1

How to Sell to US Schools “Two decades of experiences” Mark Shay

2

WARNING

Language used in this session is focused on the commercial aspects of commerce. It uses words that

may be viewed as contrary to the mission and vision of those who educate students. Those with an aversion to

commercialism may find this session offensive.

3

Why Listen to Me? (Bio)

Mark Shay is an entrepreneur with a long history of helping higher education institutions recruit and retain students, serving thousands of academic customers in his 20-year career. He is well known for balancing the non-commercial spirit of educators with the commercial realities of operating efficiently and effectively. At IDP Education, Shay brings his deep understanding of the American market to the world’s largest student placement firm. As Regional Director, Shay is responsible for bringing IDP Education’s network of prospective students to the US market. He will oversee relationships with universities that are looking to expand their international student enrollments and improve their brands overseas. Before coming to IDP, Shay was the founder of EDU, a leading computer-based student recruiting company that produced GradSchools.com and StudyAbroad.com. Shay is known as one of the leading authorities in the field of online marketing and using the Internet to communicate with students.

4

Why am I here?

•  AIRC and ICEF are in essence our industry’s trade associations, IDP is the industry’s largest player

•  Competition is key to any industry’s success as it builds buyer confidence

•  Today’s American market opportunity – Land Grab, not market share

•  The better everyone does at “selling”, the better the credibility of the industry and the more receptive the market is to my company

•  “Rising tide lifts all boats”

5

Why Listen to Me? (Stuff I’ve Sold)

•  Poster distribution services •  Advertisements in 11 different university’s “Directory of Classes” •  Web links in online academic directories •  Web site development services •  Online advertising media buying services •  Online marketing consulting services •  Academic Brand Strategies •  CRM (student inquiry management) systems •  Internet generated student leads •  Database of student profiles •  Association partnerships •  Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index •  University admissions •  Student placement services

But ultimately, what I really sell…

6

What really you sell is you!

Because no matter how good the product,

no matter how great the value, if they don’t trust you, they won’t buy from you.

Me!

7

Personal Trust

Academics buy from people they trust. They greatly value the advice of their peers They value “honesty” and candor instead of boldness and hype The respect patience and they appreciate support of their

academic values

8

Risk Adverse Clients

University Culture: It’s worse to make a mistake than it is to underperform “Academics like to buy, they don’t like to be sold” Business protects intellectual property (protect confidentiality),

universities share best practice (collaborate, share)

9

Organizational Trust: Responsibility to the student

The wider responsibility of institutions and agencies is to the student.

Trust develops when institutions and agencies work in partnership to fully meet the needs of foreign students. •  Commitment to ethical practice •  Student support infrastructure •  Recognition of cultural differences

Despite a desire to achieve numbers, university administrators are bound to serve the student. It’s a trust that is build into their value systems. It is part of their ethics.

10

“Educational Ethics” versus “Business Practices”

Teaching is often referred to as “the noble profession” They define “profitability” as an “ethical challenge” They don’t like to consider themselves part of an industry. Many senior administrators still hold faculty positions and consider themselves educators Mission of American higher education is demonstrated by EducationUSA’s inclusion in the Department of State as opposed to the Department of Commerce (Ministry of Trade) In the United States, there is pressure to have educational institutions act like a business, but not to have businesses run educational institutions

11

The Institute of International Education is reimbursing several American colleges for the fees they paid to participate in a recent college fair it co-sponsored in China, amid complaints that translators hired to work with the Americans there were actually student-recruiting agents who took advantage of their position to sign up students. The nonprofit organization, which holds higher-education fairs in countries around the world to bring together colleges and students, forbids third parties to seek to represent colleges or potential students at the events. … told him she could "smell" the recruiters. "If you've gone to one fair, you can discern them in a second," he said. The use of paid recruiting agents is one of the most controversial issues in international education today. Universities in Australia, Britain, and elsewhere commonly use overseas recruiters to attract foreign students, but the practice is not widespread among American institutions. Critics worry that agents may take advantage of students.

- The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 29, 2009

Colleges Get Refunds After Translators at Chinese Fair Turn Out to Be Recruiters

12

The State Department has waded into the contentious issue of international student recruitment, issuing policy guidance that bars its EducationUSA advising centers from forming partnerships with commercial recruiting agents who have contracts to represent specific American universities. …saying that such recruiters lack objectivity and may restrict foreign students' college options. . … the directive reflects the attitude of many in American higher education, who see the practice of commercial recruiting as improper and even unethical. The idea of awarding commissions to agents to sign up foreign students has long been controversial in the United States: College associations, such as the National Association for College Admission Counseling, have been critical of the practice, arguing that when recruiters are being paid by colleges, students' interest is no longer their first priority. "Working with agents narrows that mission and confuses students,”

- The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2, 2009

State Department Issues Guidance on Student-Recruitment Agents

13

From an director of college counseling at an IB school in China: … In a society where unrelenting competition is a fact of life, the allure of the world's best system of higher education is growing by the year. With no reliable source of information that they can understand, the parents turn to a motley collection of agents who purport to offer the inside track to American colleges. A Chinese colleague recently told me about a friend who paid $10,000 to an agent who guaranteed her child five acceptances from among "the top 100 universities" in America. Such promises are standard procedure among the agents, who create or doctor transcripts, manufacture essays and letters of recommendation, and package everything in a neat bundle. Americans would call this fraud. In China it is simply the procedure for applying to U.S. institutions. …Despite our advice, assurances, and occasional warnings, we estimate that about five of the 28 families of students in our graduating class did pay agents various sums for real and imagined services…

- Commentary in The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2, 2009

The Chinese Are Coming, and They Need Help With the Admissions Process

14

So, Now Do You Trust Me?

In the USA, agents have a soiled reputation.

Media paints overseas

recruiting practices as aggressive, ruthless even ethically unsound.

As an industry, we have an

image problem.

15

AIRC Provides Industry Integrity

The AIRC certification process provides a “seal of approval” for student recruitment agencies to be considered by U.S. institutions, students and families, government agencies, and other organizations concerned with quality and transparency in the international student marketplace. Applicants for AIRC certification must undergo a background check, a rigorous self-study based on the AIRC standards, and a site review. They must demonstrate their capacity for ensuring the standards are adapted throughout their agency and that counselors and agents have a full understanding of the American higher education system. AIRC’s Standards for Certification call for a certain level of quality practiced in five operational areas:

1.  Organizational Effectiveness 2.  Integrity of Recruitment Process 3.  Institutional Engagement Pre and Post Enrollment 4.  Institutional Engagement Pre and Post Recruitment 5.  Complaints Process

- Source: American International Recruitment Council

16

Pre-enrollment Responsibilities

The AIRC statement of rights and responsibilities asks institutions to assure that:

•  Marketing information is of a high standard, professional, clear and

unambiguous

•  Prospective students can access information about the institution’s academic program, fees and refund policies, facilities, services, resources and policies, as well as information about US education and living in the US

•  The integrity of the recruitment process is upheld, including ethical practice in admission and transfer

•  Students who are admitted are adequately prepared for post-secondary education, including appropriate language skills and age consideration

•  Accurate information is shared transparently with recruiting agencies

17

Post-enrollment Responsibilities

The AIRC statement of rights and responsibilities asks institutions to: •  Provide the best possible academic advising to assure student progress

•  To provide adequate support services for international students including,

but not limited to: •  Orientation to living in the US •  Health, lodging, meals and travel •  Visa conditions •  Student activities •  Policies relating to due process

•  Participate ethically in US visa screening

•  Uphold the highest standards of practice relative to international students

and generally assure a positive experience in US post-secondary education

18

Best Practice Outcomes

Securing universities as clients comes from a trust, that leads to strong partnerships between agencies and institutions.

•  Cooperation in areas such as marketing and application

processes

•  Agency brings market intelligence, local experience, trained counseling staff and established infrastructure

•  Agency adds ‘eyes and ears’ to the institution

•  Agency supports institution building its brand in the market

•  Institution supports agency in providing clear and transparent information to students

•  Institution provides quality post-enrollment support services

19

No Brainer?

It is not wise to assume there is no risk to the university in using an agent. For many, it is more than reluctance, it is fear. For them, their fears are very real and recognizing this is very key in starting to establish a trust.

The risks to a university include:

•  Brand damage – Exaggeration of the stature, reputation and recognition of a universities degree

•  Liability – Misrepresentation and false statements about to program offerings, admission requirements, eligibility

•  Orphaned Students – Arrival of sub-standard students and problems that need resolution

•  I-20 License Suspension – Fraudulent documents and immigration scams risk suspension of the university’s ability to recruit international students.

•  Professional Reputation – Picking a bad agent could be a career ender.

20

Recruitment Agency Checklist

Institutions should focus on a few quality agencies that meet the check list below.

Do your agencies have: Established reputation Institutional client base Large footprint Experience Market knowledge Trained counseling staff Effective infrastructure platforms

Do they: Work in partnership with you Build on your brand strength Provide market feedback Provide market research

Can they: Deliver your desired student profile (eg volume, diversity)

21

Selling Tactics: Step One

Establish Trust (personal, company, industry) - “Academics like to buy, they don’t like to be sold” - Understand the value of personal referrals. Testimonials and introductions from other clients are important door openers and confidence builders

22

Selling Tactics: Step Two

Understand the Need When possible, Listen, don’t speak. “Tell me your pain.” Patience, take notes, be deliberate. Ask for examples to understand their bias

23

Selling Tactics: Step Three

Address the Objections Identify and re-state the clients objections Debate if cordial DO NOT ARGUE Provide truthful answers where possible Recognize unknowns where necessary Defer answers if further research, proof is needed DO NOT INTENTIONALLY MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS

24

Selling Tactics: Step Four

Present the Value Interpret the client fears, create new ones such as: Risk of being stagnant Risk of falling behind competitors Risk of loosing travel justification Create Pain, Create urgency, Be the solution Trust builds over time, ask for a chance to prove yourself through a three year plan Discuss the contract, define non-negotiable terms Set reasonable expectations, plan to slightly over perform

25

Selling Tactics: Step Five

Close the Deal Validate the client, focus on the students Ask for references Visit the campus Finalize contract terms Understand the decision making process, work the cycle

26

Agree on the Language

Third-party representative: An all-encompassing term identifying a person or group of persons offering international student recruitment services for a fee. This can include agents, counselors or other such positions. Agent: A single entity, often a sole-proprietor, able to assist institutions in international student recruitment. May work on behalf of an institution to find students, may be hired by a student prospect to give advice on schools, or may charge both parties for bringing the two together. Counselor: A professional responsible for giving guidance and advice to international students and their families, often to help choose a college or university. May be separated for ethical reasons from the business aspect of the student placement industry. Advisor: A professional able to provide standard information on the U.S. options available to an international student prospect, but not necessary able to offer actual counseling and guidance or help with choosing an institution. Marketing representative: A full- or part-time employee hired by a U.S. college or university to work overseas in an effort to recruit students from a particular region or country.

27

Good Selling! Mark Shay Higher Education Sales and Marketing http://www.InternetCarbon.com +1-610-357-4648 mshay@InternetCarbon.com