Don’t Push. Pay Attention.

What happens when you finally have their attention - and how not to waste it.

“I don’t like being pushed, but I like attention.”
That line from Umang Gandecha on the Selling Education podcast has stayed with me. Because it nails a truth many of us know instinctively, but don’t always act on.

So much of student recruitment (in fact, marketing and ‘sales’ anywhere) is about trying to get someone’s attention, and then keep it. Whether you’re running open days, posting on Instagram, working with agents, or hosting webinars -  goal is the same. Be seen. Be heard. Be noticed. And more than your competitor.

But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough: What happens when it works?

Air punch, maybe? Then what?

Too often, we invest so much time and effort into getting attention (marketing) that we haven’t properly thought about what to do with it once we have it (sales conversion). And that’s where it all starts to leak.

When attention lands, you need to handle it well - or someone else will.

Attention doesn’t always look like a clear enquiry. It might be a quiet like on LinkedIn, a vague question at an event, or a student who stops by your booth but doesn’t say much. It might be a half-completed form or a WhatsApp message from an agent you haven’t heard from in a while.

These moments matter. Because in a competitive market, being the one who notices - and takes action - can make all the difference.

This doesn’t mean you need to launch into a sales pitch at the slightest signal. Quite the opposite. As Umang said, people don’t like being pushed. They like being seen. And in education, where the stakes are as high as the price tags, and the decisions complex, the quality of attention you offer matters more than the volume of noise you make.

There’s a difference between being attentive and being pushy.

You can be proactive without being overbearing. You can follow up without nagging. You can stay visible without stalking. And you can serve someone’s decision-making process without hijacking it.

In my book Spend Less, Sell More, I talk a lot about this fine line. A strong follow-up isn’t about pressure. It’s about clarity. Making it easy for the prospective student, parent, or agent to take the next step - on their terms, not yours. Adding value at each step.

After all - if you’re asking for their continued attention - isn’t it just fitting that you offer yours?

So what does good attention actually look like?

Let’s have an easy one first! It looks like responding quickly - even if it’s just to acknowledge the message and give a timeframe for a fuller reply. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know the timings are key, we’re talking within 5 minutes (ok, ok, don’t fall off your chair) or 30 minutes if possible. It doesn’t have to be a full answer. Doesn’t have to be an email - in fact I’d celebrate your fabulousness if it were a call!

Your quality attention looks like asking the right questions, not just sending over links or brochures and hoping they do the heavy lifting for you.

It looks like staying present, even when they’re quiet. Because “no reply” doesn’t always mean “not interested” - sometimes it just means “not ready”.

And it looks like being generous with your time, your knowledge, and your tone, even when there’s no guarantee of a conversion.

I recently worked with a school that had over 60 unconverted enquiries from the past six months. And that’s not unusual at all. When we dug in, we didn’t know if it was the content, the school, or even the pricing that was putting people off. But one thing we did work on was  meaningful follow-up. The school had got attention - but didn’t hold it. And their competitors were only too happy to step in.

Yes, on the day I spent with this school we called every single enquiry. We had supportive messages at the ready, invitations to tour and chat primed.
Many had found places at competing schools. Some couldn’t afford it (you’ll lose a number like this anyway). But do you know what else we found?

A parent with two children who wanted to enrol but thought they’d “Missed the boat”.
Nope! Happy to have them!

This was lucky - that extra bit of attention we gave them with the call was what that parent needed. Granted, they needed it a few months ago, but we recovered the situation! Now.. what if we had been able to recover a few more? What if we had kept their attention?

Want to keep attention once you’ve got it? Questions for you:

1. When someone contacts you, how fast do you respond - and is your first message actually helpful or just transactional (book here, come then etc)?
   If you're saying "Thanks for your enquiry, come to the open day" or “Great, when did you want to start?” and thinking you've done your best, you're wrong. You, my friend, are more epic than that. That’s a polite deflection, not engagement. You know better!
2. Do you follow up more than once, and are you adding anything new when we do?
   Attention fades fast. If you’re not adding clarity, relevance or reassurance in your follow-ups, you’re training your audience to ignore you.
3. What does your process look like between first contact and decision?
   Can you map out every touchpoint, or are you winging it? If there’s no system, there’s no consistency - and no consistency means lost attention.
4. Are you showing attention even when they’re not replying?
   Silence doesn’t mean disinterest. Do you have a plan for ghosted leads - something that feels supportive, not spammy?
5. What do you do to stay visible before and after someone enquires?
   Are you sending helpful nudges, warm check-ins, invites, reminders? Or are they hearing more from your competitors than they are from you?

Inattention is expensive.

If you’re not showing up consistently, if your follow-up is patchy, or if your team only responds when someone feels “ready” - you’re leaving the door wide open for someone else to step in. 

In a sector that often prides itself on being student-centred, this kind of drop-off sends the wrong signal. Being student-centred means being attentive. And that starts from the very first interaction, not just once they’ve committed.

So the next time you hear yourself saying, “We just need more leads,” stop and ask: Are we actually making the most of the attention we already have?

Because attention isn’t the end of the journey - it’s the beginning. What you do next is what earns the trust, the enrolment, and the recommendation.

If you are spending on marketing campaigns (and salaries) and want a higher return on your effort and budget, we can help you build a system that turns your hard-won attention into action - without the pressure or pushiness.

That’s exactly what I help teams do in my Accelerator and Accelerator Plus Programs. Drop me a message if you want to talk it through or click here to book a quick meeting to go over what you need.