Enrolling a new student
What are to best key points to hit when enrolling a new student?
How to keep from sounding robotic but at the same time sound informative?
Faith,
Active listening and being able to honestly answer any concerns.
The best key points to hit when enrolling a student? Let them do 80% of the talking because they will tell you there motivation on going back to school, their obstacles, and why they need to change their life around. Adress every question in a simple but caring way. How to keep from sounding robotic? Just be yourself, ask plenty of questions, and laugh and smile and ask plenty of questions.
Tamanji,
Many students establish a long relationship with their admissions rep. After all, you have be integral in changing their life.
When enrolling a new student you should talk to them like you are talking to a friend or a family member. You want to find out what their long/short term goals are so you can guide them through the enrollment process. Keeping in mind that we are the only support that some of them may have through this journey.
Eduardo,
Excellent post! Your process is very helpful.
I like to open the conversation with an overview of the objective of the meeting/appt.
I let them know what my role is in the admissions process and let them know that I would like to get know them a little bit before getting into a conversation about enrolling.
From there I go over 5 key points:
1. Why are they here and what was it that inspired them to inquire about the school.
2. Where have you been? In other words, what goals have you(the student) set for yourself post highschool and how do they feel they are progressing. Under this, I also cover obstacles that have prevented them from moving forward and how will this time be different?
3. What are the possibilties after graduation? let them talk and convince you.
4. How we can help. (meaning the school)Now, and only now, do I get into the bells and whistles. I also do Q & A (feel them out)
5. What are the next steps. How do we proceed? (let them answer)
If this is done correctly and with the students best interest in mind, you should get an enrollment.
Of course, they're other factors involved in this process; however, the potential student should be demonstrating a passion for whatever the program or degree is. The student basically convinces themselves and should be willing to overcome any obstacle that comes their way.
If you show them value and the benefit, theres no reason why there should be any hesitation. If you do have hesitation, one of two things occured: You didnt provide value or they simply are not a good fit for the school. They need to fully understand the expectations prior to enrolling, otherwise, it will create problems after enrollment because they were not qualified properly.
Tara,
Your advice is well stated.
When you are meeting with a prospective student for the first time you must let them do the talking! Too many admissions reps do all the talking trying to convince the prospect into going to school. If you allow them to talk, you will get a real feel for your new student and give them the chance to understand why going to school is important for them.
You should not have to convince anyone to do something; if you find your self having to convince them, they should not be doing it!
Ask lots of open ended questions and let them do the talking.
Ensure you have a solid plan for success in place for your student. Go over any and all obstacles that they could face while they are in school make back up plan as well for each obstacle they could face.
Pamela,
Integrity...ethics...honesty...compliance
Alexander,
By being a great listener and knowledgeable of your programs, you will be a great rep!
Stephen,
Conversation takes two!
Daylyn,
Excellent post! These are practices and philosophy that we need to live by.
I strongly agree, but you apart from being a great listener, you also need to have knowledge on the courses offered at the institution.
Being a great listener is the most important thing for enrolling a student so we make sure we hear what they want and then guide them to a matching program. This may even mean sending a student to another school, but we need to make sure we keep the student's best interest in mind. That will allow us to be successful by enrolling students who are a great fit for our school... intergrity counts!
Hugo,
Active listening is the best tool in discovery their needs.
I approach every prospective student as if they were the very first prospect that i ever talked to and as if they were one of the most interesting people i ever spoke with. I listen more than i talk and work through the presentation as if its a conversation and NOT a presentation.
Marilyn,
Active listening is a key component.
All institutions have goals in line to reach but what the Admission Reps need to do is forget about the stats/goals and focus their complete attention on the prospect when they are speaking to them. This will ensure you are listening to the prospect's needs and wants. It's important not to sound or be like an "infomercial". If you believe in your institution the prospect will sense this in you. They can see your passion. Once a rep understands people and the institution they wouldn't sound robotic because it'll come as second nature. The foundation never changes. We are here to help people who want to change their lives. Instead of giving them a list of reasons why they should go to school or pick your insitution, using reflective and open-ended questions would help the prospect verbalize to you how they would benefit from the program of choice or the services the school provides for students. Answer their question with a question. (probing)No one likes to be told what to do. This is their journey and they will like to feel like this was their decision and not forced. By using guided questions this will make the prospect think about and verbalize how our features will benefit them. Another important factor is trust. If the prospect does not trust you they will not attend the institution. Make sure all reps understand the entire admissions process and that we are relaying this information correctly to the prospect.
First of all ,to listen to the student needs, and , second to advise them about the options posibles.
