THE BOX MODEL

Let’s say you’re the manager of a baseball team.

You have 2 players trying out for your team, but only 1 spot to fill.

They’re equally skilled in every respect, so you’re having a tough time choosing between them.

You make them race to first base, hoping to see which is faster.  Predictably, they make the same time.

But then you notice that one had almost perfect form, while the other was sloppy.

Which of them do you pick?

The Price of Perfection

It’s human nature to seek perfection.

Maybe we spend a day brainstorming how to make a great campus visit program even better.

Or maybe we debate for 2 hours whether to award a $3,000 or $5,000 scholarship.

Or maybe we agonize over a tricky sentence in an e-mail to 100,000 prospects.

In the end, hopefully those efforts come as close to perfection as possible.

But at what real benefit to recruitment?  At what real (opportunity) cost to you?

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile, your website needs engaging new content and database-driven functionality.  You need to hire a web developer and copy writer.

Meanwhile, your list of schools to visit was last updated 5 years ago.  You need to find new schools and drop poor performers.

Meanwhile, your e-mails say the same thing as everyone else.  You need to be more provocative.

The Answer

So which baseball player do you pick?

The sloppy one.

It’s tempting to choose the one with better form.

But if they both made it to first base at the same time, then just imagine how much more amazing the sloppy runner would be if you taught him proper form.

When you raise the floor, everyone benefits.