Day Twenty-Five - Backend

Most famous Alexander Technique teachers seem to teach to within a few days or months of their death, and this is a good thing, as most of them don't have much of a retirement plan in place. Maybe it's time you did. All the single teachers that I have met who work full-time run a hand to mouth cash business – the idea of savings, a nice car, overseas holidays, a mortgage and comprehensive health insurance all funded from your Alexander Technique teaching practice is a pipe dream for all but an elite kind of teacher. There's another relaxed group of teachers, living in a household with a healthy alternate income source to cover big ticket costs, allowing cash from their teaching to serve as a supplemental income for treats, luxuries and maybe an essential item or two. Last on the list are the double professionals, who teach something else and Alexander Technique. They may be working in a University, running another kind or practise, holding a casual job or free-lancing. Somehow they manage to fit their Alexander practice around the other things they do. All of these groups have one thing in common – no back end business. Your Task – To Decide Upon Your Back End Business What is a back-end business for an Alexander Technique teacher?

The essential aspect is that you build this business from the students you already have: this is a key feature of any back-end business. For Alexander Technique, it involves offering more educational products to the students you already have. You are not looking for new people, you are engaging further with the people already within your circle. They may not be currently coming to you, which may be because you failed to offer them something to graduate to. That is why keeping a list of all past and current students, prospects and casual encounters is so essential to building your business. The second aspect is that the economics are favourable to you. Firstly, since it only involves sales, there is no marketing cost to procure the student. Secondly, back-end businesses are for passionate students who want more of your service: create something that offers great learning opportunities, and they will pay a premium amount. The third, less essential aspect, is that you involve students in longer term learning. In essence this is how you create favourable economics, without demanding too much money upfront. However, you could also offer a big ticket item like a residential workshop, or an intensive learning program over a short course of time. In BodyChance the amount we can maximise from a BC Basic student is under $1,000. However, once they enter ProCourse that changes to around $37,000. Quite a jump isn't it? Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to start planning ways you can graduate your students to longer term learning opportunities that will fund your retirement!