We came across a great blog post from Salesforce about top sales tips and we realized that many of them can apply to school marketing, recruitment and development.
“Just focus on one benefit or pain-point per sales prospecting email, or you’ll dilute your message.”
When conducting your lead nurturing efforts, stop and evaluate the content of the emails you’re sending to prospective families. Are you listing the full 10-15 steps it takes to get them through the admissions and enrollment process? Try scaling back to one clear message. For example, if the inquiry indicated interest in your STEM program, send an email entirely focused on the benefits of that and offer a call to action (such as applying or coming to campus for a visit).
“Focus on the opportunity cost of NOT doing the deal for the prospect.”
In today’s competitive public/private school marketplace, it can be difficult for parents to truly drill down to the value proposition offered by private schools. Make it easier for them and provide your value up front. Don’t be afraid to make data-driven comparisons about things like student outcomes and college attendance rates in order to create a clearer picture for families.
“Ask follow-up questions regarding the outcome of the customer’s desires.”
So often schools rely on gut feel or assumptions when making decisions about goals and processes. This is where getting feedback from inquiries, applicants, and newly-enrolled families can make the difference between increasing enrollment 5% or remaining stagnant. Your best source to determine how you’re doing, what can be changed, and what should stay the same are the prospects and families you are interacting with every day. Start collecting and organizing feedback to see results.
