Posts Tagged ‘Longmire and Company study’

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18,000 College-Bound Students Stunned Us With This Response

March 28th, 2017

In our soon-to-be-released study, “Hidden Influences: Revealing the unspoken perceptions that prospective students have about your college and why it 2 in 10 graphicmatters in your ability to grow and control enrollment,” we asked over 18,000 college-bound students whether they felt the colleges they considered were more focused on understanding their needs and preferences or more focused on presenting information about their institutions.

Only 20% of students felt that colleges placed the focus on them. This feeling was shared by students bound for both public and private institutions.

What difference does this make in college selection? A big one.

Colleges that adopt a student-centric focus differentiate themselves within the college market and reap the benefits. The fact is, there is a positive correlation between likelihood of enrollment and the level of focus a college puts on a prospective student. There is more good news, too.  You can take the first step today to immediately enable richer, more fruitful conversations with the students you are trying to recruit.

Focus on student1

First Step:  Explore every facet of the student’s preferences.

All too often, in interactions between colleges and the students they are trying to recruit (through personal meetings, email exchanges, phone conversations, texts or any of the other ways students and counselors connect) colleges are doing almost all of the talking. Often overlooked is the student’s unique combination of interests, preferences, desires, anxieties and aspirations.

Colleges with smaller pools have the luxury of communicating personally with most, if not all, of their prospective students to probe and understand the uniqueness of an individual and presenting their value based on what the student perceives as being valuable.

Colleges with larger pools don’t have the luxury of having conversations with everyone. But that doesn’t mean they can’t get the same information through mechanisms other than conversation. They can utilize e-mail, text, social and other channels to not only OUTPUT information to students but also to enable students to INPUT information that can be appended to CRM data and used to refine future, more personalized, messages. (This isn’t theoretical by the way. We’ve been doing it for years for our college clients.)

When you shift your focus to the student you will better serve them and more effectively communicate your unique value proposition.

When the student perceives you as unique among their options you will have reached the coveted state of differentiation. Aligning your institution’s value to a student’s specific needs and desires breaks through barriers and creates real excitement for your college that will translate into enrollment.

In a previous higher education study, “Your Value Proposition: How students and parents perceive value and select colleges,” we learned that a student’s excitement about attending a college is more strongly correlated to likelihood of enrollment (by a factor of two) than either cost or the perceived quality of the institution.

Employ proven strategies for best results.

The Hidden Influences study revealed actionable information that colleges can use to uncover and manage the perceptions and opinions that prospective students have about their college and the other colleges they considered. In the study, students suggested specific strategies that colleges can use to uncover and understand their true feelings about the colleges they are considering.

In upcoming blog posts we’ll dive deeper into those strategies and how they can be employed, regardless of the size of your pool.

We are preparing to launch our next study!

Each year our national co-sponsored studies attract even more colleges that want to “get in” on the new and different insight we give them about their prospective students and students nationwide. If you’d like information about the topic of our next study, and the benefits you receive as a co-sponsor, be sure to CLICK HERE now to be alerted soon when put together our next group of co-sponsors.

You can also CLICK HERE to receive an advance copy of the Hidden Influence study report prior to its national release.

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 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, Research, Your Value Proposition

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Things Prospective Students Won’t Tell You … Unless You Ask!

March 22nd, 2017

We all 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. Or, 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.

The fact is: These hidden issues are often deal breakers but, when uncovered and dealt with, they can lead to enrollments.

Admission counselors tell us this “not knowing what a student really thinks and feels” is one of the greatest frustrations they face. So, we joined forces with 36 colleges and universities, private and public, large and small, from all over the United States, to explore this reality in-depth and find solutions. Over 18,000 college-bound students participated in our soon-to-be-released 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.” 

Beginning today and over the course of the next few weeks we will share details from this fascinating study. Today we are sharing strategies and techniques you can use to uncover the things students are holding back. And, by the way, these aren’t strategies we created. These are strategies that prospective students told us will work in revealing their true impressions and feelings.

These discoveries can be used immediately to enable richer, more fruitful conversations with the students you’re trying to recruit.

Half of prospective students visiting a college campus will see and experience things that they find unappealing.HI_Study_Unappealing

Sure, students are not going to like everything they see at all of the campuses they visit. That’s not news. What’s newsworthy is the finding that colleges are not probing to uncover whether negative impressions exist and, more precisely, WHICH negative impressions may have formed.

On average, only 13% of students say that an admission counselor ever inquired if they had seen or experienced anything the student found unappealing, concerning, or missing about their campus.

After a campus visit prospective students are often asked for their general impressions. We say, “So, how was your tour today?” Or, “What did you think about our campus?” About 70% of students will easily share their positive impressions. Will they so easily share their negative impressions? No. Only about 10% will.

Effective strategies to uncover what students really think.

Prospective students, like most people, are naturally inclined to be kind and keep quiet when they see things they don’t like about our campus. However, 72% of students say they would be comfortable talking about their negative impressions if invited to do so.

In a focus group we conducted with college-bound students in preparation for this study, students identified six things counselors can do or say that would prove effective in getting them to open up and share what they like and dislike the counselor’s college.

The single most effective statement (as identified by 6 in 10 students nationwide) in making them most comfortable involved, “The counselor simply and sincerely encouraging me to be open, honest, and forthcoming.”

Six statements/assurances students suggest that counselors use to get them to open up.

HI_Study_Comfortable


Try it out and see what you uncover!

Here’s how your interaction might play out using one of the assurance statements:  “I’m glad you like the campus, especially the stadium/dorms/quad.  It’s great, isn’t it? But let me ask, did you see anything that you didn’t like? And don’t worry. You aren’t going to hurt my feelings and it will help me do my job better.”  Counselors often hold themselves back from asking penetrating questions because they’re concerned that students will perceive them as being intrusive. That’s so unfortunate. For both the counselor AND the student.

Admission counselors who employ this approach tell us that they are often surprised by the answers they get. A misconception can be corrected or a concern alleviated. Not only do they get a real-time assessment of what the student is feeling, but they frequently uncover the ONE THING that will turn an admitted prospect into an enrolled student. It’s simple, and effective.

We will soon release the complete report of this national study, along with its recommendations for action and new approaches in conversations between admission counselors and prospective students. If you would like an advance copy of the Hidden Influences report CLICK HERE.

We help colleges and universities have better, richer conversations with prospective students to help them grow and shape enrollment. With our yield enhancement programs, interactive training workshops for counselors and other tools, we can help you too. Please call.

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.
RickMontgomery_100x100

Rick 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, Campus Tours, Campus Visits, Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Parents, Research, Your Value Proposition

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Finding out what prospective students will and won’t tell you

December 6th, 2016

“Why don’t the students we are recruiting just level with us?  I had four no-shows last weekend for campus visits, all from students who had verbally committed to me the week before,”uncover an admission counselor recently asked me. I’ve heard  iterations of this question many times: “Why do students say one thing and do another?” We asked over 18,000 college-bound students that very question, and many more.

Students may not be willing to share their hidden perceptions and feelings with the colleges they are seriously considering but they have been opening up to us in our latest nationally co-sponsored higher ed 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 study focused on the things students hold back from colleges during the college shopping process. An analysis of the results have revealed techniques and strategies colleges can use to unmask hidden influences and deal with them before the student solidifies his or her enrollment decision.

For instance, nearly 30% of college-bound students admit to making commitments to colleges that they knew they were unlikely to keep (e.g. completing an application, visiting the campus, enrolling, etc.). FYI, females are almost 60% more likely than males to do so.

Why do they do this?  Here’s what they tell us:keeping-commitments1

  • I felt uncomfortable saying no (10%)
  • I wanted to end the conversation (7%)
  • I thought there was a possibility that I would keep the commitment (60%)
  • It was easier than explaining why I didn’t want to commit (11%)
  • I wanted to keep my options open (78%)

(Students were asked to check all that apply.)

This is just one example “Hidden Influences” uncovered where study participants demonstrate that they do NOT like to be the bearer of what could be perceived as “bad news” to their admission counselor. Take note of the responses to this question:

If you need to tell a college that you are no longer interested in enrolling at their school which methods are you most comfortable using to do so? (Check all that apply.)

  • Face-to-face conversation: (15%)
  • Phone conversation: (32%)
  • Voice mail: (9%)
  • Email: (90%)
  • Text: (17%)

So, what should a counselor do? College-bound students told us there are ways to get them to open up with you even about difficult subjects.  More than half of the study participants said that they would be comfortable talking about negative things if “the counselor sincerely encouraged me to be open, honest and forthcoming.” When a prospective student communicates a concern or objection about your college, it’s a good thing. 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. Give them “permission” to be completely open with you and you will be building a richer relationship with the students you are recruiting.

This study yielded new market intelligence to shed light on the hidden influences and provide you with actionable data you can use to uncover and manage the perceptions and opinions that prospective students have about your college and the other colleges they have considered. The findings will influence your future conversations with students, as well as your mass communications. We are excited to share that with you and soon we will release the full national report on this eye-opening study. (Click here to put your name on the list for an advance copy.)

yield_season_workshop_bannerShifting gears: We are delighted to announce that for a limited time, Longmire and Company’s highly regarded counselor training workshop is coming to a location near you! A number of colleges and universities will be serving as regional host sites where nearby colleges can send counselors to participate in a full-day intensive Yield Season Counselor Training Workshop that will prepare counselors for yield season success. This very affordable workshop is designed to benefit seasoned counselors just as much as counselors who are going through their first full recruiting cycle. Best of all, counselors you send will return home with skills and techniques that can be shared with the whole admission team. For more information or to register today, click here.

We help colleges with their recruiting efforts every day. If we can help you please call me or any member of our team, 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.

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, Campus Tours, Campus Visits, Closing the Sale, Conversion and Yield, Counselor Training, Research, Worthwhile Reading, Your Value Proposition

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Special Announcement: How to Up Your Game For Yield Season Success

November 30th, 2016

College admission directors and enrollment managers often tell us that they wish they had the budget to hire professionals to train their admission teams. ampupyourgame3They tell us they know they need training; that their counselors would greatly benefit from learning new skills; and the right program would energize the entire staff.  “But,” they say regretfully, “we just don’t have the budget to support the large expenditure this kind of professional development often costs.”

So, when one of our clients casually asked if we would consider offering our Interactive Counselor Training Workshop on a regional basis so that colleges in the area could come and get the training they want and need, quickly and affordably, we were all in! And we suggested the focus be on yield.

We are delighted to announce that for a limited time, Longmire and Company’s highly regarded counselor training is coming to you! At a cost you can afford.

Colleges all over the United States hire us to come to them. To develop customized training to help their counselors work better and smarter, and have richer, more productive conversations with prospective students and parents that will lead to more (and more desirable) enrollments. There is no more important time than right now to coach your counselors in the finer points of moving students along the recruiting continuum and ultimately sealing the deal.

So we’ve developed a special day-long workshop that we’re bringing to your geographic area.

A number of colleges and universities will be serving as regional host sites where nearby colleges can send counselors to participate in a full-day intensive Yield Season Counselor Training Workshop that will prepare counselors for yield season success. This very affordable workshop is designed to benefit seasoned counselors just as much as counselors who are going through their first full recruiting cycle. Best of all, counselors you send will return home with skills and techniques that can be shared with the whole admission team.

We are selecting centralized geographic locations where counselors can easily drive to the event in the morning and be home for dinner the same night.

Attendees will learn new methods to:

  • Adopt a student-centric approach to recruiting.
  • Reveal the needs, preferences, motivations, and perceptions of prospective students.
  • More effectively present the value of their college based on what the student (and parent) perceives as being most valuable.
  • Manage the perceptions and opinions that prospective students form about their college.
  • Uncover hidden influences that will impact a student’s enrollment decision.
  • Learn how to differentiate your college.
  • Create and foster relationships with students that will lead to enrollment.
  • Discover the true influence of cost and isolate factors that will outweigh cost.
  • Enlist the support and influence of parents.
  • Share their new skills and techniques with the entire admission team.

The Bottom Line: You can Up Your Game this Yield Season for a minimal investment in time and money and a maximum return in your enrollment.

Our Yield Season Counselor Training Workshop is a comprehensive, highly interactive one-day program that incorporates our game-changing student-centric approach to recruiting.

Years of research and the input of many, many thousands of college-bound students shaped this training program. The answer to increasing enrollment in the face of the many challenges in higher education today lies in taking an entirely student-centric approach to recruiting where the admission office and counselors realize that “It’s not about the institution – it’s about the student.”

Colleges and universities that adopt the student-centric approach find that it is very is powerful. The skills and techniques that will build relationships that lead to enrollment are trainable. Through our Interactive Counselor Training Workshops we spend a great deal of time changing the focus of admission counselors. We see their transformation and improvements in productivity. Most importantly, we see changes in the recruiting process that exposes students to the information and experiences that truly interest and excite them.

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.

We see it work every day. Hire the right people, put them in roles that let their strengths shine through, and give them the proper training and tools so they can populate the institution with students who will be successful and committed to the institution long after graduation.

We have already scheduled Yield Season Counselor Training Workshops in Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky and Texas and we are adding more.

If you are interested in attending a workshop, suggesting a location, or even hosting a workshop, ask for details here.

We help colleges with their recruiting efforts every day. If we can help you please call me or any member of our team, 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.

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, Worthwhile Reading

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