3 Simple Reminders That Will Turn Tours Into Enrollments
There are potential families visiting, emailing and calling every day. The need for high quality preschool or a fabulous birthday party experience is something that many parents are willing to pay top dollar for. But only if they are treated in a manner that makes them feel it is worth it.
How inquiries and tours are handled from the very beginning will determine your value in the minds of potential families.
If you want to maximize your chances of turning a tour into an enrollment, you need to remember three easy, simple things that can often get forgotten when Early Childhood business life gets overwhelming.
Last week we talked about 5 ways to turn your inquiries into tours. Today we are going to expand on that and take the next step, making sure those tours turn into enrollments. And we will do this by understanding 3 simple reminders that can get lost in our daily chaos of operating a successful Early Childhood business.
Respond promptly
Be friendly and helpful
Follow up
Respond Promptly
Responding quickly to an inquiry shows that you're interested in working with the potential family and that you're available to answer any questions they may have. If someone has taken the time to reach out to you, they're likely interested in your business, and if you don't reply promptly, they may lose interest or book with someone else.
When responding, the first step is to send a confirmation email or set up a phone call. You are going to make sure you have all the necessary information from the inquiry. Use the New Family Interview form we discussed in last week’s podcast episode #49. Asking questions to get a better understanding of what the family is looking for and how you can guide the tour to show them you are the perfect fit.
Be sure to check our free resource at the bottom of this page, New Family Interview template to make sure you gather all of the important information you need to have a great tour.
Be Friendly and Helpful
Whether it is during the inquiry process or on a tour, be personable - families want to know that they'll be working with someone they can trust, so it's important to be friendly and approachable.
Now when you are actually on the tour, it is important to have a your tour process ready - having a well-thought-out tour process shows that you're prepared and that you know what the family is looking for.
But, remember to be flexible - parents may have specific requests or questions, so it's important to be flexible in order to accommodate their needs.
A tour process will vary from location to location, but some good basics are:
Have your Tour binder, notebook, clipboard, or whatever you use with your New Family Interview form already filled out from the inquiry session. If they are a walk in or you have not completed that yet, now is the time to do that. This helps guide your conversations. (Again more specifics on this in ECBME Episode #49.)
Follow the direction of the conversation based on the families needs and how they answered the questions you asked from the New Family Interview form.
Know the key topics you want to talk about:
your team and team highlights
your curriculum
some of the important policies and procedures like closures and other specifics that are important to your community
tuition and fees
your business values and mission
any hidden assets - these are THE things that make you unique and why you are the perfect fit for the family
Have any brochures, handouts, and paperwork ready. A pack for them to have for just touring. But also, be ready with your enrollment packet if they decide to reserve their spot immediately.
Part of your Tour Process includes your Tour Map. This is the way you will show prospective families around your building and facilities. You want to be thoughtful about this to show off your business in the best way possible.
And finally, the most important part of your Tour Process. Make sure these or whatever process you use is in place and you feel confident that someone else on your team will be able to give a great tour. This way you do not have to be onsite at all times and can have more of that much-deserved time freedom.
Follow Up
However, you can't always close the deal right away, and sometimes people will need more time to make a decision. In that case, you should follow up periodically (every few days or so) until they either enroll or tell you they're not interested.
Following up after the initial inquiry and/or tour helps to build a relationship with the potential family and shows that you're interested in working with them.
We go over in detail our A.C.E. Inquiry System in ECBME #41. This is our Attraction Communication Enrollment System we use to manage follow-ups and ensure a potential family has been contacted several times in a very respectful manner to follow up and keep the conversation going. Be sure to check it out!
Final Thoughts on Turning your Tours into successful Enrollments
If you're looking to turn your tours into successful enrollments, there are a few things you can do.
First, make sure you're prompt in your responses to inquiries. People are likely considering multiple options, so the faster you can get back to them, the better. Be thorough in your responses. Answer any and all questions the parent has, so they feel comfortable working with you.
Secondly, be friendly and personable. The more someone likes you, the more likely they are to book a tour with you.
And finally, follow up. Have a process in place for how you or someone from your team will follow up. You want to be top of mind when they are ready to enroll.
If you can follow these tips, you'll be well on your way to turning inquiries into tours and tours into successful enrollments.
Resources
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You will learn how to spend less time on small details and daily tasks. You can spend more time doing the things you truly enjoy. Focusing on the things that really matter, your top priorities, your key relationships, your most important projects, all the things that will bring you more joy and your business more success. Take care and have a great week!
