Your Free Meetings are the gateway to months of lessons. Get them right, and you’ll find all the weekly students you need. Have a read of these key steps for making them pay off.
What parents are looking for
It’s up to the parent whether they book more lessons with you, so let’s have a look at what’s going through their mind when you meet.
They’re concerned about their child’s education, and want to make sure they do their best. They want someone who they can trust to help their child fulfil their potential – that’s no small feat! They might also be unsure about online tuition, and the meeting’s your chance to show them why it’s the best choice. The student will also be looking for someone who they’ll enjoy being taught by, and you need to meet both of their needs. You’ve got 15 minutes to dazzle them!
Be confident in the value you can bring
First up, when a parent or student books a free meeting with you, it’s because they’re impressed by your profile and think you might be able to help. By showing them that you’re a great tutor and helping them book in their first lesson, you’ll be solving the problem that brought them to the website in the first pace.
Some tutors say they don’t like putting pressure on parents to book, but parents are looking for help. And if they’ve gone as far as to have a free meeting, you can be pretty sure they want to book lessons.
So, be confident in the value you can bring the parent and student, and don’t be afraid to take the lead.
In the meeting
- Start by introducing yourself, getting their name and finding out what they need help with. It might be just the student who’s there or a parent might join you too.
- Ask them what exam board they’re studying with, what their learning goals are (a higher grade? More confidence? Better organisation?) – by asking and listening it shows that you’re attentive.
- Explain how you can help them – your tutoring experience, your academic record and your subject knowledge should all feed in.
- Talk about how you’d run lessons and how you’ll work towards their learning goals. Take the chance to show off the lesson space using the various tools (drawing tool, text tool, image drag and drop, document sharing). Here’s an example of what you could say:
“We’ll start off with some simpler questions and work through them at your pace. Then I’ll gradually make them slightly harder over our lessons, until you’re ready for a real practice exam question. We’ll get you that 8 you’re aiming for! From what you’ve told me I think we should plan out 6 lessons and see where we are then. What do you think?”
- Leave time to ask if they have any questions – they’ll probably have asked you things throughout, but if they’re shy it helps to check if there’s anything they want to know.
Last 5 minutes
During the Free Meeting, you’ve talked about what the student needs help with, how you can support them, how you like to run lessons, and generally shown what a great tutor you are.
If it’s gone well, the last five minutes is a great time to suggest booking the first lesson. Parents often have a lot on their plate so they love it when tutors are helpful and organised
Our most successful tutors say things like…
“Why don’t we pencil in a time now, and we can always change it later?”
“When would you like to start lessons? I can do tomorrow at 7.”
“Most parents start with 6 lessons. Shall we plan for that and take it from there?”
Another way to suggest booking a lesson is by mentioning the Lesson Scheduler that sits in the bottom left of the lesson space. You (or they) can use this to send suggested times for them to book while you’re still talking, and it cuts out the faff of back-and-forth messages.
You could say things like:
“Do you want to use the lesson scheduler now to book a lesson?”
“Would you like to agree a time for a first lesson now while we’re chatting? It’ll save us messaging back and forth and we can always reschedule if we need.”
“I’ve just sent you a selection of available time slots on your screen for Saturday, do any of these work for you?”
Sometimes parents can’t commit to a lesson there and then. They might need more time to talk to their child or partner or to meet a couple of other tutors. Don’t worry, that’s normal too and you haven’t done anything wrong by suggesting it.
This is where your follow-up messages come in.
After the meeting
If you’ve met with a parent and they’ve decided not to book a lesson in the free meeting itself, don’t let your hard work go to waste!
Drop them a message within 12 hours to confirm that you can help them and explain what to do next. For example…
“Your daughter told me that it’s mainly confidence that she needs help with. I can plan a series of lessons to help her, starting with where she’s comfortable and working our way up. I’m free on Tuesdays at 6pm – does that work for you.
Best,
Frederika”
If you haven’t heard back within two days, don’t be scared to send another follow up email. Life can get in the way for parents, and popping up in their inbox can help jog their memory…
“Hi X, just checking in, did you want to book a lesson? Let me know when suits and we’ll book it in.”
Not every parent you meet will book with you but by sending these follow up messages, but you’re making sure it’s not because they’ve forgotten or don’t know what to do next.
Now you’re ready to make the most of your free meetings. If you take on this advice, you’ll help parents feel happy and informed about how to book a lesson with you. Good luck!