A couple of weeks ago I had a Director of Admission reach out to me. She was catching up on a bunch of my newsletter articles and came across one about recruiting communication plans.
I came to find out after the fact that she had been worried for a while about her school’s comm. flow plan. She thought a lot of their content was good, but she was concerned that the emails and letters were individual pieces that didn’t connect well, if at all, and on top of that she has a relatively young team of counselors many of whom are still learning how to manage their territories and improve their communication with families. My article had given her the push she needed to ask for an outside perspective on their communications plan.
Last Friday, I had a follow-up phone call with this Director. I offered some advice on the tone and language in their messaging, and we talked about how often (and through what channels) her counselors should be communicating at various stages. Then I expressed my concern about the gaps in their communications after a student is admitted.
That’s what I want to talk about with you today. Slowing down communications after a prospect is admitted is a big mistake, and it’s one that will impact your yield in a negative way.
During our On-Campus Workshops with admissions departments, I constantly talk about not only forming a meaningful connection with a prospective student and his or her family, but the importance of strengthening that bond throughout the entire recruitment cycle.
When discussing this communication issue with counselors during 1-on-1 meetings that accompany our admissions workshop, the responses I get usually go something like, “They already know everything about our school,” or “I don’t want to repeat the same things over again.” My response to those statements is simple. If you fail to continue to have meaningful conversations with your admitted students, don’t be shocked when many of them choose to enroll elsewhere. Let me take that one step further. If you’re having trouble coming up with things to talk about with this group of students, I’d wager to say you haven’t built a strong enough rapport yet.
Here’s the good news – If you’re making this mistake, there’s still time to fix it.
Below are three easy-to-implement ideas on how to effectively manage this crucial time period in the recruitment process:
- Please, and I’m pleading with you here, keep giving them reasons why your school is the “right fit.” This generation craves direction. Even after they get admitted, many of them are still looking for good reasons to ultimately choose your school. Make sure you’re giving those to them, and make sure you’re doing it on a consistent basis. Let me remind you that your prospects tell us they want a logical, foundational message about your school every 6 to 9 days. That doesn’t change after you admit them. And when I say a logical, foundational message, I’m not talking about reminders to fill out your housing form or sign up for an admitted student day event. There has to be more substance in your messaging. You need to continue to reinforce the idea that your college is the perfect place for them to spend the next four years…and here’s why. If you choose not to take that approach and instead wait until an admitted student day event to try and “close the deal”,” you’re significantly decreasing your chances for success. Like it or not, other colleges will continue to send them letters and emails. And would it surprise you to know that admitted students have told us that they even start to consider new schools because they just aren’t 100% sure yet that they’ve found that “right fit?” You need to continue to cultivate your recruiting relationship with this group of students. Don’t just assume that they already know everything they need to know.
- Make sure you’re talking to the parents. Why? As most of you already know, our on-going research on how prospects make their final decision tells us that parents are the biggest outside influencer. That means if you don’t communicate consistently with them at this point in time, you leave open the possibility of unanswered questions or objections. We’ve found that a conversation with the parents during this critical time period can be very insightful. It guarantees that everybody is on the same page, plus parents will often provide admission counselors with usable information (assuming they ask the right kinds of questions) about their child’s thought process, “tie-breakers,” etc.
- Ask about their timeline for making a decision. If you’ve maintained consistent communication from the beginning, asking a question at this point and time such as, “Walk me through your timeline of making your decision,” will rarely be viewed as “pressuring” them. Conversely, if you’ve been inconsistent at staying in touch and reminding them you’re here to help, I’d advise you to proceed very carefully when it comes to this line of questioning. If you ask and the student tells you that they aren’t sure and they haven’t really thought that far ahead, you can explain that setting a reasonable deadline will help them see the end of what is a tough, stressful process. And you can even use something like a housing deadline to provide more logic. If the student still avoids a discussion with you on this subject, understand that there’s a chance they’ve already made a decision not in your favor, and they’re just too scared to tell you. On the other hand, if they start to share some details about their thought process, a great follow up question would be, “What are the big questions that you’re still wrestling with?” Getting your admit to set a reasonable deadline will give you a yes or no that will enable you to move forward.
Should you use these three guidelines? If what you’re doing now involves you feeling like you aren’t in control of the process, if your prospect hasn’t returned your phone calls, or if you’ve stopped sending emails and letters that offer value and tell your school’s story the way you did in the early stages, then I think it’s a smart move.
My goal each week is to provide you with information and strategies that will help you become a better communicator and a more efficient recruiter/leader. DID THIS HELP? I’d love to hear what you think – jeremy@dantudor.com
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