Overview
For entrepreneurs, building good relationships is a lifelong pursuit. It has been said that you can never have too many friends. The same goes for customers and partners. The key to creating great business relationships is enjoying the process, providing excellent customer service and bringing value to your relationships.
In this guide, we’ll cover how you can target various schools, centers, and groups. We’ll give examples of the various groups out there that may serve the same customers, we’ll talk about ways you can get your foot in the door and get in front of the decision-makers and we will also provide additional resources for helping you network and market your School is Easy business to these groups.
Ultimately, the relationship starts with YOU and the members of your local territory. There may be additional groups within your territory that are not mentioned in this guide but just because it’s not here, doesn’t mean that it may not be a great opportunity. Think outside of the box!
How to Target Schools, Centers and Groups
Every territory may have different needs when it comes to tutoring and the relationships that can be formed. Below are just some examples and great places to start when seeking to form partnerships with other businesses or school districts to provide tutoring services to their customers or students. The key thing to remember is that there should be a mutual benefit for both parties involved in the partnership.
Schools
There are many different ways you may choose to form relationships with schools. This could be that you’ve built a relationship with specific teachers or guidance counselors who communicate directly with parents and can provide a great recommendation for your local tutoring business if their child begins to struggle in their class.
Alternatively, the school may let you provide After School Tutoring for a group of students specific to different curriculum areas. For example, Mathematics tutoring on Tuesday’s and French tutoring on Wednesdays. You can develop this program to be offered at multiple schools for up to 5 students per tutor for a few hours after school, or choose to set this up to meet the needs of the school.
In addition to public schools, private schools are also a great option to create relationships with. Sometimes private schools may have funding set aside for additional programming outside of the regular school day. They also might have more flexibility in terms of sending referrals and setting up outside programming. If you’re based in the U.S., the government will also provide funding to Title 1 schools that will fund additional tutoring services.
Centers
When we are referring to centers, this could mean anything along the lines of:
- Community centers (Housing complexes, parks and recreation, YMCA’s)
- Daycares or childcare centers
- Libraries
- Churches
- Child-centric businesses
The great thing about building partnerships or referral streams from these types of locations is that they typically are able to make their own decisions, as opposed to some school districts that may need approval from a board or a higher-up decision-maker. If you can present an incentive for a daycare that is either a discount, referral bonus, or even helping them fill a need (maybe they’re looking for volunteers for an upcoming event, or need someone to dress up in an Easter bunny costume and pass out candy to the kids) you’ll have a better position at securing a partnership. Think outside the box!
Groups
Groups are great partnerships to have as well because if you can find the right one and get in, you’ll have access to a network of new resources. A few examples of groups that could be great targets in your territory include:
- Homeschool Groups
- Non-profits
So how can you get in with these groups? Think about what you have to offer. Maybe the Autism Society is holding a 5K walk in town and they’re inviting local vendors to set up a booth or sponsor the event. That’s a great opportunity to get out in the community, network and meet potential parents of students who may need tutoring services.
You may choose to offer cross-promotion on social media, put together a flyer of resources for parents that you hand out or email upon registration, or work together to send each other referrals and offer special incentives.
Getting Your Foot in The Door
Now that you’ve researched, identified, and hopefully made a list, of the potential partnerships available in your territory, below are a few steps to getting your foot in the door with schools, centers, and groups.
- Find your local contact
Start online and try to stay local. Many school systems and groups will list decision-makers on their website. This is the best place to start to identify the best person to contact about a local partnership. If you can’t find contact information on the website, try searching for them on LinkedIn. Ideally, this contact person should be in your territory and not a part of a national HQ.
- Reach Out
Start with a letter, email, or LinkedIn message. Direct mail and email both have their benefits. You can find a sample template attached to this article. Even if they don’t respond from the first contact, don’t give up! Follow up with a phone call, then a visit. The goal is to schedule a meeting with the Decision Maker. Always have a sales packet on hand when visiting a prospect or meeting with a Decision Maker.
- Stay informed
Keep up to date so you feel confident and knowledgeable when a discussion takes place.
- Visit their website and social media pages
- Look for recent news stories that may be in your favor as a tutoring provider
- Make a list of additional questions
Once you have done your research, prepare a list of things you are interested in knowing more about. Doing this ahead of time will help you stay on track during a meeting. You’ll also seem more prepared and organized and ready to work with this school, center or group.
- Be Authentic
This is pretty simple. Be who you are and accept others as they are. Excellent customer service helps build trust.
- Identify Shared Goals and Values
When it comes to personal relationships, we seek out people we like, share similar goals and values with. Are they honest, kind, knowledgeable, helpful? This is also important when it comes to business relationships. Is the relationship beneficial to both parties? How does the mission align?
- Address Concerns and Overcome Objections
You’ll want to be prepared to answer the tough questions. When it comes down to pricing, some may say that they can get the same thing down the street for cheaper – how do you provide value in your business that sets you apart? How can you put their concerns at ease?
- Build Trust
Offer a free workshop or sample session. Sometimes showing people what you have to offer is the best way to sell.
- Stay in Touch
It’s obvious that there will be follow-up if an agreement is reached, however, keeping in touch with those who may not jump right away or are resistant altogether can prove beneficial in the future. It is important not to disappear once a contact has been made. When a need arises, you want to be the first resource to come to mind. No matter which way it goes, always reach out after a meeting with a note of thanks. (Bonus points if it’s handwritten!)
A few simple ways to keep in touch include:
- Regular check-ins – Phone call, email, visit, or coffee meet up. Put a reminder on your calendar. The time between check-ins will vary depending on the quality of the relationship and the level of interest.
- Drop a note with a news article or photos from a recent class that may be interesting to your contact.
- Create a marketing email list (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc.) specifically targeting Decision Makers and send monthly or bi-monthly newsletters containing highlights from recent events and programs.