ivy bootcamp2012
TRANSCRIPT
Boot Camp
I. Intro and Summer Overview
II. Operations, Strategy, and Logistics
III. Marketing Activities
IV. LUNCH!
V. Marketing Events
VI. Branch Manager Panel
VII. Sales
Themes for Today
I. Be Strategic
II. Be Personal
III. Start Fast
Boot Camp Deliverables
By the end of today, you will have:
Launch Plan:
• Big 5 Commits
• Course Schedule
• Marketing + Event Schedule
ICE-BREAKER ACTIVITY: MEET YOUR CO-WORKERS
What is Revolution Prep?
• Founded in 2002 by Jake Neuberg and Ramit Varma
• Entrepreneurship: investing energy without
guaranteed success
• Mission: Make world-class test prep accessible to all
students
What is Revolution Prep?
• Now the largest on-campus SAT and ACT
provider in the nation
• 100+ full-time employees; 50,000 students
taught per year
• 93% rec rate and 258 point avg. score jump
both lead industry
• 2010 LAUSD educational partner, Inc.
Magazine Fastest Growing Company
• Founded in 2003 by Harvard grads
• Mission 1: Outstanding test prep driven by the world’s
most talented test-takers
• Mission 2: Real-world management experience for
future business leaders
• Over 15,000 high school students taught; over 1,000
Ivy undergrad Branch Managers
Representing RevolutionI. Build New Relationships
• Be the face of Revolution Prep in a new market
• Introduce Revolution programs to your community
II. Be an Ambassador
• Uphold our strong reputation with existing accounts
III. Be a Team Player
• Work with, not against, your fellow branch managers
• Look to your RM as a mentor and a resource
SUMMER OVERVIEW
Farming (April – Early June)1. Ground work &
Early Stage HSCL
marketing
2. BM and HSCL high
school marketing
3. BM around town
marketing
Operations
Room Rental
Instructor Profile
Finalize Schedules
Marketing
Hire HSCLs
Obtain Lists
Iterate Strategic Plan
Teacher Contact with
RM
Counselor Contact with
RM
HSCL activities
Student Outreach
Mini-presentations
Flyering
School Press
High School
School Partnerships
Teacher/Counselor
Visits
In-class Presentations
School Press Release
Parent Emailing
Student Clubs
FB App
Central Mailings
Postcard 1
Letter
Postcard 2
Around Town
Local Business
Partnerships
Advertising
Flyering/Postering
Press Releases
Free Events
Mock Exam
SAT/ACT Workshop
Parent consultations
Hunting (June – Early July)4. Continued Marketing 5. Transitioning to Sales
Marketing
Around Town
•Visit local partners &
distribute collateral
•Restock poster hangings
•Targeted Flyering
•Promotional Events
•Guerilla Marketing
•Continue to pursue press
release strategy
Parent Emailing
Individual Emailing
Sales
• Follow-up with contacts
from classroom
presentations, free events,
and general inquiries
• Conduct score
consultations with free exam
attendees
• Arrange meetings with
prospects when necessary
• Make presentations to civic
organizations
• Cold calling to parents in
directories
Feasting (July – August)6. Teaching and Class Follow-up
Teaching
•Full Courses
•Hybrid Courses
•Private Tutoring
•Group Tutoring
Class Follow-up
•Call parents once/month with progress updates
•Email all class members 2X/course
•Bolster Facebook presence
Word-of-Mouth Marketing generating repeat
business
SETTING YOUR GOALS
Execution: It’s Not Rocket Science1. Goal Setting
• Pick your destination
2. Strategy
• Choose the path
3. Time Management
• Checking in on progress
4. Accountability and Metrics
• Increase discipline to meet
goals
5. Information Use
• Don’t reinvent the wheel!
Time Management
Understand where you spend your time
• Your perception does not = reality!
• Data collection is essential
- Allows for true transparency into time usage
- Talk to your Regional Manager about how you can be more efficient
Change your behaviors
• Eliminate quadrant 3 & 4 activities
• Quadrant 2 is the most overlooked
Answer the key question
• What can I do that no one else can do?
• Empower & delegate to HSCLs wheneverpossible!
Set Your Big 5 Commits
• Balance feasibility and
ambition
• The Big 5
- Revenue
- Students
- Profit
- Score Improvements
- Instructor Rating
• Your path to achieve the
Big 5?
3 Sample Commits
Kenny Laplante
Holmdel, NJ
Revenue: $30,000
Students: 60
Profit: $10,000
Score Imp: 280 pts
Instructor Rating: 90% A/A+
Ashley Schneider
Elkhart, WI
Revenue: $8,500
Students: 11
Profit: $2,500
Score Imp: 350 pts
Instructor Rating: 95% A/A+
Matt Morgante
Bethesda, MD
Revenue: $14,000
Students: 25
Profit: $4,500
Score Imp: 310 pts
Instructor Rating: 90% A/A+
Data to Keep in Mind
• Average BM revenue: $7,750
• Average BM profit: $1,750 - $2,700
• Price of classroom course: $599
• Average discount for classroom: $50
• Price of tutoring:
•$1,299 (10 hr)
•$1,999 (20 hr)
•$2,899 (30 hr)
• Average discount for tutoring: $150
• Value of a mailing list: $2,100 in revenue
• Average score improvement: 280 points
• Average instructor ranking: 85% A/A+
Discuss Your Commits
LOGISTICS
Locations - Basics
• Tutoring
• First choice: In-home tutoring
• Second choice: Library
• Third choice: Bookstore, coffee shop, etc.
• Last resort: Your home
• Classroom courses
• Criterion 1. Location convenience
• Criterion 2. Look and feel
• Criterion 3. Seating
• Criterion 4. Writing surfaces
• Criterion 5. Lighting
• Criterion 6. Air conditioning
• Criterion 7. Price
• Classroom course top locations:
• Your AMHS
• A local Revolution Prep school
• A local community center
• A local middle school
• A local private school
• A church or synagogue
• A library conference room
• Wherever local competitors hold their
classes!
5/10/2012
Locations – The Ultimate Hack• If you are having trouble coming up with a list of at least 10 possible
locations, the easiest place to turn is Google Maps.
ACTIVITY: LOCATION PLANNING
How To Land Your Location
• Work with your RM
• Call, don’t email.
• Ivy League student and local graduate
• Running course for local high school students in SAT
• Space would be perfect but “I’m on a shoe-string budget”
• Don’t talk about Ivy Insiders!
• Complete the room rental report in IvyBase
• Negotiate!
• Don’t wait for a call-back – call back yourself!
5/10/2012 28
Activity – Make the Call
Scheduling - Classroom Courses
• Basics:
• 18 hours of lecture
• Five 4-hour practice exams
• Lecture Formats:
• Six 3-hour lectures
• Course Lengths:
• Three weeks: Two 3-hour
lectures/week
5/10/2012
Scheduling Strategies• Number of courses
• Set up two sessions to start. You can always add more later
• Time of summer
• Typical: One July schedule, one late July/ August schedule
• Late June classes: Only if you get back early and know you can fill
it
• Time of day
• Exams should usually be on Saturday mornings (like the real
SAT/ACT)
• Lectures can be in the morning (no earlier than 10am), afternoon, or
evening. Morning and evening are most popular.
Tutoring Availability Basics
• What is a tutoring availability?
• A window of time when you will be near a particular zip code
• Tutoring availabilities show up on the Revolution website when
users search in the relevant zip code.
• How to do it:
• Follow the directions in your User Account Guide!
• Things to consider:
• Be as inclusive as possible. If you are going to be home from June
1st to August 1st, but out of town for two weeks in the middle, still
put your start as June 1st and end as August 1st rather than
creating two windows.
Things to Keep in Mind
Private Tutoring
• Arrange 2-hour sessions directly with clients
• Important: Must update tutoring notes to get paid
Small Group Tutoring
• 2 one-hour sessions with groups of 3-5 students
• Hosted in a library, coffee shop, or student home
Office Hours
• Before or after lectures and exams
ACTIVITY: TUTORING AVAILABILITY AND COURSE SCHEDULING
5/10/2012 34
Revolution Profile - Basics• What’s in your profile?
• Your headshot
• Your bio
• Why it’s important
• It’s the first (and sometimes
the only) thing potential
clients see about you before
signing up
• What should it communicate?
• Professionalism
• Accomplishment
• Personality (humor,
compassion, mentorship)
Activity: Write Your Bio1. Sentence 1: Where you go to school, what year you are,
what you are majoring in, and what activities you participate
in.
2. Sentence 2: Where you went to high school, how you did on
the SAT/ACT, and what honors awards you received while in
high school.
3. Sentence 3: What teaching experience you have, either in a
formal setting or tutoring peers.
4. Sentence 4: Some mention of Revolution Prep and your
personal interests.
Example
John is a sophomore at Harvard where he is
majoring in Economics, writes for the Harvard
Crimson, and is the starting center for the
Harvard Varsity Football Team. John
graduated first in his class of 507 from Edina
High School in 2006. While in high school, he
received a 2330 on the SAT (780 Critical
Reading, 780 Writing, 770 Math), perfect 5s
on 9 AP exams, was the recipient of a
National Merit Scholarship, and was the
captain of his school’s debate team. Prior to
joining Ivy Insiders, John worked as a private
tutor in Math, Chemistry, and Writing. These
days, when he’s not in the lab for one of his
science courses or working as a tutor for
Revolution, John enjoys cycling, traveling, and
going to the zoo.
ACTIVITY: WRITE YOUR BIO
Operations, Strategy, Logistics Conclusion
What You’ve Got:
• Aggressive but realistic goals
across the Big 5 Metrics
• Target classroom locations and
strategic approach to renting
space
• Course and free event schedule
• Profile bio
MARKETING
What are HSCLS?
• High School Campus Leaders are paid to refer students to your
courses
• $50 per referral
• Do rising sophomores, juniors or seniors make the best HSCLs?
• All of the above!
• Your goal should be to hire HSCLs that have access to different
networks
• What is a Virtual HSCL?
• The HSCL payment scheme can be used to incentivize referrals from
any connection or community group
• Successful past virtual HSCLs: parents, parent co-workers, small
businesses, sports teams
HSCL Management
• What types of activities should my HSCLs be doing?
• Accessing locations/networks you wouldn’t otherwise be able to access
• In-school marketing before you’re home for the summer
• Anything you don’t need to be doing yourself!
• How can I keep my HSCLs motivated?
• Weekly scheduled check-ins
• Strategic weekly planning
• Central HSCL of the week prizes
• Additional incentives if necessary
• How will my HSCLs be paid?
• Personalized discount code tracking on the website
• Checks mailed directly to HSCLs every two weeks starting June 1st
ACTIVITY: HSCL HIRING AND PLANNING
Discount Code Basics • How they work
• Discount codes can be created in your Revolution instructor account
• Discount codes are used by customers in the checkout process to receive a dollar amount off a course or private tutoring
• Benefits of discount codes
• Promotion
• Tracking
• Price Discrimination
• Possible occasions for discount codes
• Free events
• Each of your HSCLs
• Print Advertisement campaigns
• Flyering
• School activity groups (e.g., Newspaper, Debate, sports teams, etc.)
• Email campaigns
• Early-bird specials (sign up before “X” and receive a discount…)
Key Marketing ActivitiesFor You
• Personal Word of Mouth
• Postering and flyering
• Print media
• Classroom presentations
• Free events
• Local email marketing
• Central email marketing
• Branch mailings
• School partnerships
• Organization partnerships
• Business partnerships
• Central Mailings
For your HSCLs (in school)
• Locker flyering
• Cafeteria flyering
• Classroom “chair” campaigns
• School parking lot flyering
• Classroom “mini-presentations”
• Free events publicity
• Student group outreach
• School press
For your HSCL (out of school)• List acquisition• Facebook outreach• Peer email campaign• Test date flyering• Around town flyering/postering• Library/bookstore book stuffing• Personal word-of-mouth
Marketing Kit Collateral
Posters
Postcards
The Book of Secrets
Activity: Marketing Brainstorm
Branchy Brancherson
Time Activity
9:00 – 12:00 Put up 30 posters at local
businesses, YMCA and mall
12:00 – 12:30 Contacted local driver’s ed
center about potential
business partnership
2:00 – 2:30 Coordinated advertisement
in newspaper with
circulation of ~10,000
3:00 – 3:30 Posted on Facebook Group
Wall; 75 members in group
3:30 – 5:00 Tabled outside a library;
spoke with 3 people and
handed out 10 course flyers
• Ivy O’Manager
Time Activity
11:00 –
11:30
Met HSCL for coffee;
confirmed that she will place
500 postcards in lockers of
juniors
1:30 – 2:00 Sent personal emails to 25
parents of juniors in NHS with
attached course schedule
2:00 – 3:00 Stopped by AMHS and talked
to 5 teachers about giving in-
class presentations
3:00 – 3:30 Presented to group of 15
before track practice;
distributed 15 course flyers
3:30 – 7:30 Hosted Free Exam for 15
students
Branchy Brancherson Ivy O’Manager
Time Activity Ivy Points
9:00 –
12:00
Put up 30 posters at local
businesses, YMCA and
mall
0.3*(number of
posters hanged)
= 9
12:00
–
12:30
Contacted local driver’s
ed center about potential
business partnership
10
2:00 –
2:30
Coordinated
advertisement in
newspaper with
circulation of ~10,000
0.003*(estimate
d circulation) =
30
3:00 –
3:30
Posted on Facebook
Group Wall; 75 members
in group
5
3:30 –
5:00
Tabled outside a library;
spoke with 3 people and
handed out 10 course
flyers
10 + 1*(number
of people talked
to) + 0.5*
(collateral
distributed) = 18
Time Activity Ivy Points
11:00 –
11:30
Met HSCL for coffee;
confirmed that she will
place 500 postcards in
lockers of juniors
0.5*(pieces of
collateral distributed)
= 250
1:30 – 2:00 Sent personal emails
to 25 parents of juniors
in NHS with attached
course schedule
2*(number of
parents emailed) =
50
2:00 – 3:00 Stopped by AMHS and
talked to 5 teachers
about giving in-class
presentations
5 + 20*(number of
in-person
interactions) = 105
3:00 – 3:30 Presented to group of
15 before track
practice; distributed 15
course flyers
50 + 3*(number
present) + .5*(pieces
of collateral
distributed) = 103
3:30 – 7:30 Hosted Free Exam for
15 students
100 + 50*(number of
attendees) = 850
IVY POINT TOTALS: 1,35862
Assessing the Competiton
Name Price Strengths Weaknesses
Kaplan $599 • Brand Name
• Score Improvement
Guarantee
• Lack of
personalization
• Don’t know your
teacher in advance
The Princeton
Review
$599 • Brand Name and
prestige of “Princeton”
• Score Improvement
Guarantee
• Lack of
personalization
• Don’t know your
teacher in advance
Revolution Prep $599 • Holistic curriculum
and differentiated
instruction
• Prep Fest
• Transparency into
teaching staff
• Industry leading
score improvement
•Lacks name brand
recognition in newer
markets
Local Competitor:
Value Proposition
I. Mentorship
• Closer in age to students
• Able to motivate
II. Intensive Delivery
• 38 hours of test prep in 3 weeks
• Removes the distraction of academics and extracurriculars
III. Personalization
• Smaller average class size
• Differentiated instruction
Marketing Conclusion
• What You’ve Got:
• List of potential HSCLs
• List of marketing activities to do
and to delegate
• Value Proposition
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT MARKETING EVENTS
Free Event LogisticsChoose an Event
• Mock Exam
• SAT/ACT Workshop
Choose a date
• Give yourself enough time to
market the event
• Give at least 1-2 weeks for
follow-up between event and
start of class
Post event on your instructor
account
• Post this as soon as you’ve
settled on a date
Find facilities
• Try to get free facilities
Promoting a Free Event
In-school promotion
• HSCL marketing
• Inclusion in high school email or bulletin
• In-class presentations
• School announcements
Out-of-school promotion
• Group presentations
• Facebook messaging
• Parent and student emailing
THE ART OF THE IN-CLASS PRESENTATION
In-Class Presentations
Basics• Reach out to teachers you are personally connected to
• Focus on sophomore and junior classes
• Schedule to speak in back-to-back periods (end then beginning)
• Keep it short:1. Why is prep important?
2. How is Ivy Insiders different?
3. What is offered this summer?
4. What free events are coming up?
Don’t forget to:• Get student and parent emails
• Hand out materials:1. Program Overview
2. 5-10 discount cards per student
• Leave extra materials for the teacher
• Follow up with all students at least twice after the presentation
ACTIVITY: CRITIQUE AN IN-CLASS PRESENTATION
Takeaways 1. Style is more important than content!
• Be professional but more importantly, be personable
• Have high energy, make eye contact
• Make it interactive
• Connect with the students about your common experience- you are
an alum!
2. But some content is REALLY important
• Have schedule fliers and discounts
• Tell them how to sign up and give them any associated deadline
3. Things to avoid
• Bashing- don’t bash the school, the company, or the test for any
reason
• Rambling or disorganization- practice makes perfect!
• Going on too long- be respectful of the time that’s been allocated to
you
Practice Your Pitch
Practice makes perfect!
• The more you have practiced your script, the
better you will be at delivering it.
Pay attention to your language
• Subtle differences in language can greatly
affect the overall effectiveness of a
presentation
• Your language should make you professional,
yet relatable
ACTIVITY: IN-CLASS PRESENTATION ROLE PLAY
BRANCH MANAGER PANEL
SALES BASICS
What’s the most important thing in Sales?
Who’s the most important person on the
planet?
Sales Basics
1. Earn the Right
2. Establish Your Expertise
3. Outline the Options
4. Make Recommendations
An Easy YesStudies show that a customer is more likely to buy a
product if he or she has answered four or more
questions correctly during the course of a conversation
How can you give your customer an easy yes?
• “What types of activities does your daughter participate
in?”
• “Has your daughter thought at all about what colleges
she would like to go to?”
• “Has your daughter taken the SAT?”
• “Was she happy with her score?”
Knowing When to Close
You should move in for the
close if…
• A parent mentions that he or
she recognizes the need for
test prep
• A parent mentions that an older
sibling participated in test prep
• There’s a big disparity between
a student’s current situation and
his or her goals
Practice Makes Perfect
Plan your stops.
• Resist the urge to ramble
on!
• Write out 2-3 sentence
scripts.
Choose your favorite language.
• The more times you
practice saying your
soundbytes, the more
comfortable you’ll be on
the phone!
Establish Your ExpertiseWhat you know:
• The national average for the SAT is 1500
• The average score improvement in a Revolution course is
~250 points
• Average score ranges for colleges
• Optimal strategies for tackling the exam
What you don’t know:
• The rest of the student’s college application
• The intricacies of the college admissions process
• The score improvement this student will see in your program
Takeaways 1. They should do more talking than you should
• Ask about their student and his or her goals
• Ask about his or her interests
2. Relate to the student
• Explain to the parent how you are similar to the student, based on
what they have shared with you
• Express your passion for helping that student achieve his goals
• Offer your advice and assistance
3. Tell them about your class
• Important logistics (when, where, price, discounts, deadlines, how
to sign up)
• Explain specifically how and why you think that course could
benefit the student
A Few Common RoadblocksWhat if the parent wants a guarantee?
• You are an expert on the SAT, not the college admissions process
• Do not discuss guaranteed admission into any college, or a guaranteed score
improvement
• Talk about what a student can expect to see, not what s/he is guaranteed to see
What if the student is already scoring extremely high?
• Be honest about the strength of the score and the benefits of prep
• Every 10 points above a 2300 is going to make a big difference, but it will also be
very hard to achieve
What if a student or parent has unrealistic expectations?
• Be optimistic, but outline the reality of the situation
ACTIVITY: FOLLOW-UP CALL ROLE PLAY
Score Report Consultations
Your purpose:
• Personalized follow-
up after free exam
attendance
• Discuss the best prep
options for the student
What you have:
• Report that breaks
down student score
by section and
concept
THE BOOK OF SECRETS
Book of Secrets!?
• SAT/ACT tips and tricks
• Incredible resource for 1
on 1 consultations
• Schedule with BOTH
parents and students
Getting Sessions Scheduled
• Similar to scheduling a score consultation
• Aim to schedule 10 of these per week
• Schedule sessions over the phone or in person
• Opportunity to learn about the test from someone who
beat the test and got into a great school
ACTIVITY: BOOK OF SECRETS WALKTHROUGH
Sales Conclusion
What You’ve Got:
• Sales psychology basics
• Questions to help your customer
get to yes
• Sales scripts and strategies
• Guide to score consultations and
The Book of Secrets
CONCLUSION
Action Item: Complete Launch Plan
Launch Plan = foundation for your branch’s success
1. Complete the plan:
• Big 5 Commits
• Course Schedule
• Marketing Calendar
• Event Schedule
2. When you’re done, take a photo and email your RM and cc
3. Set up call with RM to discuss your Commits
Themes for Today
I. Be Strategic
II. Be Personal
III. Start Fast