UNDERSTANDING YOUR CLIENTLearning the Art of Shutting Up

Mark Raygan E. GarciaDirector, Office of Information & PublicationsSilliman University

Perception is Reality

Perception It is one’s interpretation of what he sees,

smells, tastes, feels, and hears based on a number of influences, among which, experiences.

Reality It is the state of things as they actually

exist.

Image & Identity

Image Represents your reputation to people:▪ Rumors / Talks ▪ Experience

Identity Represents what you stand by: ▪ Values & Principles ▪ Systems

Crisis

Projection ‘Knee-jerk’ (Unmindful) ‘Tap on the Shoulder’ (Under-

projection) ‘Blow My Horn’ (Over-projection)

Messages ‘Below the belt’ (Defensive scrutiny) ‘Mud’ (Lack of clarity) ‘Hodgepodge’ (Confused)

Assessment ‘Oh, really’ (Close-minded) ‘Yes, boss’ (Self-discriminating)

Market

Potential For catering / servicing ▪ Graduating high school students ▪ Transferees ▪ Employees (incoming)

Actual For continued catering / servicing ▪ First year – fourth year students ▪ Employees (continuing)

_________________________________PROBLEM: In terms of marketing, we stop at our potential

market.

Internal Marketing

The principal role of internal marketing is to ensure everyone within the organization not only understands why the organization exists but also its key outputs and metrics, and most importantly, how every person and department contributes to the delivery of the proposition.

Source: The Chartered Institute of Marketing

Internal Marketing (AGAIN?!)

Knowing who you are working WITH & FOR

Who they are? What they needed yesterday? What they need now? What they need tomorrow? ____________________________

How we can be them? How they can be us?

Who they are?

Students Coming from different parts of the

country Coming from different social orientations Coming from different cultures With different goals in life With different motivations in life With different preferences

What they needed?

GOOD FUTURE

‘Good’ school = Silliman = ‘Good’ education

Good education:▪ Holistic campus life ▪ Competitive training ▪ Good facilities

What they need now?

GOOD FUTURE

‘Good’ school = ?Silliman? = ‘Good’ education

Good education:• Holistic campus life ?• Competitive training ?• Good facilities ?

What they need tomorrow?

GOOD FUTURE

But what is a good future? • How can this be achieved? • What role does school play in achieving

this?______________________Essentially, the question is:

Are you confident that you will realize your goals in life with your Silliman education?

How they can be us/ we can be them?

Leveling off Understanding:

1 What they need2 How they perceive our strengths 3 How they perceive our weaknesses

___________________Aligning their assessment with:

1 How we view what we can offer 2 How we perceive our strengths 3 How we perceive our weaknesses

DOs

• Greet• Verbal • Non-Verbal

• Introduce • Know Them (‘Mental Profiling’) • Market • Focus (experiential): • Nature / Community / 5Cs • Distance from home / Dorms / Costs /

Scholarships

• Invite• Leave Contact / Offer Tour

DON’Ts

• Don’t brag. • Don’t look domineering / antagonistic. • Don’t look untidy. • Don’t be defensive. • Don’t pretend you know the answer.