In my most recent column, I wrote about a preacher having called me and said, “I will pay you anything you want if you’ll come to Fredericksburg and teach my people how to set up our sound system.” As you know, I did it and I charged him $250.
Well, being a thinker, I began thinking, “There are probably dozens of churches with the same problem…maybe hundreds. Of course, there are bands with the same problem, and probably club owners. Who knows who else?”
So, guess what I did? I started sound classes.
I wrote the curriculum, and I set up a classroom in the offices of the sound contractor I worked for. I agreed to split half the class revenue with him, and we were on our way.
The class was held one day a week for five weeks. The cost was $500. The lessons were for three hours, from 6pm to 9pm. The first class had 13 students: 11 from churches and two from bands. I invited reps from sound-related companies like microphone manufacturers, speaker manufacturers, mixer manufacturers and others to teach for one hour of each class.
It was a booming success. We gave six courses the first year, with 10 or more students in each class.
The best part of giving the classes was that the students considered me their source for sound gear, and nearly all of them bought their sound gear from me.
So, if you want to be the happening business for sound gear in your town, start sound classes as soon as you are able. Believe me…it’s the best thing you can do to increase your sound gear sales.
I forgot to mention that we gave students a “Certificate of Achievement” diploma when they successfully completed our sound classes.
I had a 75-year-old lady in one class who called me after she completed the course. She said, “I posted my certificate right next to my mixing…
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