“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” At least that’s what Nelson Mandela said. If you agree, you’ll love this edition of The Chariot Report, delivering essential information and insights for tutors and test prep professionals every other Tuesday.
BACK TO THE BUSINESS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
You may not have noticed, but I took a brief 11-month hiatus. The world kept spinning nonetheless, and most of you are probably still teaching, tutoring, coaching, or otherwise making the world a smarter, more skillful place. I’ve been doing the same and plenty more. But we who teach still need to keep learning. Let’s get back to business!
BACK TO THE EDUCATION BUSINESS COMMUNITY
This edition of the Chariot Report marks the first one hosted on the Association for Test Prep, Admissions, and Private Tutoring Professionals (TPAPT) website. For such a strong and profitable business sector, test preparation lacks the trappings of most other industries. TPAPT is the closest we have to a trade organization, and its annual conference delivers that rare miracle of assembling 20 or more test prep professionals from across the country for one freewheeling frenzy of talking, teaching, and networking. For years, I’ve seen Kevin Organisciak, founder of TPAPT and wise education industry veteran, pursue a noble vision of what test prep and tutoring professionals can accomplish with greater levels of organization and training. For this reason, starting today, the TPAPT website will be the only place to read the Chariot Report online. Don’t worry… we’ll keep sending the report by email too!
Those of you who don’t depend on the intermittent competence of College Board and ACT for your livelihoods might be forgiven for missing the massive controversies triggered by testing issues with the June and August SATs. You know you have a crisis when students file class action lawsuits against a test maker! The ensuing and enduring fiasco deserves attention from anyone in test preparation, if only to understand just how vulnerable these exams can be and who suffers when things go wrong.For a cross-section of commentary on the nature and impact of the botched SATs, read what two different test prep professionals had to say about the June SAT and what two different students wrote about the August SAT.BACK TO THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS
All too often, people in the business of education focus too much on education and not enough on business. As 2018 begins to wind down, give some serious thought to how you will be able to grow your business in 2019. Marketing mastermind Jay Abraham summarized the only three ways to grow a business:
- Increase the number of clients: get more new prospects to become paying customers
- Increase the average transaction: get each client to buy more at each purchase
- Increase the frequency that the average client buys from you: get each customer to buy from you more often
If you set your mind to it, you should be able to find at least one way to implement one of these strategies. On the other hand, if you aren’t the type of professional who cares about growing your business, maybe you should connect with someone who does.
ARE YOU STILL TRYING?
Did you find this edition of The Chariot Report worth your time? Let us know, and be sure to share other topics you’d like to see covered and links you’d like to be shared. If you’re not already a subscriber, sign up to receive The Chariot Report in your inbox. See you in two weeks!
