What’s for Afters? Why Families Don’t Buy What You’re Serving

When families or agents talk to you, they aren’t buying your whizzy tech, your amazing location or your teachers. They’re buying the afters, the outcomes, the feelings, the life they imagine on the other side of choosing you.

Andy Bounds captured this brilliantly when I interviewed him on my Selling Education podcast:

“Nobody wants me. They want what happens after me. Nobody wants a lawyer; but after her, they don’t go to jail. Nobody wants a website; but after it, sales go up.”

That’s it in a nutshell. Parents don’t really want a school. They want the life their child will have during and after being at your school. Confidence. Belonging. Stretch. Safety. Opportunities. Network. And yes, exam results too, but framed in the context of how those results open doors.

Why features don’t cut it

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard a school lead with:

• “We were founded in xxxx.”
• “We have small classes.”
• “Our teachers are excellent.”

• “We cater for the whole child.”

Those may all be true. But firstly, this is all on your website, when presented with a chance to woo them why are you regurgitating your web copy? And secondly, so what? Every competitor can claim the same. 

Place ANY other school in above those lines and they could all fit, couldn’t they?

What NONE of them are thinking is:
“ I wonder if they have interactive whiteboards?”
“ If they aren’t X number of years established I’m OUT”

What they are really thinking is:

• “Will my child feel happy here?”
• “Will they make friends and find their place?”
• “Will they be stretched enough, but supported when they wobble?”

• “If they go here, then later on will X happen/door will open?”

If you’re not answering those unspoken questions, you’re missing the point.
And you can, of course, ask questions to discover the ‘after’.

The feelings matter most

When I train in schools (and indeed Agencies), we spend time mapping not just the process but the emotions at each stage for the ‘ideal client avatar’. Because decisions are emotional first, rational second.

• At enquiry: people want to feel seen and welcomed. They don’t want to be pushed, overwhelmed, treated like everyone else.
• On a tour/in a meeting: they want to feel excited, reassured, clear and certain.
• At offer: they want to feel confident they’re making the right choice.

If your process doesn’t surface and meet those feelings, you’ll lose enrolments to a school that does, even if they’re not objectively “better.”

And if you aren’t sure ‘how’ and want templates, checklists, cheat sheets and a tailored process… then you know how to find us!

Why this matters now

With VAT here to stay it seems, increased competition, and families being more cautious with big financial commitments, “afters” matter more than ever. Nobody will choose you because of your founding date. They’ll choose you because of the life they see for themselves or their child after they’ve joined you.

And that’s where No Fluff  comes in. I help admissions and agency teams stop leading with features and start leading with outcomes. I help you translate your strengths into afters that land emotionally and rationally with families. The result? More enquiries converted into enrolments.

👉 If you want your team to stop reciting features and start uncovering the outcomes families actually buy, let’s talk. This is the work that moves the needle, it’s so exciting to see the shift!