From the 2009 National Small College Enrollment Conference, this presentation gives an overview and insights on how to create a sustainable relationship management program to impact enrollment.

1. Customer Relations Management in an Enrollment
Universe
Joe Szejk, VP for Enrollment &
Marketing
College of Saint Mary

2. Who are We?
College of Saint Mary is a private, Catholic, all-women’s university in
Omaha, NE.
 Very Mission-Oriented and Student-Centered
o Niche Programs and Scholarships
o Extremely nimble and flexible to serve needs of students
 Top of Mind Awareness Challenges
o ASQ Competitors very different “pulls”
 Positive Changes (2000 vs. 2010)
o Financial Strength
o Student Demographics
o Academic Profile

3. CSM Enrollment Model
Snapshot
Fall 2008
 Enrollment Services Model
o “Recruiters”
o Telephonic Focus
o Extremely limited travel
o < $1000 on events per year
o SPGP. . . .say what?
o Messaging largely the same regardless of audience
o Quantity of contacts, not quality

4. “We Don’t Know You.”
 Anecdotal evidence + micro-level reports = trend(?)
 Previous Marketing Campaign
o Intentionally “General” Images & Messaging
 July 2009
o Market Analysis conducted by independent research company
o 400 qualified adults in region
o Top-of-mind awareness, perceptions of CSM, quality of academic
programs, cost, etc.
 Conclusions
o Perceptions were largely positive (45%) or neutral (52%)
o Outside of “Catholic,” “All-Women’s,” and “Nursing” little else was
known.

5. Action Plan
 Leverage Best Assets
o Community members
o Campus Engagement on numerous fronts
 Segmented Messaging
o Student Populations
o Influencers
 Thought Leadership & PR Efforts
o “Splash” stories, faculty reports, keynote speakers, industry
events, free webinars, Blogs, community organizations, etc.
 New Marketing Campaign & Communications Plan
o Refreshed Brand
o Tv, radio, billboard campaign
o Viewbook and Microsite (launch Aug. 2010)

6. Goals of Relationship Management
{to}identify and establish, maintain and enhance relationships with
customers and other stakeholders, so that the objectives of all parties
involved are met; and this is done by mutual exchange and fulfillment
of promises over an extended period of time. The key point about
relationship marketing is the recognition that customers who make
repeat purchases have a high lifetime value. Building close relationships
with key customers should be mutually rewarding for both the customer
and the company.
At our heart, small colleges should all be champions of relationship management!

7. Transactions vs. Relationships
Transactional Marketing Relationship Management
Single sale focus Customer retention focus
Focus on product features Focus on customer value
Short-term promotions Long-term relationships
High price sensitivity Price sensitivity addressed through
established trust
Discontinuous customer contact over Continuous customer contact on a long
short term term
Commitment to “sale” Commitment to “promise”
Quality is an operations issue Quality is paramount to all employees
The ultimate goal is to convert everyone to a CSM “Advocate!”

8. Enough Theory. . . . Get to the good stuff!
New Initiatives
 Outreach: Hitting targeted
stakeholders through a variety of
means that intend to share our
expertise or resources to their benefit.
Aimed at committing to the needs of
the community, this is huge in New
establishing trust factors. Initiatives
 Events: Engaging students and/or
influencers in a more visceral,
affecting way. These can be on-
campus and off-campus but always
with a clear and deliberate goal and
message in mind. Influencers
 Thought Leadership: Actively
positioning CSM as an organization
of authority, a resource, and a trusted
advisor on issues such as: women’s
leadership, service learning, diversity Enrollment Goals
of perspectives, creative thinking,
peer mentoring, etc.
Influencers
 Concerted effort to affect those who
influence college choice
 View them as customers with an
extremely long “lifetime value.”

9. Put to Practice
First Stakeholder Groups:
 Secondary School
Educators
 the Archdiocese
 Community College
Educators
 Business Community
Each plan includes:
 Overview
o Why is this group
important?
 Themes
o Key Messages
 Specific Initiative
 Department Responsible
 Timeline & Outcomes
Other items to include can be
cost, timeline to implement,
priority, etc.

10. Example Subgroup
Target Initiative Divisions Messaging Desired Priority Cost
Group Involved Outcome
Community Articulation Academic •Transfer- 35 CC 1 (high) $1250
College Luncheon Affairs & Friendly attendees; at (lunch
Enrollment •Affordable least 10 and
•Academic program “thank
Excellence directors; 10 you” gifts)
new CC
contacts
Community Guest Academic •Academic Five faculty 2 (mid) NA
College Lecturer Affairs Excellence per year
Days lecture on
special topic
Community Articulation Academic •Transfer- Travel to the 3 (low) NA
College Days Affairs, Friendly colleges
Enrollment, •Affordable regarding
Financial •Academic transition to
Aid Excellence CSM
Community Partnerships Varies Varies Leveraging 2 (mid) Varies
College resources
cross-
institutionally

11. Commercials
O
L
D
S
C
H
O
O
L
From slide six: intentionally “general” images & messaging

12. Versus. . . .
N
E
W
S
C
H
O
O
L
Relationships extend to all media!

13. Redemption or Ragnorak?
Three “New” Events for CSM and some outcomes. . . .
Event Attendees Acceptances Matriculants
Health 17 13 10
Occupations Day
Science Day 18 10 5
Athletic Open 23 23 9
House
We’ve also seen growth in key areas along with recruiting stronger
students academically.
Indicator 2008 2009 2010
Avg. GPA 3.37 3.41 3.49
Avg. ACT 20.7 21 21.5

14. Nuggets
 If this is a wholly new approach for the institution, it may take years to reap the
rewards. Patience!
 Over time, your recruitment efforts should come easier and yield higher quality
students at a lower discount rate as your target community knows, and values,
your institution.
 The best approach to establishing a strong relationship with any group is
through a multi-layered channels. Ideally, you will pool resources from various
departments to work with the stakeholder community as a whole, not just one.
 The campus community may appreciate the new initiatives but not fully
understand the depth of what’s required:
o Train on how to message, esp. Features/Benefits/Outcomes.
o Cross-departmental communication will be at a premium, particularly on
event management & planning.
o Events should be as interactive and hands-on as possible.
o New evening and weekend hours or travel may be cause for concern among
other departments.
o Hone budgetary requirements, outcomes and messaging well in advance.