Send Jackie A Message!
"Jackie, not enough people have enrolled yet."
I have heard that sentence more than any other in the last few weeks. Teacher trainings. Fall retreats. Workshop weekends. And underneath it is always the same fear: if I don't fill this, what does that say about my offer, my students, my business, me?
So we opened up the numbers. Not one of those studio owners had the problem they thought they had.
One had 60 warm leads marked "interested" with no follow-up in a week and a half. Another had 200 people visit her teacher training sales page and only 3 fill out the form. Another had 25 leads and 3 enrollments. That is not a demand problem. People still want your training. They want your retreat.
In this episode I break down how to tell whether you have a lead problem or a conversion problem, the math behind how many leads you genuinely need, the one move most studio owners skip, and why "I'll think about it" is not a decision.
If you're selling a higher ticket offer this fall and it feels like crickets, this one is for you. It's a numbers game. Let's run the math.
TIMESTAMPED OUTLINE
- [00:00] The sentence I keep hearing on coaching calls
- [02:21] Fall momentum and what "high ticket" means
- [04:05] Why 30% of your revenue should come from a premium offer
- [06:04] The red flag: negotiating your goal down before you commit
- [10:52] What the real numbers showed on three coaching calls
- [12:48] Step 1: Lead problem or conversion problem?
- [14:16] Step 2: The personal invitation list
- [17:03] Step 3: Messaging, follow-up, and the close
- [20:00] Deadlines, urgency, and the summary
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A lead problem and a conversion problem are two different problems with two completely different game plans.
- A genuine lead should convert between 20% and 30% for something like a teacher training. Want 8 people? You need about 27 leads.
- With 25 leads and 3 enrollments, going out to find new people is avoidance.
- The people you want to enroll are probably already on your list. Go through it name by name and personally invite them.
- If your sales page only speaks to the person who wants to teach, you are missing most of your buyers.
- "I'll think about it" is not a decision. Help people get to a yes or a no.
- No deadline, or a deadline months away, changes who enrolls this week.
PULL QUOTES
"Not one of these owners had the problem that they thought they had."
"The moment that you know which problem you're solving, the fear can get replaced by arithmetic."
"How many people do you genuinely want before you start negotiating on what you think is realistic?"
"60 people are raising their hand. The demand is there."
"This move costs you nothing, it works quickly, and no one can do it for you."
"It really is just a numbers game. We have to run the math first."
FAQs
Why isn't my yoga teacher training filling?
Usually it is not demand. It is either not enough leads to hit your goal, or leads that are not converting because no one followed up or asked them directly.
How many leads do I need to fill a teacher training?
Assume a 20% to 30% conversion rate. For 8 students, you need roughly 27 leads. For 10, you need 30 or more.
What is the difference between a lead problem and a conversion problem?
A lead problem means not enough people have raised their hand. A conversion problem means the right people are already interested and are not being moved to a decision.
What counts as a high ticket offer for a yoga or Pilates studio?
Anything meaningfully above a class pack or membership: teacher training, retreats, private packages, mentorship, an intensive weekend. Roughly 30% of your revenue should come from this category.
Do personal invitations really work for filling a retreat?
Yes. One client wrote down 12 names on a Monday and had 4 sales calls booked by Tuesday.
Work with Jackie Murphy
