As the air develops a cool crispness and the trees begin turning yellow and red, it means it is time for more than just football and pumpkin spice lattes.  It’s college-campus-visit season.
As a father of both a college sophomore and high school senior, I have been on my fair share of college campus tours.  We chose schools to visit because of their proximity to home (or lack of proximity), the school’s reputation, the school’s promotional materials, or a college fair.
If you have not gone through this process before (or yet!), it typically begins with an advance online registration for the tour, check-in for your scheduled tour, viewing a brief presentation, and then a walking tour with a guide.  This guide is either an upper-class student or an admissions counselor.  And this guide can be the difference between a potential applicant choosing to apply or dismissing the college altogether.
For two of my daughter’s campus tours, we had 2 vastly different experiences because of the tour guides.  We considered both of these schools, in advance of the visits as simply “maybe” schools.  In the first instance, our tour guide was great – she was well-spoken, knew her material, and communicated in a way that reached the potential applicant.  In the second instance, our tour guide was not great – she seemed uninterested, read from a sheet of paper, and spoke more to the parents than the applicant – we even left the tour early.  My daughter did apply to the school with the great tour guide and not to the other.
When college tuition, room and board can cost between $40,000 and $280,000 for 4 years, I believe the tour guide is the most important sales tool of a college. Similarly, when a customer is deciding if they want to do business with us, I must too be well-spoken, informed, and communicative about our business and the benefit this customer will experience by working with us; our relationship will likely last 4 years… and beyond.
Whether a physical or digital tour, it’s the job of the tour guide to tell a story and sell an experience with the business.
What is your most important sales tool? And is it telling the story you want told?

• Store Front: Is the storefront eye-catching, and does it speak to your clientele?
• Signage: Is your signage neat and clear, and does it clearly state the services or products offered?
• Lobby: Is the lobby clean, inviting, and comfortable?
• First Impression Employee: Is this person friendly, welcoming, professional, and informative?
• Tour Guide: Is the tour guide the most knowledgeable and most representative of the company?

In my sales role, the most valuable tools I have are the specialized departments in our production facility (highlighted at their best by the resident tour guides) and the team members who act as company advocates, no matter their role.
The ultimate goal is to sell the service or product, but make sure to always do everything to attract – and keep – the customer. Make sure your tour guide sells the school and make the sale.

Before making the 4+ year investment in a college, the Market MacGyver puts the tour guide to the test. Do they tell a story to sell the school? And do you set up shop to you tell a story to sell your business? Comment below or email Matt directly.