Friday, July 11, 2008

The Infamous "Free" Trial Lesson


Beware of "FREE" trial lessons! You get what you pay for! Free lessons are not given out of the kindness of a studio's heart, most "free lessons" at dance studios are simply a lure to get you through the door. Much of the lesson is spent convincing you of the benefits of dance as a lifetime hobby and reviewing lengthy and expensive packages for after your wedding. The "free" lesson’s emphasis is not actually on learning to dance or testing out the teacher's style but rather on selling you more lessons. It costs a dance studio tens of thousands of dollars to run their business. Therefore, studios do not give away QUALITY private lessons for free. Therefore, they must recoup their loss on the "FREE" lesson by hiking up the price on any lessons you purchase in the future.

A "FREE" lessons generally consists of 20 minutes of dance instruction (which may not even focus entirely on your actual dancing goals) and the rest of the "lesson" is a sales pitch. Your time is valuable, studios should respect your time by answering all your questions over the phone, by email or on their website. The first sign that a studio is in the higher price bracket is if they refuse to quote you their rates over the phone and/or don't post them on their website. Other studios know each other's prices, so you have to ask yourself...who are they hiding them from? We have heard tearful brides tell us that they can't convince their grooms to take any lessons at all after their awful experience with a "free" trial type of experience elsewhere. If you have to spend your valuable time finding out that a studio is too expensive or doesn't meet your needs or expectations, isn't that already too high a price to pay for a "FREE" lesson?

With us, you can expect answers to all your questions before even walking through our door. The lesson is intensive and focused on your specific needs from the onset. We will even GUARANTEE you an entire wedding dance in ONE :55 minute lesson if you tell us in advance that is all you intend to take. Isn't that better than a "FREE" lesson designed to convince you that you need MORE lessons? Ask the studio if they are willing to make that same guarantee on a "FREE" lesson. Hint: It's impossible to provide the same quality in the industry standard of :40 - :45 minute lessons.