The Successful Class Program

By Lisa Acosta

If you think that having all the latest gadgets and papers will keep your customers coming, you’re just partly right. If you think that excellent customer service is all you need, you’re close. What every independently owned scrapbook store needs, in addition to the above, is a successful class program. A successful class program will truly take your business to the next level. It’s what will help you attract new scrappers, keep experienced scrappers interested, and make your store the place to be.

What does it take to create a successful class program? It takes work, patience, and talent. You will put in many long hours working up ideas and creating classes from scratch. At first, you may get only two or three students to sign up for any given class. It takes time to build a name. And of course, the classes have to be great. If you teach the latest and greatest, they will come. Just like your very own scrappy “Field of Dreams”. The following is what we do at Scrapbooks & Stuff in Miami, Florida to keep our class program the best in town. A few words about us first so you will know what qualifies us on the subject at hand.

Scrapbooks & Stuff is the dream realized of two lifelong friends, Kobi Bender and myself, Lisa Acosta. We opened the doors to our beautiful store two years ago and the growth has been phenomenal. The store is fairly large at 3,000 square feet and is divided pretty equally between retail space and classroom space. The retail space is packed with merchandise, but the classroom is open and airy and actually seats 24 comfortably. While Kobi runs the business end of things, I take care of the class program and the other more creative aspects of running this very creative business. It is this arrangement, and our chemistry as friends, which has made the store the success it is today.

Components of a Successful Class Program

Build Great Classes

The very first thing that needs to be done is to put your money where your mouth is. Make it a priority to read all the magazines and books to keep up with the latest trends and products. Consistently create excellent classes that people will want to keep coming back to. Pretty soon you will build a core group of class-takers that faithfully take your classes. Even if they aren’t sure what the technique is about, they just know you will make it a great experience.

Organization is key to running a great class. Follow a set pattern in your classes once you find a good groove. I like to create class kits for both my project and layout based classes. Then I create a nice handout; I like a one-page handout myself. Then I make extra samples or layouts, people like to see a few different ways to use the same technique. If the class is project based, I create a sample page using the projects. Prepare to sell anything and everything you used on that sample! A good teacher completely understands the technique she is teaching, creates a class plan, makes samples, and prepares like she is going on trial.

Get the Tools You Need

Let’s just admit that as storeowners we are running classes to promote our business. A ringing register at the end of a class is like music to the ears. People want to buy what they use in class, don’t thwart them. Make a list of class supplies you will need for the month or the quarter and begin ordering ASAP. Set aside what you need for the class kits, put a bit on the shelf to generate class interest, and then put some away for the students to buy.

Consider investing in enough basic tools for the entire classroom as well. Things like trimmers, nice scissors, adhesive guns, eyelet tools, and pens all get used (and abused) in a variety of classes. If you have enough for everyone to use or try, guess what… you’ll sell a ton of them after almost every class. Keep an eye on your stuff of course, or it will disappear.

One of the greatest tool investments you can make is a die cut machine. It will become your best friend if you order the right dies and put them to use in your class kits. Yes, it is a huge expense but it will save you time and money in the long run. You will get a lot of use out of alphabets, tags, frames, basic shapes, and Disney-type dies, among too many others to mention. Think of all the classes that are directly related to die cuts!

Marketing

This is the final area to work on. If no one knows that you have these great classes, then what is the point? Following are some easy and inexpensive marketing tools that you can employ.

Start by marketing your store and your classes to people that already know and love the place. Create an email customer database that you use to keep in touch with your customers on a regular (but not obnoxious) basis. Every couple of weeks send out the news, upcoming classes, and coupons. Once a month send out the calendar and class descriptions, even if you do bimonthly or quarterly calendars. When we send out our monthly calendar of classes via email, the phone is ringing with signups in minutes. Invite every single new person that walks into your store to sign up for your awesome email newsletter. Just about everyone has a computer and email these days, especially our consumer demographic. An email newsletter is so much easier than a paper one and it’s practically free.

Create an attractive class calendar that includes your class descriptions and offer it with every sale. If you use cute fonts on the calendar you’ll even sell software! Walk-in newbies should always be given a schedule as well as any other literature you pass out. When people sign up for a class in person, give them a schedule with their class and supply list circled for their fridge. The day before or the day of a class, try to give a reminder call. Remind them of the date and time of the class as well as any supplies they need to bring. In today’s busy world people really do appreciate it.

Post actual class samples by the register and watch impulse sign-ups soar. People are going to look at your samples and say, “I want in on that!” Yes, some people may copy your ideas without taking the class, but guess what… they still need to buy the stuff, and you still win.

Lastly, try getting some free publicity through the media for your store and all it offers. We have been on the news twice in the past year and a half, featured in a prominent community newspaper, and have two more spots about to run, one on TV and the other in print. Simply write up a press release and send it out! What have you got to lose? Use an event like your store anniversary, or NSD, or the holiday gift-giving season as the reason for the press release. Sue Di Franco of Fun Facts Publishing has some excellent tips regarding press releases on her website.

I hope these ideas and tips will help you and your store in creating a successful class program. The amount of work is tremendous, and it can be tough going at times. But in the end everyone benefits. The store and its teachers make money, the customer gains knowledge, and your store becomes known as the place to be!