College's Strengths and Weaknesses?

The recession refocused companies on the bottom-line in a more straightforward way, and a broad review of policies across the corporate landscape revealed a dramatic rollback in tuition benefits and limited government funding. Many companies have capped tuition benefits at $2,500 per year, federal and state grants have been cut and the requirements to qualify are restrictive and cumbersome.  Colleges get enrollments from employees using employer tuition benefits and government grants, but with reductions, this has caused a longer period of time to complete their Education, because they reach into their own pocket to pay the remaining tuition, or they delay completing their Education until the following year, when they can draw on the next year’s tuition benefit or government grant replenishment.

 One tactic to work around this problem is to increase the college’s business outreach capabilities to deliver programs and services directly to more corporate clients.  Many firms are still investing in employee training and development, but they have taken the latitude to map out a professional development plan away from their employees.  We also noticed the company’s need to build selective, strategic college relationships by developing student – employer pools, participating in Advisory Boards, Foundations, and Event Sponsorships.  This involves bringing in college providers under the focused company supervision of the firm’s human resources or organizational development office. Colleges have been developing these capabilities, but it is no quick fix.

It is crucial to network – through college marketing, public relations, corporate training centers to reach out to prospective corporate clients. They build landing pages on their web-site, and continue to refine it. Some have done some data-mining in their enrollment system to find firms that have sent meaningful numbers of students into our programs in the past, as a first step toward some targeted outreach.

Not to mention it takes months colleges to think through the curriculum for the new year, reviewing student comments about our courses, inviting instructors to return, recruiting new ones, updating courses, reviewing and revising syllabi, taking apart a sequence of courses, putting it together in new ways, then assembling marketing materials and media plans. When a corporate client wants a customized program for its employees, colleges need to respond in days, an accelerated pace more familiar to consultants and for-profit competitors.

This all takes expertise, time and a commitment of resources.  Yet the prospect is so attractive, that colleges take on these challenges, and accept the additional costs of promoting their offerings to this segment of the marketplace.  But the hope is that, in the end, colleges can reconnect with an audience with which we are at risk of losing contact. 

We believe this approach will require a new way of doing business.  The college needs to continue to build upon their strengths but more importantly manage their weaknesses.  Thus, is the college stronger at developing and providing the educational needs of the business or are they stronger at promoting and marketing their training/educational products and services? 

Excellent reason to partner... The Learning Strategy!

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 Ask yourself, what are your strengths and how can you overcome your weaknesses?

• Focus on core training/educational products/services 

• Target territories that are underserved 
• Existing sales force are missing key opportunities and specialists can help 
• Higher activity per sales representative 
• Speed to market 
• Reduced turnover costs / turnover management 
• Lower the cost of new client acquisition 
• More flexibility in building a sales force 
• New product launch capability without a long term commitment 
• More effective prospecting and lead generation effectiveness 
• Shorter sales cycle 
• Less discounting 
• Higher per sale average 
• More effective management of the sales process 
• Higher close ratio 
• Enhanced relationships with prospects and clients 
• Lower cost per sale 
• More accurate forecasting 
• Scalability 
• Reduce risk of hiring and employing 
• Save time recruiting and managing / holding accountable sales executives 
• 100% sales environment 
• Information / Reporting management

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Four (4) Distinct Qualities I should look for in hiring a great Sales Professional in Higher Education....

Four (4) Distinct Qualities I should look for in hiring a great Sales Professional in Higher Education....

Good News.  If you’re asking this question, you understand that whatever you call it (Sales, Business Development, Client Engagement, Business Outreach, etc…), people who sell professionally are very different from who universities and colleges normally hire.  In fact, it is merging two different worlds.

This is not to say that people who sell shouldn’t have the qualities you look for in every hire – integrity, intelligence, positive energy, decisiveness, and the ability to execute.  It’s just that they need other qualities as well – four (4) to be exact.

1.     Empathy:  People who sell feel for their customers.  They understand their needs and pressures; they get the challenges of their business.  They don’t represent specific college courses, programs, events, etc...  They see every need through the customer’s eyes.  Yes, they represent the college, and yes they want to be a profit-center for the college.  But they are geniuses at balancing the interests of the college and the interests of the customer by developing a targeted solution.

2.     Trustworthy:  A salesperson is the primary interface of the customer and must be trusted.  Not surprisingly, then, their word is good; their handshake means something.  They see every customer contract as a long-term relationship, and customers usually respond in kind.

3.     Persistent:  Persistence is the most unique trait a salesperson has to have in selling, particularly at a college who accept students through inbound registration and enrollment.  Outbound solicitation can be brutal.  For example, no one likes making cold calls.  But the best salespeople want to grow the business so badly that they dive into them relentlessly, day after day - they have the knowledge to be tactful and the inner strength not to take inevitable rejections personally. When hiring a great salesperson, you need to know they should have a powerful mixture of drive, courage and self-confidence.    

4.     Innovator:  Finally people who sell to businesses do not just want to “deliver the mail,” they need to have the ability to sell ideas to their college – professional development, instructors, and marketing.  The biggest complaint from business today is that colleges don’t understand what they need.  A great salesperson can be a significant player in reducing this gap by bringing ideas to the college from the business customers they reach, “You know, if we could develop XYZ, we could capture a whole new market out there.”

Unlike any other business, providing quality education and growing revenue is a balaincing act.  Both should be at the top of a college's to-do list, but with the highest integrity and best intentions. This is why hiring the right salesperson is so important, special – and so valuable.

Community Colleges: A Revolution is Coming!

Subject:  Community Colleges Seeking Increased Business Outreach:  A Revolution Is Coming!

 We understand the increased competition that will take place between educational institutions in the business sector and your communities. I came from the Community College System and know how you operate; making it very easy for me to declare your institution is one of the best places for someone to advance their skills and education.  I know you demonstrate consistent values, practice hands-on and online learning, and do indeed believe that you are the key in developing the talents of your employers and students.  I know this because many of us we're in the trenches alongside you to observe that commitment.  I believe this is a key point of differentiation in the war of who will be developing top talent in businesses and communities throughout this nation.

“If we are going to solve the skills shortage, it’s going to take community colleges and CEOs talking to each other to identify job trends and skills that are needed now and in the future,” said Walter Bumphus, President of American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) who also attended the meeting at Harper. “Communication is critical to do a better job of aligning education and training programs with the jobs that are out there.”

“We’re going to see employment-based learning as a new model going forward,” said Harper President Kenneth Ender. “It’s a powerful tool for getting people on the path to good, middle-skills jobs, but it’s going to require a closer partnership between community colleges and local companies.”

Some Community College workforce (Corporate Training, Continuing Education, Technical) organizations are struggling — revenue is not improving and business problem solving has stalled.  It’s not because the Community College training products and value are not adequate.  No, on the contrary, many of the college basic skill and certificate programs are of the highest quality in the states and communities they serve.  Thus, it is not the program quality that Community Colleges provide, it’s the business outreach, creating awareness of the wonderful products and services the Community Colleges have the ability to offer.   

Private for-profit educational providers in your territories are happy to discover that a sales revolution is coming!  They invest significant dollars in go-to-marketing strategies with up to 3 to 5 year ROI models. However, their program quality is no better than the Community College and they are not cost effective for the end user.  Perhaps it is time to sit up and pay attention.  Here are 5 Community College innovations that make up the new business revolution:

1.       Talent.  Is your Community College finally accepting the fact that talent plays a significant role in the success of reaching out to businesses?  Additionally, organizations that use a statistically reliable assessment like the Talent Interview outperform all other organizations.  Why? Because it focuses on acquiring the best sales and marketing talent only.

2.       Lead Generation.  Even the best companies and organizations struggle with finding new business prospects.  Community Colleges will need to develop new, quality new business leads that need education and training.

3.       Inbound Marketing.  Lead generation on steroids is the best way to describe the benefits of Inbound Marketing.  This process directs prospects to their particular Community College.  This is much more efficient and less costly than the old fashion way of businesses and individuals finding out about their local Community College through traditional advertising (Radio, TV or Print). What is your inbound strategy for your businesses and community to find you?  For more information on this revolutionary concept, check out The Inbound Marketing Forum.

4.      B2B Appointment Setting.  Allowing Community Colleges to do what they do best (need assessments) makes all the sense in the world.  Spending 35-40% of time prospecting and appointment setting is a waste of valuable business consulting time (and a waste of a valuable resource).  Check out The Appointment Lab to tap into a resource that sets appointments for Community Colleges.

5.       How Selling.  Finally there is a business contracting process that allows Community Colleges to teach customers HOW to use their products instead of the tired approach of pitching WHY to use their products.  Our best partners have figured out how to change the conversation from WHY to HOW!  See HOW SELLING Steps for more information on this revolutionary new contracting process!

Don’t let this business outreach revolution come as a surprise — your products, services and overall value to your business and community are too important…   

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