Are you letting these opportunities come and go?
Many of my friends who are parents and have chosen the higher education for their children were surveyed. I was surprised by how many of them claimed that visiting the school was frequently the determining factor when I asked them how much the college tour influenced their decision. When I delved deeper into their experiences, I was astounded to discover how frequently their love of the institution was a result of the guidance they had. Someone said to me, “Because the tour guide we had spent the time to speak with my child, find out about his interests, demonstrate how he could relate to what we were looking for based on his own personal experience, and pointed out the parts of the campus that were going to be of most interest to us, that school rose to the top of our list of schools (with comparable features). Because of our affection for the guide, we fell in love with the school.”
The campus experience of my friend and possibly even the tour guide was a perfect example of my Persuasion Principle, a philosophy I teach to people in every industry so they can apply it to any situation requiring persuasion and forge a connection that makes them fall in love with you, your brand, and their place in it.
I wonder if the tour guide had received any training or if his skill at what he was doing came naturally to him. The likelihood that most tour guides aren’t like this, in my opinion, is high. That the majority of them are misusing their potential to influence others by merely providing information and responding to inquiries, which is just providing facts.
My intuition tells me that most of these situations are left to chance, as it was for my friends who took excursions with less than stellar guides.
By the way, it’s not just during campus tours. In many business situations, I believe that situations like this are mostly left to chance. By their very nature, people rely on data to market their goods and services. They also miss out on money since data does not convince.
Here are some simple measures you may take to apply my persuasion principle to your moment of impact if this describes you.
Understand the power of that moment. If you view your tour as merely a means of showing people around, you must take a step back and realize that the guide is a brand ambassador with the power to influence the family’s decision to invest thousands of dollars in you. Recognize that if you leave this opportunity up to chance, you will lose money.
Recognize that every person who is circling you has the potential to become a customer. Not only is it your responsibility to help the student, but also everyone else who has come with them. Every individual is a customer with unique demands.
Recognize each buyer in your circle’s requirements and feelings, preferably before they arrive. Know how to obtain the information you require about each person beforehand or when it is needed so that your guide can speak to each person’s specific needs, desires, and emotions. Even though you may be asking them about their interests, this is not probing enough. As they decide, find out what they are having trouble with. Find out what their ideal experience would be by asking them. Instead of just checking the boxes next to the characteristics they want, you want them to explain the issue or want they have, how it makes them feel, and what the ideal experience would be like.
Teach your representative how to tell tales. Each student or staff member should already have a few brief anecdotes to relate to the data obtained about your buyers. They ought to each have a “about me” story and ready-to-share anecdotes about the experiences of other students.
Teach your ambassador to prioritize connection over knowledge. Teach your guide to pay attention to how they make people feel as well as what they say. Teach students to pay attention to the problems the school solves as well as its activities. Teach them to connect the school’s attributes to the buyer’s needs and wants. If all else fails, one simple solution is to just start a conversation with your customers and let them know they are being heard. Instead of showing them around, your role is to assist them in resolving issues or achieving their ideal experience.
I guarantee that the moment will be more potent than it was if your guides carry out even a small portion of what I have just stated.
Regardless of your sector, if you need more assistance producing moments that count, you’re in luck. Exactly for that reason, I developed Story Impact Academy and the Persuasion Principle course that is currently available there. It’s the ideal journey to fully introduce the value of connection and story to your staff. Enroll in the course and spend the entire year with me building brand ambassadors through their stories. Visit www.StoryImpactAcademy.com for more information, and as usual, let me know when you’d want me to come introduce this idea in person during a keynote or workshop.
Fall in love with the teacher and the institution.
Need help becoming a Story Driven Campus? Email info@StoryImpactAcademy.com and storytelling expert Kelly Swanson will help.