© John Farrell 2018

Ideas for Building a Successful OPM Partnership

N i c o l e B l a i r a n d J o h n F a r r e l l

The Good, Bad and Unexpected

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Today ’s Objectives

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-Share with our experiences in working with

an Online Program Manager.

-Provide an opportunity for others to share

“lessons learned” and “ways to collaborate

well”.

-Discuss approaches and ideas to developing

and strengthening a partnership with an

OPM to increase and/or accelerate your

program’s success.

The Phases of Your Business Relationship

I n i t i a l

• Marketing and initial discussions

• Sales and Negotiation

• Implementation (some ongoing support)

• Curriculum and Program

• Enrollment and Program Administration

• Technology

• Program Management

• Marketing and Creative

O n g o i n g

• Operations Marketing

• Recruiting

• Retention

• Client Service and Quality Assurance

• Program Enhancement and Extension

• Strategic Support

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The Decision to go Online with an OPMThe Advantages

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• The OPM may bring to the table:

• Financing – Cash

• Marketing expertise

• Technology and instructional design

• Recruiting resources - Sales People

• Program and course development talent, and

best practices

• Academic and retention support

• The intangibles:

• Drive to implementation

• Focus on results, enrollments and retention –

obsession.

• Different ways of doing business based on

several schools and experiences

• Expansion to other programs

• Level of Enthusiasm for Team Success!

The Business of your OPM

• The team that is selling and negotiating will not be with you

during the implementation. They are the Sales Team.

• Their projections for increased enrollments for your

programs:

• Are prepared to “Sell” the University to buy services

• Are not always based on market research.

• May be revised downward a few times as the program is

implemented.

• Will also include a promise of increased visibility and interest

in your non-online programs, which will more than likely not

happen – Online programs compete with in person, hybrid

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T h e C h a l l e n g e s

The Business of your OPM

I t s V a l u e P r o p o s i t i o n

• The revenue share - You have pledged your tuition dollars to an

OPM that shares some, but not all your goals:

• Both want a quality program, growing enrollments and student success

• OPM’s value propositions are very different:

• Recover the upfront investment as quickly as possible

• Manage the ongoing marketing and student acquisition costs

• Generate cash flow from tuition at a higher profit margin

• The OPM has no concern with your operating expenses –they

make money on each credit hour, irrespective of your cost to

deliver them.

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The Business of Your OPMT i m e - t o - M a r k e t

• Once you sign, the OPM has significant leverage.

• The contracts are structured to give the OPM

maximum contractual advantage.

• The OPM may sell you a grand suite of services

(Instructional Design, Marketing, recruiting, technology,

retention etc.) and hope that you will not use them,

which goes right to:

• Increasing their basis for more revenue share.

• Decreasing the OPMs cost – “Right to the OPM’s

Bottom Line”

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The business of the OPMT h e P r o b l e m s

• Lack of visibility into the operations and “secret sauce” of

OPM, limits accountability

• When performance is failing, the OPM will challenge you:

• Your price is too high.

• Your market is saturated – competition is fierce.

• Your brand does not travel well.

• You need to grant more scholarships.

• You are too expensive.

• Your reputation is not that strong.

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Your Onl ine Partner

• Use them as the catalyst and sometimes

the “bad guy” to accelerate the change.

• Only buy what you need (can’t do) and

what the OPM does well

• Force them to collaborate, be

accountable, and deliver results!

• Always remember what motivates them,

you and both of you.

D r i v i n g C h a n g e

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Implementing success togetherL e v e r a g i n g Y o u r P a r t n e r

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© John Farrell 2018

What defines your success?

The Elements of Our Success

T h e L a u n c h - T h e L a S a l l e M B A O n g o i n g

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• Solid and Standardized MBA Program Curricular and

Course Design – Our High Standards - Quality Matters

• Business processes and technologies in place– Application,

Admission, Acceptance, Advising and Data Sharing

• Our Students brought into program smoothly

• Courses developed and ready to go for day one and phased

in over time

• Strong project management – from the program level

• Appear as “one” to the prospective student

• Partner believes and is committed to the program, school

and students

• Improved business processes, best practice operations

• Curricular and course improvements

• Attracting high quality students

The stages of Implementing Success for your new program

• Program Administration

• Processes and Systems

• Education and Classwork

• In the classroom

• Student Advising

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Implementing Success:Program Administrat ion

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• Clearly Define Roles. Partner does recruiting and

marketing; we do everything else. But sometimes the roles

over-lap or are vague – e.g., Retention

• Create and Control the Course Schedule - Maximize class

size; Minimize student disruption and have the necessary

faculty

• Canvas Program Classroom – our one-stop place for all

program related information and announcements

Conclusion: Communication is key. You can never over-

communicate with your partner. It will only improve the

experience for the student throughout.

G o a l : P r o v i d e t h e s a m e s t u d e n t - c e n t e r e d e n v i r o n m e n t a s o u r o t h e r M B A p r o g r a m s . Tr e a t t h e m t h e s a m e , b u t a l s o t r e a t t h e m a l i t t l e d i f f e r e n t …

Implementing Success:Processes and Systems

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• Need adequate documentation for current processes

before you begin to work with your partner.

• We were “over-processized”; we had to simplify.

• Have realistic expectations; we expected more than what

we got from our partner

• Remember that problems will occur, and areas will require

additional work – always.

Conclusion: It takes commitment to build trust. It takes trust

to create the team. It takes the team to be seen as “one”.

This won’t happen overnight, it takes time.

G o a l : To e n s u r e t h a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y ’s M B A t e a m a n d t h e P a r t n e r ’s r e c r u i t m e n t / a d m i s s i o n t e a m a r e s e e n a s “o n e ” .

Implementing Success:Education and Classwork

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• Lever university strengths – our ID and faculty very

experienced in course development and instruction.(Some

providers will assist with the following: Instructional design,

Course content and classroom instruction)

• Course Development – initial and on-going

• Stipends; Faculty Agreements

• Online, interactive Course Design Course TWOL for faculty

• Quality Matters Adopted

• GPC review of course successes

Conclusion: Course work needs to be “Reengineered” not

simply “put on line”.

G o a l : P r o v i d e t h e s a m e l e v e l o f e d u c a t i o n t o o u r o n l i n e s t u d e n t s a s o u r o t h e r M B A p r o g r a m s .

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• Expect a bigger role with students and faculty, even though

you are not in the classroom

• Prepare to be pulled in by both students and faculty.

• Unresponsive students

• Unresponsive faculty

• Poor academic work that lead to withdraws

• Promoting communication between faculty and students.

Conclusion: Online students are more likely to come to their

advisor regarding problems “in the classroom”.

Implementing Success:In the c lassroom

G o a l : P r o v i d e t h e s a m e M B A p r o g r a m l e a r n i n g o b j e c t i v e s t o t h e s t u d e n t s i n a n o n l i n e f o r m a t .

Implementing Success: Student Advis ing

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• Recommend course sequence provided at the time of

acceptance

• Our “Advising Book” is always up to date

• Master roll-out schedule is maintained by our GA and assists

in scheduling

• Adopt Automatic Registration

• This gives us a level of certainty for student schedules and

faculty assignment

• Establish principle to respond to student emails/phone

calls within 24 hours – but know they will expect more

Conclusion: The connection with online students will be

stronger, and perhaps more demanding, than traditional

MBA students.

G o a l : D e v e l o p a s m a n y p o i n t s o f c o n t a c t w i t h o u r o n l i n e M B A s t u d e n t s a n d s i m p l i f y t h e a d v i s i n g p r o c e s s

The Phases of Our Business Success

U n i v e r s i t y S u c c e s s V e n d o r o r P a r t n e r S u c c e s s

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Year One

• Appear as “one” to prospective student

• Partner believes in the program

• Partner is committed to the program

• Partner is committed to the school and its students

Year One

• Program growth

• Additional programs at the university

• Improved business practices and best practice operations

developed for the next customers

The Launch

• Successful launch

• Program growth

The Launch

• Successful launch

• Program growth

Our Current Phase: Sustaining the Program

U n i v e r s i t y S u c c e s s V e n d o r S u c c e s s

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P r o g r a m S u c c e s s

• Knowing where and when to let go of control – recruiting, marketing, student contact…• Trusting your partner and them trusting you• You begin to push each other for more success – don’t stop – you share the same goals

Measures of Partnership

W h e n d o y o u h a v e i t

• Begin working one-on-one directly with the OPM – no need

to go through the formal channels

• Respect the boundaries and eventually they will not exist

• Talking in terms of shared goals and shared success – not

yours’ and ours’ and share in that success!

• We remind our partner that we want to be their best

partner

• You feel it – laugh together…

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I f we had to do it again …

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• Understand what we do well and where the OPM can truly help us• Don’t overbuy from OPM and understand & respect their expertise

• Have the OPM show and demonstrate their market research expertise, best practices and operating successes – don’t be sold

• Require more transparency and accountability in the contract and throughout the relationship

• Promote team building, and talent and culture sharing

• Work to engage faculty in the program – beyond teaching a class!!!

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Orchestrate the change together – and it can be a

beautiful ride .

A Final ThoughtRemember that you will be working your OPM for a minimum of three years and more than likely five years. So the sooner you develop a good working relationship, the faster and easier the change will occur and success follow.

© John Farrell 2018

To Your Success

J o h n F a r r e l l & N i c o l e B l a i r

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