When times are tough you start to envy undertakers and those employed by the Inland Revenue. As Benjamin Franklin said, 'nothing is more certain than death and taxes'. But, you would think that a driving instructor would also have a fairly steady stream of customers. There is no seasonality to people reaching the age of 17. Somehow, it doesn't quite work out like that.
Being a BSM franchisee, I pay a chunky wad each week to BSM. In return, I expect a new, 'fit-for-purpose' car (and, yes, I do include the Fiat 500 in that particular Venn diagram). I also expect a reasonably full diary, populated with pupils who have come to me via BSM. Many instructors are complaining that BSM are not providing them with enough pupils. Here is my suggestion: Instead of wasting hours on BSM's forum, complaining about the lack of pupils, or wasting hours watching Jordan getting covered in spider-encrusted goo (again), why not spend that time knocking up a nice poster to advertise your undoubted skills as a driving instructor? Why not get online and get yourself listed on Google, Yell and all the other free listings? Perhaps more importantly, why not try to make yourself the World's Greatest Driving Instructor and make your pupils look forward to their driving lessons. Praise them when they do well, be constructive when they are not doing so well and do all you can to make your lessons valuable and enjoyable.
In an earlier post, I mentioned that, due to having several pupils pass their test, I now had large gaps in my diary. Recently I have listed my services on Google et al, made posters and complained to the office about the lack of pupils (don't worry, they like, and expect, a bit of abuse in the office). BSM have also been running a really good promotion, 10 hours for £189. Unfortunately, none of this seemed to bring in more pupils. So when I heard about the 'lack of instructor' situation in Ullapool, I decided it was worth my while travelling the 160 mile round-trip to find more work. What worried me about this decision was that, with 5 of my 6 Ullapool pupils taking their test, I may have commited myself to travelling to Ullapool for one pupil.
Suddenly, last Friday, my phone went mad. I had six people calling to ask about driving lessons; all in Ullapool. Whenever I asked them where they had got my number from they just said 'Oh, a friend', or 'My daughter's best friend's neighbour' (or similar). I told them all about BSM's offer and several of them booked up there and then. Consequently, I was able to go to Ullapool yesterday with a very full day of lessons booked.
The first lesson was with one of these new pupils. She had never even sat in the driver seat before so I had to start with the very basics (Cockpit drill and controls). We progressed to moving off and stopping. This wasn't too bad, but she was wildly oversteering. On one occasion she moved off and was heading over to the right; when I asked her to bring the car back to the left she turned very sharply to the left and put her foot down on the accelerator. I immediately went for the brake but, too late. WHAM! We hit the curb, burst the front left tyre, dented the wheel, then watched the hubcap roll drunkenly down the road. My poor pupil was very apologetic but I tried to assure her that it was my fault for not getting on the brake in time. Not something I usually incorporate into my lessons, but she learned how to change a wheel (while I learned that changing a wheel would be much easier if I kept my car boot tidy).
Two lessons later Jayanne asked what had happened with the 'wheel incident'. I assumed she must have been walking nearby, but she said that the other pupil was a friend and had called her after the lesson. Later in her lesson she waved at someone in a passsing car and said "That's Karen, your next (new) pupil after my lesson." She seemed to know my diary better than I did. It turns out that I must thank Jayanne. It appears she was happy enough with her first lesson (two weeks ago) to recommend me to some of her friends, hence the rash of new pupils in Ullapool (with more to come, according to Jayanne).
A couple of weeks ago, while Ashley was making short work of her test, I was talking to Morrison at the test centre. Morrison used to be with BSM until he decided to go independent a couple of years ago. We talked about business levels and how he kept busy. He explained that, although he had spent money on advertising in Yellow Pages etc, he estimated that about 90% of his pupils came via recommendations from previous pupils. He obviously doesn't regret his decision to leave BSM and suggested that, if I am getting personal recommendations, I should do the same. I don't think so, at least not yet. I like the peace of mind in knowing I can just pick up the phone and instantly get the problem sorted each time I have a 'wheel incident'.
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