In this episode, Rustam Irani unpacks one of the biggest misconceptions in higher-ed marketing: most schools don’t have a lead problem, they have a leak problem. He explains how institutions can identify hidden leaks in their enrollment funnel, why “speed to lead” matters, and how data modeling can transform student engagement. Along the way, Rustam shares personal stories about standing firm with leadership, building smarter communication strategies, and even rethinking how to keep talented team members engaged. The result is a blueprint for plugging leaks, improving conversion rates, and leading with both data and empathy.

• 00:02 – Why schools don’t have a lead problem, they have a leak problem
• 01:14 – Generating tens of thousands of leads but not seeing results
• 02:16 – Identifying leaks: weekend response times & “speed to lead”
• 03:34 – Different engagement preferences: phone, email, chat, SMS
• 04:20 – Building data models to identify ideal student segments
• 07:14 – How AI has simplified lead scoring today
• 08:10 – Standing up for marketing with data in tough leadership meetings
• 12:17 – Empathy in student communication and persona buckets
• 14:37 – Internal leaks: keeping your own team motivated and engaged
• 16:21 – Action steps to plug leaks and transform enrollment funnels

In this episode, Rustam Irani introduces the “5% Rule”—a simple but powerful approach to enrollment growth that leverages small, consistent improvements across every step of the student journey. He shares a real story about how sending branded scrubs to healthcare students reduced melt, boosted retention, and set the stage for his compound growth formula. Rustam then walks through the funnel step by step—from impressions to enrollment to retention—showing how incremental gains add up to transformational outcomes for both institutions and students.

Timestamps

• 00:02 – Introducing the 5% Rule as the hidden growth lever in enrollment.
• 01:01 – A real story: solving student melt by sending branded scrubs.
• 03:26 – Looking at the entire funnel for incremental improvements.
• 04:27 – Breaking down the compound growth formula.
• 05:18 – Funnel stage 1: Improving impressions and brand awareness.
• 06:12 – Funnel stage 2: Increasing clicks and website engagement.
• 07:00 – Funnel stage 3: Boosting inquiries and conversion rates.
• 07:26 – Funnel stage 4: Improving admissions contact and engagement.
• 07:53 – Funnel stage 5: Making enrollment easier through support and messaging.
• 08:26 – Funnel stage 6: Creating a great student experience after enrollment.
• 09:10 – Why 5% improvements compound into 27%+ enrollment gains.
• 09:32 – Internal factors: building teams, setting benchmarks, and aligning messaging.
• 11:07 – Why there are no silver bullets, just testing, learning, and small wins.
• 11:49 – Closing encouragement: find micro-touchpoints, make 5% gains, and watch the compounding effect.

In this episode, Rustam Irani shares his personal journey from engineering to marketing, and how pivotal moments shaped his passion for higher education marketing. Dan Sanchez interviews Rustam to uncover his origin story, exploring how early career experiences, family influences, and meaningful professional shifts led him to dedicate his work to transforming student lives through education marketing. Rustam reflects on the dual meaning of ROI—not just institutional returns, but the life-changing return on investment for individual students.

• Simon Sinek on "Start with Why" — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA

• 00:01 – 02:23: Rustam’s early career in engineering and decision to pursue an MBA in marketing
• 02:30 – 04:03: Family influences and discovering a passion for marketing
• 04:19 – 06:25: Transition into education marketing and the blend of data-driven and creative work
• 07:49 – 09:40: Why Rustam stayed in higher education and the importance of purpose
• 09:51 – 11:20: Emotional moments at graduations and realizing the true impact of education
• 12:56 – 14:46: Memorable campaign using early Facebook lead ads and its ripple effect
• 14:48 – 17:54: Insights from working both agency and in-house marketing, and the importance of marketing-admissions alignment
• 18:00 – 20:42: Expanding ROI beyond metrics to include personal and team transformation