Having spent over 20 years in college recruiting, I have lived through the delights and distresses of yield season. Right now, enrollment managers are encouraging their recruitment teams to step up their outreach efforts and, in many cases, they may be getting some resistance.

The next couple of months are crucial to the success of putting together the best possible 2015 class but many admissions recruiters will flounder because they simply don’t know how.

Typically, admissions counselors are some of the hardest working people on any college campus. They care, too, both about the students they are recruiting and the institution they represent. They really do want to reach or surpass their enrollment goals, but they just don’t know what to do next. So, they “hope” that the students will make the next move… attend the next campus event, send a deposit, or even just reach out with a question. When it comes to working with students, admission recruiters are generally well trained at “responding” or reacting to situations. Taking the initiative can be much tougher.

There are communication techniques your staff can learn that will help them feel confident about reaching out to their prospective students to ask the right questions.

For example: you know that a particular student wants to major in accounting. She has told you so, she’s done her research, and your college offers a top-notch accounting program. She applied. The anticipation is that she’ll enroll. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

But do you know why this student wants to major in accounting? Do you know if this is her primary reason for considering your college? What do her parents think about her choice of majors? Does she like accounting because she is good in math? Is math fun for her? What else does she find fun? Is the accounting program the only thing she finds attractive about your college? It’s not? She also is interested in student government and likes to get involved in things? Tell me more about that….

Those five words, “tell me more about that,” can open the door to a meaningful conversation with a prospective student. More importantly, you will be signaling sincere interest in the individual student and that alone will differentiate your college from others in the mix.

This is one of the core techniques we teach in the Interactive Counselor Training Workshops we hold on college campuses throughout the country. It  is also  a key component of YES, our Yield Enhancement Tool, that colleges and universities use to increase yield by 20% or more. It is a “light bulb moment” for counselors each and every time.

This works! These five magic words can lead you to uncover rich intelligence about the student that allows you to provide supporting information about why your school could be the right choice. Try it. When a student tells you something, or expresses an opinion, or a fear, or something that excites them, simply say, “tell me more about that.” 

Karen Full is a highly-respected higher education professional who has held positions in admissions and enrollment management at several institutions in the Midwest and Florida. With her vast experience working with large and small, public and private colleges, Karen brings a valuable perspective to her role as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company.

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