We’re all very familiar with the admissions funnel. It’s a variation of the sales funnel developed by agency executive Elias St. Elmo Lewis in 1898. The problem is that, at 126 years old, the funnel is feeling its age and is becoming less helpful to schools. The good news is that there is a solution.
Almost every school uses some version of a funnel to create, manage or measure the success of admissions processes. The funnel is an easy way to
visualize admission results and, as a result, is very effective for reporting. In its “numbers game” approach, the funnel provides an easy-to-understand imperative. Load the top of the funnel with as many leads as possible and then manage the process to convert as many as possible into applications – and then maximize yield by mitigating funnel losses to the enroll stage.
The funnel’s easy-to-see results are engaging and make it an effective basis for providing reports to leadership and Boards. It’s also why many enrollment software systems use the funnel to report and display results.
The problem is the funnel has some serious shortcomings. Essentially, it is a set of metrics disguised as a process. As a way of measuring people’s progress, the funnel is not at all people-oriented. It imagines a linear decision-making process in which candidates move to the next level or drop out.
The neatly organized funnel can’t conform to a marketplace where parents independently research and make decisions online. For exam
ple, when someone downloads a lead magnet, are they a lead or a prospect, and does it really matter? What happens to the funnel-view when a parent applies to your school without any prior contact? The funnel approach provides no direction for how to move people from one stage to the next. Finally, in a kind of Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest process, the funnel ends at the enrollment stage but doesn’t consider how all those who have triumphantly emerged become engaged and satisfied long-time parents.
There’s another way of thinking about how parents engage with schools. It’s called the Flywheel, and while it may not replace the funnel, it’s a powerful complement and a guide to forging a successful long-term relationship with a school.
Hubspot developed the flywheel in 2018 as a customer-centred, technology-informed way of managing and maximizing the success of the sales and marketing process. Its goal is to create an ever-growing multitude of uber-satisfied customers who are enthusiastically positive ambassadors. It is built on the idea that delighted customers become promoters, creating a self-sustaining growth cycle. Each positive interaction adds energy to the flywheel, propelling it forward and generating more momentum for a business or school.
The flywheel represents a different way of looking at admissions. It provides the means and perspectives necessary to move parents from one funnel level to another. As opposed to “you should be sure to apply because our deadline is December 15 and there is a small number of spaces available,” the flywheel approach leads to more parent-centred approaches. The flywheel prioritizes the parent experience and envisions a family’s lifelong journey with a school. While the funnel ends at the “enroll” stage, the flywheel provides the means to continue the relationship successfully. Parents don’t see themselves as graduating from the admissions phase to the educational phase. It’s just part of their developing relationship with the school. The flywheel represents a way to continuously satisfy and retain parents.
It also recognizes the value of alumni, creating a path to move them from graduates to school champions to donors and promoters. Likewise, it harnesses the power of alum parents to contribute to a school’s reputation. The flywheel’s attract, engage, and delight approach can also be used with donors, board members, and community supporters.
Schools will find using the flywheel difficult because it imagines a continuous, circular approach. Still, there are stages in a parent’s journey that can’t be ignored.
I have a solution. What if you can have the best of both worlds by blending the funnel and the flywheel? The Parent Journey Connection Creator uses the flywheel’s continuous focus on engaging and delighting to advance parents through the admissions process. Then, it proposes similar ways of creating connections with parents and students so that they become advocates – enthusiastic ambassadors – for the school.
This is a work in progress. It’s far from perfect, but it is a way of supercharging the admissions process and integrating it into a thoughtfully developed parent journey that propels a school’s future. I welcome your comments and suggestions.
From the Peer Mastermind calls I convene, it’s clear that all schools are using the funnel in some way, but many see its flaws. Combining the funnel and the flywheel offers a powerful way of influencing parents’ decision-making and unites parent interactions into a long-term journey. School leaders and professionals would be wise to consider all the ways they can make that journey more engaging and delightful and, in the process, elevate their school’s reputation and make it more successful.
