Jumping from tutoring to sales may not seem like a logical next step in career progression. But in fact, a tutoring career and a sales role share quite a few similarities in skillset. Being a primary and lower-secondary maths tutor, I’ve gained skills that are surprisingly transferable to a sales career.
What sales is, and is not
When I refer to sales, I’m not talking about the used-car-salesman who will apply every manipulation tactic known to mankind to make you buy something you don’t need nor want. Effective sales is not manipulative or sleazy. Rather, it’s all about identifying a person’s needs, problems, or aspirations, and providing solutions through a product or service. It’s ultimately about making people’s lives better and easier. Very wholesome in fact.
Sales roles come in all shapes and sizes, so don’t be deterred by a sales opportunity because cold calling or going door to door is not your thing.
The similarities between tutoring and sales
One form of a sales position is consulting work. This is where the skills gained from tutoring apply most. Let’s take a dive into how math tutoring can set you up for success in a sales role.
1. Being able to identify a student's needs and problems
Students seek tutoring because there’s something about their academic abilities that they want to improve on. Some students are not getting ideal grades, whilst others are seeking to get ahead of their grade level in maths. Once I know what the student’s needs or problem is, it’s necessary for me to dive deeper and investigate the reasons why the problem or need is there in the first place, and provide the resources to fill in the need or overcome the problem. For the student who is falling behind in their maths learning, I’ll need to find out which math concepts they haven’t grasped yet, and plan out how they will learn to build their maths skills.
How this relates to sales
The reason why a prospect is coming to your business or others in the same industry is that they’re seeking a resolution to their problems, or to fill in a need. As a sales representative of your company, you are required to play detective and pinpoint exactly what their problem is, and offer the best solution possible.
2. Interpersonal skills - being able to read people’s actions
Some of my students are on the quieter side and rarely ask questions when they don’t understand a concept I’m teaching them. With these students who are shy about voicing their concerns, they’ll try to indirectly express their confusion through their facial expressions, tone, and body language. As a maths tutor, it’s really important that I’m able to pick up on those cues and help the student accordingly.
How this relates to sales
Even though a prospect goes to you because they want a solution to their problem from you, they may not always be comfortable directly verbalising their questions and concerns to you. Being afraid to verbally express one’s thoughts might be as simple as not wanting to appear ‘stupid’. Other times, the prospect is not convinced about your business’ offering, but they won’t bluntly say it to you. It’s your job as a sales rep to be able to read and understand people when consulting.
3. Verbal and written communication
Strong communication skills are absolutely crucial to being an effective tutor. It’s important that I’m able to articulate complex and challenging mathematical concepts in a digestible way for the student to understand them. Especially if it’s the first time the student is learning the concept, I’ll need to explain it many times and in different ways before they can grasp it.
How this relates to sales
As a sales rep, how effective you communicate with your prospect can determine whether you close a sale or not. The skill is critical for salespeople who work in industries where prospects are not highly informed about their problems and the solutions to them. For example, the majority of a bank’s prospects and customers don’t have a detailed understanding of financial concepts. This means they rely on the bank consultant to help them get their head around the bank’s products and services. The bank consultant would need to educate the prospect about the complex product or service they’re offering through simple and digestible language to close the sale.
4. Adaptability and getting along with everyone
Every student has a different personality, learning-style, and expectation of me as a tutor. Some are shy and quiet, others have short attention spans. One of them likes taking notes, whereas the other one needs diagrams to get a maths concept to click. Depending on the student’s idiosyncrasies, I’ll need to adjust how I interact and teach them to maximise their learning.
How this relates to sales
Prospects come in many different shapes, sizes, and circumstances. Like how I need to adapt my teaching and interaction depending on the student, a sales rep would need to be comfortable with meeting all types of people.
Key Takeaways
Some sales roles rely on soft skills such as empathy, interpersonal skills, communication, and getting along with all types of people. My experience as a maths tutor has taught me those skills, despite working in an entirely different environment and role.
Comments