Figuring out where your prospect stands in their decision-making process: by Jeremy Tiers
I get asked a lot for a low pressure strategy that admissions counselors can use to gain insights into what their prospect is thinking as they get deeper into the decision-making process.
The best strategy centers around simply asking your prospect intelligent questions that help reveal what they’re thinking. For example:
- Ask questions that use a third person as the reason you need an answer. You could use your Director, VP, or your school’s Financial Aid Director…someone who holds a degree of power in the mind of your prospect.
- Ask questions that use a time of year as the reason for urgency. You can use an application/financial aid deadline or some other point in the timeline as the reason you need to get an update on where they stand in the decision-making process.
- Ask a question with a “because” in it. It’s a powerful word…powerful “because” it gives your prospect an added reason to give you an answer. For example, “I’m wondering if you’re going to submit your housing deposit by the end of next week because that building is really popular and often fills up fast.” In our work with other admissions departments around the country we find that “because” is a powerful motivator for today’s generation of students.