Skeptical?
I hear you. Nobody has money to "throw away." Here are some things you might be thinking. I'll pretend I read your mind then I’ll tell you what I think—teachers first, then those who might want to hire them.
TEACHERS
1. I already get enough bookings.
Cool! Good for you! Would it be better or worse to get more booking requests if it meant that you had more jobs to choose from? What if it meant that you got more serious requests because prospective employers already knew your fees and requirements? What if you still had more bookings than you could handle? (Raise your price!)
2. I'm already listed in a bunch of places.
That's nice. Don't give them up; it never hurts to have your name out there. But, how much information about your teaching is out there with your name? Is it just an email address? No picture? No bio? No link to your home page? How about the kinds of presentations you offer? Your particular specialty? No? Hmmm….
In addition to all those things, did you know that FindAQuiltTeacher.com will also provide Teacher Fact Sheets for subscribers? They can download as many as they want. Why do you care? Because they'll get way more information about you and it will all be nice and organized on ONE page.
3. I have all my teaching information on my web page.
Sure you do. I've been there. It's like Hide & Seek to find it all. YOU know where it is, but it's not as quick and easy as you think for someone who has never visited your site before. Every teacher web site is organized differently. And you don't think people got distracted by all the pretty quilts, pictures of your dog, and all the stuff to buy?
4. Yeah, but it's all there. They can find it.
Why would you want to make someone who wants to hire you work so hard?! Try this. Download and print off the sample
Teacher Fact Sheet. Set your stop watch, go to your own web page, and find all the information that would be on the Teacher Fact Sheet. You don't even have to write anything down. Just check it off,
pretend to fill out the form. How long does it take you? Now imagine you had to copy and paste the information somewhere, re-format it, and organize it. Again: why not make it easier for someone to hire you?
5. $30 is a lot to spend on "advertising."
No it isn't, not for what you're getting—a personalized web page, downloadable Teacher Fact Sheet, a blog that will address ways to network better and work smarter. If you get ONE booking out of it, wouldn't that be worth it?
HIRING A TEACHER?
1. I can google with the best of them.
I'm sure you can. How long would it take to google 15 teachers' names, assuming you spelled them correctly and got teachers and not people in other professions with similar names? Ever get a good hit only to find supply list uploaded to a website six years ago with no contact information for the teacher?! THEN find their teaching information. Oh, and you'll probably want to copy and paste it somewhere. What's your time worth?
2. I'd prefer to go to a teacher's web site to see what their work is like.
You should—absolutely— but AFTER you pare down your list of prospective teachers by reading their Teacher Fact Sheets. THEN tool around their web site, look at their quilts, read their blogs, and get into the nitty-gritty of which workshops match the needs of your students. It doesn't have to be 'one or the other.' (It shouldn't be. That's why every teacher page on our site has a link to the teacher's home page.)
3. Anybody can get listed; how do I know if they're good teachers?
You don't. No one tool is going to give you all the answers. You've got to consider the teacher's background, their skill set, and their reputation. Talk to people who have heard them present and see if the topics they teach are of interest to your group. Is their teaching style compatible? You'll want to see how organized their web site is, read articles or books they've written, talk to them on the phone, and email them. All we hope to do is give you a really good place to start, a valuable document with really useful information on it, and some tips and hints along the way to make your job a little easier.
4. You should rate each teacher and let us post comments about them.
If we did that we'd have to let the teachers rate each shop, guild, and seminar they've taught for and post comments about you! Not gonna happen here. Just because it's possible doesn't mean it's a good idea.
5. What does my group/shop need to be listed for?
FindAQuiltTeacher.com isn't just for people who want to teach a class or hire a teacher. It's for people who want to learn to quilt. Your listing can help bring future quilters into the fold (and to your door) as guild members and customers. They are the lifeblood of our industry! Help them find you.
Your thoughts?
Ami Simms