I recently sent a follow-up email to a VP of Enrollment who wanted to engage us to train his Admissions Staff on our Value(s) Based Enrollment Methodology (VBEM). Within a day I received his email reply, sharing that due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, his President asked every department what they could do to cut their budget by 20%. 

Hiring the right admissions counselor can be daunting, particularly because of the turnover most enrollment team leaders have experienced. It’s a complex puzzle with a multitude of factors that need to be considered. Do they meet all your criteria? Will they fit in with the current team?

As transformational leaders, we can see the silver lining of a crisis: breakthrough. Where are you and your team, in the High-Performance Model For Innovation (aka the Transformational Process)?

In light of the COVID-19 reality, some of the questions Presidents, CFOs, Vice Presidents and Cabinets are asking are: “Do we entrench, hunker down, even retreat a bit and try to conserve cash? Do we mark time, ride out the storm, and wait to get through it? Or do we step out, try to advance, and even grow during tough times like these? 

5 Characteristics of an Effective Admissions Counselor

The one constant in the enrollment process is change. Admissions processes have always been in flux and complicated because these teams assist prospective students, who are always evolving. All Enrollment Team leaders are familiar with the difficulty of building—and rebuilding—strong enrollment teams.

Is the current global Coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis, economic demands, and/or increased competition putting pressure on you and your sales team to offer price and discount concessions? Are your margins eroding and your products/services being commoditized?

In a recent blog post, we shared how colleges and universities can stand out from the noise by saying less but meaning more by articulating their differentiators. In this blog, we build on that by looking at the differences between value propositions, messaging, and positioning—and how they translate into results.

Higher education is a sector where differentiation is paramount because the result for students is typically the same: to receive accredited recognition for their academic fulfillment. So, how does a university demonstrate to prospective students that their institution is unique from the rest and ensure the university brand isn’t lost in the sea of options?

Consultative selling matches a buyer's need with the service or product. To accomplish this, a good salesperson understands the spoken needs, anticipates the unspoken needs, and delivers the service or product to meet those needs. Listening is the skill that brings about the connection. 

Consultive sales...is it right for your school and is your team ready for it? Higher education is more competitive than ever. Colleges and universities are looking for ways to equip their Admissions teams with training to help them connect prospective students with the value your school provides (aka Consultive Selling). Is your team sales-ready? Read on to find out.