Some people who contact me interested in taking English classes show such a puzzling attitude that always boggles my mind. I mean, it seems they want to learn but at the same time they don’t want to pay the price in time, effort and money.
Unfailingly during my vacation one or two prospective students/ clients will contact me. Hey, new meat! That’s always good but why in the 30 days prior to my vacation no one had contacted me? There’s something skewered in the universe. Talk ab
out breaking the utopia of totally switching yourself off. But that’s ok. As a self-employed professional I must stay alert to new business opportunities especially after giving up 10 days of pay.
It wasn’t different this time. There I was enjoying my days off in Dallas and then I received almost simultaneously two different contacts via whatsApp about English classes. I politely replied by thanking them for the contact, and explained that I was on vacation and as soon as I had gotten back I would get in touch with them. You might be thinking “come on. Call them right away. They shouldn’t be made to wait”. Well, they have survived all their lives without me. Can’t they wait 5 more days? Don’t you judge me! (chuckles)
Once back from vacations, here’s what I’ve learned so far about my two prospects:
Prospect 1 – male – works at a bank where I already teach. And he named himself Apple Tree in Spanish. Just kidding. His last name is Manzano, got it? Language level – Unknown. I asked if we could meet the following Monday for a chat and language evaluation. “Sorry”, he said, “I can’t because I’m leaving on vacation and I WILL CONTACT YOU AGAIN IF AND WHEN I AM BACK.”
Ok. Fine. Thanks for the contact.
Prospect 2 – female – referred to me by the daughter of a student. I tried to call her but she wouldn’t answer the phone. I messaged her asking when it would be a good time for us to talk and define her goals, fees, schedule, etc. No reply. 2 days later she messages me saying she hadn’t been able to call me back and said she would contact me again the following day. Still waiting for her. Now if she is THAT busy now, how will she be able to accommodate one more activity?
An adult in order to successfully benefit from any sort of studying, will have to invest time, effort and money. Their respective amount may vary but they will be needed. The problem is that the purpose and means to achieve their goal must be defined before they commit to this new project, which will not be as fast as downloading an MP3 song and it may be as costly as buying a compact car over time.
Cheers,
Mo
The Americanoid Blog 