The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Robert Ebo Hinson, has re-oriented a section of GCTU staff with new ideas and strategies for marketing GCTU academic programs and increasing postgraduate enrollment at a workshop on Monday, 1st July 2024.
The event, organized by the School of Graduate Studies and Research (SGSR), aimed at providing effective strategies and master sales techniques to increase postgraduate enrollment.

In a presentation on “Closing the Deal – Selling Academic Services,” the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Resource Person highlighted that selling stems from the services marketing mix: product, price, physical evidence, place, processes, people, and promotion.

Emphasizing the importance of positioning, he stated that it contributes to the institution’s strategic goals and requires introspection and a candid assessment of how one’s personal profile can help. Key considerations include trustworthiness and passion for the job, extroversion versus introversion, ease in approaching strangers, approachability, superior time management, product knowledge, preparation and execution, and self-review and focus.

Prof. Hinson also discussed the “Higher Education Institution Product” (HEIP), describing it as a product linked to managing and enhancing professional growth through undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and CPD programs. He provided insights into “HEI Product Knowledge,” including identifiable needs, available options, choice factors, pre-purchase influencers, and post-purchase influencers.

In another segment, Prof. Hinson explored the “Personal Selling Process,” describing it as a form of person-to-person communication in which a salesperson works with a prospective buyer to influence the purchase of the company’s products or services. He outlined the personal selling process stages: prospecting, pre-approach, approach, need identification, presentation, handling objections, gaining commitment, and follow-ups.

Earlier, speaking at the workshop, the Dean of SGSR, Prof. Ebenezer Malcalm, expressed concern over low enrollment figures. “The SGSR organized this workshop to foster a symbiotic relationship between faculties, schools, and departments on how to effectively market our academic programmes,” he noted.

Prof. Malcalm indicated that SGSR has designed a recruitment module box and set targets for faculties, schools, and departments to encourage them to achieve these targets through effective strategies and training.
In his closing remarks, Prof. Malcalm expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Hinson for his insightful presentation. He urged the participants to use the knowledge acquired judiciously to achieve set goals.