Publications

How to Make Colleges Want You

How to Make Colleges Want You

I learned a lot about the college admissions process when I was at Cappex. Part of my job was to develop content for the site (we eventually hired a guy to do it for us). We developed a blog and a Podcast. I got a little carried away with writing and the blog material turned into a complete book that was published by Sourcebooks in Naperville, Illinois.

Book Summary

What if you had colleges coming after you instead of the other way around?

The hidden little secret of college admissions is that most schools are desperate… desperate for great kids who do things differently and will make their campuses vibrant and exciting.

And you don’t have to be an A student, the president of your student body, or the winner of the national spelling bee to do this. Any student can become someone that colleges compete for if you follow the recommendations in this book.

  • The Secret of NTAs: Unusual activities that make you stand out
  • Breaking the Zone: Take advantage of where you’re from and who you are
  • Striking the Nerve: Decode what colleges believe in, then match those values
  • Your Application Team: Getting references, teachers, and counselors to boost your odd
    And much more

No matter where you are in your high school career, you can start these things today and vastly increase your odds of getting into the competitive college of your choice.

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College Peas

I developed this seminar DVD based on live seminars I had given at conferences and trade shows. It is based on the book How to Make Colleges Want You, but it has a few extra tips and tricks that I added later.

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The Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications

Are Points and Point Programs Pointed at the Right Patrons?

Dana Hayman is one of the sharpest marketing minds in the business. He and I wrote this article for the Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications in the 2009 issue.

Abstract
Any employee, from the CEO to the mail clerk in any firm, would probably agree that developing and maintaining “loyal” customers is, or should be, a top priority for the company. As a result, it seems most marketers are convinced they need a loyalty program of some sort. But have marketers considered what loyalty really means to their organization? Do they know what the traps and hurdles are in building loyalty for their firm? Have they clearly determined the specific customers loyalty programs should target? If not, they may be destined to hit some formidable snags in the process of developing or enhancing a loyalty program that their chief marketing officer (CMO) and chief financial officer (CFO) will endorse. This article will address: a perspective on points-based loyalty programs, challenges in defining loyalty and designing a loyalty program, ideas for defining loyalty and building the right loyalty program for a firm, and keys to success, assuming a loyalty program is the right approach.