The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 78 Degrees
Ever wonder why colleges don’t give refunds?
All told I think my total bill for my college education had to be dangerously near six figures.
We’ll leave the validity of college as a vehicle for building a self-reliant person for another day. Instead, it occurred to me years later that I don’t think there’s such a thing as a “refund” in the world of higher education. Is there?
Colleges function a whole lot like businesses. The bottom line is pretty important. That we can probably all agree on.
Colleges do have customers. They have people they serve. That we can probably all agree on as well.
But where do unhappy or dissatisfied customers go?
Hmmm…. drawing a blank on that one.
What happens if a customer doesn’t like the service?
Can she get a refund and go somewhere else?
Hmmm… another blank.
The reason I bring this up is to show you that you, Mr. and Ms. Service Provider, can run your business however you see fit.
If a college can effectively get thousands of people to pay tons of money for a product/service that might not “work,” and offer really no path for people who end up not liking that product/service, then let that serve as a big clue.
You can run your business however you want.
Does everyone else in your industry charge by the hour, but you don’t like charging by the hour because you know it puts an artificial ceiling on the value you can provide?
Well then don’t charge by the hour. Be creative. Be different.
In fact, if you actually want to stick out, I’d recommend you figure out HOW to look at the norms in your industry and then do your best to completely ignore them. And don’t be quiet about it.
If you want to be an Incomparable Expert, the easiest way to do it is to start acting like one.
Anything is possible. If the hallowed halls of higher education can do it (an institution where decision making is far more bureaucratic than in your enterprise), so can you. I imagine you could start right now.
If you need a little push in the self-confidence department, this will help.