Purchase Decision

The concepts in this article will be further discussed in an enroll ml webinar on Tuesday, April 25, at 3:00 (eastern). 

If there is a moment the college search process builds towards, it could be this – the moment the student decides to commit to an institution.

Step four – purchase decision

Of course, a compelling argument could be made that the entire process builds towards move-in day or even census day.  While I wouldn’t begrudge that opinion, I would suggest that the number of conference sessions and discussions about needing to address melt tells me that my initial premise is correct.  We’ve built a process focused on getting a deposit, and are now attempting to extend it to reduce summer melt.

That debate aside, this stage in McKinsey’s Consumer Decision Journey, the exact moment the student settles on a college – that’s the magic moment in college admissions.

Imagine you could get in front of the student during the critical few days before they are about to make a final decision.  How would that improve your yield?

But who knows when a student is likely to make a decision?

The student knows.  And if you listen closely enough, they’ll tell you.

What we’ve found at enroll ml, is buried deep within your CRM data –  there are signals students are displaying that suggest they are nearing the moment of decision.

By identifying the patterns of successful enrollments in the past, and then applying them to current students, an institution can be present and involved with each student just at the right time.

This, and other aspects of this topic, will be discussed on April 25 at our next enroll ml webinar, with a recording available afterward.