Show Notes
When tutors get on the phone with new leads, many make the mistake of starting off talking about why they're a great tutor. But if someone is calling you, they don't want to hear five minutes about you. They're stressed and anxious and they want to talk about the problem. They want to tell you what's going on.
Sometimes a potential client might even start right in and ask you, “What are the prices?” or “How does this work?” You want to shift the dialogue to talk about what's going on with them. Say, “I'm happy to get into the nuts and bolts of what we do. But can I just ask, what's going on? What are you struggling with right now?” And normally they'll say, “Oh, wow, my daughter has been having a hard time in math this semester.”
You want to get an accurate assessment of the picture. My initial question right off the bat is usually when the trouble started. “How long has this been going on? A long time? Or just all of a sudden this last semester?” The answer to this question makes a big difference. If they've been struggling with math since they were five, that’s not the same as if they just started struggling last week. Normally the parents will say they've been struggling for a while but this last year has been really tough.
We really want to get to the root of the problem, so keep asking questions. “Why has this past semester been so hard for her?” And this information is really going to help you show this client the benefits of mathematics tutoring. They might say, “Gosh, she got Miss Jasmine, the worst math teacher ever, and she's really struggling in this class” or “She's having some mental health issues and is struggling this year.” Now you have some good information.
This is where you can normalize what is happening. I spent time volunteering at a suicide hotline, and one of the most important things we did was normalize what people were going through. It makes us feel much better. So you might say, “Let me tell you, I've had this conversation so many times. What you're going through, I've heard that from other parents, and it sounds pretty normal to me.”
You should also ask whether the parent has tried to help the child already (they always have). And you can even make a joke about Khan Academy videos, because that's how parents have always tried to deal with the problems at first. The parent has spent a lot of time watching Khan Academy lately, trying to learn the material so they can help their child with it.
They’ll say, “I've been watching Khan Academy and trying to help her myself. But Gosh, it's just…” And this is where I normalize their struggles again and say, “I know, for whatever reason, it never works to teach your own kid. It's tough. That's really normal. I hear this from a lot of parents, it's hard. And people want people want help with it.” Many times, I'll also acknowledge how hard the parent has been working. I like to say, “I mean, gosh, you're working full time, too? You're cooking? You're the chaperone? And you're also the math tutor?” They like that.
When they call you, they're stressed out. You want to acknowledge some of that. And now it's a good point in the call to start transitioning into talking about yourself. Talk about how normal their problems are and how you’ve helped other people through this same thing. Start telling them a little about how you work. What is your approach? Develop a little bit of philosophy about what works best in tutoring. You could say, “I work on an engagement model” or “I use a holistic model where I focus on the whole person.”
If you do some research online about active learning, there's plenty of stuff on it. It's the best way to teach mathematics. It's based in research and science. People learn mathematics best when they verbalize their mathematical thinking. So you could tell the client, “I like to use active learning and engaging type strategies, because it's more than just knowing mathematics. It's about being able to explain things in five different ways.” I always tell people that when I’m hiring tutors I look for people who can explain things five or six different ways. Because then if one way doesn't work they can just try another way to explain it. That's reassuring to parents. They like knowing you can get the idea across somehow.
And talk about how you take a person centered approach and believe in creating rapport and creating a relationship. One big reason tutoring works is because it's not just a professor standing up at the front of a lecture hall, it's a one-on-one personal relationship. You develop rapport and the student feels comfortable asking questions and diving deeper into things.
The first call is also a great time to set some expectations for the overall relationship with the client. Say things like, “I focus on building long term relationships, and helping people over time. I wish I had a magic wand and I could just say poof, you’re fixed. But unfortunately, I don't. And it takes time to get better.” This way you’re teaching them what to expect. You’re conditioning them to the idea that this is going to be a long-term relationship. They realize you’re not going to just give up on them.
And that's going to be good for you and for your business as well. Because we want to focus on having long term relationships with people. Some other tutor might only come in and be a quick fix and help the student for one test. Maybe you get four hours of work out of that. But if you're communicative, and you develop a relationship, you could have four years of work. If you're only doing four hours of work at a time, you have to keep getting new clients. But if you develop long term relationships, you have this phone call once and then you're set for four years. You have Tuesday and Thursday at six booked out.
The big key to the phone call is making sure to start by learning about what makes the customer tick and what's going on. Every story is going to follow a similar arc, but there will be nuances. You want to be able to communicate that their problems are really normal, and reassure them that you can help make the issues go away.
What is Earn $30k to $70k as A Math Tutor Part Time?
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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.