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Admitted Student Fence Sitters? Lift (Don’t Nudge) Them Toward Enrollment

June 9th, 2015

It never fails: As summer approaches we visit with a number of college enrollment managers who are still working frantically to finalize their incoming class. The question they ask us most often is, “How can I coach my staff to nudge prospective students off the fence?”fence sitter

Our answer: When someone is stuck they need more than a nudge, they need to be lifted over that fence. The bottom line is that when you are working with a non-committed student in the late stage of the cycle, you can be certain that there’s a concern or objection that hasn’t been addressed. And, no matter where you are in the recruiting cycle, it is a GOOD thing when a prospective student or parent communicates a concern or objection about your college. Really.

When a concern or objection is revealed, you can deal with it. If they don’t share their concerns, they’ll never enroll and you’ll never know why. There are several great ways to cope with objections and concerns. But the first thing you have to do is to determine whether they exist.

The easiest way to do this is simply to ask.

Ask the student whether they have any concerns or questions that would prevent them from attending your school. If they acknowledge that concerns exist, you have to isolate each one and respond to it.

Questions, concerns, objections and indifference almost always arise during the college shopping process. And they vary widely. We train admission counselors in a variety of effective methods to manage each type. One of our favorite techniques is called the “Feel, Felt, Found” method of responding to a student’s concern.

Let’s take the student who is “fence sitting” about enrolling for classes that begin in just two months. Your previous conversations have gone well and you have been told that your college is a likely choice but the student has failed to take the final step. It’s time to probe for the core concern and you should be direct.

You ask, “What’s holding you back?”

The student replies, “My high school is pretty small and everybody knows each other. Your campus is SO big. I’m afraid I’ll get lost in all these people.”

With “Feel, Felt, Found” you can reassure them by saying, “I understand how you feel. I’ve talked to a lot of students from small high schools who felt the same way you do …

… In fact, Ashley, who interns in our admissions office, felt that same way before she enrolled here …

… But after coming, she found out how easy it is to meet people and form close friendships with students on our campus who have similar interests. I’m sure that will happen for you, too. Let’s get you signed up to attend our freshman retreat in July where you’ll make friends with students from big and small high schools.”

 “Feel, Felt, Found” helps to dissolve a concern or objection by confirming that others had similar concerns that turned out to be unfounded. Often, it’s all you need to lift a student over the fence and onto the exciting next chapter of his or her life.

We teach new and experienced counselors how to work smarter, recruit more effectively and, most importantly, adopt a student-centric approach to everything they do.ITW_Logo_503x232

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 net result? 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. From my many years in enrollment management, I know that  summer is the ideal time to train and motivate your staff. Email or call me if you are interested in how we can help you have a powerhouse admissions team.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. Be sure to Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.

Karen Full picKaren 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.Call Karen at 913/492.1265 x.711 or email her at kfull@longmire-co.com. Follow Karen on Twitter @KarenAFull.

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Posted in Behavior, Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training

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Join Other Colleges and Team Up for An Important New Study

June 3rd, 2015

Last week we launched our new co-sponsored study, “The Relationship Dynamic: How prospective students form a relationship with your college, and why it matters in your ability to grow and control enrollment.”

We have begun the college co-sponser sign-up process and in this short period of time it looks like this may be our largest nationally co-sponsored study yet (topping the 40 colleges that participated in last year’s study, “The Excitement Factor!”).

Now, you can join a number of highly-respected colleges and universities including Hofstra, Purdue, University of Denver, Eastern Michigan University, University of Findlay, Eastern Kentucky, and Westminster College (PA) that have already jumped on board to get powerful data about building the types of relationships with prospective students that will lead to enrollment. We anticipate north of 45 to 50 public, private, and community colleges participating. And we always get a good mix of schools in terms of geography and size which allows for peer comparisons.

Love-my-NEW-college-300x200As admission professionals, we know that creating a connection with a student can greatly increase the likelihood of his or her enrollment. We know that building relationships and continually strengthening those bonds is crucial. But big questions remain unanswered: “What can I do to influence relationship-building with prospective students in all aspects of our recruitment efforts, from social media to personal contact?” “How can I involve all influencers, on or off campus, in the development of rich relationships with our prospective students?” And, “have we, or have we not, built bonds with our pool of prospective students?”

If you jump in with our other co-sponsoring institutions, here’s what you’ll learn about the prospective students in your pool:

  • When the relationship building process begins, the subsequent timeline, and milestones
  • Why students form a bond with one college and not another
  • The types of conversations and interactions that bind a student to a college
  • How admission counselors and others on campus can be more effective as relationship builders
  • How differing forms of communication help to cultivate relationships (personal interaction, email, social media, direct mail, and more)
  • Identifying psychographic segments of students and the types of relationships they seek with colleges
  • How people and methods outside the control of the college impact relationship building and how you can leverage those influences

Co-sponsors find our studies valuable because of the wealth of information they gain – information they can use to drive action and change. And becuase these studies attract a high number of co-sponsoring institutions they are extremely affordable, costing a fraction of the expense of an individual research project.

For more information, download detailed information about the study by CLICKING HERE or call us at 913/492.1265 x.701.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. Be sure to Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.

RickMontgomery_100x100Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative 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 Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Organizational development, Research, Your Value Proposition

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Are You Truly Prepared to Answer This: Why Should I Choose Your College?

May 27th, 2015

For years, our Interactive Counselor Training workshops have included a section in which we pose a question to the counselors: “Why should someone attend your college?” Predictably, we get myriad responses that include features and benefits that could apply to a great many colleges such as, “We are small and you get highly personalized attention here.” Or, “We are large and give you all the benefits of variety and diversity in our programs and people.”

finding your whyPick any attribute and benefit that you communicate about your college and in all likelihood there are many other colleges that are saying exactly the same thing. Falling into this trap is essentially the same as stepping up to the plate and calling two strikes on yourself before the first pitch. You can’t differentiate your college in the hearts and minds of prospective students.

To help colleges counteract this tendency, we use a video of Simon Sinek talking about “finding the why.” Sinek is a leadership authority, professor at Columbia University, and author whose philosophy is that people “don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” In one of the most watched TED talks of all time, he suggests that people will buy from you if they sense that you believe what they believe. I highly recommend watching his video.  Click here to see it now.

Sinek’s video serves as a springboard for an in-depth discussion of the importance of framing your institution’s value in a way that resonates with what the prospective student believes and finds important in a college. Unfortunately, we have discovered that many colleges don’t truly know what they believe in. They may understand and articulate the attributes of their institution. They can give you many good reasons why they think they are the best college for you. But they have never gone though the process of distilling all of their special qualities into a single belief – an overarching value proposition that the student will immediately find meaningful and compelling.

If this seems a bit abstract, let me share a real-world example from our own experience. Often, a college will ask us, “What do you do?” We  say, “At Longmire and Company we believe that the conversations between prospective students and the colleges they are considering can be much richer and more fruitful for both. Everything we do helps colleges better understand and communicate with prospective students.” We usually follow up with specifics, “This includes counselor training workshops, yield enhancement tools to help you get to know students better, and other products and services that enable a college to attract and enroll prospective students.”

Please trust me that I didn’t insert all of this just to plug Longmire and Company. If you don’t know us, and I just tell you WHAT we do, it has no context. And it’s probably boring. But if I first tell you WHY we do what we do, it gives meaning to the products and services we have. And if you believe – like we do – that having richer conversations with your prospective students will lead to greater enrollment, then you’re most likely to trust that we can help you.

The same cognitive and emotional process holds true when prospective students ask you (in direct and indirect ways) why they should attend your school. Instead of citing features and benefits like the inherent advantages of your small or large school, or the beautiful campus, or your famous alumni, football team or other renowned attribute, first tell them what you believe. “At XYZ University,” you might say, “we believe that students should have the opportunity to ….” Or, “At XYZ, we believe that students deserve ….”

Once prospective students know what you believe and why you do what you do, all of the features and benefits that you present will have context and greater meaning. They will carry greater weight. They will be more compelling. And even though your individual attributes may be similar to that of other institutions, the student will perceive them as being different because you have delivered them in a context that makes you unique.

First you have to find your “why.” Then, you must articulate it clearly and concisely. Finally, you must be able to translate it into how you serve students.

ITW_Logo_503x232We’ve helped many colleges do this while we’re on campuses conducting our Interactive Training Workshops. Since our workshops are completely customized, we often include activities for the sole purpose of defining “WHY.” Recently, we had the opportunity to conduct a workshop that included not only admission counselors and staff but also coaches, faculty, financial aid counselors, and members of the bursar’s office. The workshop included a breakout session of small groups who were challenged to complete the following sentence, “At [the college’s name] we believe….” The rules of this exercise mandated that they discuss it as a group and arrive at a mutually agreeable statement that reflected the underlying belief of the college and how that belief gets translated into serving students in ways that are unique.

The results were nothing short of amazing. This diverse group of individuals, representing nearly every branch of the college, ultimately adopted a singular statement that all thought accurately represented the central belief of the institution. Moreover, they were able to share many examples of how their now-defined “WHY” can provide greater weight and meaning to their features and benefits statements.

Now, instead of simply saying they are a small college that delivers highly personalized service, they are now saying, “At [the college name], we believe that students deserve…and as a small college, we deliver on that belief by….” Their clearer understanding of who they are, and what they fundamentally deliver to students, helps them articulate how they are extraordinary in the sea of choices available to prospective students. That clarity naturally infuses itself in every conversation they now have with prospective students.

We’ve been on many campuses over the years conducting workshops and I can tell you that the vast majority of the colleges we’ve worked with have a deeply-rooted sense of who they are, and how they are different. They just don’t know how to articulate it precisely.

If you fall in this category, do this: Gather some people from your college (from as many departments as you like), mix them up and break them out into groups, and ask them to complete this sentence, “At [your college name], we believe …”

Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. For more information about Longmire and Company’s Interactive Counselor Training Program, click here. Be sure to Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.

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 Behavior, Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Organizational development, Your Value Proposition

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Uncovered: Surprising Ways to Build a Stronger Bond with Prospective Students

May 20th, 2015

In our most recent nationally co-sponsored study, The Excitement Factor!, 12,000 college-bound students shared insights with us about the ways colleges made them feel welcomed and wanted. We uncovered a number of surprises that underscore opportunities for colleges to differentiate themselves and build a stronger bond with the students you are recruiting.
Writing-letter-300x201The most shocking discovery came when we asked students if the colleges they were considering had taken a personal interest in them at any point in the recruiting process. Two-thirds said “No” or “Don’t Remember” and in our view “Don’t remember” is the same as “No.” (You can DOWNLOAD  the full report now.) Those who did experience personal interest from colleges were very specific in recalling who, what and how that interest was conveyed and how it laid the foundation for a relationship with the college that would lead to their enrollment.

Handwritten notes impress.

Pen and paper seems so “1980’s,” so who would ever guess that Millennials and Gen-Z’s would respond favorably to handwritten notes? But they do! Numerous students shared stories about the “handwritten” notes they had received from admissions counselors, professors, alumni, other students, tour guides and coaches. These notes left a lasting impression and made them feel special (exactly how someone SHOULD feel about the college of their choice). One student summed it up, “Getting a personal letter from a professor I met on campus made me feel like they really wanted me. It was handwritten and he referred back to the conversation we had. That’s when I felt [the college] was the right fit for me.”

The right email CAN have big impact

Perhaps you have heard or taken part in the ongoing debate of the effectiveness of email communications from colleges to prospective students. The study definitely uncovered many nuances in students’ feelings about the subject. And, yes, just as you have suspected, a barrage of impersonal emails cluttering one’s inbox is NOT an effective recruitment tactic. However, well-crafted, personalized emails can be very meaningful and can contribute to building a bond between the student and college. Students cited examples of emails they received that impacted their college decision:

  • “My admissions counselor emailed me a birthday card. None of my friends got that kind of attention from the colleges they were looking at.”
  • “After we talked to a professor during a campus visit, my mom and I both got emails from her telling us how much she enjoyed meeting us. That was a deciding factor for me.”
  • “It seemed like they really knew me. I got emails and invites for campus events and activities that interested me.”

Cultivate the influencers – they may be in unexpected places

You already know that many students are persuaded to attend a particular college because of friends or family members. As a matter of fact, nearly 40% of students participating in The Excitement Factor! study told us that their college choice was influenced by where a parent or sibling attended. But, we also discovered other outside influencers you need to know. Students described interactions with student teachers at their junior and senior high schools, faculty and staff members they met at various summer camps and academic competitions, and even shopkeepers at local stores as individuals who played a significant role in their college selection.

Get and use actionable data

Successful admission professionals know that creating a connection with a student can greatly increase his or her commitment to the college and improve the likelihood of enrollment. They know that building a relationship and continually strengthening aRelationshipDynamic_300x172 bond is crucial. We will be exploring this subject in great detail in our next national co-sponsored study, “The Relationship Dynamic: How prospective students form a relationship with your college, and why it matters in your ability to grow and control enrollment.” Join a consortium of some of the most highly-respected colleges and universities in the country to find out how YOUR OWN pool of prospective students have or have not formed a relationship with you. Co-sponsors find our studies valuable because of the wealth of information they gain– information they can use to drive action and change. For detailed information, colleges can download detailed information about the study by CLICKING HERE.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @LongmireCo. Be sure to Subscribe to Versions of Conversion today so you don’t miss any of this highly-valuable information.

Karen Full picKaren 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.Call Karen at 913/492.1265 x.711 or email her at kfull@longmire-co.com. Follow Karen on Twitter @KarenAFull.

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Posted in Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Customer service, Research

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