PRESENTATION Working with Agents & The ICEF Agent Barometer Findings Caroline Levesque & Sarah Mines , ICEF
PRESENTATION
Working with Agents &
The ICEF Agent Barometer Findings
Caroline Levesque & Sarah Mines , ICEF
icef.com | 2
INTRODUCTION
What we’ll
talk about
ICEF Barometer
findings
A closer look at
agentsBest practices
in working with
agents
A few words on
marketing
icef.com | 3
Barometer
▶ Online survey developed in partnership by
i-graduate & ICEF
▶ Established in 2007, the ICEF Agent Barometer
has tracked the opinions of agents across the
world for 9 years
▶ The 2015 study ran for 3 weeks during October
▶ 1,671 agents responded from 110 countries
icef.com | 4All materials strictly copyright © i-graduate 2015
Number of partner institutions
18
288 286
197
112124
104
6053
19
47
283
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1 2-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100 More than100
icef.com | 5All materials strictly copyright © i-graduate 2015
Number of students placed per agency
7% 7% 7%
6% 6%
22%
19%
9%
4%
3%
6%
3%
2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
icef.com | 6All materials strictly copyright © i-graduate 2015
Recruitment by programme
9%
20%
24%
30%
31%
51%
54%
54%
55%
57%
62%
62%
74%
77%
80%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other
University: Distance Education/Online Learning
Work & Travel Programs
Internships
Work & Study Programs
Vocational Diploma/Further Education
Secondary and High School
Certificate/Foundation
Pre-Masters/Postgraduate Qualifying Program (PQP)
Diploma
University: Foundation
MBA Programs
University: Graduate/Postgraduate
University: Undergraduate
English Language Programs
icef.com | 7All materials strictly copyright © i-graduate 2015
Number of student placed by programme
5,274
1,505
4,744
7,108
7,761
8,286
8,811
9,546
11,678
12,540
16,202
20,217
32,692
40,386
148,690
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000
Other
University: Distance Education/Online Learning
Internships
Pre-Masters/Postgraduate Qualifying Program (PQP)
Work & Study Programs
Certificate/Foundation
University: Foundation
Vocational Diploma/Further Education
MBA Programs
Diploma
Secondary and High School
Work & Travel Programs
University: Undergraduate
University: Graduate/Postgraduate
English Language Programs
icef.com | 8All materials strictly copyright © i-graduate 2015
Best study destination for Secondary and High Schools
Canada28%
UK24%
USA20%
Australia13%
Other9%
CountryRank 2015
Rank 2014
Rank 2013
Rank 2012
Rank 2011
Rank 2010
Canada 1 3 3 3 3 3
UK 2 1 1 1 1 1
USA 3 2 2 2 2 2
Australia 4 4 4 4 4 4
New Zealand 5 5 5 5 5 5
icef.com | 9
Best study destination for Undergraduate Study
(University)
USA34%
Canada18%
Australia18%
UK17%
Other13%
CountryRank 2015
Rank 2014
Rank 2013
Rank 2012
Rank 2011
Rank 2010
USA 1 1 1 1 1 1
Canada 2 3 4 3 4 3
Australia 3 4 3 4 3 4
UK 4 2 2 2 2 2
icef.com | 10
Best study destination for Graduate/
Postgraduate Study (University)
USA34%
Canada18%
UK18%
Australia17%
Other13%
Country Rank 2015
Rank 2014
Rank 2013
Rank 2012
Rank 2011
Rank 2010
USA 1 1 1 1 1 1
Canada 2 4 4 3 3 4
UK 3 2 2 2 2 2
Australia 4 3 3 4 4 3
icef.com | 11
15%
16%
16%
16%
14%
12%
7%
6%
5%
7%
74%
77%
78%
79%
80%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
UK (1000)
Australia (955)
New Zealand (636)
Canada (1034)
USA (n=1088)
The same Less than the last 12 months More than the last 12 months
How many students do you expect to place in next 12 months – Traditional markets
icef.com | 12
15%
25%
22%
23%
21%
24%
20%
20%
21%
19%
18%
18%
16%
14%
13%
7%
7%
8%
6%
7%
4%
8%
8%
5%
4%
4%
3%
4%
3%
4%
78%
68%
70%
71%
72%
72%
72%
72%
74%
77%
78%
79%
80%
83%
83%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other (85)
Certificate/Foundation (561)
Secondary and High School (618)
Pre-Masters/Postgraduate Qualifying Program (PQP) (574)
Vocational Diploma/Further Education (544)
University: Distance Education/Online Learning (200)
English Language Programs (1003)
Internships (319)
University: Foundation (674)
Diploma (638)
Work & Study Programs (346)
Work & Travel Programs (266)
MBA Programs (714)
University: Graduate/Postgraduate (860)
University: Undergraduate (907)
The same Less More
How many students do you expect to place in next 12 months – by Programme
icef.com | 13All materials strictly copyright © i-graduate 2015
Overall attractiveness of Study Destinations in 2015
81%14%
26%30%31%
33%42%
44%47%
49%49%
57%59%
62%71%71%
77%78%
83%83%
85%85%
89%90%
91%93%93%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Other (106)
Indonesia (486)
Philippines (493)
Thailand (491)
India (556)
Hong Kong SAR (482)
South Korea (525)
Russia (562)
UAE (530)
South Africa (590)
Malaysia (604)
China (637)
Singapore (612)
Japan (599)
Netherlands (613)
Malta (672)
Italy (700)
Spain (693)
Switzerland (715)
France (769)
Ireland (798)
New Zealand (850)
Germany (823)
UK (967)
Australia (1005)
USA (1027)
Canada (1035)
icef.com | 14
CHART
Main concerns
before departing
What are the main concerns,
complaints, and questions
from students and parents
before departing?
55% 53%
41% 41%
24%21%
11%
4%
Base No: 1,117
icef.com | 15
CHART
Main concerns
before and
after departing
What are the main
concerns, complaints,
and questions from
students and parents
before departing?
55
%
53
%
41
%
41
%
24
%
21
%
11
%
4%
28
%
19
%
15
%
37
%
41
%
25
%
21
%
2%
Base No: 1,117
BEFORE DEPARTING AFTER DEPARTING
icef.com | 16
INFOGRAPHIC
Ideal marketing +
recruitment strategies
for international
educationMARKETING
PLAN
INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATIONS
ALUMNI
ADVERTISING
FAIRS + EXHIBITIONS
INTERNET WEB + SOCIAL MEDIA
EDUCATION AGENTS
GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS
icef.com | 17
What is an education
agent ?
An individual, a company or an institution that
provides educational advice, support and
placement to students wishing to study abroad
For you – a person or an organization abroad that
markets your institution, generates inquiries and
qualified applicants
Agents
icef.com | 18
Why education agents are
important ?
Agents are a low risk, low cost way of getting involved in
international student recruitment activity
They provide fast, direct access to specific local markets
In some countries, 60 to 80% of international students go through
agents
Their contribution in terms of student numbers are significant
They do not just provide quantity, but also student quality
Agents can save work & time for admissions departments
icef.com | 19
What agents do for you
▶ Represent you on a year round basis
▶ Provide you with reliable local market information
▶ Advise and support on a targeted local media plan
▶ Provide you with a local infrastructure
▶ Improve your “application -> admission” conversion rates
▶ Pass on post-study feedback (positive/negative)
icef.com | 20
What agents do for parents & students
▶ Agents constitute a trustworthy and accountable local
contact
▶ They give local language advice to students - and
parents!
▶ Good agents can suggest an optimal institution /
student match
▶ They provide valuable counseling services
▶ Agents deliver useful added-value services
icef.com | 21
How to select agents. Some key questions:
▶ What geographical area do they cover?
▶ Company history - how long have they been in business?
▶ What is their company structure & number of staff?
▶ How many students do they handle each year?
▶ Where are they sending students?
▶ What other institutions do they represent (#, type, location)?
icef.com | 22
How to select agents. Some key questions:
▶ What is their promotional and marketing strategy?
▶ Are they members of an association?
▶ What professional standards do they follow?
▶ Can they provide references?
icef.com | 23
Agent contract: a written agreement is necessary
▶ Define respective roles & responsibilities
▶ Review business plan: marketing, communications and budget
▶ Give key performance indicators: quantity / quality
▶ Outline exact compensation model
▶ Exclusivity: if and when
▶ Dispute resolution guidelines
▶ Duration of contract including termination clauses
icef.com | 24
Train your agents:
▶ Provide comprehensive information
▶ Conduct regular agent training
▶ Produce an agent manual
▶ Create a web-based agent portal
▶ Have a regular contact person
▶ Organize familiarization trips (FAM)
icef.com | 25
Support your agents:
▶ Keep in touch with regular communications: email, social media, apps, and phone
▶ Provide regular updates on new developments: email blasts, newsletters
▶ Always respond promptly
▶ Provide them with your marketing plan and budget, and provide marketing support
▶ Set up timely reviews and assessment
icef.com | 26
Some words on compensation
▶ Commission is based on international student tuition
▶ percentage based commission (10-20%).
▶ set fee per head
▶ marketing fee over a defined period
▶ More important is the total invoice paid at year-end (actual dollars)
▶ Double-dipping: what is it and when is it okay?
▶ Payment procedures should be clearly stipulated and
strictly adhered
▶ Important: student fees should always be received before the
student arrives
icef.com | 27
Motivation and Incentives
▶ Financial: commissions & bonus
▶ Non-financial:
▶ FAM trips
▶ Scholarships or bursaries
▶ Marketing materials and support
▶ Best is a combination of both financial and non-financial
▶ Providing a product and service that is client / student-
centric
icef.com | 28
CHART
Top 10 criteria
in marketing
for institutions
How important is this
criteria in terms of
marketing for institutions?
86%
86%
88%
88%
88%
88%
90%
90%
91%
93%
2 4 -HOU R TU RNAROU ND ON ADMI SS I ONS DOCU MENTS ( 1009)
AVAI LABI L I TY OF AN ONLI NE APPL I CATI ON SERVI CE ( 1026)
PARTI C I PATI ON I N AN AG ENT I NCENTI VE SCHEME ( 1 0 0 2 )
REG U LAR V I S I TS BY YOU AND/OR YOU R STAFF TO THE EDU CATI ON I NST I TU TI ON ( 1019)
HAVI NG G U ARANTEED ENTRY TO SPECI F I C EDU CATI ON I NST I TU TI ON PROG RAMS ( 1015)
AG ENT TRAI NI NG WORKSHOPS ORG ANI SED I N THE DEST I NATI ON COU NTRY ( 1030)
F I NANCI AL SU PPORT SCHEMES, I NCLU DI NG SCHOLARSHI P/ BU RS ARY SCHEMES ( 1023)
PROMPT PAYMENT OF COMMI SS I ONS ( 1029)
AG ENT MANU AL WI TH FEES AND I NFORMATI ON ( 1 0 3 5 )
QU I CK RESPONSE T I MES TO ENQU I RI ES AND APPL I CATI ONS AND REG U LAR COMMU NI CATI ON
U PDATES ( 1030)
Base No: 1,117
icef.com | 29
In Summary
▶ Select agents carefully, ensure that they are of
quality
▶ Only appoint agents suitable to your institution
▶ Ensure that they are part of an integrated marketing
plan
▶ Invest sufficient time and resources right from the
start
▶ Communicate regularly with and support them
effectively
▶ Review requirements and contracts
Agents
icef.com | 30
TEAM
Collaboration
Caroline Levesque
Business Development Manager
ICEF, GmbH
[email protected] | icef.com
Sarah Mines
Sales Director Canada
ICEF, GmbH
[email protected] | icef.com