| Last month alone, more than 160,000 jobs were cut in | | | | and show rate trends and align the appropriate |
| the United States, according to Forbes magazine. | | | | products, services and messaging according to those |
| What are all those people going to do? Well, many | | | | profile needs. |
| plan to enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs | | | | Companies typically provide the frontline with |
| to increase their marketability. | | | | segmentation material that is simply demographics and |
| That is great news for universities, but a serious | | | | psychographics of potential student, which does not |
| problem still remains. How do the universities get the | | | | give a clear plan for catering to the segments' needs. |
| students who enrolled to actually show up on campus | | | | Instead, provide a student profile tool that is a clear and |
| (or online) and start paying tuition? This challenge is | | | | simple roadmap for tailoring the conversation to each |
| especially difficult for technical universities, which | | | | students' needs and interests. This will allow the |
| historically have "show rates" below 50%. | | | | frontline to quickly identify the student's motivators and |
| There are numerous root causes behind those low | | | | goals so they can show how the university will help to |
| numbers, but the two primary reasons are the | | | | achieve them. |
| student's financial concerns around paying for college | | | | 3. Contact strategy: Diligently help students at every |
| and the need to continually sell the value of the | | | | step of their journey, from the point of signing a |
| university throughout the enroll-to-show process. This | | | | contract to actually showing up for class. |
| puts a lot of pressure on the university to have all the | | | | Often times, universities react to lack of |
| right pieces in place, which is easier said than done. | | | | responsiveness and missed deadlines from |
| Because it is so difficult, many universities simply | | | | prospective students by increasing the pressure on |
| accept the steep decline in show rate and focus their | | | | them. This one size fit all approach leads to |
| energy on just getting more students to enroll. Those | | | | communications that are generic, confusing and even |
| universities typically put a lot of focus and investment | | | | threatening to the prospective student. Instead, the |
| into developing marketing materials, which can be | | | | communications that reach the prospective students |
| VERY expensive and rarely produces significant | | | | need to be tailored to their specific needs and |
| return on investment. While effective marketing is | | | | motivate them to want to act out of excitement, not |
| critical, the real challenge is creating an ideal | | | | out of fear. Every single point of contact should sell the |
| prospective student experience that only comes from | | | | value of the school and how it will help the prospective |
| truly understanding their point of view. | | | | student attain their goals. |
| To help with this challenge, below are five steps for | | | | 4. Ideal process: Design the 'ideal' student experience |
| implementing changes that have proven to significantly | | | | or sales process in simple usable terms that the rest |
| improve the prospective student experience and | | | | of the organization, including marketing, can easily align |
| increase show rates: | | | | to. |
| 1. Marketing support: Develop targeted material that the | | | | Most organizations have process documentation in |
| frontline (anyone who has contact with prospective | | | | place, but it is either too high level or too detailed and |
| students) will actually use, that is targeted to the | | | | confusing to implement with any significant results. |
| student's needs, and that is proven to deliver results. | | | | Instead, the process should be based on the observed |
| Especially in today's economy, potential students are | | | | best practices of your people and define each step in |
| extremely worried about their financial situation. The | | | | terms relevant to the frontline. |
| number one reason we hear students say they didn't | | | | 5. Execution: Create an environment that leaves no |
| show up for the first day of class is they didn't think | | | | room for inconsistent execution. |
| they could afford it. Knowing that, marketing material | | | | Most companies have the correct strategies in place, |
| needs to communicate how the university will help | | | | but fail to execute on those strategies because they |
| make the student's dreams and goals come true and | | | | leave it up to the frontline to figure out how to pull |
| that the university will also help in every way they can | | | | them through into their everyday activities. Instead, |
| to make college affordable. Unfortunately, many | | | | companies need to create a coaching culture that |
| universities overwhelm prospective students with | | | | focuses on developing key behaviors, constantly |
| generic material that is rarely relevant to them and | | | | tracks both cause and effect results, and holds |
| often confusing. This is not only an incredible waste of | | | | EVERYONE accountable. This will also help identify |
| marketing budget, but it also turns off the prospect. | | | | who the true top and bottom performers are so the |
| 2. Student segmentation: Help the frontline to identify | | | | school can ensure they have the right people in place. |
| the major student profiles based on actual enrollment | | | | |