Developing Relationships With Current and Prospective Clients - Joanna Warren Smith

Travis Allison January 27, 2015

High Tech Requires High Touch

Photo by IPGGutenbergUKLtd/iStock / Getty Images

A number of camps and year-round facilities have gone to all-electronic telephone answering or routing systems for more efficiency in the office. This may be necessary for huge operations and it can be effective if the messaging is updated regularly, the system is user-friendly, without flaw 100% of the time and calls are returned immediately.

On the other hand, what is more important in your office than developing relationships with current and prospective clients? Especially during this time of the year when you are busy hiring staff, managing registrations and planning program, parents tell me that there is a tendency to be rushed to the point of being rude with callers. If you are going to answer the phones, do it right!

Take Action Now!

Train ALL Staff. Each individual can flavor the connections with his/her own personality, but the style should the same.
Be Succinct & Warm. Parents do not want complicated and extended greetings. 'Camp Run-A-Muck, this is Joanna' encourages a caller to respond with 'Hi Joanna, this is Jamie and I want to know about camp for my son." The engagement that follows identifies the boy's name/age, mom's expectations of camp and what the experience can do for her son.
Set the Stage for the Sale. Secure the essential contact information and then explain that 'the summer camp decision is a critical one' and that you want to help them make the right choice. If they are not ready to register at that moment, outline the next steps to enrollment. Follow-up regularly and in an engaging, 'personal' way.
Monitor Calls & Mentor Performance. Take the time to listen to conversations with parents and help staff to create authentic connections that will produce additional conversions.

Since most inquiries arrive via the net 'anonymously', leverage the opportunity to nurture relationships when parents actually call in.

Joanna

Need an objective perspective on any aspect of camp? Give me a call at 310-451-1876 or email campconsulting@verizon.net

(Note from Travis: We are so thrilled to be posting the always brilliant HINTS from camp consultant Joanna Warren Smith! If you don't already you should sign up to receive theses HINTS in your email - in the right-hand column of Joanna's website: http://camp-consulting.com/)

Your Summer Camp's Opening Day is Critical

Travis Allison May 29, 2014

First impressions at your camp

Your staff are The Guardians of the Mission

Both sets of your clients will start making decisions about summer 2015 within minutes of arrival. Campers will feel more connected when the rigors of registration, swim tests, lice checks, nurse visits, orientation and tours are balanced with fun, engaging activities. Parents will be impressed when your systems work smoothly, there are no lines and staff are welcoming, personable, knowledgeable and efficient.

That being said, I get the most push-back on suggestions to improve Opening Day. For some reason, that day is so steeped in tradition, that the routines cannot be touched.

Minor modifications can make a huge difference.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Scrutinize Your Opening Day Script. Separate the events into three tracks that run from entry to departure for the adults and arrival to bed time for kids. One track should be for campers arriving with parents, a second for campers arriving by bus and the third for parents after their camper is absorbed into the group.
Ask the Tough Questions and Consider Better Options. Is each track element intentional and efficient? Which elements can parents do on their own and which require camper involvement? Are staff members sufficiently trained to make the welcome process sincere, engaging and personalized? If you have stations, can you avoid lines by having a Coordinator directing folks to the most open stations? Can you stagger arrivals? How much time do you allow parents to 'unpack' and watch their kids before they are expected to depart? How do you say 'goodbye' to parents and what do you give them to explain your communication process during the session?
Focus on Three Items. Can there be an express line for parents who submitted all their forms on time? Camps that have done this have had more compliance about forms in subsequent years. How do you merge bus campers with campers who arrived with parents? How soon are campers really engaged in an exciting, fun activity for which swim tests and lice checks do not qualify?

There are at least two or three items from above that you can EASILY implement to make Opening Day a more positive experience for Parents and Campers. Please don't put them off for next year, do it now, monitor the difference and then you can fine tune for 2015.

Joanna

Need an objective perspective on any aspect of camp? Give me a call at 310-451-1876 or email campconsulting@verizon.net

Camper engagement is the key to high retention rates

Travis Allison May 19, 2014

This is your most productive & creative time at Summer Camp

The days are flying by and camp is almost here. There are so many details to address and you are at the top of your game. That is why I am sending three short 'HINTS' this week to enhance the work you are doing to create an even better camper experience. ~JWS

Directors all over the country know that camper engagement is the key to high retention rates, but they complain that their counselors and staff do not naturally connect with kids. What can you expect from those who would rather sit beside each other and text their conversation rather than speaking with each other?

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Start at the top. Prep your leadership team about your focus on engagement. Define precise steps that you and they can take to create a culture of engagement and establish it the minute that staff arrive.

Role model engagement during orientation. Use people's names, encourage eye contact and expect friendly acknowledgements when individuals pass each other.
Script out a 'perfect' activity. Detail how the program should start when the first camper arrives and how staff should be leading, coaching and engaging campers in the fun until the period ends. Focus on athletic as well as creative environments and plan for all staff at the venue to be involved.
Run engagement workshops. Show staff PRECISELY how you want activities, bunk time, meals and events to run.
Monitor performance. In focus groups, counselors are unanimous. Most realize how important their work with kids is ... and they want to be mentored so that they can increase their impact.

Camps that have worked on engagement in this way have increased their retention rates by 3-5%. Go for it!

Joanna

Need an objective perspective on any aspect of camp? Give me a call at 310-451-1876 or email campconsulting@verizon.net

A "HINT" About Camp Rituals from Joanna Warren Smith

Travis Allison March 13, 2014

The Best Times at Summer Camp

According to campers, these memorable moments are when silence pervades, all eyes are focused and a song or a chant emerges. These are the times at resident and day camps when everyone belongs to the family and the collective 'doing' validates each individual.

These are the RITUALS of camp which bring campers back year after year ... but they must be tended to and treated with reverence by ALL campers, counsellors and staff or they quickly become perfunctory and meaningless.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Identify your signature rituals. Evaluate each, eliminate those that miss the mark and commit to those that further your mission, strengthen community connections and increase camper outcomes. Confirm that each session contains ritual content.

What happens in a four-week session is likely to be more intense than rituals for a shorter session; however, rituals should be included in all sessions. Script out the 'perfect' scenario for each ritual.

Don't go to the place of how staff have been executing the event, focus on how you want it done and maximize the impact with timing, props, specific language and songs. Teach rituals during orientation. Establish the model, help counsellors see the value of the ritual and set expectations for performance. Monitor performance for compliance.

After each ritual, take time to mentor those who performed and establish expectations for the next team.

When you tend to your rituals, you give campers emotional connections that will make them tell their parents that they 'must' come back to camp.

Joanna

Want some other great camp marketing ideas? Give me a call at 310-451-1876 or email campconsulting@verizon.net

(Note from Travis: C amp consultant Joanna Warren Smith nails it every time with her HINTS! If you don't already, you should sign up to receive theses HINTS in your email - in the right-hand column of Joanna's website: http://camp-consulting.com/)

A Kid-Friendly HINT from Joanna Warren Smith

Travis Allison February 28, 2014

Can you answer this tough question about your summer camp?

Singing and dancing at Camp Kintail, Goderich, ON.

Since the last day of each session last summer, which could have been in June, July or August ... how many times have you connected with individual campers?

Postings on social media do not count while birthday cards matter, unless the camper's birthday is in the summer when cards are not sent.

If you have had five or more connections with campers, you are way ahead of most of your colleagues. If you have had less and perhaps even none ... think about it.

You have two clients. One pays for camp and one has the experience.

In order to keep kids talking about camp and communicating to parents that they want to return, you must proactively nurture the relationships. One connection each month with every camper is optimal, but camp is only 3 months away, so...

TAKE ACTION NOW

Get an MP3 or video clip of the best song that you sing at camp. If you have to generate it now rather than using material from the summer, get your craziest local staff members together to do an animated, exciting and silly version that will make kids laugh.
Create a fun postcard that has a few musical notes and all of the words. Be certain to add special notes like 'clap/clap' and even hand/body motions if they are part of the song.
Target three different groups of kids with intentional messages. For first time campers, welcome them and encourage them to learn the song so that they will know it when they get to camp. For returning campers in 2014, suggest that they make sure that they practice before they come to camp so they can help new campers learn the song. And finally, for 2013 campers who are not yet enrolled, encourage them to come back to camp so that we can all sing together again.
Send the card with a link to the song on your website. Place the link in a predominant position on your home page so that kids can easily find it.

And finally, track enrolments after the card goes out to see if there is a bump in registrations that may be directly attributable to connecting with kids.

Joanna

Want some other kid-connector ideas? Give me a call at 310-451-1876 or email campconsulting@verizon.net

A Visual "Hint" for Reaching New Parents

Travis Allison January 7, 2014

You Must Be Objective When

It's very difficult because you love camp, the people, the place and the work that you do. But we all know that if you want to move your total camp experience to consistent excellence, you must be willing to critically assess all aspects of your business.

During the New Year, I am going to ask you to focus on one element a month that will help you heighten your marketing and programmatic performance to increase retention and referrals. Are you ready for the challenge?

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Look at your brochure and website photos. Ignore the usually verbose, accompanying copy and focus on the visuals. What do they communicate to parents and moms especially? What do they say to kids? How do they tell the story of what you do at camp and how valuable the experience is for each camper? According to parents in focus groups, pictures of smiling, posing kids are a 'waste of space'. Moms want visuals into which they can place their kids and envision accomplishment, social connections and confidence. Check out the attached pics of Sammy and Jenna courtesy of YSSC and SHDC. These two photographs are consistently selected by parents who say they make the camp experience come alive through Sammy's pride of accomplishment and Jenna's total engagement. (For more, read the attached article by Gary Forster.)

Replace pics or make plans to get better ones. Identify your weakest visuals and at least on your website, swap them out with more resonating options. If you just don't have better ones now, plan for a professional photographer to be with you this summer in addition to activating talented staff to help capture the essence of your camp experience. If you are going to work with a professional, study their portfolio to confirm their ability to secure the type of visuals that you're seeking and arrange for options to rainy/cloudy days. Staff photographers need to have the time to focus on the task. They can't be expected to just snap pics as they do their other business. For both professionals and amateurs, have a game plan before the summer and review visuals on a regular basis to confirm that you have the quality and subject coverage that you want.

Do you need encouragement to go through this visual assessment? If so, realize that the photographs you select are what intrigues unaffiliated parents to give you a call or to continue their journey through your website.