What Style?

Stock image of "Master Ken" to illustrate a self-created "style."

Many years ago, when people would call about martial arts, they would often ask if what I taught was like "abc" style (insert style you've never heard of).

If my wife answered the phone, this would confuse her.  She would say "I dont know, you're gonna have to ask the instructor."

Needless to say, that usually went over like a pile of bricks. I never once closed a sale calling back on one where she said that. 

So what I did was give her a list of all the major styles.  Then, when people did ask that question, she would look it up - and when that style wasn't on the list, she would turn it around using a script I gave her - "there are likely a few similarities, but what we teach is the self defense application of Judo - the most practiced style in the world. So when your instructor or whomever created that style, they did probably copy some of our tried & true material."

I only once failed to close a sale on a call back on one of those.