TheKick
Posts
🧠 Stop Selling Classes: How to Attract, Stand Out, and Convert in a Noisy Market

🧠 Stop Selling Classes: How to Attract, Stand Out, and Convert in a Noisy Market

Because “Free Class” isn’t a marketing strategy—it’s background noise.

Adam Kifer
August 19, 2025

Hello, kickers!

🚀 The Kick is Here: Upgrade Your Message. Multiply Your Momentum.

This week’s issue is about more than getting leads—it’s about earning attention, building trust, and creating offers people can’t ignore. If your marketing still sounds like “Free Trial” and “Learn Self-Defense,” it’s time to level up. We're breaking down how to use curiosity, identity, and clear differentiation to stand out in a noisy market and actually convert.

You’ll also see real campaign wins from RMA clients like Diana Oldham, sharp mindset drops from Adam, Arce, and Martell, and a new podcast launch that’s all about having it all—without losing yourself in the process.

Oh, and if you’re planning to be at IMPAKT Scottsdale this November? Don’t wait. Charleston sold out. This one’s next.

📍 Next Stop: IMPAKT Mastermind Live – Scottsdale, AZ

Charleston is sold out. Scottsdale is next.

If you missed Charleston, don’t make the same mistake twice.

🗓 November 7–8, 2025

📍 Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains
16770 N Perimeter Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
🏨 Book Your Hotel Here

This event isn’t for dabblers.
It’s for school owners who want to stop guessing, start scaling, and finally lead with clarity, confidence, and control.

🎤 Featured Speakers:

Brady Edwards – Former Video Director for Mr. Beast, now CEO of The Biggest Agency
Mike Arce – Entrepreneur, coach, speaker, and founder of a 7-figure fitness-focused ad agency
+ more powerhouse guests to be announced

🎟 TICKETS ON SALE NOW

🎯 impaktmastermind.com/scottsdale
💰 $1497 includes:

Full access to both seminar days
One FREE month of CORE OS
Tactical playbooks you can implement before you leave the room

🚨 First-time attendee?
Message Nicole on Circle, email [email protected], or drop a comment—and she’ll hook you up with a code to save $1000 off your ticket.

No more theory. No more overwhelm.
Just real strategy in a room full of people building the way you want to.

Scottsdale is your next breakthrough.
Lock it in. Build it right.

🧠 Stop Selling Classes: How to Attract, Stand Out, and Convert in a Noisy Market

Let’s get straight to it:
Most martial arts schools aren’t struggling because they don’t have offers.
They’re struggling because their offers sound exactly like everyone else’s.

And in a market full of noise, sounding the same = getting ignored.

This week’s issue is a marketing gut check—how to attract leads, spark curiosity, and build trust in a world where attention is expensive, and sameness is the fastest way to lose.

Let’s break it down.

💥 The Psychology of Curiosity: How to Make Offers They Can’t Scroll Past

Boring doesn’t get clicks. Curiosity creates momentum.
Humans are wired to resolve tension. That means your offer needs more than value—it needs pull.

Most schools market features:

“Free Class”
“2 Weeks Trial”
“Learn Self-Defense”

Safe? Yes.
But safe is invisible.

Instead, give them an open loop:

“The 3 Skills Kids Will Need in 2030 (That Schools Aren’t Teaching Them)”
“Confidence Lab: A 7-Day Experiment That Transforms Shy Kids Into Leaders”
“What Every 8-Year-Old Should Know Before Middle School”

Curiosity = Question + Tension + Payoff.
Make them lean in. Make them wonder. Then invite them to close the loop.

🔁 “Curiosity is like an open loop in someone’s brain. Once it’s open, they have to close it.”

🧠 Memorable Quotes:

“Boring doesn’t get clicks. Curiosity gets commitment.”
“You don’t need better ads—you need better tension.”
“If your offer looks safe, it won’t even get seen.”

👤 Identity Marketing: Sell Who They Become (Not What They Do)

People don’t buy “karate.”
They buy confidence.
They buy focus.
They buy the identity shift that happens through your program.

You’re not selling a class—you’re selling a transformation.

Speak to the destination:

“We build kids who can ace job interviews before they can drive.”
“We train moms who lead at home and in the boardroom.”
“We help shy kids walk into every room with respect and confidence.”

🔁 “Identity marketing is like holding up a mirror—not of who they are, but of who they wish they could be. Then showing them your school is the bridge to get there.”

🧠 Memorable Quotes:

“Stop selling classes. Start selling who they become.”
“Parents don’t buy karate. They buy confidence that lasts 30 years.”
“Your program is the bridge. Their identity is the destination.”

🔊 The Noise Filter: Stand Out or Disappear

If your marketing sounds like every other school, you’ve already lost.

Do this today:

Audit your competitors’ ads, posts, and websites
Ask: “If I swapped logos, would anyone notice?”
Zig where they zag

For example:

If they say “discipline,” you say “emotional intelligence”
If they say “self-defense,” you say “future-ready confidence”
If they’re generic, you go hyper-specific:
“Confidence for kids who are shy, quiet, or anxious.”

🔁 “Imagine walking through a noisy marketplace. Everyone’s yelling ‘Fresh fruit!’
Then one vendor whispers: ‘These apples will make your kid a genius.’
Who do you pay attention to?”

🧠 Memorable Quotes:

“If you sound like everyone else, you disappear into the noise.”
“Differentiation isn’t just smart marketing—it’s survival.”
“The easiest way to get ignored is to say what everyone else is saying.”

⏳ The 7-Hour Rule of Trust: Why Most Leads Don’t Convert

Most school owners stop after one follow-up.
Or one DM.
Or one intro.

But trust isn’t built in minutes.
It’s built in hours.

Research shows that people need 7 hours of interaction to trust you.
Most schools give them 7 minutes.

Your job is to compress those hours—fast.

Sample 7-Hour Strategy:

Day 1: Ad → Opt-in → Text + Email
Day 2: Retargeting ad + personal video DM
Day 3: Social proof post + follow-up call
By Day 7: They've had 7+ touchpoints

🔁 “Selling without building trust is like proposing on the first date. Even if it’s a great fit, they just don’t know you well enough yet.”

Final Word:

If your marketing looks like every other school’s, feels safe, and relies on ads to do all the heavy lifting—you don’t have a traffic problem.
You have a messaging problem.

You don’t need to scream louder.
You need to say something worth hearing.

So this month:
📣 Spark curiosity.
👤 Sell identity.
🧠 Build trust.
And watch what happens when you stop selling classes—and start selling what people actually want.

Let’s go.

🎙 New Podcast Drop: Having It All with Kelly Murray & Nicole Stratychuk

Leadership. Motherhood. Business. Real talk—no filters.

Let’s be honest:
Most conversations about “balance” are fluffy, unrealistic, or straight-up nonsense.

That’s why we’re pumped to share the launch of a brand new podcast hosted by two powerful voices in this industry: Kelly Murray and Nicole Stratychuk.

Having It All is about what it really takes to lead a business, grow a family, and stay true to who you are without burning out or selling out.

💬 Expect unfiltered conversations around:

Building businesses while raising babies
Leading teams without losing yourself
The pressure to be “all in” on everything—and how to make that work on your terms
What having it all really means when you’re building something big

🎧 Listen now, subscribe, and share with a woman in your life who’s walking the same path.

👉 Watch Having It All Podcast here

Because you can have it all.
You just can’t do it the way the world tells you to.

The Kick’s pick of the hottest headlines in social this week:

This week’s scroll delivered gut checks, growth punches, and mindset upgrades. If you're ready to lead louder, think bigger, and stop coasting—these are the voices worth listening to:

Adam Kifer
Anyone can lead when it’s easy. But when the pressure’s on? That’s when your real leadership shows up—or folds.
👉 Watch it here

Shelly Debin Toland
Simple truth: You are in control of the life you create.
No one’s coming to rescue you. The pen is already in your hand.
👉 Watch it here

Mike Arce
Character isn’t shown when things are easy—it’s revealed when they’re hard.
Discipline starts when comfort ends.
👉 Watch it here

Dave Kovar
"The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none."
If you can’t see your blind spots, you’re already being held back by them.
👉 Watch it here

Dan Martell
The version of you that got here?
It won’t be the version that takes you higher.
To break the next ceiling, you’ve got to evolve.
👉 Watch it here

🧠 Takeaway this week:
Growth starts when the excuses end.
Be honest. Be intentional. Be ready to become the next version of yourself.

😂 Martial Memes

These memes hit home for all of us martial artists and gave us a good chuckle. Click on the image to view the original account that posted each meme. Enjoy!

Have a MEME that you want featured? Send them to us at [email protected] or tag our instagram account @thekicknewsletter.

📚 What We’re Reading: The Ultimate Blueprint for an Insanely Successful Business by Keith Cunningham

Because working harder won’t fix a broken business model.

If you're tired of "grind more" advice and want real strategy—this book delivers.
Keith Cunningham is the real "Rich Dad" behind the Rich Dad, Poor Dad idea—and in this book, he breaks down how to think like a business owner who builds for profit, systems, and scale.

No fluff. No guru speak. Just tactical principles that help you run your numbers, fix your bottlenecks, and grow like an operator—not a hustler.

💡 Key Takeaways for School Owners:
✅ Revenue is vanity—profit is sanity
✅ You don’t need more motivation—you need better decisions
✅ Most struggling businesses don’t need new ideas—they need clarity and control

If your school is growing but your stress is too… or you’re not sure where the money is going… this book is the blueprint you didn’t know you needed.

📖 Grab your copy here: The Ultimate Blueprint for an Insanely Successful Business on Amazon

📈 Relentless Results: Success Stories from RMA

🎉 Diana Oldham’s Campaign Is Turning Up the Results! 🎉

Big win this week for Diana Oldham!

In just the last 7 days, we’ve taken her Cost Per Lead from $40 down to just $11. 🔥
That’s not just a drop—it’s a strategic shift that’s turning interest into real momentum.

This kind of performance comes from smart testing, fast adjustments, and a commitment to dialing in what works.

👏 Huge congrats, Diana—let’s keep pushing the pace!

👉 Want to build campaigns that perform like this?
Book your RMA Discovery Call here.
Let’s create your next win.

📬 Have Something That Is Kick Worthy?

We know our readers have great ideas, insights, and stories to share! If you’ve got something that’s "kick-worthy"—whether it’s a success story, a marketing tip, or something that’s helping your school thrive—submit it to us at [email protected]. Your content could be featured in an upcoming edition of The Kick and shared with martial arts school owners around the world!

🔥 That’s a Wrap for This Week!

This issue was your reminder that growth doesn’t come from louder ads—it comes from sharper messaging, deeper trust, and showing people who they can become through your program.

When you lead with curiosity, sell transformation, and stay consistent with your follow-up, marketing stops feeling like a guessing game—and starts driving real results.

So this week:
📣 Rework your offers.
🧠 Audit your message.
💥 Take one bold step toward standing out instead of blending in.

And if you’re serious about building your next breakthrough—Scottsdale is waiting.

Stay focused. Stay intentional.
And as always—stay sharp, stay relentless, and keep kicking forward. 👊🔥

🧠 Stop Selling Classes: How to Attract, Stand Out, and Convert in a Noisy Market

Because “Free Class” isn’t a marketing strategy—it’s background noise.

Hello, kickers!

🚀 The Kick is Here: Upgrade Your Message. Multiply Your Momentum.

📍 Next Stop: IMPAKT Mastermind Live – Scottsdale, AZ

🗓 November 7–8, 2025

🎤 Featured Speakers:

🎟 TICKETS ON SALE NOW

🧠 Stop Selling Classes: How to Attract, Stand Out, and Convert in a Noisy Market

💥 The Psychology of Curiosity: How to Make Offers They Can’t Scroll Past

Instead, give them an open loop:

👤 Identity Marketing: Sell Who They Become (Not What They Do)

Speak to the destination:

🔊 The Noise Filter: Stand Out or Disappear

Do this today:

For example:

⏳ The 7-Hour Rule of Trust: Why Most Leads Don’t Convert

Your job is to compress those hours—fast.

Sample 7-Hour Strategy:

Final Word:

🎙 New Podcast Drop: Having It All with Kelly Murray & Nicole Stratychuk

🔥 What’s Kickin’ on Social

The Kick’s pick of the hottest headlines in social this week:

😂 Martial Memes

📚 What We’re Reading: The Ultimate Blueprint for an Insanely Successful Business by Keith Cunningham

📈 Relentless Results: Success Stories from RMA

🎉 Diana Oldham’s Campaign Is Turning Up the Results! 🎉

📬 Have Something That Is Kick Worthy?

🔥 That’s a Wrap for This Week!