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Put Together a STORM Team to Make More Money for Your School

I am a big fan of young students that have good character. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t see character portrayed through my programs. Right now my pride and joy is my STORM Team. They demonstrate a lot of character on the mat and they are great role models for my other students to follow.

What is the STORM Team?

The STORM Team is an elite group of role models that represent your school. They participate in “hands-on” leadership training in classes, birthday parties, summer camps, and special events. They essentially are your product on display therefore you should be very thorough when selecting and managing your STORM Team.

In past resources, I have referred to this team as my leadership team. Students that meet the criteria can enroll into the leadership program. These students participate in monthly meetings in which we cover a variety of leadership topics. After they’ve attended three meetings, they have the opportunity of joining the leadership team to gain hands-on training in the skills they’ve learn in the monthly meetings.

This program is similar in format, except I gave them a new name and now everyone that participates in the STORM meetings also participate in leadership development on the mat. My current STORM Team consists of eight great student’s ages 8 to 13 that are in the Karate Kidz Zone program. Two of the eight students are at the intermediate level, and the rest are at the advanced level or above. Again, I am very proud of my team and a lot of it is credited to our monthly STORM Team meetings.

Who makes a good STORM Team member?

The acronym for STORM is Special Team of Role Models. Members of this team should have great energy, character, and discipline. Their Martial Arts knowledge, technique, and skill abilities should also be at a higher caliber than the students they are working with. Students that are inconsistent in attendance, behavior, and efforts do not make good candidates. With that said, be very cautious when approving STORM Team applicants because they will set the standards for the rest of your students to follow.

Step-by-step instructions on how to organize your STORM team

The following information is great for school owners that currently do not have a STORM Team or similar program. It is also resourceful for those schools that are looking to re-vamp their leadership program. If you have a successful leadership program in place you still can use the STORM Team planners in your meetings and simply use this report as a reference.

Step 1: Pricing and terms

There are many ways to structure your STORM Team program. Some schools prefer to charge and annual fee, while others prefer to make it part of an upgrade program. Read the suggestions below and choose which works best for you.

Annual Membership

With an annual membership, you charge the STORM Team fee up front for the entire year. This increases your monthly cash flow. Depending on your local demographics and the value you establish in your program, you can charge anywhere from $350 - $1250 for the entire year.

Here are a few standard guidelines to follow:

If you are a new school and/ or inexperienced when it comes to leadership training then set your fee at $350 per year and work your way up as you establish value in your program.

If you have some leadership development experience and/ or a medium-sized school (150 to 250 students) then charge between $500 and $750 per year.

If you are highly experienced in leadership development and/ or have a large school (250+ students) with an established leadership program, then you can reasonably charge between $1000 and $1250 per year.

Term-based/ Upgrade Membership

Your other option is to charge a down payment along with a monthly fee added to the student’s monthly tuition. This increases your accounts receivables and is a great upgrade strategy. As with the annual membership, your local demographics and overall teaching value will determine what you charge. You can charge anywhere from $199 down to $499 down with a monthly increase from $15 to $75 more per month. You can also set an extended term for the membership for one year or up to three years. Make sure you check with your state regulations as some areas do not allow you to have contracts with a term of over one year.

Here’s an example:

Basic 6-month membership:
$223.95 down and $134 per month
Includes 2 weekly training classes
Leadership membership:
$428.95 down $194 per month
Unlimited training classes per week
BBC and MC benefits
Monthly STORM meeting
Two hands-on training classes per week

Again, check with your state regulations regarding 2 and 3 year contracts. Also, don’t forget to have a clear cancellation policy if you offer long-term agreements. This will ensure the effectiveness of the membership and also increase the life span of the student.

Step 2: STORM Team recruitment

Once you have your pricing set, the next step is to begin working on recruitment. This is a crucial step in the entire process. Your goal should be to recruit at least six STORM Team members at the beginning and then set a maximum number of members so that you don’t overload your classes with too many STORM Team members. I capped off my program at eight members, but I am about to open up two more slots since my team is doing very well and I am able to manage them with little or no set backs.

Here’s what you’ll need to recruit your STORM Team

1. STORM Team flyers. We’ve made your job easy because we put together a professional flyer for you. Check out the marketing report on STORM Team for further instructions.

2. STORM Team letter. Email me for a sample letter that you can send out to your best qualified students.

3. STORM Team application. Email me for a sample application that your student must fill out in order to participate in the program.

4. Introduce your STORM Team program by announcing it in class for at least four weeks before your program begins. Also post it on a dry erase board for everyone to see. Don’t forget to send emails!

Step 3: STORM Meetings

Your STORM Team should meet at least once per month. I have done weekly meetings in the past and found them to be too overwhelming for the students when you consider they have both regular and hands-on training classes each week. During your STORM meeting you should cover the following: both past and upcoming events; challenges and milestones from last month; and the monthly STORM planner.

Here’s an outline of my 30-minute monthly STORM Team meeting:

Part 1: Cover any problems over the past challenges and cover milestones from past month.

Part 2: Cover STORM Team planner.

Part 3: Review of past month’s events and planning for upcoming events.

*Join Shuman Concepts (www.shumanconcepts.com) to receive a copy of my monthly STORM Team planner! Email me for a free copy of last month’s STORM Team planner.

Step 4: Launching your STORM Team program

Before you launch your STORM Team program make sure you have all the necessities. You will need a tracking process, STORM Team merchandise, and an ongoing marketing plan to keep the momentum going. The following information will give you an idea of how you launch your program.

Tracking

There are many ways to keep track of your STORM Team’s hands-on participation. I use a manual tracking card system. We have a card rack exclusively for my STORM Team tracking cards. I give my STORM Team member a credit or a check mark on their tracking card for each hands-on training class that my STORM Team participates in

Once the STORM Team member earns 1500 hands-on training credits they can become a STORM Team coach. Obviously this will take years for a STORM Team member to accumulate, and that is the goal! Imagine how awesome your STORM Team members will be after 1500 hours of hands-on training!

Here is one suggestion on how you can utilize your STORM Team tracking system to be a motivator for your STORM Team members:

1. Create a STORM Team tracking card.

2. After each class it is your STORM Team’s responsibility to pull their card for the instructor to sign or scan through the MASS system.

3. For every 15 classes your STORM team member assist’s in, they will earn a $5 credit towards merchandise, and/ or special events.

STORM Team merchandise

Your STORM Team members should receive a STORM patch when they enroll into the program. The age and rank of the member determines what other STORM Team attire they receive. You can get real creative with your STORM merchandise, or be more conservative. The goal is to make sure your STORM members receive recognition, but not too much that it is borderline obnoxious.

Here’s what our STORM Team members get:

Color belt students wear the advance belt which is the color belt with a black stripe through the middle.
Elite belts wear the official On the Mat Leader uniform with custom embroidery throughout the uniform.

Ongoing marketing

Like any marketing campaign, you should promote your STORM Team consistently to get the best results. This includes flyers, Website posting, emails, classroom announcements, etc. The more you get the STORM Team name out, the better the results.

Here are a few tips to follow:

1. Flyers. Print out the highest quality STORM Team flyers as possible. Distribute them to your students at least once per quarter. You can even hand them out at testing when motivation is high. Also make sure you always have a stack sitting at the front counter.

2. Website. This summer we are going to build a STORM Team section on the site with pictures of each member and information about the program.

3. Emails. Don’t forget to send out emails explaining the program and its benefits. You can even highlight one STORM Team member per month and email it to all of your students.

Step 5: Important STORM Team tips to remember

Like any program that you offer in your school, the more energy and attention you devote the better the results. I have learned through many years of leadership development that you must nurture your STORM Team. Don’t set your expectations too high because they need just as much time and guidance as your normal students need. Also try to find a healthy balance in teaching your regular students while also teaching your STORM Team as they gain hands-on training in class. If you can master this advice then your STORM Team will succeed.

Here are a few additional tips to follow:

1. Lead by great example. I am always giving my STORM Team members real life examples of how I have overcome leadership obstacles in the past.

2. When I see a STORM Team member struggle or not lead by the best example, I give them guidance as a road map to follow. I try not to over criticize or humiliate my STORM Team when they make a mistake.

3. I am careful not to give my STORM Team members more responsibility than they can handle. Some members can handle more than others, so make sure that the ones which can’t handle too much responsibility still learn from their hands-on experiences.

4. Remember that the only way your STORM Team members will learn is through experience. The best experiences are the obstacles they learn to overcome. With that said, embrace the opportunities to teach your team especially when they are faced with a challenge because these are the milestones that you will be bragging about at your next meeting.

5. The common challenges you will face with your STORM Team members will most likely include the following:

Teaching them how to stand still and not talk when you are talking.
Teaching them how to be more of an influential role model and not a bossy or authoritative leader.
Teaching them how to work independently with other students.
Teaching them how to not be competitive with each other and the students, especially during game time.
Teaching them how to take initiative and how to not be lazy.

Conclusion
The average STORM Team member will not understand the power of his/ her position immediately. Some team members will be lazy while others will be overbearing. This is expected because only a few special people really have the ability to know right from wrong from the very beginning. This is where your STORM Team program becomes valuable. The challenge comes in how you manage your program. Once you learn how to overcome obstacles and challenges without feeling overwhelmed, then you will find the STORM Team program becoming the cornerstone of your school. Remember it takes practice not just for your STORM Team, but for you as the facilitator. Embrace your role and your role will eventually embrace you!

By Melody Shuman