How do you get people to come to dance lessons?

Question

My husband and a friend of his are trying to start a business where they can offer dance lessons, but not many people show up. I want to know what the best way is to get more people to come, they are on a low budget so thats why they havent put an ad on the radio or tv, we've passed out fliers and so far there is no improvement. How do you start a business like this?

Answer 1

People will come, if you offer a variety of ballroom dance classes for beginners, intermediates and advanced intermediates.

Waltz, Tango, Quickstep,Salsa, the Cha Cha, and even Country dances, line dancing.

The "Dancing with the Stars" must have increased the interest in ballroom dances.

Make it affordable, give the first lesson for free. Have an open door policy, let people come over and observe. Have dance classes by age, have discounts for people over 60, and students, have couple's evening.
Team up with wedding planners in your area. Include coupons in your flyers.

Have a booklet/ catalog how long the classes are, for example: 6 weeks, once a week dance lesson, for beginning Waltz.
And when your classes are, in the evening, weekdays, weekends, etc. Keep in mind the working people and people that are retired.

Important too is your location.

To advertise online in your local community:
Use Yahoo! Geocities, livedeal.com, iOffer.com,classifiedsforfree.com.

Answer 2

A lot of people are mentioning demos. This is definitely useful. But when people arrive on the scene, they have to be suitably impressed to come back.

So the setting is important. So is the energy. So is their ability to teach.

Guys are the hardest to get in and to keep -- having a pretty girl or two involved, crass as that might seem, could keep a few more of them around.

Switching dance partners is useful if you really want to teach people to lead and follow, but is a turn-off to a lot of people who want to stick with the person they came with. So if you use this technique, make sure to make it easy/comfortable for some people to opt out of the rotation, perhaps staying to one side of the room.

Dancing with the Stars is a big deal right now, and you could possibly play off that, getting a press release into the right hands at a local paper that ties your business in with that. Maybe offer a free dance session to the public just before the final dance-off on the show. That kind of tie could be enough to get you into the paper at no cost.

Answer 3

Offer a special discount night for one month; make sure signage or a huge DANCE banner is visible from the street; hold a "workshop" where an accomplished dancer for your form of dance, teaches for one hour; host a dance night at local club, restaurant (on a regular basis if possible) charge cover fee (unless you teach ballet); do assemblies for schools with volunteer performers. Also, have the people who do show up list name on sign-up sheet and get their email address; send regular updates/newsletter emails to them. Some may forward to friends and form a networking system.

Answer 4

You can also try senior centers and retirement villages. The older crowds love dancing and it's a good excuse for them to meet and date others!
-Also, get with the dance instructors at local schools and put on demonstrations.
-Raffle off free dance lessons.
-Have a contest where dancers have to dance the longest to win a prize.
-Host a dance

Answer 5

are you talking about professional dancing as in waltz, fox trott, rhumba, etc? If so, you both need to go out to dances where middle aged people are and do your dancing in front of them. Dress up to the hilt and dance well. (if the dancing place is more relaxed then your husband can wear a white teeshirt with the name of your company and phone number on it.). When they tell you they would love to dance like you do, you tell them you have a business and they can come to a free dancing session on a date and time specified. Ask them if they want an invitation, tell them to bring their friends. Then when they arrive teach them something simple. Have a simple contract for them to sign if interested in your lessons. You can also do telemarketing for this kind of get-together. When you hire people for security or reception work, or for mingling for the date of the dance also ask them to supply you with the names of their friends who would like to learn to dance (give them a commission for each person they bring in and who signs up and takes the course).

Answer 6

You could put a dance demo on in a mall. Lots a people walking by all day. Have a table set up to answer questions and hand out flyers about your business.

Maybe even different festivals in your city could be a spot to demo your product.

Answer 7

You got to get people excited about it. Like switching partners. And bring in guest performers, give out gifts to come. Or simply mix dance performances with other occassions like birthday parties.

Answer 8

I think you should go to a school say, a college or high school in the area and give a demonstration, get people involved. We had salsa dancers come to my school and 20 people signed up afterwards. I love it!