Keeping Your Lights On: A Simple Growth System

Break in case of emergency.

No matter how hard you work, and no matter how good of a job you do, you will one day wake up and find yourself with fewer students and a smaller income. That is just a part of being a freelance ESL teacher, right?

This moment can be very unsettling though, especially if you have gone for a long period of time without having to hunt for new students. Worry and fear quickly set in. When it has happened to me, I’ve even found myself starting to doubt my ability as a teacher, even though the reason my students had left were for personal ones that had nothing to do with me.

What if I suck?  What if I can’t find new students? How will I pay for the mortgage this month?

Frozen. Fear does that, doesn’t it?

Having to replace clients is a normal part of being a freelancer, no matter how good you are. It’s really important to realize this. But instead of freezing and falling into a mind numbing cycle of self-doubt and fear, what if you took a few minutes today – while things are good – and prepare a system that will help you quickly get moving again after a client leaves?

A system is a set of steps for you to follow to create a desired result. You use them, likely unconsciously, all the time to help you produce required results. Why not use the power of a system to help you recover your income?

How to Make Your System for Getting New Clients

1. Get a pen and paper, or open a new Word document on your computer.

2. Give your system a snappy title: Find New Client System (That wasn’t very snappy, but you get the picture.)

3. Step by step, write down exactly what you did to find and bring on your last star student. Don’t write a book here – just note down in point form, what you specifically did or what you have done that worked to bring in new students.  Here are a few examples that I have written for me:

1. Goto Craig’s List.
2. Click on my country and city.
3. Click on Services, then Classes
4. Post about my services.

Bonus tip: Copy the text from your last posting and save it in a special text file. When you need to post another ad for your services, simply copy and paste from your last posting. (Great time saver!)

After you have created your system, you need to put it somewhere safe. I have a file on Dropbox where I keep all the digital copies of my systems. I also print them off and keep them in labelled binders.

So the next time you have to hunt for a new student to work with, don’t panic! Just reach up to your bookshelf, calmly pull out your system for Getting New Students, and follow.

You’ll be rolling again in no time!

Over to you – how have you used systems to help you get new students?

This can bring you more paying students, have you tried it?

If  you’ve been freelance teaching for any length of time, you have already likely heard how important it is to ask for referrals from your students. If you haven’t heard how important this step is, then count yourself informed as of now!  Referrals are one of your most important tools to grow your business. But the question is, are you really taking advantage of them?

When I first got started, many of my students came from referrals. Some referrals I looked for, and others came through friends who just wanted to help me out. In fact, when I moved from freelancing to being a small business owner (employing other teachers to work with me) it was because of a referral.

Here are a few things I learned about getting referrals that will help you grow your freelance business:

Earn it. Do work that is worthy of people connecting you to their friends and contacts. Just because you show up and give a class doesn’t mean your students are automatically ready to refer you. The best way I know to have your students love your service enough to tell someone else about you is to provide value each and every class. But the secret sauce to value is this: value is determined by your students, not you.  Are you planning and delivering classes that your students deem valuable? If you are giving classes that YOU think are of value, you may be missing a deep need your student is hoping you’ll fill with your work which will lead to them being wide open to telling others about you! Find out what THEY need to do in English so THEY can be successful, then make sure your lessons meet this need.

Ask for it. After a few classes, you should know if you’ve built up enough good will between you and your students to be able to ask for a referral from them. Signs of strong ‘good will equity’ include: you actually have fun in class. If you are having fun, you can bet your students are too. (And vice versa! Not having fun? Hmm. I bet your students aren’t either.) Does it feel like your class time evaporates? Are you getting comments like: “I really enjoy your class!” Or something similar? Are they giving you great feedback? ( Yes, after each class, you should ask if what you’re doing together is valuable for them…). When you are sure you are adding value, and you are sure your students are happy with your work, you should feel free to ask them for help in connecting you with someone they know who could use your services.  But I’ve learned the hard way: when you ask, most students say yes, and they mean it. But very few follow through the first time because they get busy and totally forget.

Your ask should have a followup. The same day you ask, consider sending your student a friendly e-mail later in the day with a reminder. Let them know how much you appreciate their help, and make sure they have your basic contact info to pass along to their friend(s). (Add your basic contact info to the e-mail.)

In the next class, it is perefectly fine to bring it up again. I’ve simply said: “Any luck connecting with your friend?”

Reward it. Maybe… We once got an entire corporate account when a student of mine referred our company to her sister who worked on the human resource team of a large pharmacuitical company. The referral came because we offered a really cool dictionary for English learners to anyone in the class who connected us with another client. I’m not sure if she referred us for the dictionary, or if it was just because she wanted to help. You need to be careful with this. A happy student may refer you simply because they like you, and may feel put off by a reward. I actually had a student tell me once: I don’t need any commission for connecting you with my friends. I like helping you.

Over to you! What have you done to bring in more referrals?