I hope you and your business are doing well. Today we’re going to talk about a problem that I think we all encounter at one time or another – missed tutor appointments. For those of you whose school years are winding down congratulations, there is still plenty of work to do getting your students ready for finals or to turn in those last papers. We also talk a bit about motivating students. If you have something specific you would like for us to talk about, please let us know. This is your newsletter.
By popular request we have created some additional ad plans – you can check them out here. http://cleverapple.com/grow-your-tutor-business/
A better business.
We have all experienced this, you have your tutor slots filled for the week. A student calls a few hours before their next tutor sessions and says they can’t show up for whatever reason. You don’t have time to get another student for that time slot, so you’re out how much money you would have made for that time. Let’s pretend you make $20 a session. If it only happens once, that’s not a big deal. But what if it happens once every week… for a year. Then you’ve lost $1040. Here are some suggestions to keep these absences to a minimum.
- Let your students / parents know when they sign up what your policy is. When they sign up with you, they should be signing that they understand the policy as part of the things they are agreeing to.
- Stick by that policy. If you let it go for one student, the others will hear about it.
- Adjust the policy as you grow and learn about your students. Example, if you find that everyone leaves for spring break, then make a specific note about that in the policy.
Ideas for the policy –
- Allow for at least one absence for emergency / sickness etc.
- Make a time frame for cancellations that can be excused and a time frame when the absence wouldn’t be.
- Detail what happens with the unexcused absence – is it counted as a tutor session / half a tutor session?
- How are the missed sessions made up or can they be made up?
I have run into this problem with some of my NCLEX students. I have found most students come for all of their sessions, and some students are habitually absent. I’m still working on creating a policy, when I have it complete I’ll make sure and share it with you. If you have one you would like to share with us, please put it in the comments.
Getting Students –
Summer is approaching – here are some ideas for starting a program.
http://cleverapple.com/tutor-tips-creating-a-summer-tutor-program/
Part 2 – http://cleverapple.com/creating-a-summer-tutor-program-part-2/
Part 3 – http://cleverapple.com/creating-a-summer-tutor-program-getting-the-word-out/
Business Tip –
Take a survey of your tutor students to find out who will be with you next year (and who won’t). This will give you an idea of how many students you need to get this summer.
Reminders –
As the school year winds down, now is a great time to get testimonials from your current students. Ask them or their parents how you’ve helped them. Get permission from them to use their comments on your social media, website, advertising etc. Let them know that you won’t give their full name, etc. for privacy reasons.
Example : GW from Hazard says this about our math tutoring. “My son had a hard time with word problems at the beginning of this year. He has improved in math from a D to a B and he love’s how Tim tutors. “
Enjoy your week!