Getting a well-trained, amped up yoga studio staff can feel frustrating and sometimes even a bit impossible. As the saying goes, “Good help is hard to find” … but where did all those good people go?
Truth → They’re still right here!
Yoga in North America began as individual teachers leading classes in church basements and community centers. It was very individualized, and students would come to know and follow a teacher and their brand. Yoga only grew into a studio model over time.
Right now, there’s a trend you might have noticed. Individual yoga teachers build their own brands, rather than buying into the studio’s — > essentially returning to the way it was before, consciously or unconsciously.
The problem is this. Very few yogis who work on their own thrive as yogis in a studio community. The reverse is also true. Studios without a dedicated team on board struggle.
We NEED each other!
When you and your staff are on the same page, it’s best for EVERYONE. The challenge is getting there!
Studio owners with well-trained staff make more money, change more lives and have more free time. They can step away from the business for a day off or a vacation and know the systems they’ve put in place are being followed.
Your staff is an extension of you and your studio — > especially when you’re not there. Your teachers are each student’s primary contact point. They provide the curated yoga experience that keeps students coming back.
It’s essential you’re all on the same page!
Passion drives Performance
You didn’t start a yoga studio as some kind of get-rich-quick scheme. You built it to change lives.You saw the benefits of yoga in your own life and wanted to share those benefits with others.
Your passion and vision drive everything you do in the studio. When things get hard, you remember WHY you got into the yoga studio business in the first place. This gives you the motivation to press on.
Truth → It’s the same for your staff.
Most staff believe in yoga, but get distracted along the way. They continue to teach because they like the free yoga and hanging out at the studio, but they’re not focused on the passion that brought them there.
They’re not eating, sleeping and breathing yoga like you are. Between working other jobs and only teaching a few classes a week, it’s easy to forget.
Find their why
Worried that your staff aren’t engaging with your students? Concerned because they’re not talking about membership to people or promoting the intro offer or following your systems? Maybe their heart just isn’t in it.
Try this → Remind your staff WHY they wanted to work at your studio in the first place.
Helping your staff find their why is the MOST IMPORTANT part of training. You cannot spend too much time on it!
Ask your staff “Why did you become a yoga teacher?” Get them to really think about their personal mission and write it down. Talk with them about what they hope to accomplish. Talk about what they want to give to their students.
Help your staff condense their why into a single, powerful sentence.
SOME EXAMPLES ARE:
- I teach yoga to help people find inner peace.
- I help students with their back pain, because yoga made a huge difference to mine.
- Yoga freed me from anxiety, and I want that freedom for others.
Whatever their personal mission, help your staff to articulate it. Your goal is for your team to believe again in the power of yoga and their role in bringing it to students. Focus on reminding them of their own why.
PRO TIP: Write down the WHYs of your core staff so you can remind and support them whenever they need it.
Anchored in your why
No one can reach their full potential without knowing what drives them. Spend as much time on this as your staff needs. Make sure they’ve convinced themselves and are amped up about your mission and their role in your studio.
Truth → Your staff won’t be able to sell effectively unless they’re anchored in their why.
Help your staff connect with their WHY and then share yours. Guide them into your vision for the studio. Share your mission, what you hope to accomplish, and ways you see growth happening in the studio.
Look for how your core values and the values of your staff align.
Once you’ve solidified your staff’s motivation, you are ready to discuss specific sales strategies and role play to help them understand the systems you’ve worked on. Center them in their why FIRST.
For more advice on training strategies, or anything else your studio is facing, join me during a FREE Strategy Session! I’ll give you – and a small group of other studio owners – concrete, actionable advice so you can tackle the challenges you’re facing RIGHT NOW! Take the next step for your business. Sign up today!
