When I was in business school, one concept was drilled into my head over and over again: “Every business is in business to make money.” 

If I’m being candid, I hated that concept. It felt so glib and reductionist. I once argued with a professor about it, going back and forth until we eventually agreed to disagree. 

Years later, when I became a business owner myself, I began to understand and appreciate it more. Like it or not, if a business isn’t generating revenue, it can’t continue functioning. 

That’s as true for MindMax as it is for the higher education institutions we serve. (Even nonprofits must be self-sustaining.) And how do organizations make money? By getting results.

When our enrollment strategies get results, a school’s revenue increases, and usually, the client continues working with us. Both organizations can continue functioning and fulfilling important missions. 

Priced to Get Results 

The way I see it, getting results (a MindMax core value) is about more than adhering to a scope of work or providing deliverables on time. It’s a commitment to the outcomes the work is intended to generate. There are times when it’s necessary to pivot or change an approach entirely in pursuit of those outcomes. 

Of course, getting results isn’t free. But unlike many other higher education marketing vendors, MindMax isn’t priced to win an RFP. We’re priced to get results. 

Sometimes, our prices are higher than competitors. We own that. While our transparency doesn’t always win us an initial RFP, it does build trust, which can lead to longer-term relationships. Prospective clients have been known to come back to us after a vendor they selected in the RFP process over-promised results and then under-delivered. 

Learning Always to Get Better Results

There is no fixed approach to getting results when it comes to marketing for higher education. There are tried-and-true strategies and best practices, of course. But even those evolve to align with emerging marketing trends. For example, digital marketing today yields lower returns than it did five years ago, which changes the strategies and best practices for growing enrollments (i.e., getting results). 

There are also times when the expected results are not immediately apparent and take longer to achieve than one might desire. This is another truth we are transparent about with schools. 

Our “learn always” core value reminds us that getting results isn’t a one-and-done objective. We continuously iterate, analyzing data to identify how we can get better results. 

MindMax’s Approach in Action

Here’s a story I like telling to illustrate MindMax’s philosophy about getting results. 

J. Kim McNutt, Dean, College of Continuing and Professional Education, California State University, Dominguez Hills, asked MindMax to conduct outreach for a degree program the school was offering. After careful consideration, we passed on the project. We didn’t think the program would generate enough enrollments and yield an optimal return on investment, and we told Kim as much. 

This was 12 years ago. Today, Kim jokes that MindMax was the first vendor who ever fired him. We can joke about it because we’ve become friends. Eventually, the program closed. A few years ago, Kim approached us about offering some of the same exact services for a different initiative: re-enrolling stopout students. This time, we eagerly took on the project, and the results were incredible. (You can read the full case study here.) 

Despite passing on that initial project, MindMax has been working with CSU Dominguez Hills on and off ever since. I’m sure it has something to do with the trust and credibility we built by saying no. 

I don’t pretend to know everything about running a business, but I do know this: staying true to our values has always guided us in the right direction. Leading with transparency, integrity, and a commitment to getting results will keep MindMax and our clients achieving success for years to come.

Ready to get results the MindMax way? Contact us today.