What would you say if I could show you a way to make $40,000 per year or more in your spare time? What would that do to your lifestyle? If I could show you a business that requires no inventory, no selling, no employees, no paperwork. A perfectly legal business where you set your own hours and meet lots of people with similar interests...

…Startin’ to sound like an Amway pitch now ain’t it…

What I am talking about is 1-on-1 swim lessons. Ahhh…now don’t go rolling your eyes…you might just identify with my experience.

Throughout my coaching career I’ve always been asked to do 1-on-1 instruction. Now, I never really considered myself to be in the “swim lesson business” (my wife handles all our swim school activities) but, for the most part, I consented to take lessons because I just didn’t know how to say “No”. I would charge whatever the going local rate was - $25, 30, 35 an hour - and invariably do them at the end of a long day after my last workout - for the swimmer’s convenience. I went on for years like this with always a lesson or two each week. A little extra money but nothing to get excited about.

Then I became a parent. My son, Kalen, changed my whole perspective. That extra hour of my evening time became a lot more valuable to me - enough that I decided to get out of the swim lesson thing and spend that time at home. But, it was against my nature to just turn people down flat so I decided to raise my prices high enough that people would “Just Say NO!”

So, at the next inquiry, I quoted $50, which, I was sure, was enough to price me well out of the market. But the guy says “Fine. When and where?”

Now, that’s not what I had in mind. But, we made the appointment and did the lesson. It was kind of nice to pocket the extra money. But I was still really looking to get out of the swim lesson business. So the next time I got an inquiry I quoted $50 again but indicated I only had spots available immediately following my morning workout. Surely this would drive them away. But the guy says “Fine. What day and where?”

Damn, still in the swim lesson business.

In fact, even though I was “over priced” and only offering lessons at times that were convenient for me, it was only a couple months before I was getting more business than ever before. To make a long story short - I have raised my prices several times in the past 3 years. In each case I have been absolutely sure that I was pricing myself out of the market.

And in each case, I’ve been very wrong. At every turn I’ve been amazed at how much adult swimmers, particularly triathletes and fitness swimmers, are willing to part with in order to get expert instructional services. But the longer I’ve been doing this the more it makes sense.

Take the triathlete who just spent $800 bucks for a new wheel for his bike. He can’t honestly say he’s any faster for his expenditure (but at least he knows he LOOKS cooler). To that triathlete, spending a few hundred dollars on a series of lessons to become a faster, more efficient swimmer - well, that’s a no-brainer.

And a lot of the people who come to me are professional people themselves - people who understand the value of time and specialized knowledge. They’re big investment in swimming is not their money, its their time. If they can spend a few hundred dollars for specialized knowledge that increases the productivity of the time they already invest in swimming - well, that’s a no-brainer.

Vanity and self consciousness drives billions of dollars worth of purchase decisions in today’s world. The fitness swimmer who’s had little or no instruction is usually quite envious of the “professional” swimmer’s seemingly effortless laps. For the person who hits the pool, in search of heart healthy exercise, a few hundred dollars spent to look and feel better while logging millions of laps in the future - well, that’s a no-brainer.

I have been accused of being a bit mercenary, perhaps even predatory in my pricing scheme, but I’m gonna lay it out for you here. And I’m not suggesting you charge what I charge. I just want you to get a feel for what’s working day in and day out right now in today’s world. If you come to me for a lesson at one of my extremely convenient (for me) locations, scheduled in one of the extremely convenient (for me) appointment slots - well then, you get my basic rate of $100 for 45 minutes. Want video? You pay extra. Want a lesson at some other time? You pay extra. If I travel to you, you pay a lot extra. If you show up late, it comes out of your time. If you don’t practice - and make progress - between lessons, I won’t take another lesson with you. My no-show policy is very aggressive - less than 2 days notice, half price - less than 2 hours notice, full price. And I collect. I don’t give discounts and I don’t have a “frequent swimmer” program.

On the other hand, I do offer a simple guarantee - if, for any reason you are not totally satisfied with any lesson, you owe me nothing, no questions asked.

My typical customer does anywhere between 4 and 10 weekly sessons, depending on where they are starting and where they want to end up. Then most go on a monthly brush-up schedule. I also have a few weekly “regulars” who have been with me for years.

I do a maximum of 10 lessons a week, no more than 3 in one day - otherwise my brain gets fried. I have a waiting list and my calendar is usually booked solid two weeks out and some clients have sessions booked into next year.

I recap my experience with swim lessons because I’m convinced that most knowledgable, empathetic and communicative coaches could do the same or better. I more or less lucked into what I’m doing. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have been charging a lot more, a lot sooner.

There are several dynamics that “top shelf” pricing puts to work:

1) People who pay top dollar for anything are guaranteed to give great word of mouth. Anyone who pays over $50,000 for a car has nothing but GOOD stuff to say about that car. Swim lessons are no different.
2) When I am being paid a lot for a lesson I am naturally more excited about being out there and probably give my client (notice that its CLIENT now that I’m charging more money) I give my client more focused attention. People crave that and will gladly pay more for it.
3) When someone pays top dollar they are more likely to get there on time, pay attention during the lesson, do what I ask them to do and, perhaps most importantly…
4) When someone ponies up big bux for a lesson you can be pretty darn sure they’ll practice between lessons. They make more progress, are happier, say more good things to more people and stay with you longer.

Heck, after a couple of beers I’ve even been known to describe high prices as a “Customer Service”.

Here’s my Top Ten list of critical success factors in making 1-on-1 lessons pay off:

10) Your clients are paying for your time and your expertise - they should get 100% focused attention - regardless of how crowded the pool area may be I don’t talk to other people or even acknowledge their existence while I’m doing a lesson. My client will never see me look at my watch during the session. My goal is to make them feel as though the rest of the world goes “on hold” during our time together.

9) Be hard to get. Regardless of what my calendar looks like I won’t book a new lesson less than two weeks out. I tell the prospective client when I’m available - typically offering only two options where I can “fit them in”. In the building stages this helps create the image of a busy person “in high demand.”

8) Always give more than expected - my appointments are scheduled for 45 minute sessions but between water work and “relationship building” time on the deck before and afterwards, each lesson lasts a full hour.

7) Always encourage them to call you with questions they may have between lessons. Few will actually take you up on the offer - but the offer itself enhances the perceived value in the client’s eyes. They know you are there for them if needed.

6) Do strongly encourage your clients to keep a training and progress diary in which they are to make notes about the lesson and then write about their practice experiences, noting any questions and leaving space for the answers. Spend the first 5 minutes of each lesson going over these notes with your client. It helps to refresh your memory of your client’s current state and impresses the hell out of them that you’re so thorough in your attention.

5) Set your price high enough so that you are really excited about doing the lessons. When you quote your price to a new prospect you should be “out of your comfort zone” - i.e. you should have a reasonable expectation that some prospective clients will “Just say No” because of your price. But my experience is that very few people say “No”…hmmm…maybe its time to raise my prices again.

4) When someone does say “No” don’t take it personal - its just a sign you are in the right ballpark with your price - You aren’t losing business, you are leaving room for a higher paying client. I always have a list of 3 other very good instructors I can refer my “economy class swimmers” to. Hey - if you were a cardiac surgeon would you rather be known as the #1 guy in the field or the guy the city sends the indigent cases to?

3) Do have professional business cards made with the title “Teaching Professional” - this puts you a notch higher in the client’s estimation than “Swimming Coach”. Never hand out just one card - always hand out two or more. All my clients invariably hand them out and come asking for more.

2) Do make yourself available to speak to triathlon and running clubs. I estimate that each 30 minute presentation I make to one of these groups pays off with a average of $2000 in immediate or near term lesson sign-ups and perhaps two or three times that in long term repeats. And it boosts my swim team numbers as well.

1) Understand that your clients will be repeat and loyal customers - and sing your praises - because of the relationship you build with them. Yes, the information they get and the progress they make are important, but it’s the personal relationship that keeps them coming back.

Now, go out and average 10 adult lessons a week at $100 a pop for 40 weeks and that’s a part-time income of $40,000. I did it in 1997 - then again in 1998. As Will Sonnet used to say “No brag, just fact.” If I can do it, so can you.

Get out of your comfort zone and create a prosperous year!

Emmett Hines is the Director and Head Coach of H20uston Swims. He is an ASCA Level 5 Masters Coach and a Senior Instructor for Total Immersion Adult Swim Camps. He is the author of hundreds of articles on swimming and has a newly released book, Fitness Swimming. In 1993, Emmett was recognized as USMS Coach of the Year.