Interesting request

[Mas Judt]

Got an e-mail from a prospective student:

My schedule varies but I am interested...
How long has your school been in business?
Have you received numerous consumer awards for providing good service?
what is the length of time that students train before engaging in drills with partners ?
do you have shower , lockers and dressing rooms?

do you have separate children and adult classes?
do you have a low cost introductory program?
what is your instructor student ratio ?
what is the average time to progress from belt to belt?

My response.:
I don't think you find what you are looking for here. Perhaps you should try a health club.
______

Honestly, this may be someone just fishing or 'market research' from a mcdojo, but in either event, what they are looking for can't be found here.

This clinched it for me. I'm going to finish my current batch of students, and no more teaching for me. Don't have time for people who treat this as a commodity.

[lkfmdc]

It's "fishing".... may not even be a school, it could be, gasp, a big company that provides business advice like (insert name here)

As a professional instructor, you have to develop the skill of knowing who to give info to and who NOT to waste time with.... some people I just direct back to my web site, let them read all day, wack off to it for all I care.....

[cjurakpt]

wack off to it for all I care.....

are you talking about the link to those pics of you in a two-piece?

but seriously, screening quickly is a critical skill; as a healthcare professional, you learn really quick not to ask anyone any questions about their condition on the phone because that's basically going to turn into a free therapy session for them; if you can't schedule them to come in after about 30 seconds, then don't waste your time - if they are shopping around, refer them to your website, offer to send them some literature, but that's it - don't chase 'em, if they want to come, they will come - just be clear, professional and let you subtext be that you are very good at maintaining boundaries, and that you don't them to feel good about yourself; I even go so far as to give referrals out unbidden if the person seems too much of a nut to deal with - i make up their mind for them and direct them elsewhere (typically to someone who's skills are good but who i don't like personally - the sweetest revenge of all...)

the e-mail you got is either some corp fishing for clients, or it's someone who read somewhere the savvy questions to ask a prospective MA school; which, from the cosumer's perspective, is pretty smart, as it will help weed out the places they wouldn't want to go, although it might accidently filter out someplace that has somethig golden to offer as well...

[Black Jack II]

Mas Judt answering the email after getting drinking water laced with lsd from a outside fountain.................


How long has your school been in business?

53 human years. 23 dwarf years.


Have you received numerous consumer awards for providing good service?

Yes, I just received a major award for driving off Frankenhooker from the local cemetary, I used almost all of my martial knowledge to do it, but in the end I won.


what is the length of time that students train before engaging in drills with partners?

We do partner drills only during the harvest moon.


do you have shower , lockers and dressing rooms?

Yes, I believe taking care of your body is very important, so after class we all climb into the shower together and talk about the techniques we worked on while my wife takes pictures so we can remeber the good times later in life.


do you have separate children and adult classes?

What is this thing you call children.....?


do you have a low cost introductory program?

I charge nothing. All you have to do is pass the three infernal circles of tiamat to become a student with me. I have to warn you though, only ninety percent of the people who want to learn from me pass this test a hundred percent of the time.


what is your instructor student ratio ?

Yes my students are allowed to listen to the radio.


what is the average time to progress from belt to belt?

Time will mean nothing to you once you learn to dance across the shadow world as a monk skilled in the vampric arts of chung mo quan.

[lkfmdc]

if they went to the trouble to ask all those questions, trust me, in the long run even if they did join it would be nothing but grief

[Samurai Jack]

Got an e-mail from a prospective student:

My schedule varies but I am interested...
How long has your school been in business?
Have you received numerous consumer awards for providing good service?
what is the length of time that students train before engaging in drills with partners ?
do you have shower , lockers and dressing rooms?

do you have separate children and adult classes?
do you have a low cost introductory program?
what is your instructor student ratio ?
what is the average time to progress from belt to belt?

My response.:
I don't think you find what you are looking for here. Perhaps you should try a health club.
______

Honestly, this may be someone just fishing or 'market research' from a mcdojo, but in either event, what they are looking for can't be found here.

This clinched it for me. I'm going to finish my current batch of students, and no more teaching for me. Don't have time for people who treat this as a commodity.

LOL, I think I saw those questions in "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Martial Arts".

Oh admit it, you've browsed through it too.

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

How did the prospective student get ur E-mail?

I am curious as to the reason for it. Is it a perspective student? Or a telemarketer gone inter-web?

I'd be interested in counter questioning this prospective student to find out what they are looking for.

Care to share an e-mail address with us?

[lkfmdc]

I'm high profile enough that I get these fishing things all the time..... one was a taekwondo instructor down the block from me, I went along with the gag and offered to book an intro class for him, when I asked him his name he said "master lee" :p

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

So did he show for his intro lesson? And if so, have you taken over his school yet?

[lkfmdc]

Oh! Oh! I just got this one, HAD to share :p

I got a request for a "no contact Brazilian jiu jitsu class".... no, I swear! NO CONTACT.... they don't like making contact with other people but want to do Jiu JItsu...... :eek:

[Mas Judt]

Well, her e-mail was filled with PETA stuff, so I sensed a troubled person. I wrote her back essential suggesting she go elsewhere, but she is persisting, saying these are questions a friend gave her.

I'm shutting down classes to my existing students anyhow... Don't have time for anymore.

RD - I get a LOT of web traffic/e-mails from people browsing my teachers site. About half of it are people I would never teach, but ALL of my current top students came from this source.

[Mas Judt]

I never read the complete idiots guide to MA. I don't need a guide to be a complete idiot.

[Black Jack II]

Well, her e-mail was filled with PETA stuff

Run...dont walk...run.

[lkfmdc]

Well, her e-mail was filled with PETA stuff



Say no more, lunatic.....

[Mas Judt]

Well, until I hit the link, I thought it was People for Eating Tasty Animals.

Boy was I wrong.

Remember, there is no wrong way to eat a rhesus.

[cjurakpt]

Remember, there is no wrong way to eat a rhesus.

Dave has been trying to find one for years...

[lkfmdc]

I grew up with Chinese, they eat

anything with four legs except the table

anything in the water except the boat

anything that flies except an airplane

[cjurakpt]

I grew up with Chinese, they eat

anything with four legs except the table

anything in the water except the boat

anything that flies except an airplane

LOL!

you do our late sifu proud!

[lkfmdc]

And I'm married to a Korean, my father-in-law fondly remembers traditional dog dishes :eek: