Session first presented at 2010 AIRC Conference, intended to help universities understand what agents expect and what agents bring to a partnership

1. What can
an agent
do
for you?

2. What to consider when partnering with an agent
• Kinds of agents
• What to expect from an agent
• What an agent expects from a university
• Are agents right for you?
– SWOT Analysis
• What kind of agents are right for you?
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3. Background
Mark Shay is an entrepreneur with a long history of
helping higher education institutions recruit and retain
students, serving thousands of academic customers in
his 20-year career. He is well known for balancing the
non-commercial spirit of educators with the commercial
realities of operating efficiently and effectively.
• Regional Director, North America, IDP Education
• VP Enrollment Management, Schiller International University
• Chief Academic Liaison, EducationDynamics
• Co-Founder, Academic Analytics, LLC
• Founder, Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU)
– GradSchools.com
– StudyAbroad.com
– IIEPassport.org
– StudentProspector, EDU Internet Strategies,
CollegeAbroad.com, EducationForAdults.com,
UCEAdirectory.org
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4. Why Listen to Me? (Stuff I’ve Sold)
• Poster distribution services
• Advertisements in 11 different university s Directory of Classes
• Web links in online academic directories
• Web site development services
• Online advertising media buying services
• Online marketing consulting services
• Academic Brand Strategies
• CRM (student inquiry management) systems
• Internet generated student leads
• Database of student profiles
• Association partnerships
• Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index
• University admissions
• Student placement services
But ultimately, what I really sell…
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5. What really you sell is you!
• Because no matter how good the product,"
• no matter how great the value,"
• if they don t trust you,"
• they won t buy from you."
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6. Different Kinds of Agents
No two agents are really the same
• Sole-proprietor
• First generation family-business
• Licensee/franchise
• Multiple generation family-business
• Single country, multi-office corporation
• Multiple country, multi-office corporation
• Global, multi-channel integrated solutions provider
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7. Agent of the school, of the student, of both?
To a family seeking assistance, they look for an agent. Agent is a
generic term for counselor, consultant, advisor.
• Agent of the school = recruiter
– No student fees, independent salesperson
• Agent of the student = consultant
– No university fees/commissions
• Middle ground?
– Engagement fees from both sides
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8. What to expect from an agent
• Student recruiting – discover, guide and lead to enrollment
• Lead conversion – local follow-up, home visits, work with
families (your source or the agents)
• Application completion - document attestation, credential
verification, language translation
• Yield improvement – prepare for visa process, pre-departure,
transit to campus, pre-departure orientation, post-arrival support
• Logistical support - Local representative to facilitate university
ties to local market, make arrangements for visiting staff of
university
• Backup to campus student services – Agent who speaks the
same language as parents can be a lifeline if all else fails
• Local market intelligence
• Local extension of your brand
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9. What an agent expects from a university
• Product information – full details on program offerings,
competitiveness of individual programs, lifestyle of campus.
“Fam” trips to campus, literature, office decorations, spirit wear
• Training – ongoing updates as to processes and systems plus
guidance on how to address university competitor questions
• Lead referral – email inquiries, fair/expo inquiries
• Official recognition – formal documentation of agent status,
web site links, university visits to agent offices/events, inclusion
in local expos
• Special considerations – applicant pre-screening, preferred
application processing, fee waivers
• Pricing advantage – discounts, scholarships, offers better than
what the university offers directly to students
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10. Risk Analysis
• Strengths – local “boots on ground”, low financial risk,
competitive advantage
• Weaknesses – control of message, accountability and
academic integrity, lost opportunity costs
• Opportunities – discovery of new markets, zero cost branding,
entrepreneurial impact on recruiting and even product/program
development
• Threats – damage to reputation, illegal recruiting tactics,
immigration scams, loss of I-20 granting status, pay for
something you get for free
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11. Agent of whom?
• With no reliable source of information that they can
understand, [students and families] turn to a motley
collection of agents who purport to offer the inside track
to American colleges. A Chinese colleague recently told
me about a friend who paid $10,000 to an agent who
guaranteed her child five acceptances from among "the
top 100 universities" in America. Such promises are
standard procedure among the agents, who create or
doctor transcripts, manufacture essays and letters of
recommendation, and package everything in a neat
bundle. Americans would call this fraud. In China, it
is simply the procedure for applying to U.S.
institutions.
- Commentary in The Chronicle of Higher Education
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12. Consequence: Somebody else is promoting you
• In China, over 95% of families contract an agent to assist in their
application to a western university. In India, over 85%.
• Agent is a known and trusted business model from a known and trusted
local entity. Often respected local businessmen who have a history of
serving the community.
• Sources of students may be unclear, multiple tiers of agents, recruiting
tactics uncontrolled/unapproved, finders fees vs. commissions
• University recruiter visits are rare, their message unclear and their
academic values not well understood by families, especially first-in-family
international students.
• Rankings have more impact on consumers overseas as the brands of
colleges and universities are now well established. Private , Liberal Arts
and Colleges have very different connotations overseas.
• Better to try to control your message or leave it to the others?
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13. Which agents are best for me?
• Agent sophistication should be in-line with your organization’s
sophistication
– University experience versus agent philosophy. If you are new to international
recruiting do you look for hand holding individual agent or packaged system large
agency?
– Airport pick-up test.
• Understand the money motivation of agent
– Quotas, bonus structure, affects of finances on activity and loyalty
– What ancillary services are offered to school, student
• Agent’s reputation and brand
– Client turnover
– Multi-country choices, drivers, marketing strategy
– Portfolio of clients, advertising examples, expo testimonials
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14. Thank You
Mark Shay
Higher Education Sales and Marketing
http://www.InternetCarbon.com
+1-610-357-4648
mshay@InternetCarbon.com
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