Every time the phone rings at your school, it represents the potential for more revenue. But how many of those phone leads go unanswered? Do you even know?
In this article, we’ll explore the pitfalls of unanswered phone calls and how you can avoid them using the massive benefits of Google Ads.
Evaluate Your Current Process for Handling Phone Leads
We recently hopped on a call with a prospect who was concerned about the results they were seeing from Google Ads. They didn’t feel like they were seeing a good return on their investment.
Then we showed them the number of incoming calls that had gone unanswered. They were shocked. They thought their front desk staff were on top of their game. Unanswered phone leads are like lighting money on fire, both in ad spend and in potential enrollments.
The good news is, once you know better, you can do better! So, how do you prevent the waste? How do you capitalize on the wealth of information Google Ads provides you?
The best way is to have a great process in place beforehand and make sure your staff is on board.
Empower Staff With a Great Process
Having a consistent process for your front desk staff — any staff member who might answer the phone — is vital to not losing out on phone leads. It becomes even more important once you begin using Google Ads. Without one, you’ll be watching your investment go up in smoke.
Once you implement a process, you’ll see increases in effectiveness and enrollment, and you’ll have additional feedback with which to make better staffing decisions.
A great process starts with a phone script. There are three questions every phone script should include:
- How did you hear about us?
- How soon do you need to begin care?
- Would you like to come in for a tour? (Or whatever your “next step” is)
The answers to these three questions will give you the insights you need to not only reach your business goals, but to also improve your staffing and training.
Google Ads allows you to connect your phone system directly to your ad. When someone clicks the ad to call your school, they trigger the system to record metrics for you, like what time of day the call came in and whether your staff answered the call. By knowing what times of day phone leads come in, you can better staff your front desk.
Google Ads also records answered calls so you and your staff can listen again later. Listening to recorded calls allows you to hear every detail of what went wrong and what went right from beginning to end, without bias. You’ll learn who your best rapport-builder is so you can get them on the phone at the right time of day and (hopefully) have them train the staff who aren’t as proficient.
Rapport-building is perhaps the most valuable skill for a front desk staff member. Ultimately, what you’re selling is peace of mind. The person who answers your phone needs to persuade the parent on the other end that their child will be getting more than a quality educational experience and organic food. They’ll be safe and cared for all day long.
Questions Engaged Agencies Ask
To prepare clients for success and tailor the perfect marketing solution, an engaged, hands-on marketing agency (us included) asks the following questions:
What Does Success Look Like for You?
This question sounds obvious, but it’s the most important one we ask.
A hands-off agency might assume your goals, but what if they’re wrong? That leads to “successful” tasks but unfulfilled goals.
Knowing your goals helps us tailor a marketing solution just for you. It’s also our opportunity to set realistic expectations. For example, if a client wants to reach their ultimate goal overnight, we can explain why success will take time or why we must reach other goals first.
What Are Your Business Stats?
An engaged agency will ask about your enrollment, online reputation (including current ratings and reviews), target audience, and tour conversion rates.
We use those statistics to determine which of our services will most impact your business, achieve your goals, and keep you within your budget and timeline.
Remember our party metaphor? Understanding your current business statistics also helps us learn how to prepare your business for our marketing efforts. For example, we’d never run an ad campaign if your Google reviews were poor — interested families would run away immediately.
Do You Use a CRM?
What does your team do with our leads? If you’re using a CRM, great. We can funnel your new leads into it. That creates even greater transparency between you and your agency.
If you’re not using a CRM, it’s harder to quantify what happens to leads and where they go.
Does Your Website Truly Reflect Your Services?
We sometimes notice that a new client’s website lacks some information. For example, it might not list what’s included in tuition, what extracurriculars you offer, what meals your kitchen serves, etc.
Families need this essential but easily overlooked information.
Before we introduce you to new families, we want to ensure that those families will get the best first impression. They need to compare you accurately to the competition, and you need to come out on top.
Your website can’t be a stumbling block for the customer. Rather, it should propel them forward in the sales process.
Does Your Social Media Reflect Your Culture?
Do existing families get the same impression from your social media as prospective families? What about current and prospective employees — do they feel the same?
Your social media must portray what it’s like to be part of your community. Is this the environment families want to put their children in? Photos of smiling, happy children always put families at ease.
Is Your Digital Footprint Consistent?
Some clients may not be aware of all the places their business shows up online. Have you checked Yelp? What about Google Maps? How about Apple Maps and your Google Business page?
Moreover, are your name, address, and phone numbers prominently displayed on those sites? If prospects can’t find your contact information, how can they learn more about your business? Are your phone number and address consistent and accurate across the web? Typos and out-of-date information deter prospects.
What Does Your Sales Process Look Like?
What will your team do with the leads we send their way? As we implement our strategy, phones may ring more than usual, and more forms may come in. Do you have a robust system that manages these new prospects?
We don’t want new leads to go untracked or lost. This will negatively affect your business and waste money.
What’s Your Biggest Limiting Factor?
Most clients have one of two limiting factors: time or money. These factors exist at opposite ends of the same spectrum. Fast changes cost money, while inexpensive changes take time.
Learning which method the client prefers is an important part of our research process.
Our Agency’s Approach to Staying Engaged With Clients
So, after we ask important questions and craft your personalized marketing strategy, how do we at Rose Marketing Solutions stay engaged with you?
While we try to execute according to our expertise, our systematic approach makes our strategies even more effective.
First, we create a feedback loop. Feedback is the spine of our business — both giving it and receiving it. After all, an informed client is a happy client.
Next, we implement our four E’s: Empathy, Educate, Evaluate, and Execute:
- Empathy means understanding where the client is and what they need.
- Educate means working with the client on methods, results, success rate, returns, and other areas where they can improve. We don’t just “set it and forget it” — we continually educate.
- Evaluate means monitoring each service’s performance and documenting it in a custom, easy-to-use dashboard.
- Execute means moving forward with any iterations or modifications to our services.
How Can YOU Boost Marketing Partner Engagement?
What do you do if you’re unsatisfied with your marketing partner’s engagement?
First, contact them. Ask about their strategy and see if they can (or want to) educate you on their plan for your business.
Ask for reports and explanations of those reports. Are they willing to communicate with you and provide you with those resources? Who’s their primary contact? If it’s not you, ensure you’re added to the list.
Depending on what you uncover, it may be time to search for a comprehensive agency more in tune with your needs. If you find yourself in this position, we’d love to get to know you. Reach out today.