Deborah, that is one way to leave a message for a potential student. I am curious, what has the response been from some of your students in the past?
Dr. Jean Norris
I have some GREAT NEWS to share with you, sparks interest and urgency.
Invite them to an Open house event, create urgency, and also add humor!
Chris, humor can be a great approach if you have built rapport with that student. Helping the student to see what’s in it for them is also a great approach but it might be better to point out your amazing programs and beautiful facilities. Something to think about - conversations about financial aid are best to be discussed within the Financial Aid department.
Dr. Jean Norris
stayting in your voicemail what is in it for the student possibly a grant and if they may qualify (curiosity) I would use humour depending on the situation..
Clay, that is an interesting point. Humor, when used appropriately, can be effective and can break the ice. I'm curious, what types of responses are you receiving from those voice mails?
Dr. Jean Norris
I learned that humor is okay to use when making a call or leaving a voicemail. I personally like humor, so that was a pleasant discovery. We can also take the opportunity to explain our services without interuption.
Antonio,
Nice touch! Sometimes those "little things" make a BIG difference. Keep up the great work!
Dr. Jean Norris
Besides applying all the techniques mentioned before in this training,our school uses advertising on boards,buses,radio,and I use cold calls or list of referrals by the word of mouth from other students who might be interested in studying in our school to increase the # of students and we out stand their skills and capacities and recommendations to become a magnet in attracting more students to our school and we those we have already registered we encourage them with simple calls on behalf of the school staff when they celebrate their birthdays. We have a system that shows all the enrollments and their birthdays and keep us aware to have a little touch.Creating momentous we receive more calls.
Tien,
Good news on the financial aid eligibility! Congratulations!
Dr. Jean Norris
Every time I leave a message I always smile and I try to change my tone of voice when appropriate. We just recently got approved for Financial aid so that is something we've been pitching to the students along with adding the urgency that seats are filling up quick!
Jennifer, thanks for sharing these tips. I love that you let the students know when you will be in the office. This shows your availability and sets the expectation for the student that you should be able to connect or not.
Dr. Jean Norris
I agree with leaving your number twice. I've always have done that but I also say "I'm here until X:XX tonight, so please call me back at" The second time I leave the number I speak even slower. This allows the student to catch any numbers they might have missed before.
We also like to say "We know this information is really important to you, so if we don't hear back from you, we will try contacting you again later this afternoon".
I get students to call me back by offering them an invitation to a free workshop on a specific audio subject. They feel privileged and end up calling us back to accept the RSVP.
john,
Thanks for sharing your ideas. How do you find your students respond to this information when you leave it in messages?
Shannon Gormley
Give brief information about each program and our success rate for graduation and placement.
Marvin,
It sounds like you try to include a call to action in your voicemails. This can be helpful to create some urgency with your student. It's even more helpful when it's an action item that is customized to their situation and based on information you've discussed. Not only does this show your student that you listened but that you follow through.
Shannon Gormley
I always like to add urgency to my message, remind them when the start date is, let them know our classes are filling quickly or just leting them know I need to hear from them by a curtain day to make sure their needs are properly met.
Tricia,
Humor can be such a powerful way to help build rapport and put your student at ease. How do you think you'll use humor in your messages in the future?
Shannon Gormley
I love this idea too. It's a good way to break the ice and build rapport.
