Miami DJ Academy - From local DJ classes to 2X sales in 6 months

Client Challenges

• Conversion at half potential. Reach was healthy, but the funnel used ~50% of the school’s real capacity.
• Generic offer. Messaging sold “a course,” not the outcome; prospects couldn’t see why this academy, now.
• Inbound-only funnel. Lead flow depended on organic interest; no prospecting/retargeting system to compound demand.
• No sales plan or guardrails. Marketing budget wasn’t connected to revenue, CAC, or payback; key KPIs weren’t tracked.
• Lifecycle gaps. Email list underused; leads weren’t nurtured after first touch.

Strategic Solutions

1. Commercial model first: forecast, P&L, guardrails

• Built a 12-month revenue model tied to class capacity and pricing.
• Set guardrails for CAC, ROAS, payback and a blended MER target.
• Instituted one scorecard: Revenue, CAC/ROAS, Lead→Enroll, Masterclass show-up, Progression to Advanced, Alumni revenue. Vanity metrics ended.

2. Segment-led content engine (six buyer scenarios → six customer journeys)

• We stopped selling “lessons to everyone” and mapped six intents, each with tailored hooks, proof, CTA, and nurture.
• Nurture flows mirrored each scenario (welcome + FAQ, objection handling, consult reminders, post-intro recap, timed enrollment nudges).

3. Product line & progression funnel — from acquisition to lifecycle

We moved the academy from a single-sale mindset to a product-led lifecycle: not just an acquisition (SaaS-style) funnel, but a clear path through products so customers advance and are nurtured over time.

• Path mapped end-to-end: Masterclass → Consult → Core Program (1:1 or Group) → Advanced → Specializations (Vinyl, Brand & Promotion) → Alumni.
• Progression by design: each step deepens value and skills, with email/DM nurture and timed step-up offers between stages.
• Visibility to build: the founder now sees who her customers are, where they stall, and which products to refine or launch to keep them moving.
• Economics that compound: the model lifts conversion, retention, and LTV - masterclasses seed enrollments; core feeds Advanced; Advanced feeds specializations and alumni revenue.

4. Brand platform - Miami-born, destination-led

We recast the brand from “learn to mix” to “become the DJ venues rebook” - and anchored that promise in Miami as the most credible place to learn. The platform works on three layers:

• Destination logic. Where better than Miami to learn DJing? We positioned the academy as a fly-in learning destination - “come for vacation, leave with a set” - with short intensives timed to travel calendars.
• Industry insight. The value thesis became atmosphere creation - the skill venues pay to rebook. Every message, reel, and syllabus ties back to this outcome, not to “lessons.”
• Signature of place. A Miami day/night aesthetic (venues, city cues, golden-hour energy) became a distinctive brand code the category can’t easily copy.
• Partnership architecture. To scale awareness and opportunity, we designed a partner layer: Ultra-level stages/premium venues as credibility and a talent pipeline, plus Airbnb Experiences to capture fly-in demand.

5. Measurement, automation & sales ops - from guesswork to governed growth

• Funnel scorecard (one source of truth). We instrumented the full path with targets and live counts: Ad click → Masterclass signup → Show-up → Consult booked/held → Core enroll (1:1 vs Group) → Advanced → Specializations → Alumni revenue. KPIs include show-up %, consult rate, enroll rate, progression %, CAC/payback, seat-fill. Baseline: ≥30% masterclass → Core.
• Automation at every handoff. Scenario tag at first touch; confirmations + reminders (email/SMS), no-show rebook, post-masterclass recap and objection handling, consult follow-ups, payment-plan workflows, post-program upsell to Advanced/Specializations, and alumni loops for reviews/referrals/gigs. SLA: inbound response ≤15 minutes.
• Sales organization & cadence. Defined roles (Inbound Coordinator → Admissions Advisor), clean handoffs in CRM, weekly pipeline review against seat capacity, and incentives aligned to the product ladder (credit for progression, not just first enrollment).
• Masterclass SOPs that convert. A run-of-show with planned “proof moments” (instructor demo, student spotlight), clear CTA to a 15-minute consult, time for Q&A, and a checklist (rooming, gear, offers, follow-up links). Benchmarks for show-up and conversion are reviewed weekly; formats/time slots are tested until they hold.

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Results

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