How To Sign Up Preschool Parents: Step #2 – Phone Call

I remember the first time I got a call about my preschool.  I was so nervous and didn’t know how to sign up preschool parents – let alone what to say on the phone!  But over the next several years, I perfected that conversation so that I led the pace, tone, and content given.  And after thousands of phone calls, I can confidently say… I’ve got it down!  Look below for my exact dialogue I still use to this day every time I get a call about my preschool.

I’ll use parentheses in the dialogue below to write down my own thoughts about why I say certain things.  You can use this sample dialogue as a framework for every phone call you get!  Each conversation will be different, of course, but as long as you don’t leave out any of the crucial information in this dialogue, you’ll be helping every prospective preschool parent move steadily down the signing up process, without them even knowing it!  This also shows you how easily you can transition from answering a parent’s questions into scheduling them for a tour!

• PARENT:       “Hi, I was interested in your preschool and didn’t know if you had any more openings?”
  • YOU:  “I would love to tell you about our preschool!  How did you hear about us?”
    (Of course, you’ll soon answer the parent’s question, but you first need to know how they heard about you, because that will tell you if they were referred by another preschool parent–and therefore you’ll need to give your referral credit to that parent–and what information they should already know about your preschool based on the marketing they have seen.)
• PARENT:       “I got a flyer today on my car.”
  • YOU:  “Oh, excellent!  I’ve been getting a lot of calls this morning about that flyer.  Do you know any of our preschool parents?”
    (You help the parent feel positive about calling because other people are also interested in the preschool.  You still need to find out if she was referred, because new referrals are going to be some of your most excited parents.)
• PARENT:       “No, I don’t think I know any of your parents.”
  • YOU:  “Not a problem.  So you asked if we had any openings in our preschool.  I’d love to know a little more about your child you’re thinking of enrolling so I can find the right class and see if we have openings.  What’s your child’s name?”
• PARENT:       “Jacob.”
  • YOU:  “And can you spell that for me?”
    (This is a normal name, I know, but you’ll get names like Jayson, Jazmin, and Jered, so never guess that you know how to spell a name.)
• PARENT:       “J – A – C – O – B.”
  • YOU:  “Thanks so much.  And how old is he?”
• PARENT:       “He just turned 4.”
  • YOU:  “Wonderful.  So he’ll be going to kindergarten next year, then?”
    (In order to find the right class you want him in, you need to assess whether or not he’s Pre-K, or will be with you for 2 years.)
• PARENT:       “Yes, that’s right.”
  • YOU:  “Excellent.  You mentioned you saw our flyer, so was there a particular class that worked well with your schedule or budget?”
    (This is why previous knowledge of your classes and tuition prices is so important.  If they say something like, I’d like 3 days a week, then you know budget is not an issue. If they say 2 days, then you certainly don’t want to recommend a 3-day class to them.  Schedule is a little more tricky, as you’re trying to find out if they have a reason why they need a certain time of day.  For instance, if they say they have another child in school, and AM will be best, you want to try as hard as possible to get them an AM spot.  If you get the feeling that they don’t mind an AM or a PM class, then I would put them where you feel they would best fit, or where you need to fill a spot.)
• PARENT:       “Yeah, I thought the 3-day afternoon class would work the best for us, because my son doesn’t take naps anymore.”
  • YOU:  “Oh, good!  We do have a spot left in our M_W_F afternoon class!  And you saw that you’re not a daycare, right?”
    (Although this might be common knowledge, you’re emphasizing one of the main reasons why most people choose you, and you want the parent to get back on the forward momentum again of being positive about your preschool.)
• PARENT:       “Yes, that’s actually why I called.  I don’t want him in a daycare… I stay home with him.”
  • YOU:  “Excellent!  We have a lot of other stay-at-home mothers in our preschool as well.  It’s a fun group of parents! I’d love to tell you more about our preschool, so what we usually like to do is schedule a tour so I can meet you and your son and make sure we’re a good fit for each other.”
    (Again, you’re emphasizing positive elements of your preschool and building anticipation for joining your preschool.  You should never sign up someone without meeting them first and making sure they’re on the same page as you, so you’re asking her to come take a tour.  It’s a more positive word than “interview” and will help her feel at ease.  Also, you don’t want to directly ask her if she wants to “sign up” because at this point, she’s not ready to make that commitment.  She needs to meet you first and learn more!)
• PARENT:       “Yes, I’d love that!  When’s a good time to come by?”
  • YOU:  “I could meet with you on Tuesday at 3 p.m., or Wednesday at 10 a.m.  Which one of those times works best for you?”
    (Have two times available that you can have as many parents as possible come see the preschool.  This not only saves you time, but it also shows the parents that your time is valuable.  I prefer to have two families during each tour; single tours work fine also.  Of course, if you need to schedule a different time, make sure you have another time open.)
• PARENT:       “Wednesday would work perfect for me.”
  • YOU:  “Wonderful!  So I am writing this down in my calendar, as we speak–and if you could please write this down in your calendar as well–for this Wednesday at 10 a.m.  Do you know where we’re located?”
    (Again, your time is valuable, and the biggest waste of time is waiting for a prospective preschool parent who never shows up.  So try to emphasize that you’re planning on them being there.  The question about location can lead into a conversation about your home-based preschool if necessary.)
• PARENT:       “Yes, I saw your address on the flyer.”
  • YOU:  “Excellent!  So what I’m going to do is tentatively write down Jacob’s name in that M_W_F afternoon spot, so you don’t lose it before we meet.  That class is $150/mo.  The tour will take about 25 minutes.  I’ll tell you all about the preschool, and at the very end, I’ll ask you: ‘Would you like Jacob to come to our preschool?’  If so, that’s when we’ll have you fill out a registration form as well as pay the $50 registration fee, which will cover all of Jacob’s school supplies and reserve his spot in our program.”
    (When you say you’re tentatively writing down their child’s name in a spot, you’ve taken them one step further down the path to signing up, and you’ve also told them how sought-after your preschool is because without you tentatively writing down that name, they might lose their spot in just a few days.  It’s also super important that they understand what the process of that tour will be like.  They’ll come, learn about the preschool for 25 minutes, and then be asked if they want to sign up.  NEVER leave this part out of your dialogue.  If you do, you’ll find your sign up conversions during your tour slipping way low because parents don’t realize they may need to commit to that spot during the tour.)
• PARENT:       “Okay.”
  • YOU:  “Do you have any other questions for me before Wednesday?”
• PARENT:       “No, I don’t think so.  I’m excited to meet you!”
  • YOU:  “Me too!  And have you seen our website?”
• PARENT:       “Yes, actually I’m on it right now.”
  • YOU:  “Great!  Be sure to have Jacob check it out too so he can see what a fun place he’s coming to see, and feel free to bring any other children or family members as well with you.  I’ll see you Wednesday at 10!  Bye.”
    (You’re encouraging the parent to continue to look at the website and show other people.  The more people to validate her feelings that it’s a great preschool, the better!

I hope these little tips helped you feel more confident that you can easily talk to a prospective parent on the phone and end up with a commitment to taking a tour.  It’s really not that hard, and by making sure that prospective parents have as much information about your preschool before they even call you, you’ll find those phone calls converting into tour appointments almost every time!

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