Beyond the apprenticeship: training your staff

Beyond the apprenticeship: training your staff 

We are an industry built on the apprenticeship model of job training.  It's really a beautiful system that takes generational wisdom and knowledge and passes it down.  Flowing through each of us is the experiences of those who came before us.  Whenever I gently tug on my client's pony tail to promote cervical alignment, I feel Bob Liekens tugging on mine when I was an apprentice.  

However, too often, the training doesn't carry through to the non-teaching side of our lives.  It is so critically important -- if you are going to have a cohesive studio -- that you set up your SOP's (standard operating procedures). 

For instance, do you have scripted answers for the following questions: 

• "How often should I do Pilates?"
• "I heard Club Pilates is moving to xyz.  Are you nervous?"
• "What's the difference between Pilates & Yoga?"
• "Can you add more springs? I can take more weight"

Do you have a protocol for: 

• Your studio's introduction journey.  Do you start with a studio tour and end with a day after email/text to check in?  
• Handling clients who want to do things they see on Instagram rather than follow the system?

Do you have studio paperwork and a procedure for:

• Accident report
• Incident report -- when a client is displeased with your studio in some way
• Employee incident report -- documenting when a Teacher shows up late or not at all or in some way doesn't abide by your studio standards

Are your employees trained on:

• How to speak or post about your studio? 
• Your studio's mission and uniqueness?
• Handling a client who challenges their authority?

Studio Owners should have these SOP's in place and offer regular training to staff so that your studio presents as cohesive, on-brand, on-message and on-mission.  

If you don't have these, use August to get your thoughts down and schedule a staff meeting for September.  Bring in lunch and pay everyone for their time while you provide the training they need.  

If you need help with creating your SOP's, you can book a call and we will help you hone in on your studio scripts and processes. 

Click here to book a mentorship call.