Great point Taneisha. Would you share a time when you used this method before?
Dr. Jean Norris
I agree with Sharon Kitzmiller "Feel, felt, found is great in that it immediately tells the student that you heard them, that they are not alone, and that there are options." after pointing out there options it's easier to get the student to come in and highlight the benefits.
Audra, using the website is a great way to show credibility as well as to empower the student to use the website for information as well. Great idea.
Dr. Jean Norris
For overcoming obstacles, I like to have our website up while speaking with potential students. There is a wealth of information there, and sometimes I am able to provide them with an answer through the site that changes how they view things.
Jennifer, excellent! Listening is such a crucial skill to have and often something that we take for granted. If we can truly listen - with our eyes, ears, and body, we will be able to understand our prospective students and really start to build a meaningful relationship with them.
Dr. Jean Norris
Besides the 3 F's you really need to listen to the potential student. You cannot be rushing to your next question. When you listen to the potential student, you have a greater chance of uncovering some obstacles they may be a threat later on in the process. It's also a great idea to brainstorm "typical obstacles" for your team. This way you will know how others handle them and be prepared when you encounter them.
Hi Sharon. Thanks for posting. Yes, the more tools in your tool kit allow you to be versitile with your students and provide a variety of options when discussing cost. Some schools have a prefered list of scholarship websites that they use too.
Shannon Gormley
Sharon, exactly right. This is a great method and can easily be personalized to fit the needs and desires of that particular student. How have you been successful when using this method?
Feel, felt, found is great in that it immediately tells the student that you heard them, that they are not alone, and that there are options.
I think telling them about scholarships and how to go about looking for other venues for financial aid would be good. Do any of you have any good websites you recommend?
Our Company went to a new sales approach. The feel, felt, found aspect of overcoming obstacles is not being taught in the new approach. I was so glad to be reminded of this valuable tool. I will definitely reimplement it into our sales process Monday morning. We were using this all of the school and we have gotten away from the age old approach. I think so often the problem in our admissions departments is that we have gotten away from the basics. This course has reminded me what really works. Thank you.
Great observations, Germaine. Improving your listening skills can help you pick up on some of the subtle nuances that the student isn't saying. You may hear that they seem nervous or anxious, even though they're telling you they're really excited. By picking up on this, you can ask questions to explore what's causing that feeling and you might find that it's what is contributing to the student's challenge.
I think listning skills would help me more, asking more questions as to why it is so important for the student to make a decision about the school over the phone without even seeing what it has to offer
I enjoy the feel, felt, found method too Jason. It allows the student to know that they are not alone. What are some other methods you have used?
Jason, yes. It is very similar to the feel, felt, found method also discussed in this post. You can certainly understand how that student feels and in fact other's have felt that way before, but have found... You do want to be careful here to not assume that each student is exactly the same. How might you tailor your response to the needs of that specific student?
In describing our schools major obstacles being accreditation, I feel the best tool that could be used are the F's
Feel,Felt, Found.
That is an great way to defuse an unsure student, letting them know that there problem is not original,and that you have helped someone with same problem.
With my school not being accredited, i have searched and found alternative funding for our students. And tell students that we offer the same curriculum as an accredited school.
I would do more probing to find my obstacles then use feel, felt, found.
Hi Sirena. It sounds like you have great awareness regarding helping students towards their goals and the idea that people don't want to be sold. Could you describe what you mean regarding probing more?
