Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 22 | Issue 2

SCHOOL PROFILE
Tae Kwon Do Training Center:
Providing Traditional Martial
Arts In An Ever-Changing World
Master Rick Wiest began his martial arts journey by joining his children in their Tae
Kwon Do classes. He found such a deep passion for it, that he established his own
school, Tae Kwon Do Training Center LLC in upstate New York and has been providing
services to his community for 21 years. The school provides a traditional foundation in
Tae Kwon Do, but also prepares students interested in competing at a national level.
Rick teaches a dedicated student base of more than 150 active students.
MAWN: What is the
major contribution(s) that
your school is bringing to
its community?
RW: We provide a
solid, long-standing,
professional Tae Kwon Do
program for both youth
and adults in our community.
In addition, our school
is involved in several community
service projects
which includes a Tae
Kwon Do program for Fort
Drum’s BOSS program,
self-defense training in
local schools and for nonprofit
organizations. We
Master Rick Wiest
also have a moral building feature during classes to get students
thinking about the good things in their day rather than COVID
related restrictions.
MAWN: What are the best producing marketing strategies you
use and what are the lead numbers like per month?
RW: We have developed several marketing strategies that
have been beneficial. First is social media! We post pictures and
verbiage that support getting through COVID and how we keep
pushing forward. We see these result in happy faces on kids,
adults staying fit or getting back to working out, through the Tae
kwon Do training.
We have enhanced website features, like bots to pass on direct
real time texting between prospective clients and me. Above all
we stay open and never let up, we kept our program running at
100%. That generated a feeling with our student base that if Master
Wiest can do it so can we. In our small upstate NY market we get
an more than 20 highly qualified leads a month.
MAWN: What are your most significant programs you provide
and their benefits to participants?
RW: Our most significant program is by far worldwide KUK-
KIWON Tae Kwon Do certification. Military families want their time
and money spent to mean something no matter where their next
duty station may be in the world and local families want the same
thing for themselves and their children. This program gives them
that consistency and continuity of quality.
MAWN: Do you have a lead generating website and what
about it has been most productive regarding leads?
RW: Our website features lead generators like a direct real-time
texting bot, that gets answers and a response within minutes of
questions being asked. With the auto call scheduling, prospects
and students can choose to set up a call with us at their convenience.
Once I accept the time, the feature automatically schedules
a call to answer questions or schedule an intro.
MAWN: Do you use a management software and what
features are providing the best benefits for running your school
more efficiently?
RW: We use ATLAS from AMS. The best benefit for us is being
able to monitor completed agreements. In addition, running the
paid-out report is a great benefit as well.
MAWN: What advice do you have for other martial arts school
owners for having success in business?
RW: Lead by example during these tough COVID restricted
times and adapt to what can be done within your states COVID
restrictions, so that your program provides the most possible benefits
to your students. Be a moral builder for students and word of
that will get around - we call it making smiling faces!
54 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 2