Closing on the phone
What is our intention with closing on the phone? (i.e. the first step for the student)
How do you encourage students to take that first step? Please provide an example of your dialogue
Tyler, Interesting! How do your students respond to this approach?
Dr. Jean Norris
I always try to uncover their fears with questions such as "what is your biggest fear about college?" if the conversation doesn't allow for that I try to probe based on their questions if they are asking alot of financial aid questions I use the process of restating their fear. "I sense your afraid of not being able to afford college; is that correct?"
Tyler, Helping to eliminate someone's fears is a great way to make them more comfortable. I'm curious, what is your process for uncovering their fears?
Dr. Jean Norris
My intention of closing is to schedule a visit with one of our admissions reps.
I encourage by building the value of the appointment via uncovering their fears. If it is a financial fear i build value with a financial aid meeting if its program or campus fear I build value with the admissions questioning opportunity.
" Jennifer I understand you have fears about your family affording college, but when you come in to meet with our admissions team you can also meet with a financial aid advisor and she can go over a financial plan that works for your family. Would Tuesday at 3pm work for you."
"Jennifer I understand you have a fear of transitioning from high school to college, but if you have just 30 minutes to meet with our admissions team we can explain how our flexible schedule and caring faculty and staff make that transition as smooth as possible; Would Tuesday at 3pm work for you."
patricia, Interesting! How do you find the dog owner's respond to your approach?
Dr. Jean Norris
I say it is hard to give my best advice over the phone because I work with dogs, so I invite them to visit me and bring their dog so then I can validate the animal better.
Thank you for sharing, Jennifer. What is another closing statement you can use if the student cannot come in?
Dr. Jean Norris
I encourage students by telling them to give me 15 to 20 min of there time to come in look around the school any questions they have i can answer for them and so we can start your new career.
It sounds like you have an inviting approach to your calls and that you have a focus of creating a next step. Great approach! To increase the possibility of continuing the conversation we encourage setting a next step at the end of every conversation, whether it be a face-to-face appointment, a digital correspondence like email, or a phone call. How would you end a call with a student who might not be ready to set up a date and time to tour the school?
When you are on the phone to a student of interest of school you want to make sure you close by thanking them for choosing your program of there choice. and set up atime and date when they can tour the school. and let them know how exciting they will like the school and that you look forward to meeting them.
So it sounds like you give them some of the information but continue to encourage a visit to the campus. As you pointed out, there are certain things that might be better done at the campus such as a meeting with a financial advisor or a tour of the campus to see the labs, salon, classrooms, etc. The skill is in knowing when is the best time to suggest the visit to the campus. Many representatives jump right to setting an appointment for a campus visit before building any rapport and finding out any of the prospective students needs or wants. If you take the time to get to know your student's over the phone and build rapport with them, it will become easier to know when is the best time to invite them to the campus. Thank you for your follow-up response Nicole.
We do give them a little insight into the information but we don't give it all away. Certain things will be discussed during the appointment. I also explain to them that the reason for the appointment is for informational purposes. They don't have to make any kind of commitment. Especially when they want to know about FA and payment plans/options. They have to come in for that kind of information. The majority of the students want that information. It's a key factor in their decision about coming to school.
Great approach Nicole. What do you do with the students who aren't ready to come to the campus for a visit or want to gather more detailed information over the phone?
Our intention with closing on the phone is to schedule an appointment so they can receive more detailed information on the programs.
When I am on the phone w/ a student, I introduce myself, then I tell them that I'd like to schedule an appointment for them to come and meet with an Admissions Rep to discuss the details of the programs. I ask when are they available to come in? They let me know when. I schedule their appointment. I give them the address of the location. I let them know that I will be calling the day before to confirm the appointment. I thank them for their time (using their first name). Last, I tell them "I look forward to meeting with you on ....."
April, great points here. Keep up the good work.
Dr. Jean Norris
My intention is to remind the prospect of what we will accomplish during our visit.
It is the last chance to build value for the visit.
You map out the plan: step by step: making sure not to OVERWHELM the student.
The obstacles uncovered should be addressed in the close with possible solutions that will be discussed during the visit.
Our intentioin with closing on the phone is to bring the student in to our facility where we can meet face to face.
I would ask to make a suggestion to the student and if allowable I would invite them to take 15 minutes of thier time in which I can show them all the information they are seeking as well as show them our facility, I may add that they are welcome to bring a freind/family memeber/significant other.
Thanks for sharing your approaches, Nanette. It sounds like you have a strategy that allows you to touch base with your students and follow up to ensure clear understanding of next steps. That's great.
I like the fact that you are making yourself available to further assist your students navigate the process. Great approach.
