Customer Service Tips

Dealing with customers can be one of the most challenging aspects of running your own business. Good customer service skills can be make-or-break for tutors. Here Eric explains how to adopt the right kind of attitude for dealing with customers. He takes some insights from the philosophy Jeff Bezos used to grow Amazon into one of the biggest companies on earth.

Show Notes

We've all heard the customer is always right. But what does that mean? Jeff Bezos said when he was starting Amazon he would sit an empty chair at the table during meetings. And that would represent the customer. For every decision he thought about the customer. How is this going to benefit the customer? And really, that's why we are tutoring. We want to help the customer. They should have a seat at every decision we make. Any website we're making, or ad we're writing, or tutoring session we're doing is about the customer. 

Adopt the attitude that you work with the customer and together you're going to decide on a good plan for them. That's going to make you stand out from other people. Because customers are actually pretty savvy. They're going to subconsciously realize they have a seat at the table with you. They can feel that. And this attitude doesn’t just make the best business sense (which it does, Bezos is the richest man in the world), but it's also just the right thing to do. The customer should have a seat at the table. It's not about what you can get. It's about what you become and what you're able to contribute in the process.

Keep a long term orientation and focus on how you can contribute to these people. How can you make a difference today? 

I've interviewed people who said the reason they wanted to tutor was because they were trying to make some extra cash. Wow, okay. Maybe they'll be a decent tutor. But if all they want is money they're probably not going to be amazing. I’m looking for the person who says, “I did tutoring in high school, and I loved helping people.” That's a better tutor, someone who cares about not only mathematics but about helping people. 

Develop the mindset of you're in this to help people. Give the customer a seat at the table. When you do this, customers are going to want to buy from you. They're gonna want to do business with you. And it starts to change every aspect of your business. 

There are businesses that refuse to refund people when they aren’t happy. They get argumentative with customers. And that's because their mindset is, “What can I get from this?” Well, no one's gonna want to do business with people who are trying to get things out of them. A better mindset is, “How can I contribute?” People are going to want to do business with that person. They are also going to refer you to more clients automatically. 

Imagine you are emailing someone and they tell you they have already found a tutor. My mindset is, “That's wonderful. I'm really happy for you. If you ever have any questions about education at all, or need some resources or anything, send an email. I'm here to help. Even if you need help finding other tutors or something.” Focus on how you can actually help the person in any way. It's morally right. It feels good. And it's great for your business.

What is Earn $30k to $70k as A Math Tutor Part Time?

This podcast will reveal some simple strategies to get your first clients, grow your business, and market your services online as a tutor in any subject. There are five mistakes even experienced tutors make that can be costing you a LOT of money. Are you falling into any of the common traps? You might be surprised.

Eric Earle has started 4 different tutoring companies and been working in the tutoring industry for over a decade. Currently he runs his tutoring businesses remotely and travels around the world looking for awesome surf spots.

Along the way, Eric has discovered some tactics that are insanely effective to establish a tutoring business from literally nothing and grow it into a full time enterprise.

One of the biggest myths he came across is that you have to lower your rates when you’re first starting out. This is super pervasive and it’s simply not true. You can charge premium hourly rates right from the start, you just have to do it properly. Eric will show you a foolproof method in this podcast. Don’t discount yourself. Charge what you’re worth.

Whether you’re just starting out as a tutor or a seasoned pro with a thriving business, the hacks and secrets in this podcast will help you land more clients and scale your tutoring more effectively. You can use these strategies regardless of whether you’re meeting clients in-person or tutoring them online. This podcast will make you money!

Eric Earle is a tutor, entrepreneur, and investor. After science and math tutoring changed the course of his life, Eric saw the potential of tutoring to make a significant positive impact. He grew his tutoring business in Portland, Oregon, and soon needed to hire a staff of other tutors to meet all of the demand. He is also the founder of mathtutoraustin.com and the national tutoring platform zoomtutor.com as well.

It was at a neurology clinic high in the Himalayas that Eric had an epiphany: he realized he wanted to go to medical school. The problem was, he’d already graduated from college and hadn’t taken any of the math and science classes required for admittance. He went back to school to work his way through calculus, physics, organic chemistry, and biochemistry but the topics were unbearably difficult. Eric hired a tutor and, with diligent work, was able to turn himself into a top science student.

This experience with tutoring showed Eric that there is no limit to what we can become with the right teachers. He now supports tutoring and education through his businesses. He is here to share what he has learned about business, investing, tutoring, and life though this podcast. Hopefully you find some of his teachings valuable.