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Hidden Influences: Find out what prospective students are NOT telling you

May 24th, 2016

Get On Board!

We know that prospective students don’t always tell us what they really think. Sometimes they don’t want to be completely honest about their REAL first-choice college because they think they’ll hurt our feelings. They may tell us they had a great campus visit, yet tell their parents on the way home that they’ll never enroll. They often say one thing and do another. Why?

Hidden_Influences_Cover

Unfortunately, their hidden opinions and perceptions hinder our ability to fully understand, communicate with, and ultimately recruit them. In light of this, colleges are asking, “How can we better understand the individuals we’re trying to recruit and uncover the positive and negative perceptions that influence their enrollment decisions?”

We will answer those critical questions in our next co-sponsored study, Hidden Influences: Revealing the unspoken perceptions that prospective students have about your college and why it matters in your ability to grow and control enrollment. This unprecedented study will break new ground in exploring the hidden perceptions and opinions that influence students in choosing your college or another. Unlike any other higher education research or non-matric studies, Hidden Influences will dive deeply into the emotions and perceptions that factor into the college selection process. This study, like our previous co-sponsored studies, will provide you with actionable information you can use immediately and effectively.

We hope you will join a prestigious list of co-sponsoring colleges and universities, large and small, and participate in this study. Co-sponsors find our studies valuable because of the wealth of new insight they gain about their individual pools of prospective students – insight they can use to drive action and change.

Tabulations_ReportAs a co-sponsor you receive a comprehensive set of tabulations relating to your pool of students, as well comparative data of others in your cohort and other market segments. You’ll also receive the national summary report before its widespread release.

In addition, Longmire and Company Enrollment Strategists will prepare and deliver a fully-customized webinar to review your individual findings and offer recommendations for specific actions you can take to improve your communications, conversations and interactions with prospective students. For these webinars co-sponsors often assemble staff from admissions, marketing, financial aid and faculty to benefit from the new perspectives, ideas and actions that these studies yield.

We have been told many times by co-sponsors that the webinar alone is worth the cost!

Webinar_Title_SlideIt can be very expensive for an individual college or university to do the scope of research needed to get the answers and insight we get. But by co-sponsoring with other institutions you get the best of both worlds: Data and insight about your pool of prospective students coupled with a national picture, resulting in a very comprehensive study for a fraction of what it would cost to do it on your own. These studies are affordable at just $2,975 (all inclusive) per institution.

For more information or to reserve your participation in this study, contact Rick Montgomery (913) 492-1265, ext. 708 or  by email at rmontgomery@longmire-co.com or me at (913) 492-1265, ext. 709, blongmire@longmire-co.com. Colleges are signing up now so we encourage you to contact us soon if you are thinking about participating. CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION.

We help colleges with their recruiting efforts every day. If we can help you please call or shoot me an email. Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. For more information about Longmire and Company and the tools we have to offer, click here. Be sure to subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.

RHL_Photo_100x100 Bob Longmire is President of Longmire and Company, Inc. He is a recognized expert on the topic of how prospective students and parents form their college selection decisions – and how colleges can use that knowledge to grow and control their enrollment. He can be reached at (913) 492-1265, ext 709 or at blongmire@longmire-co.com. Connect with Bob at Linkedin/in/boblongmire.

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Posted in Behavior, Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Organizational development, Research, Worthwhile Reading, Your Value Proposition

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Prospective Students Describe Counselor Traits that Create Relationships

May 11th, 2016

“Our college is investing so much in CRM automation and social media that I sometimes wonder if my role as an admission counselor is becoming less important,” Joseph said to me during a break at a recent conference. “What’s your opinion?” he asked.RelationshipDynamic_300x172

I told Joseph that more important than my opinion is that of the more than 12,000 prospective students that recently shared their thoughts with us. They were very clear on the importance of the admission counselor in the college selection process. They even weighed in on the effectiveness of social media marketing. Moreover, they were very specific about what traits and attributes make an admission counselor most effective.

We will soon be releasing a comprehensive report of the findings from our most recent co-sponsored study, “The Relationship Dynamic,” with more than 40 private and public colleges and universities joining forces to explore how prospective students form a relationship with a college, and why it matters in a college’s ability to grow and control enrollment. If you would like a copy of the full public report as soon as it is released, you can CLICK HERE to place your name on the distribution list.

How influential is the relationship building process? Very!

Over 80% of students say that the relationship they formed with their chosen college was influential in their decision to enroll. Nearly half of this group says it was “significant” in their decision. When asked to rate the strength of the relationship they formed with their chosen college (on a 10 high scale) leading up to their final decision 45% rated it 8 or higher.

Students often remember with specificity the circumstances and interactions related to the moment they felt they had formed a relationship with their chosen college. “The first time I met my admissions counselor,” one student said. Another said, “There was a part of the campus tour when we played games as a group and I felt like I was part of a family.” Yet another said, “I began receiving e-mails that were directed to my interests and not just in general for all students being accepted.”

Students were asked to identify and quantify the relative influence of specific interactions on their relationship with the college they selected. Across the board, social media scored in the neutral range whereas interaction with admission counselors ranged much higher, demonstrating a far greater influence on enrollment.

What qualities do top-notch admission counselors have that lead prospective students to bond with a college?

  1. They are knowledgeable and responsive. They know the answers to every question about their school, campus, costs, loans, scholarships, etc…  And, if they are asked a question that they don’t have an answer for, they promise to find out fast.
  2. They demonstrate a sincere interest in the student.  They get to know the prospective student as an individual and understand his or her particular needs, preferences and motivations.
  3. They connect the student to people, places and activities that will create excitement about the college. Because they have mastered #2, they know just who those people, places and activities should be.
  4. They make sure to let the students know that the college is interested in them.  They stay in touch and are responsive.

We all know that a student’s college selection is tied closely to the strength of the relationship they build with a college over time. And we know that creating relationships is a multifaceted, nuanced and crucial part of student recruitment. What Joseph, and all admission counselors must know is this:  Your role is crucial. You are a powerful motivator when you use all of the tools available to you.

We help colleges and universities with their recruiting efforts every day. If we can help you, please let me know. If you’ve thought about helping your staff with professional development, now is the ideal time to train and motivate your staff. Email or call me if you are interested in how we can help. Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. For more information about Longmire and Company and the tools we have to offer, click here. We will be sharing more key insights from this study so be sure to subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you can stay up-to-date.

We recently launched a series of free video training tutorials on our website and YouTube channel aimed at making your counselors even better at their jobs. On our website you’ll find an ever growing list of admission counselor tutorials. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more tutorials, powerful data from national co-sponsored studies and interviews with some of your peers.

RickMontgomery_100x100Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative and dynamic approach to helping colleges and universities meet their enrollment goals. Rick can be reached at 913/492.1265 x.708 or via email at rmontgomery@longmire-co.com.

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Posted in Behavior, Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Organizational development, Research, Worthwhile Reading, Your Value Proposition

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It’s Okay to Ask for the Order [Video]

March 29th, 2016

We recently launched a series of free video training tutorials on our website and YouTube channel aimed at making your counselors even better at their jobs. On our website you’ll find an ever growing list of admission counselor tutorials. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more tutorials, powerful data from national co-sponsored studies and interviews with some of your peers.

 CounselorTrainingSeriesVideos270x150Let’s take a moment and focus on the critical final step in the model of communication that will lead to higher yield for your college or university: CLOSING.

Did you cringe? Some readers may be thinking, “I am not in sales. I work for a highly-respected college.” I agree! That’s not what closing is about.

In the college admissions process, closing simply means getting the student to take the next logical step on the path to enrolling. That might mean asking the student to schedule a campus visit. Or complete an application. Or agree to meet students of like mind and interests on your campus.

In admissions we’re not in the business of imposing something on someone. We’re in the business of understanding how the student can best be served and suggesting the next logical step in providing the service we know they’ll benefit from. Many prospective students and parents have never been through this complex process of selecting a college. They need us to tell them what a good next step would be and why. And if we don’t do that for them then we’re not serving them well. If we don’t take charge then we’re not doing our duty for them or our institution.

There are many milestones on the path to enrolling. But in every conversation you have with a prospective student or parent, whether it is the first or the fifth, you should end with a suggestion that the student take the next logical step.

If the student indicates that a roadblock exists, you have to uncover his or her objection or concern. You may find that the objection or concern is rooted in a lack of information or a false assumption that the student or parent may have about your institution. You will never uncover that without asking for the next step and, if they resist, asking why. (You wouldn’t believe all of the funny false assumptions that counselors have told us they’ve heard from prospective students who didn’t want to take the next step. One Florida counselor told us a student didn’t want to move forward because she’d heard alligators sometimes get in the women’s dorm. The counselor assured her that she’d be safe from that.)

Many counselors tell us they are apprehensive about closing. They feel as though they are being intrusive or pushy by asking the student to take some action.

In truth, closing is a natural part of the dialogue. For the student, it signals the college’s desire to recruit them. They expect counselors to ask them to take action so it’s no surprise to them when they do. As a matter of fact, we have found that some students are disappointed when they are not asked to make some kind of commitment to the college. It signals a lack of desire on the part of the college.

Have you ever heard the expression, “Don’t get in your own way?” That is exactly what you are doing if you fail to ask for the close. Most counselors say that once they got into the habit of closing they were surprised at how many times prospective students happily agreed to take the next suggested step.


Closing, like the three other elements we have outlined in the model of communication, ensures you the most productive conversations with students.  Embrace the model, and you and the students you serve will be more successful.

Longmire and Company’s on-campus Interactive Training Workshops dramatically improve the performance of counselors and staff in areas such as effective communication with students and parents, applying creative entrepreneurship to their jobs, validating past and planned actions against outcomes, and discovering and leveraging the motivations of students (and themselves).

The end result is improved service to prospective students and families, measurable increases in yield, increased counselor and staff job satisfaction, enhanced teamwork, and innovations in work process within the department.

If you’ve thought about helping your staff with professional development, now is the ideal time to train and motivate your staff. Email or call me if you are interested in how we can help. Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. For more information about Longmire and Company and the tools we have to offer, click here. Be sure to subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you can stay up-to-date.

RHL_Photo_100x100Bob Longmire is President of Longmire and Company, Inc. He is a recognized expert on the topic of how prospective students and parents form their college selection decisions – and how colleges can use that knowledge to grow and control their enrollment. He can be reached at (913) 492-1265, ext 709 or at blongmire@longmire-co.com. Connect with Bob at Linkedin/in/boblongmire.

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Posted in Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Organizational development

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The Best Conversations with Prospective Students Begin with this Simple Skill

February 10th, 2016

In our work with admission staffs across the country we find that counselors often underutilize – or don’t understand – the most important recruiting tool available to them in talking with prospective students. Probing. It’s part art, part science. But when mastered it provides counselors with a gateway into understanding what the prospective student wants and needs in a college. And it helps uncover which of the college’s value propositions will most likely resonate with the student.

CounselorTrainingSeriesVideos270x150Performed with skill and empathy, probing leads to richer conversations. Both the student and college are better served. Through great conversations with counselors the student often discovers things that are, or should be, important to them. Likewise, counselors uncover ways their college can deliver value and service that will not only attract the student but also set the stage for their success.

“Probing” simply means asking a lot of questions. Most admission counselors will tell you that they do that. In reality, they don’t. The majority of counselors simply don’t cover a sufficient number of topics with a prospective student. They don’t ask the right questions and they don’t delve deeply enough to fully understand what will influence the student’s college selection decision.

When Longmire and Company visits campuses to conduct Interactive Training Workshops, we focus on the tools and techniques that counselors must use to put students in a frame of mind to open up and answer questions. This includes proper use of close-end, open-end, and open-minded questions that spark dialogue – even from otherwise non-verbal prospects.

We use role-playing extensively. We force counselors to probe for 10 minutes! They can’t talk about the college. They can ONLY ask questions. They have to open a broad range of topics of conversation (e.g. parents, academic interests, non-academic interests, feelings, fears, experiences, assumptions, false assumptions, and any other factors or perceptions that will influence their college selection). WOW! Say counselors after trying this. That’s hard!

Of course it is. Because they’re used to talking about their college more than they talk about the student.

Proper probing technique fixes that. It translates into better service to the student and higher yields for the college.

Check out this video tutorial on The Power of Probing. It will start you on the path of building a bond with prospective students and that is the surest way to best serve that student and your college.

This is the second in our recently launched series of free video training tutorials on our website and YouTube channel aimed at making your counselors even better at their jobs. On our website you’ll find an ever growing list of admission counselor tutorials. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more tutorials, powerful data from national co-sponsored studies and interviews with some of your peers.

I can guarantee one thing. A prospective student will engage, comprehend and remember any conversation that hits them at an emotional level. That’s the goal. And probing lays the foundation for that to happen.

If you’ve thought about helping your staff with professional development, now is the ideal time to train and motivate your staff. Email or call me if we can help you.

Continue the conversation on Twitter@LongmireCo. For more information about Longmire and Company and the tools we have to offer, click here. Be sure to subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you can stay up-to-date.

RickMontgomery_100x100Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative and dynamic approach to helping colleges and universities meet their enrollment goals. Rick can be reached at 913/492.1265 x.708 or via email at rmontgomery@longmire-co.com.

 

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Posted in Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Organizational development

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