gap between what’s happening in the lesson and what parents actually perceive. Key Takeaways: Why parents make decisions based on perception, not reality The “30-second filter” that shapes how parents evaluate your...

How to Get More Value from Events (with Tim Topham) | EP 276

Music Lessons and Marketing

In today’s episode, I sit down with Tim Topham to unpack why events feel productive but often don’t actually move your music school forward. If you’ve ever left a conference energized but found yourself back in the same place a few weeks later, this conversation will help you understand why and what to do differently so those experiences finally translate into real growth. Why most music school owners don’t have a learning problem, they have a conversion problem The hidden reason event inspiration fades once you’re back in your day-to-day operations How information overload is no...

Stop Worrying About Your Competition. Start Worrying About This Instead | Ep 275

Music Lessons and Marketing

Most music school owners spend a lot of time watching their competitors. What they charge. What programs they offer. What their website looks like. But the schools that grow the fastest rarely obsess over competitors. They obsess over their customers. In this episode, Dave shares a powerful shift in thinking that can dramatically improve your marketing, retention, and referrals: understanding what parents actually value. When you stop reacting to competitors and start listening closely to your families, everything about your school becomes clearer—from your messaging to your pricing to the...

The Hidden Reason Music Schools Stop Growing | EP 274

Music Lessons and Marketing

At first glance, most music schools look the same. Private lessons. Recitals. Qualified teachers. And yet, some schools quietly stall at 120–150 students… while others keep growing year after year. In this episode, we unpack the real reason behind the plateau — and why it has nothing to do with marketing, talent, or even enrollment. It’s about structure. More specifically, whether you’ve built your school around a schedule… or around a mission. If you’ve ever felt like your growth hit a ceiling — or you’re working harder but not compounding — this episode will change how...

More Episodes

Congratulations! You made the sale. You're one more student closer to your monthly sales goal. Mission accomplished!

Right? Wrong!

The mission has just begun. The mission is to amaze your new customer. To go beyond the expectation. To make them feel valued, important and celebrated. This is the new battlefield of business.

This is where you and your competition will go head to head. We all teach the same notes, scales and chords. The experience you create beyond the lesson is where real growth happens. The studio that creates the most magical experience is the studio that will capture the minds and hearts of their community.

Pricing Music Lessons

The battlefield in the past has been pricing. The one with the cheapest prices becomes the leader. This can work when your product has little value in the eyes of the market. This can work when there’s nothing clearly special about your product other than price. For those who read or listen to Seth Godin-you’ve heard this idea that when lowering prices is your unique selling point that it’s a race to the bottom. The good news for music schools is we’re selling something that is of high value. Youth enrichment. Parents don’t care about music lessons. They care about the enrichment music will bring to their child's life. You are selling something parents value.

Coke is It

The battlefield can sometimes be quality but look at the Cola wars. We know who the king of Cola is. Coke! We know who Coke’s arch rival is. Pepsi. Coke clearly tastes better than Pepsi, right? Pepsi is notorious for always beating Coke in taste test. From the perspective of taste and quality Pepsi is the winner. But the Coca Cola brand better captures our hearts and minds and remains the leader in the soft drink industry. Something else is at play here.

Extreme Moments of Awesomeness

Let’s look at customer experience. Youth enrichment business, music, dance, gymnastics, martial arts, are perfectly placed to go big with customer experience. Music studios have these built in mind blowing, life changing peak experiences. The recital, the concert-these are extreme moments of awesomeness, of self-realization for a child. It’s at moments like this that kids realize or discover what they’re capable of. How much value do you think parents place on that?

A Little Magic

But what about everything in between these stand out moments? The weekly routine lessons. The mundane has the potential to be magical. You just have to create these moments for kids.

Hot Buttered Popcorn

Danny Thompson creates memorable moments by serving hot buttered popcorn every day in a vintage looking carnival popcorn maker. Take a moment and think back to when you were 8 years old. Imagine what impact the sights, the smells and the taste this popcorn would have on you. I was a guest on Danny’s podcast, Music Lessons Business Academy, and we talked about the old restaurant The Ground Round. No one went there for the food. The food was ok. Everyone went there because they served a bottomless basket of peanuts to every table. You were encouraged by the wait staff to throw the peanut shells on the floor. Kids were allowed to make a mess. It was the best.

Do you think Danny Thompson feels the $50 expense for the popcorn maker was worth it? It’s added to the culture and customer experience (not to mention customer retention) This is not about music lessons. Something else is at play here.

Status

Mike Grande creates magical moments by celebrating his students on social media. What’s so magical about it? The magic is in the feeling of pride he creates for these kids. The magic is in the feeling of pride and relief the kids parents feel when they see their child connecting with music and having a great sense of individuality. The magic is in the new status Mike provides for these kids. This kid on Instagram playing guitar is no longer just a regular kid. He or she is now a musician. Musicians are considered to be special people. Gifted people. All parents want their child to be special, unique and gifted.