Test-Prep Clients Need Clear Communication - Especially in Times of Uncertainty
There is never any shortage of news in the test-prep industry. These days are certainly no exception.
Consider these developments from just this past year:
COVID-19 leads to widespread test date cancellations and distance learning spring semesters
UC rolls out a plan to go “Test-Optional” and eventually move to a new test
College Board promises an online SAT® …then backpedals
A growing list of schools move to “Test-Optional” admissions
For insiders like us, these are all important stories that have far-reaching and long-lasting implications. Staying tuned-in to the ebbs and flows of the ACT®, SAT®, and college admissions process is crucial to tailoring both our products and our practice.
These developments also need to be shared with our clients (read: students and parents). However, sharing unfiltered test-prep industry content isn’t likely to resonate.
Test-prep businesses and tutors wear many hats, but one that cannot be overlooked is “communicator.” As the professional, it is up to you to digest what is going on at both the student and industry levels in order to craft clear, actionable advice to share with your clients.
Artfully blending these micro- and macro-level insights is a defining trait of a successful test-prep business. Clear Choice offers detailed score reports and analytical tools to help with the student-level insights, but what about the big-picture developments?
Focus on the Student-Relevant Aspects of Industry News
Anyone can set up a Google Alert for test prep and college admissions news - including your students and their parents. The value that you can provide comes in translating that news and drawing attention to the aspects that directly affect a particular student’s quest for an acceptance letter. Done well, you serve as equal parts filter and curator.
Before blindly sharing industry news with a client or eating up valuable tutoring time discussing a test prep-related current event, ask yourself the following questions:
Does this affect which test this student should be preparing for?
Does this impact the student’s application timeline?
Does this affect the student’s admissions chances - either overall or to a particular school?
Does this have to do with a particular college or type of school that this student is targeting?
Does this justify a test prep or college application strategy that you are proposing to a student?
Basically, if you cannot frame the news or advice in a way that is directly relevant to the student, it probably doesn’t need to be shared. The facts can certainly govern how you, as a professional, practice your craft, but pulling back the curtain isn’t always fruitful (or even necessary). Remember, your clients come to you for a very specific reason: to improve test scores and get accepted to college - not to become test-prep tutors themselves.
The Nature of the Information Should Dictate How You Share It
At Clear Choice, we have a variety of methods of communicating with our clients: in-person meetings, video conferences, phone calls, our blog (you should subscribe!), and email- to name a few. We use these channels to deliver support, provide information about curriculum updates, share industry news, and offer test-prep strategies.
Before communicating any message to your clients, consider which delivery method best matches both the content and your intent. For instance, your take on the test-prep news of the day may be best suited for a professional blog or newsletter. This way, you can share news that is “for the good of the order” without having to reiterate the same message for each individual client. This also avoids the need to cut into valuable instructional time.
From a marketing perspective, this format also helps you build professional authority. When you can point potential clients to a website or other materials that successfully unpack the test-prep universe, it can do wonders for your credibility. Parents want to know that they are paying for the best - if you can teach them through your insights and demonstrate your ability to stay current in your field, you up your odds of converting a customer.
Messaging needs to be an ongoing process even after you’ve acquired a client. As with all things test prep, personalization is crucial. It makes your students and parents feel that they are truly receiving your attention and care and not just receiving some canned, one-size-fits-all program.
The more personal your information is, the more personal your messaging medium should be. For example, highlighting an important development that you can tie directly to specific students’ college application journeys may be best suited for an email or other form of asynchronous digital message. This gives your clients access to the information they need when they’re ready to read and digest it (as long as you have done your job explaining and deciphering it for them). Be prepared for follow-up questions, but if you are clear in what you are sharing (and why you shared it), these messages should stand on their own.
Just be sure that when sharing news or insights with specific parents or students, you don’t ignore the personal touches:
Address recipients by name
Include a quick rationale up front for why you are sharing what you are sharing
Connect your message to the student’s actual test-prep experiences
Last, but not least, some information simply needs to be delivered face-to-face. The ability to elaborate and clarify based on the recipient’s response works better in real-time than through an inbox. That said, save in-person communication for what really matters - making personal connections and delivering instruction. Sure, you may need to talk shop about the application process and state of the testing industry every once in a while to justify your practice, but keep it short and direct.
Your Ability to Translate Test-Prep News is as Important as the News Itself
When we at Clear Choice communicate with you, our tone and verbiage takes into account our audience: test-prep tutors and business owners. As such, we can freely use the vernacular of the test-prep industry and assume the messaging will make sense.
When speaking with clients, insider-speak may make you sound knowledgeable, but it will likely muddy the important messages your clients need to hear. Communications with prospective or current clients need to be clear and direct - not jargon-laden monologues.
When sharing test prep or college admission news, don’t bury the lead. Cut to the chase with the actionable information and state it clearly. When asked, be sure that you can take the time to unpack the hows and whys of what you are communicating, but don’t feel you always need to throw it all out there up front.
For instance, take this point from one of our recent posts:
It stands to reason that before College Board can expect to administer the SAT - its flagship test - remotely, the concerns of the 2020 AP will need to be sorted out. And with lawsuits starting to pop up about the 2020 online AP process, don’t expect College Board to announce any distance-testing adjustments that could be used against them as a mea culpa in a court of law. Instead, the dream of an at-home SAT will have to wait.
There is a lot here for us to unpack, but for your clients there’s really only a single relevant point: there is no online SAT®, and there probably won’t be for students applying during the 2020-2021 school year. If your clients want to know more, you can certainly elaborate. Odds are, they don’t care. The future of the SAT® holds little meaning to someone who hopes to never take it again after this or next year.
As with all things test prep, it all comes back to establishing a rapport with your students - both those you already have and those you are hoping to serve. You are more than just a tutor; you are a guiding hand to help students and their families navigate a confusing, daunting, and often unpredictable college admissions process.
Strong test scores can be a massive difference-maker between acceptance and rejection - your ability to communicate that fact and then deliver reliable support is what will make you an elite in the field.
For more on how Clear Choice can help you both stay informed and stay equipped to deliver a top-notch test-prep experience, click the link below to sign up for a free consultation.
