PS&L Blog

To say that I love the holidays would be an understatement.  To me, Christmas is not just a day, it’s a season, and I do my best to spread holiday cheer to my family and everyone around me from the day after Thanksgiving (the day that my 23 Christmas trees go  up) to mid-January (when they come down.)

I draw ideas for exterior lighting on restaurant napkins and store receipts when ideas strike for fear they will escape me.  There is a Jones family who lives on my street, but no one wants to keep up with them; they try to keep up with the Blanchards!  Exterior lighting is just as important as interior; even my shed is illuminated.

I spend hours searching for just the right Christmas card, and just the right ribbon to complement the wrapping paper I’ve selected.  The perfect holiday menu does not come together without meticulous planning, which I gladly do, to ensure happy (and full) guests.

At first glance, one might think that the true meaning of Christmas is lost on me.  Believe me, it most certainly is not.

Deep down, the reason I do all of these things is because I want to make other people happy.  I have been extremely blessed with a loving husband, wonderful family, friends and co-workers who enrich my life.  I have my health, a home, and a wonderful dog.  I try to say “thank you” to them ten times over by instilling in them the Christmas magic of their youth.  Sometimes, when I see a sparkle in their eye, I know I’ve accomplished just that.

The Christmas season is a time to reflect on all of the things for which we are thankful, and to show those who mean so much to us exactly how grateful we are to have them in our lives.  I hope you will take a moment for quiet reflection, to count your blessings.

On behalf of everyone at Paskill Stapleton & Lord, please accept my warmest wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.  May your new year be as bright as my Christmas lights!

Often when I show up on campus at the admissions office, ready to either train or to review programs, I am greeted by a pained look. It’s not that they are unhappy to see me. It’s more the look of someone who feels overwhelmed with things to do that day, and my arrival, while welcome, means that some tasks will have to be pushed off to later.

When I see this look, I know that these admissions and enrollment professionals spend much of their time reacting to the many challenges that come up daily. They arrive at their offices and are greeted by countless new emails that mysteriously arrived while they were sleeping. When they respond that often triggers a series of other emails and pretty soon they are spending hours going back and forth on emails. This naturally interrupts the flow of other items on their list of things to do that day. Eventually, because they are made to feel that they are playing catch up all day, they enter into a reactive mode, just trying to stay one step ahead of everything.

If this is happening to you, consider creating a communication bubble. Here is how it works.
• Designate 3 times a day that you check and answer emails and voicemails. I recommend when you first arrive at the office, 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Allocate a specific amount of time for reading and responding: no more than 30 minutes.
• Inform everyone that you will only check your emails during those periods of time.

Now you might be thinking, “I can’t do that. I have to be accessible at all times.” This is where training yourself and others comes in handy. Just send out an email to all who might be concerned that you’ll be checking your email only during those times. You might get some initial friction, so tell who ever is complaining that this is an experiment in time management, and that you’ll revisit this in a couple weeks.

My guess is that you won’t be missed. My guess is that when you do get to the emails you’ll have plenty of time to participate and respond without any deadlines being missed. Furthermore, you’ll get a lot more accomplished since you won’t be interrupted during the rest of the day. In fact, you’ll discover that this extra focused time will enable you to be more proactive than reactive.

The issue of value vs. cost is a stand out memory of the training I had when I was a High School Recruiter and then later on when I trained staff as an Admissions Director.

The explanation of my school’s tuition price and the ways to afford it were scripted. We memorized and rehearsed how to talk about the numbers and payment solutions and how to tie it back to the value of the education. Through conversations with faculty and alumni we stayed current on the stories about our value and how exceptional the school was. Parents often complimented my staff and me for being direct, honest and well informed.

In my role as a consultant, I’ve noticed that how colleges communicate value vs. cost varies greatly from one school to another.

The most obvious missteps I’ve observed are :

o Staff cannot articulate the mission statement or the essence of the school’s value proposition.
o Graduate statistics and success stories are elusive, both of which are key selling points for a college’s value
o Staff inherently feels that tuition is expensive and overpriced and apologies are made when stating the tuition cost.
o Ignorance about the costs, expenses, payment plans and policies because it is someone else’s job.
o Passing the buck by saying “Go to our website to find the tuition costs.”
o Tuition information on the school website is hard to locate and buried beneath many clicks or on multiple pages.
o Inconsistent information with what is said by staff and what is in print

When knowledge of value and cost is sketchy, convincing someone of value vs. cost is impossible.

3 Good things to know:

1. Value and cost are on the buyer’s mind so the issues must be anticipated and the responses must be prepared.
2. Tuition cost expressed in dollars is fact – yet the explanation of the value is described with emotional words and body language.
3. Avoiding the topic of cost is perceived as dishonest and negative.

The significance of value vs. cost is prevalent when the economy is bad and when the press continues to talk about the rising student loan debt. It’s an elephant in the
room and it won’t go away, so be proactive.

Focus on value when recruiting new students. Everyone on the front lines (as well as the language on your college website) must employ a consistent message about the school’s value. Everyone must be able to accurately describe the cost of tuition and the information must be easy to find on your website.

This is easier said than done. You might want to consider some higher education professional staff development for your recruiters, so you can develop your message and your staff can hone its skills. Also, since prospects refer to your website, you might want to consider an objective assessment of your college website and analyze the content from your audiences’ viewpoint.