Competition

Keeping Enrollment Strong: The Key Systems Every School Needs to Manage

Blog, Brand, Competition, Customer-centric, Data Driven, Differentiation, Enrollment Management, Leadership, Marketing / Claude

Enrollment management is a way schools make sure they have the right number of students who are a good fit for their mission and values. It’s like running a well-oiled machine where all the parts need to work together to keep things running smoothly. Just like your body has different systems that keep you healthy, a school has different systems that keep its enrollment healthy. The Basics of Enrollment Management At its core, enrollment management is about getting and keeping the right students and families in your school. It’s not just about filling seats; it’s about making sure those seats are filled with students who will thrive in your school’s environment and parents who will support your school’s mission and efforts.. The Different Parts of Enrollment Management To keep enrollment healthy, schools need to manage several key parts: Marketing and Operations: This is how the school gets its name out there and attracts new families. Research: Schools need to study trends and gather information to make smart decisions about how to attract and keep students. Student and Parent Composition: This is about who the students and parents are and making sure they align with the school’s mission and values. Consumer Experience: This is all about how families feel when they interact with the school, from their first visit to when they’re students. A good experience makes them more likely to stay and tell others about the school. Leadership: The decisions made by the school’s leaders play a big role in whether enrollment is successful or not. Image Pool and Disciples: Current students, parents, and alumni who promote the school to others. They’re like ambassadors for the school. Competition: Other schools are also trying to attract students, so understanding what they’re doing is important. Motivation: Understanding why families choose your school over others. Environment: These are things outside the school’s control, like the economy or population changes, that can affect enrollment. Levels of Control Schools have different levels of control over these parts: Mostly Controllable: Schools have a lot of control over things like marketing, research, and the overall experience they offer to families. By managing these well, schools can improve their enrollment. Influenceable: Some things, like competition and motivation, can be influenced by the school but are also affected by outside factors. Schools can work to improve these areas, but they don’t have full control. Mostly Uncontrollable: Some factors, like the environment, are mostly out of the school’s control. Schools need to be aware of these factors and adjust their strategies accordingly. Why It Matters Understanding and managing these different parts helps schools maintain a healthy and sustainable enrollment. It allows them to be proactive in solving problems before they become too big, ensuring that the school continues to attract and keep students who are a good fit. In conclusion, just like your body needs different systems to work together to stay healthy, schools need these different parts of enrollment management to work together to keep their enrollment strong. By paying attention to these parts, schools can make sure they have the right students and families to achieve their mission and succeed in the long run.

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Are Selling Strategies Only for the For-profit Industries?

Blog, Competition, Customer-centric, Selling / Claude

You’re sitting across from a family, eager to showcase your school’s exceptional programs. You launch into a passionate speech about your state-of-the-art facilities and award-winning curriculum. But as you speak, you notice their eyes glazing over. What went wrong? Here’s the kicker: You might be missing out on one of the most powerful tools in your enrollment arsenal – strategic selling techniques. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Sales strategies? That’s for corporate suits pushing products, not for educators like us!” But hear me out. What if I told you that mastering these techniques could be the key to connecting with more families and boosting your enrollment numbers? Let’s dive into the world of strategic selling and uncover how it can transform your approach to enrollment management. 1. The Marketing-Sales Tango Imagine trying to dance the tango solo. Awkward, right? That’s what selling without proper marketing is like. Your marketing efforts lay the groundwork, crafting the messages that resonate with potential families. Without this foundation, your enrollment conversations are like trying to build a house without blueprints. Action step: Sit down with your marketing team. Ensure your enrollment conversations align with the broader narrative your school is telling. 2. WITPTBSFTC: The Magic Question No, it’s not a secret code. It stands for “What Is The Problem To Be Solved For The Customer?” This is your golden ticket to enrollment success. Instead of rattling off a list of your school’s achievements, try this: Lean in and ask, “What’s driving you to consider an independent school education for your child?” Then, listen. Really listen. You might hear: “We’re worried about large class sizes at the public school.” “Our child is gifted in music, but the local schools have cut their arts programs.” “We want a more diverse, inclusive environment for our family.” Now you’re not just selling a school – you’re offering solutions to their specific concerns. Action step: Create a list of common parent concerns. Practice tailoring your school’s offerings to address each one. 3. The Power of Reinforcement Ever notice how TV commercials often repeat the same message? There’s a reason for that. Your enrollment conversations need the same reinforcement. If you’re touting your school’s innovative STEM program, make sure it’s prominently featured in your brochures, on your website, and in your school tour. Consistency is key. Action step: Audit your communication materials. Do they back up the key points you make in enrollment conversations? 4. Becoming the Trusted Expert Here’s a little secret from the world of influence: People are more likely to say “yes” to experts. But here’s the twist – you don’t have to brag about your expertise. Let others do it for you. Try this: Have your head of school introduce you to prospective families as “our enrollment expert with 15 years of experience in independent education.” Watch how differently families interact with you after that introduction. Action step: Craft a brief, impressive bio highlighting your expertise. Share it with your colleagues to use when introducing you. 5. The Never-Ending Learning Curve Think you’ve mastered the art of enrollment conversations? Think again. In the corporate world, even top salespeople undergo continuous training. Why should education be any different? Action step: Commit to ongoing professional development. Attend workshops, read books on communication and influence, and practice new techniques regularly. 6. The Emotional Connection Remember: Parents aren’t just choosing a school. They’re entrusting you with their child’s future. That’s an emotional decision. Don’t be afraid to show your passion. Share stories of student success, of lives transformed. But remember – link that emotion back to solving their specific concerns. Action step: Collect and practice telling compelling stories about your school community. Make sure each story illustrates how you solve a common parent concern. 7. Digging for Hidden Needs Sometimes, parents won’t openly share their deepest concerns. Maybe they’re worried about their child making friends, or they’re anxious about academic pressure. Your job is to gently uncover these hidden needs. Try asking: “If we were having this conversation a year from now, what would make you feel the investment in our school was worthwhile?” Action step: Develop a list of probing questions to uncover hidden concerns. Practice using them in a natural, conversational way. Remember, mastering these selling techniques isn’t about becoming pushy or manipulative. It’s about truly understanding families’ needs and effectively communicating how your school can meet them.

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Aligning Your Admission Strategies with the Consumer’s Problems: A Key to Successful Enrollment Management

Blog, Competition, Customer-centric, Differentiation, Enrollment Manaagement, Parents / Claude

In today’s competitive educational landscape, enrollment management professionals and marketing and communications teams face the daunting task of standing out among a plethora of choices available to prospective families. The key to success lies not just in showcasing your institution’s strengths but in directly addressing the problems and concerns that drive families to seek out your school in the first place. Identifying the Consumers Problem The journey of choosing the right school for a child is fraught with anxiety and countless questions. Families are not merely searching for an institution that offers an excellent education; they are looking for solutions to specific problems they perceive in their child’s current or future educational environment. Understanding these problems is the first step in crafting admission events that resonate deeply with your target audience. For instance, prospective parents might be asking: Is the program challenging enough to meet my child’s academic needs? Will the teachers know my child and cater to their individual strengths and weaknesses? Does the school offer a broad and deep curriculum that prepares students for future success? These questions highlight the underlying concerns that families have when considering your school. It is crucial that your marketing activities are designed to address these specific issues head-on. Aligning Admission Activities with Consumer Problems Once you have identified the key problems your target audience is grappling with, the next step is to ensure that your admission events are aligned with these concerns. This alignment is not just about promoting what your school offers, but about demonstrating how your school provides solutions to the problems that matter most to prospective families. Here are some examples of how to align admission activities with consumer concerns: Admission Activity: Student Panel led by the Head of School Admission Activity: Round Robin Discussions with Faculty from Each Department Admission Activity: Lunch and Social Time with Current Parents Engaging Your Team in the Process To ensure the success of these marketing activities, it is vital to engage your entire team in the process. Faculty, admission personnel, students, and current parents all play critical roles in delivering your message. By sharing the underlying problems that these activities aim to address, you can help your team stay focused on the task at hand and ensure that every interaction with prospective families is purposeful and impactful. When your team understands the specific concerns of your target audience, they are better equipped to highlight how your school can meet those needs. This approach not only makes your marketing efforts more coherent and persuasive but also increases the likelihood that prospective families will see your school as the right choice for their child. Conclusion Aligning your marketing activities with the problems your consumers are facing is essential for successful enrollment management. By identifying the key concerns of prospective families and demonstrating how your school provides solutions, you can create a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience. This strategic alignment not only strengthens your school’s appeal but also fosters a deeper connection with the families you seek to serve, ultimately driving enrollment and long-term success.

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Are We Falling Prey to These Enrollment Killers?

Administrators, Blog, Brand, Competition, Data Driven, Enrollment Manaagement, Marketing, Recruitment / Claude

As enrollment management directors at K-12 schools, it is crucial to recognize and address the factors that can negatively impact enrollment numbers. Here are 12 potential pitfalls that can jeopardize the success of your enrollment strategy, along with actionable insights to help you navigate these challenges effectively. 1. Compromising on Student Fit to Meet Budget Enrolling students who aren’t the best match for your school just to meet budgetary goals can lead to dissatisfied families and a weakened school image. Ensure that admissions decisions prioritize long-term fit and alignment with the school’s values and mission. This is not to say that every student needs to be a perfect fit. Not every school enrollment situation can support this level of selectivity. Select carefully; consider learning about a Risk Committee as part of your process. 2. Increasing Tuition Costs Tuition hikes that far outpace cost of living increases can make your school unaffordable for many families. Implement strategic financial aid policies and consider alternative revenue streams to keep tuition increases in check. 3. Competition from Wealthy Public Schools Financially able constituents are pushing for changes in public schools, which are becoming increasingly competitive. To stay ahead, emphasize the unique benefits and outcomes of your private school education. 4. Alternative Educational Solutions Parents are finding cost-effective ways to supplement public school education, such as hiring tutors, joining educational clubs or using online courses. Highlight the comprehensive and holistic education your school provides, which cannot be easily replicated through piecemeal solutions. 5. Lack of Inclusivity Failure to create an inclusive environment for students of color, non-traditional families, and diverse backgrounds can limit your applicant pool. Foster a welcoming culture and actively recruit from underrepresented communities. 6. Resistance to Change Autonomy in education can lead to stubbornness against necessary changes. Embrace parent and student-centered approaches, and be open to evolving educational practices to meet modern demands. 7. Apathy During Good Times During prosperous times, schools often become complacent about marketing. Maintain a proactive marketing strategy regardless of current enrollment success to build and sustain your school’s image. 8. Poor Problem Recognition Schools often fail to foresee or recognize problems until they become critical. Develop a robust system for identifying potential issues early, and foster a culture that values proactive problem-solving. 9. Lack of Empirical Evidence Parents increasingly demand clear, data-driven proof of the benefits of a private school education. Collect and present compelling evidence of your school’s impact on student outcomes. 10. Financial Uncertainty Among Families Economic instability can make families hesitant to commit to long-term tuition payments. Offer flexible payment plans and communicate the value proposition of your education clearly. 11. Misalignment of Marketing Efforts Marketing messages that do not resonate with prospective families can result in missed enrollment opportunities. Tailor your marketing efforts to address the specific needs and concerns of your target audience. 12. Inadequate Engagement with Current Families Satisfied current families are your best advocates. Foster strong relationships with them and encourage word-of-mouth referrals to enhance your school’s reputation and attract new applicants. Conclusion By identifying and addressing these 12 enrollment killers, K-12 enrollment management directors can enhance their strategies and ensure sustained success. Stay proactive, adaptable, and focused on delivering value to both current and prospective families to navigate the challenges of today’s educational landscape.

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How Do I Deal with the Competition?

Blog, Brand, Competition, Marketing / Claude

When I first started in PreK-12 enrollment management, dealing with competition felt like an endless, daunting battle. Over the years, I discovered that a little bit of military strategy could be my best friend in this war. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel; classic battle tactics can be perfectly adapted to the school-versus-school showdown. A Shift in Perspective: From Customer-Centric to Competitor-Oriented I adhered to the marketing concept: our goal was to identify and profitably satisfy customer needs, of course, with the mission as the lighthouse. However, the landscape of school enrollment is a battleground. Competing against the uncontested top branded school seemed to make no sense and a futile effort. Then I stumbled upon the idea introduced by Al Ries and Jack Trout in Marketing Warfare: marketing is war. I learned that I need to shift my focus to understanding and outmaneuvering our competition. This shift was a game-changer for me. Defensive Strategy: Protecting Your Turf If your school is the big fish in the pond—the one with the largest customer base, the most resources, and the strongest brand—you need to go on the defensive. Among this group, when one rival school builds a new track, the other responds with an indoor track because we already had the outdoor facility. Yes, this is all part of the master plan. Now, students could train all year round. This strategy was about ensuring others couldn’t take what was the top defender by outbuilding or outservicing them, sometimes even at a lower cost. Attacker Strategy: Taking the Fight to Them Then there were times when a school was almost as strong as the leader but just not quite there. That’s when they use the attacker strategy. You build a state-of-the-art football and lacrosse turf field with a computerized scoreboard. The competitor is in no position to respond, smaller brand and resources. Flanking Strategy: Finding the Unattended Areas When you are not a Defender or an Attacker, you need the Flanking move. Start small with something like educating children with dyscalculia and dysgraphia. Competitors aren’t interested in being specialists in those areas at the moment. You set up a separate facility for these students, creating a niche market without diluting your academic reputation. By the time your competitors notice, you have already established a strong foothold in this new market. that weren’t being served as well as what you are offering. Guerrilla Strategy: Small, Smart Moves Guerrilla tactics select an area that other schools are interested in doing, but not at the quality level that you are going to offer. For example, your college counseling process is so robust that families come into the junior year in droves just to be a part of this process. The individualized attention and evaluation is outstanding. The Thin Line Between Flanking and Guerrilla One thing I learned is that the difference between flanking and guerrilla tactics lies in the attention of your competitors. Flankers pick niches that aren’t on the competitors’ radar, while guerrillas target areas the competitors are interested in but can’t or don’t want to execute at your level. Both strategies required nimbleness and the ability to adapt quickly before the defenders could regroup and counter-attack. Embrace the Battle Here’s what I learned: don’t try to compete with the Defenders unless you have the strength to be an Attacker. Defenders will attract students more often than you will. It’s crucial to convey this concept to the senior leadership team and the board of trustees. I made it clear to my previous board that we would not compete against certain schools unless we had a half-billion-dollar endowment. This distinction helped them understand the difference between us and the Defenders and Attackers. (Read this article about Walmart and you will understand why you don’t need to bother with the Defenders or Attackers.) In the ever-competitive world of K-12 enrollment management, these strategies have provided me with a clear, actionable framework for not just surviving but thriving. By picking our battles wisely and using these tried-and-true tactics, we carved out our school’s success story. Al Ries and Jack Trout’s Marketing Warfare allowed us to understand our weight class, enabling us to focus our efforts effectively. These lessons have shaped my journey and continue to guide my strategies in this dynamic field.

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Why I Want Private Schools to Close Quickly and Not Linger

Blog, Competition, Enrollment Manaagement, Marketing / Claude

The Ripple Effect of a Downward Spiral In the fiercely competitive environment for full-pay students, it might seem that I would welcome the closure of struggling schools for the potential gain of more students in my applicant pool. However, my motives for wanting schools to close quickly are rooted in a broader concern: the overall health and perception of the private school brand. Private schools currently serve about 11% of the school-age population, a critical base for families to understand and appreciate what a private education offers. When schools find themselves with few other private schools around, parents don’t understand the concept, because they don’t know others who have children attend them. This is particularly true for independent schools and even more so for boarding schools. When a private school begins its financial decline, the resulting drop in the quality of education tarnishes the reputation of all our institutions. Most consumers don’t distinguish between the various types and qualities of private schools; a failing school reflects poorly on us all. During my tenure in Rhode Island, I witnessed numerous parochial schools falter. These struggling institutions became examples cited by families as reasons to doubt the value of my private school and others as well. The Need for Swift Action It’s a leadership problem, and we don’t seem to have enough great leaders to run our private schools effectively. Once the downturn begins, the net tuition revenue starts to fall. Schools may recognize that it is a leadership problem, but by the time they do, they can’t afford to get a strong leader. Subsequently, they can’t hire the best teachers, the program quality declines, and the student body is no longer a good match. This process is typically slow, causing consumers to have poor experiences and to question the value of paying for their child’s education. This doubt spills over to all of our schools. Why can’t they just close quickly? Each independent school has a noble mission at its core. We exist for a purpose, but if a school’s mission seems to be failing and it is heading towards closure, it is better for the industry if it closes quickly. Prolonged struggles harm the brand and reputation of other schools. What to Do About It? I wish schools would pay more attention to the leadership they choose. They need not only good educators but also savvy business leaders. If they can’t get both, they should prioritize savvy business leaders; the ones who follow Jim Collins, “Good to Great” concepts. These leaders are more likely to ensure that the educational program is worth the cost, more so than a good educator ensuring that the educational program is worth the cost. What do you think we can do? Please write it in the comments section.

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