How to Teach a Trial Lesson: Why Doing Less Wins More Students

What is the most crucial part when it comes to conducting a trial lesson with a new student? And what kind of preparation do you need in order to maximize your trial lesson success rate? The truth is the less the better, let me explain.

Converting a trial lesson student isn’t about how good you are

The first thing you need to consider when you worry about your trial lesson or try to improve it is authenticity. I don’t mean you need to “just be yourself” in a relaxed kind of way, more like you will do the best job you can as a tutor but don’t overdo it. I know it sounds contradictory to most tutors, “wait, I thought we should impress students with our best work possible?” For tutors who don’t think like this, yes, they should prepare their tutor session with this mindset. But if you’re looking for a method and already thinking about improving, the method you’ve been looking for on improving your conversion rate isn’t more flashy technique.

Throughout your tutoring experience, have you had one of these moments where you feel like there’s a pattern, where some of your students are easier to work with and you didn’t have to spend any sort of sales persuasion so that they will pay? No “umm, I’ll think about it,” or just non stop every imaginable question possible and still end up not paying. This is the student we’re talking about. In the trial lesson, you and this student are just getting along. Pretty much every time you have one of these students where you feel effortless to convert, it’s always he or she who gets along with you, who agrees with your value of teaching, and 99 out of a hundred they will buy without you saying anything or self promoting.

Getting along doesn’t mean they want to be your friend

I don’t just mean personality per se. In my tutoring career of these four years, my students would be the last group of people that would hang out with me. What I mean is that some aspect of value that’s in a person will overlap with you, and that’s all you need to have.

Over preparing is a panic response

Let’s just say you’re teaching in a more curiosity driven way, so you plan your course very spontaneously. Organized students, and students with different goals in mind, will perceive your tutoring as not good enough. But would you want to change that to adapt to this kind of student?

No. Why? Because you have to stand for what you believe in. The way you conduct your class, your teaching style, is something that’s unique about you.

So just because a student has a lot of requirements, and you’re panicking because you realize your tutoring doesn’t fit them, you over prepare. That’s wrong. That’s what I mean by the less the better. The closer you are at expressing how you teach upfront, and not being afraid of people running away, the better and the sooner you will attract the ideal students.

The point is don’t hang on the conversion rate just for the sake of it. Maybe the problem isn’t your conversion rate. Maybe it’s that you’re not brave enough to tutor the way you want.

What I prepare before a trial lesson

Before the trial lesson I literally do nothing. No preparation. Just having a good mood, and being ready to welcome them with a nice attitude and get to know these students.

Make it a paid consultation, not a lesson

Better paid trial. Normally 30 minutes. Always consultation, don’t conduct a real lesson.

If you’re teaching kids then do a normal lesson, but after that always talk to their parents on consultation. No matter your students’ age group, find the decision makers, whether it’s in the lesson or out. Always, always do a consultation no matter the length.

And don’t think you’re not getting paid for this. This is more invaluable than any money you will get, because through this you will become a better marketer and a better salesperson.

How do you tell if this is one of them?

It’s easy to find out whether this is one of them. Just vibe, really, it’s not some rocket science. Remember everything is two way, if you feel good about this whole session, they too feel good about it.

Often times, beyond the scope of them coming to you for learning this subject, why should they stay? Why should they choose you? That’s because they chose you for more than you can teach them. Any other tutor can teach them. They chose you because of you as a person, trust, good feeling, emotional value. That’s what it is.

At the end of the call, don’t sell

At the end of the call I normally don’t even ask them anything besides “alright, this is pretty much our session today, any questions?” If they follow up with more questions, that’s a good sign.

Don’t ever mention price, or ask them to buy. Instead just ask them if they have any more questions on the subject, whatever you’re teaching. Remember the best selling is no selling. You’re on their page, you focus on the problem they have and on helping them solve that problem.

Most of them, in the end, they will ask you about the price. That’s the best way to do it. What you say when they do is a whole other thing, and I wrote about how to price your tutoring separately.

What this did to my own numbers

My conversion was roughly 20 percent at the beginning, because I didn’t know what I just told you in this article. After a year my conversion went up to 40 percent. Not because I was getting better at teaching, although I am, but because I slowly and gradually started to market myself to the right people.

The last leads that came in that I converted myself, besides my teachers, I was able to pull out 55 percent right after the trials, and another 17 percent later in a week. My teachers now sit somewhere between 35 and 40 percent on average after I trained them, and they’re still getting better as I’m writing this.

That’s my own history and not a prediction about yours.

If you have any questions or want a deeper dive, I’ve helped hundreds of tutors start and grow their own tutoring business, and you can book a free strategy call to get a one on one with me.

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