Storytelling sells: A personal admissions approach

My first position in higher education was as an admissions representative at a career school in Northeast Pennsylvania. There, we received a healthy dose of sales training, including frequent viewing of Zig Ziglar tapes. His “Someone Like You” close was a technique with which I immediately connected. I was already a high achiever, but when I started sharing stories, my numbers — and thus my institution's numbers — increased. It was simple: Tell instead of sell.