Hi Dennis,
My name is Devi (sounds like Debbie) and I am very interested in starting my own tutoring business. I am 100% sure the service that I am able to provide is one that the public wants/needs. However, I'm not so sure as to how I can let people know that I'm available! I put fliers in local libraries, and a few business around town, but I don't think that I've done nearly enough. If you could send me suggestions as to what else I could do I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks :-)
Dennis S. Vogel
Thanks for the question.
You might be feeling like parents do. They do what they can & they rely on others who specialize. They shouldn't feel responsible for knowing every academic fact. Their responsibility is getting the best help they can find. It's like finding a medical doctor to provide medical care parents can't.
Some people say marketing is a numbers game, meaning that if you contact enough people, you'll get enough customers. There's barely any truth in a thought like that.
Maybe that's why you feel that you haven't done nearly enough. It's vital to take personal responsibility without condemning yourself. We all have mental & physical gaps. You're a "parent" seeking tutoring to fill a gap for your business.
Advertising success involves far more than numbers just like hours in a classroom isn't enough for academic success.
It isn't just the number of people who are exposed to your messages. They should be people who want what you offer (needing it isn't enough because people only buy what they want). Plus, they should be able to afford what you offer.
Your message should be as compelling as possible. It shouldn't be just -
I Do Tutoring Call me at XXX-XXXX.
The first step to finding the most compelling way to present your offer is to know what the prospects are thinking.
When a child doesn't do well in school, do parents - 1) blame their child? 2) blame the teacher?
3) blame themselves?
If it's a "blame game," this is a message you could try to find out if it's effective -
Who's To Blame When Your Child Doesn't Do Well In School?
Maybe it's nobody's fault!
There are many things that affect how well children learn -
Depression. Parent's Marital Problems. Malnutrition. Learning disabilities.
_____. _____. ___. ___.
If you're child doesn't have any medical problems and if stress isn't interfering, then I can help.
I specialize in (subjects) at the ____ grade levels.
If I don't get your child the results (we agree on) on the next test or the end of a grading cycle, then I won't charge you anything.
Call me today, so I can start helping your child as soon as possible. My name is Devi, my phone number is XXX-XXXX. I want to help, please let me.
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Many times a meaningful guarantee will bring you more business than you may lose.
A more generic approach is this-
Why Isn't Your Child Doing Well In School?
It Seems Like You've Tried Everything To Help Your Child Succeed In School
If you've tried rewards, phonics products, counseling, extra tender-loving-care, ____, and ____, then it's time to call me.
Call me today, so I can start helping your child as soon as possible. My name is Devi, my phone number is XXX-XXXX. I want to help, please let me.
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You don't need to make a sale from your advertising alone. Your sales copy should be enough to get parents to call you. You can make your sales while you talk to prospects.
If parents are also skeptical of somebody posing as a tutor just to victimize children, you might need to address that concern in your ads. You could emphasize a family team approach without broaching a negative subject.
Example: "I want to work with teachers, parents, siblings & baby sitters who spend time with your children so we can all understand each other & develop the best approach. Your children need support from those who know them best."
Now that you have sales copy that you can test for effectiveness (You can read my other posts about testing), it's time to concentrate on distributing your messages.
Be sure you have ways to track your results. They may forget where they found your flyer. If you color code your flyers (light blue for libraries, light green for schools), you can ask for the color of flyer when they call you.
If you get 10 inquiries from the school flyers and only 1 from the library flyers, then you'll know you should put flyers somewhere other than the library. Note - You might get better results from a location by adjusting how you post your messages.
When you experiment to find the bet locations, to make it a valid test, you should have the exact same message and offer on each flyer.
I don't know which grade level you want to work with, but if it's grade school here's what you can do.
Check for volunteer opportunities to work with children & authorities. You can get to know them & what they need. You can introduce yourself to parents in those contexts & broach the subject of tutoring. Those authorities might be required to do a background check on you. Passing their checks can help your credentials.
This could help you find groups of students for your tutoring services - maybe more parents could afford group rates.
Ask girl/boy scout troop leaders to distribute your flyers. Ask school administrators/principals if they'd allow teachers to distribute your flyers.
If you want to work with higher grade levels, you can also talk to sports coaches who want their players to succeed academically.
For your ultimate success, I think you'll need to know children & their parents on a wider basis than academics. There are many factors that interfere with people's ability to thrive mentally & physically. You should know what at least some of those factors are & what you can do about them.
That's all I have for now. If you have more questions, please let me know.
Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.
Copyright 2016 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/
http://www.voy.com/31049/
Subject: Re: Tutoring Business...Help! Author: Maria Marsala
Devi
You don't mention that you've done a business plan. If you haven't, that will assist you and is a perfect place to start your marketing process, too.
I have a bunch of marketing articles at http://www.coachmaria.com/articles.html
Additionally, I'd suggest speaking to librarians, speaking to PTA's, and networking, as places to start.
For some other ideas, do a search at http://www.topten.org It's a great site for ideas.
Best of success
Maria Marsala
Business & Life Coach-Consultant
www.coachmaria.com
