First of all, this is honestly not a sales pitch.
If starting off an email with that line makes more people believe this is a sales pitch,
So be it.
It’s not.
This is a genuine reflection on where we have been failing as a revision coaching business,
And what we are going to do about it.
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There are two main problems when it comes to revision:
1) Lacking the personalised guidance on how to effectively revise
2) Lacking sustained and trusted support a student wants to engage with.
Our revision coaching service is meant to give students the chance that they deserve in the face of an unequal, neuro-typical and generic education system.
And I guess in theory we have been doing that.
But we have been failing to really make the impact on many students that we are striving for because we have been missing one key element.
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I have been trying to get better at golf over the last 5 years or so.
Without much success.
Every so often I would go through a particularly bad stretch of playing and would hire a coach to give me a lesson or two.
EVERY SINGLE TIME I would come out of the lesson feeling better then when I went in.
My swing would improve.
My distances would have got longer,
And my motivation and love of the game would skyrocket.
The problem is, the next time I visit the course,
At the first sign of adversity, I would almost always crumble and revert back into bad habits.
I truly believe,
In fact I know,
That my golf game would be light years better if my coach played every round with me.
My golf game would even be significantly better if I could video call my coach for 5 minutes before every round.
My golf game would even be noticeably improved if I had a 15 minute zoom call with my coach once a week where I discussed what I was struggling with that week – even if it was mostly the same things each week!!
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Now I don’t know if golf coaches offer these services,
They probably would if you paid them enough,
But they are not a typical option for the everyday bad golfer like me.
But it would make the world of difference.
This got me thinking …
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How does this apply to revision?
Revision is a skill much like golf.
So in my example above,
What is the key factor that would really improved my golf game unlike anything else?
It’s the continuing support from an informed coach I respect and who knows my game specifically.
The more support I get the more confident I would be.
Getting an amazing piece of advice will very rarely do the trick,
If it is not followed up by LOTS of re-iteration, re-focusing my attention after a set back and ultimately accountability.
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Our revision coaching service has historically focused on providing as much tangible value to the student as physically possible in a relatively short amount of time.
We thought parents wanted to see quick results so we doubled down on providing their teenager with as much useful and unique information as possible.
Whilst this approach has worked beautifully for some families,
I think it has failed to really impact in the way that we aim to for most students.
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Our tips, tricks and strategies are very effective, personalisable and not given by schools or tutors.
But your teenager will not make the lasting improvements that they are striving for if you’re only looking out for our information.
Much like with the golf example, your teenager will likely have a motivation burst, but at the first speed bump, the wheels will likely come off.
The number one factor that will determine whether or not your teenager significantly improves their independent learning is the relationship that they form with their coach.
When the matching process works well,
(And there is no point continuing with the service if it doesn’t),
Your teenager will gain a support system that becomes their life vest.
Holding them accountable,
Congratulating them on the wins,
And offering advice and an unjudgmental ear in the tough moments.
In a way that a family member, a teacher and someone in their peer group cannot.
The value of having this person who you like,
Look up to,
And is informed on effective revision techniques,
Available to you on a continuing basis is where at least 95% of the value comes from.
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If you have read this far, I want to commit something to you.
I am going to re-focus our business so that far more students get what they need,
Even if it is not what many parents/students initially think they want,
And even if this generates us less profits.
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I hope you have a great week ahead,
Best wishes,
Joel