Regardless of the profile of the language school, your main goal is customer acquisition and find new sources of revenue. You run a multi-channel marketing communications, you make up slogans, you improve the website…but have you ever called your customer? Remember, marketing is inextricably linked to the sale. Time to know its role in a language school.
So why should I sale?
It is good to know that a language school can not base its activities only on marketing to attract the customers. Of course, it can be used to build a strong brand recognition, but if you focus solely on such activities you will condemn yourself at the mercy of the client. Despite many activities and a sensation conducting business you actually sit and wait for the client to come to you and say „I want to buy course!”
How to sale?
Human nature is constructed in such a way that we like to feel important and adored. But it can also be a trap – it’s easy to exaggerate and cause a defensive reaction against the insistent salespeople. The balance between adoration of a potential customer, and being an intrusive salesman will provide you with one very important feature of the relationship – SYMPATHY!
That is why it is so important for the school to build positive relations with its customers / potential customers, and for customers to like the school and the people working in it. It does not matter how many times you call the customer as long as you keep hearing „no”.
44% of people give up after the first call, but up to 80% of successful transactions needed 5 repeated contacts!
Bilateral win
No phone call or e-mail will never be treated as „forcing” to do anything if a school-client relationship will be built on the rules of partnership. Remember that the more you give, the more you can earn, and your whole business revenue is based solely on the result WIN – WIN. Therefore, each mail or telephone to a potential client should be based on the belief that you want to do something good for a person you are contacting.
If a person feels the need to learn the language (and, for example, downloaded your e-book), it is enough to advise him just the right solution and motivate to make a decision. This motivator certainly is not a discount. 50 EUR less for a person willing to learn the language and succeed certainly is not as valuable as a guarantee of success and improvement of their current abilities.
Emotions, positive relationships, and the vision of the goal – it all matters! It would be great if you use Storytelling method. You should also gather information from your current customers about what motivated them to sign up for your course. It will give you a lot of insight into the future.
Be a helping hand
One of the top methods of sales used to be an ABC method- Always is Closing, focusing on the fact that at any stage a salesman should seek to close a sales opportunity successfully so basically convince the customer to sign a contract. It is no coincidence that companies are currently moving away from this method. Instead of ABC people choose ABH, Always Be Helping. This method focuses on three principles:
1.Verify if your potential customer has a problem that you can solve.
2.Check at what stage of the decision is your potential customer.
3.Work on the purchasing cycle to maximize and facilitate the decision making.
With such an emotional charge you should plan every e-mail and telephone to the person whose data you acquire, depending on the source. It is known that a communication with a person who downloaded your e-book should be different than with a person who left you his details in the newsletter. Remember the fact that these people are at different stages of the decision-making process (see point 2).
The first direct contact should not be oriented only on the sell. Try to get to know the person on the other side, to find out what motivated that person to look for a language course. With this phone call, you will start a personal, close relationship with the customer.
Things to remember
- Determine the path of contact with the client depending on the form of the first contact.
- Prepare sample questions – but do not write the script! Think about what information you just want to know about the man on the other side. Do not be afraid, when people hear that you just want to talk, not to interview them, they will be willing to share more information.
- Examine the viability of your operations – if your e-book has been downloaded 300 times, but none of these people became your client, you have to decide if it’s worth doing a second edition.
- If you have a phone number of the customer – CALL! No e-mail will replace a quick phone call.
- Take notes! – Have you ever introduced yourself twice to the same person? Do not allow such situations.
With the experience gained in daily contact with language schools we see that they rarely apply those techniques. Part of the schools has registration period once or twice a year and do not contact anyone between those periods, do not organize any opened meetings or demonstrations, do not look for new sources. Another approach is demonstrated by the franchise schools that outsource telemarketing companies which call potential customers.
And what is your approach to sales? Please share your experience with us! 😉