Four Sales Tips For Colleges To Increase Applicants
Four Sales Tips For Colleges To Increase Applicants
After a dozen college visits, there are Four Sales Tips for College Admissions teams that can make a massive difference on the conversion of campus visitors to applicants.
Web research, virtual tours, reviews and other content consumption are the first steps for prospective students as they narrow down where they will visit. 84% of seniors will visit a campus and many will visit up to six colleges and universities. All the tracking of prospective student and family emails, the virtual and in person interviews, follows on social media accounts, web visits website and digital engagement help the school help predict demonstrated interest. An in person visit is the chance for face-time with a qualified prospect and so very valuable.
Most of the campus visits follow a predictable pattern which usually begins with an information session, followed by a student-led tour, and then a regroup back in admissions where additional questions can be answered. For some students such as recruited student-athletes or students pursuing a specific degree, the visit may include a meeting with coaches and a tour of the athletic facilities or time with a Department Chair.
Whether a college tour is a one on one tour, a group tour, or part of a prospect day for a large group of potential student-athletes, these sales tips can have a tremendous impact on visitor to applicant conversion percentages.
Four Sales Tips For Colleges To Increase Applications Submitted
- Break the ice at the beginning of the tour.
On most tours, the guide has said their name, year, and then walked out the door. Start with a simple icebreaker. Ask each prospective student their name, where they have traveled from, what they are interested in studying, and what they’d like to see during the tour.
On all 12 student-led tours, the tour guide has shared their decision making process for choosing the school at the end of the tour. That should be flipped to the start of the tour. By sharing this information upfront, it establishes an emotional connection with prospective students who are going through their own decision process. And, that will make future communication happen naturally and students are more likely to ask more questions.
- Ask questions that elicit a positive “yes” and not a “no” response.
During the last five tours taken, the following question has been asked an average of 16 times. Do you have any questions about (insert - the building, the class, the mailroom, the meal plan, etc.)? Now, add that up across 12 visits and that is 192 times everyone could have said or nodded no. Maybe 20 times total across all the tours, someone said yes and then asked a question.
After training hundreds of top-performing sales professionals as a fractional CRO and sales mentor, that is the #1 question we try to remove from any meeting, presentation, or demonstration.
There are simple questions that will elicit a positive response. Does this information make sense? Do you see how the campus is designed to make it easy to navigate? Which food stations in the dining hall did you like best? Has this been helpful? Do you feel like you understand how the meal plan works?
172 yeses is way better than 172 no’s, wouldn’t you agree?
- Take the prospective students into a dorm room, dining hall, classroom, community and recreational centers.
Surprisingly, more than half of the tours have not included a walk through of all of the above. The natural reaction when you don’t see them is why? Oftentimes, the dorms will be where they will live on their own for the first time. It is so important for that not to be a concern. Many campuses have triples, doubles, singles, and suites. Show the most common one for first year students.
For food, the explanation of the meal plan options is always a staple but some schools did not tour any of the dining hall(s). Every parent's nightmare is that their student will not like the food and some colleges and universities are rural. Take them through the dining area and let them see what is there.
If the students on the tour have introduced what they are interested in at the beginning, then show the buildings where they will spend their time. Too often on these tours, the tour guide will just show the outside or the foyer of a building. Show a classroom or two. Show the student gym and recreational center where students can work out. If someone is an actor or performer, then show them the theater.
- Close the tour on a positive note.
At the tour's end, ask the prospective students what the favorite part of the tour was, leaving that thought fresh in their mind as they depart. Then, provide them with a local cheat sheet or link to a web page to check out what the community has to offer and local restaurant recommendations. After all, the surrounding community is very important to the college experience and after every visit, food has been next on the list.
When a prospective student visit occurs, it has evolved due to the Common App making it easier for prospective students to apply to multiple schools and see what happens. In 2019, Southern New Hampshire University spent $144M on marketing alone per the Heching Report. How can smaller colleges and universities compete with that? No matter what the size of college or university, admissions can invest in some basic training to help the school to drive more visitor conversions to applicants. This will not only help with revenue, it will strengthen the schools reputation as being more selective in the years ahead.
If you're interested in Justellus providing onsite or virtual training for your staff and student tour leaders, please contact us for assistance or schedule a meeting with Justellus today. We’d love to help.
Happy Selling!