In this enlightening episode, Allison interviews Mickey Baines, a seasoned enrollment consultant with over 25 years of experience. Mickey shares his unique insights derived from his extensive study of Amazon's customer experience strategies and his hands-on experience in higher education. The discussion explores strategies to engage prospective students, the importance of new data collection points, managing the "messy middle" of the enrollment funnel, and how lessons from Amazon can enhance the student enrollment process.

Key “How Tos” you’ll hear in this episode: 

• Engage parents effectively
• Leverage CRM Data for personalization
• Tailor communications to reflect the student's journey stage and previous interactions
• Establish clear goals and outcomes for student experience initiatives

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Guest Name: Mickey Baines, Partner, Kennedy & Company Education Strategies

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeyb/

Guest Bio: As a consultant and former practitioner in higher education, Mickey has over 25 years of experience building, implementing and leading enrollment and student success systems and teams. He spent almost a decade leading a successful adult education program at a small, private college in Pennsylvania that produced record results in enrollment, revenue and retention. It was this experience that helped him transition to consulting, where he assists many institutions expand and grow with the use of technology and sound enrollment strategies. At Kennedy & Company, Mickey leads the technology services practice. He oversees the practice’s growth, as well as the tech services team in their design, implementation and customization of CRM technologies. Under Mickey’s leadership, the practice has served over 225 colleges and universities. For two years, Mickey studied Amazon’s evolving efforts to design and deliver their customer experience, including an extensive review of books, public documentation and prior writings from founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos, direct interviews with former Amazonians, listening to podcast interviews of current and former Amazon leaders and touring two Amazon facilities. His understanding of their principles and strategies, as well as his experience in higher education give him a unique perspective in what an Amazon-like experience can be in higher education. Outside of work, Mickey is a RV enthusiast, traveling to various destinations around the United States with his family every spring, summer and fall. Last summer, they headed west for a six-week journey to Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada, followed by stops to the Badlands and Glacier National Parks in the United States. This summer, they began a series of treks across the east coast to visit 20 colleges and universities as Mickey’s son begins his college search.

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Connect With Our Host:
Allison Turcio
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/
https://twitter.com/allisonturcio

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Application with Allison Turcio is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 —  the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

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