Customer Service on Tour – 10 Lessons on Selling Your School

Monday Morning Match is a post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

This weekend I took my soon-to-be high school senior daughter Riley to Clemson University for an official campus visit. She’s starting to narrow down her college choices before she heads into her final year of high school and this trip was planned to see if this school located in the western mountains of South Carolina would be a good fit for her future. Along with the University of South Carolina in Columbia, Riley seems pretty content on making the Palmetto State her next stop for higher education.

As we toured the rolling campus of Clemson this weekend with Caroline H., a senior from outside of Charlotte, NC, it was evident that anyone in sales has a lot to learn from these hard-working volunteers. These spirited students who are part of the Clemson University Guide Association are tasked with marketing and selling not just their school but a campus, a town, a lifestyle and a brand. If they get people to “buy in” to what they are selling, their school, campus, town, lifestyle and brand grows and is impacted in a powerful way.

As I walked through the campus and listened to Caroline share her experiences at Clemson and the expectations the school has of their newest candidates, I realized there was a lesson right in front of me.

Customer Service on Tour – 10 Lessons on Selling Your School…or service, product or people

1. First Impressions – From the moment you sit down in the Visitors Center, you realize that orange & purple aren’t just the school colors of Clemson, they’re who they are. This place is all about one university, one community, one team and one family. What’s that initial thing people think of when they encounter your brand or business? Do they instantly know what you stand for and who you are? 
2. Off to a Good Start – Caroline stepped up to introduce herself. She is a dual major in health services and English and when she called out her assigned guest’s names, she asked them to reply with a loud, proud “Go Tigers” instead of the boring “here” or “present.” We grabbed a cold bottle of water and headed out into the midday humidity and started our 90 minute tour of campus. What is your “here I am” message or announcement to the world that it’s time to go? How do you plan your day so you start with great energy or leave the office with energy and enthusiasm?
3. Start with a Story – As our group took a spot on iconic Bowman Field, a signature spot at the Northern edge of campus in the shadow of Tillman Hall, we learned about the early beginnings of Clemson College and the growth of the school (from college to university) as well as some of the happenings students can expect as they arrive on campus and start walking between the red brick buildings of campus. From the students doing homework on the massive green field, the chicken wire displays lining the area during homecoming week or the memory of ESPN’s College Gameday making an appearance on one of the rainiest Saturday’s of the season last year, this place is a spot the incoming freshman will certainly remember before, during and after their time at Clemson. What’s that easy to remember story you share with potential customers and clients that paints a picture and creates some genuine emotions. Does your product or service help your client now or in the future and will they remember the story you told them when they finally get what they want? 
4. Set the Pace – Caroline knew that she had a lot of ground to cover and only a short time to get there. She had to literally “walk the walk and talk the talk” while keeping the slowest visitors in tow and making sure the fast walkers didn’t get too far ahead. We never felt rushed but also never felt bored and hoping we could fast-forward to the next stop in the program. Who controls your schedule? Are you aware of the checkpoints you have throughout your sales process? How much of your message or service is verbal, written and/or visual?
5. Know Your Stuff – Caroline wasn’t just talking about school colors and the Tiger’s two-deep roster on last year’s National Championship runner-up football team. She knew the buildings, the programs and the extra-curricular activities from almost all angles of campus. Whether it was stats, history or future development, Caroline was clearly well-practiced and confident in her words and actions. How competent are you? How confident do you deliver the information through your words and actions? Do you deliver consistently? Is so, your audience will trust you.
6. Welcome Questions – Some things the potential students wanted to know were not in Caroline’s internalized scripts. “Where is the architecture department?“, “How many students in each dorm room?“, “Can freshman bring a car to campus?“, or “How much do student’s pay for football tickets?” Certainly these were all great questions, but this wasn’t Caroline’s first rodeo. She answered as if they were extra credit on her next mid-term exam. (answers: Lee Hall; usually two but sometimes three; yes; free). Questions are good and should be looked at as an opportunity to help your clients make good decisions. Questions are a way for your potential client to eliminate or objections to service or products. It’s also a great idea to ask lots of questions too because the best salespeople are the best question-askers. 
7. Remember Your Comfort Zones – It was obvious that Caroline had a few designated spots to stop the group and share some information. It may have been a scenic spot where lots of buildings were visible or in also could be those strategically located buildings like the Cooper Library or Brackett Hall that were great examples of places students utilize while on campus but they also had their air-conditioners on full blast a welcome respite from the muggy August air. Where are you most comfortable? Do you invite your clients to come to your office where you have the home-course knowledge and all the equipment and forms are or do you make all your presentations “away games” so you have added pressure and nerves to “close the deal” as well as you know you would in your controlled environment.
8. Sometimes You Have to Call an Audible – As we neared the end of our tour, one of the checkpoints where Caroline wanted to tell us about one of the crown jewels of Clemson – Memorial Stadium, aka “Death Valley” – we were met with the loud sounds of jack hammers, drills and saws from a nearby dormitory construction site. After trying to shout over the din of the power tools and busy workers, Caroline asked everyone to follow her a few hundred feet up the road so we could hear better. How long do you wait before you change plans to something better?  It’s great to have a plan but it’s sometimes better to have the experience to make a change before it needs to be made. 
9. Leave them Wanting More – As we arrived at the picturesque location between the Clemson Carillon on the North Lawn and the view of Reflection Lake in front of the main library, Caroline ended the tour. I looked at the time on my iPhone and was shocked to realized we had been on tour for exactly the 90 minutes we were promised. Caroline offered to remain for any questions people might have or to personally direct them to the right person or place to get the answered they needed. As the other members of our group dispersed to grab lunch or hit the road home, we snagged a photo with our tour guide and walked back to the Visitor Center with her. How does your service or product offer everything people expect but still have them sitting at the edge of their seats? What are those things that you can deliver above and beyond the sale that makes people say “wow”?  
10. Stay Connected After the Sale – Caroline was a fantastic liaison for the Clemson family. She really engaged with Riley and even offered to personally connect her to some of her friends who are completing the same major that Riley plans to study. They exchanged contact information and social media handles and the Twitter handle for the CU Tour Guides was shared as well. Unless you are selling coffins or grave sites, you rarely have a client that might not repeat or refer your business. Do you have a plan to follow-up with clients after the sale? How do you stay in touch and can people find you when they search online or call the number in the phone book? 

It was a great weekend and Clemson is now at the top of Riley’s list for schools she wants to attend. She still has her entire Senior year ahead of her – lots of homework, classes,a golf season and enjoying life between now and whenever and wherever she may choose to attend. She will need to not only apply, but also be accepted before she can begin making plans to call any school home. But as far as our tour guide Caroline needs to know, she has a ready, willing and (hopefully) able customer in my daughter. I must say, being back on campus again gave me some flashbacks to my college days in Gainesville and kind of made me miss those “times of my life” back in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

I hope your “sales” go as well this week. Remember these 10 lessons each day you’re engaging with customers and clients and as always, remember the three most important underlying lessons we can all benefit from every day; build relationships, solve problems and have fun.