Cubed steak, top round steak, and top loin steak from a steer; all cuts provide protein and are all considered red meat. Although there is a difference of texture, toughness, and the amount of fat content, they are not distinctive among meat choices. If you went to the market where these steaks were sold, you would probably make a decision based on the cost, type of meal, event, or personal preference. At times, you might choose one, and other times you might choose a different one. However, should a fish vendor arrive at the market, you would have a product that is distinctive, but still a meat of some sort.
I am surprised at how many schools believe that they are demonstrating that their “steak” (programs) are distinctive; the only meat like it among the choices. When your school is convinced that it is demonstrating a distinctive educational program, but without evidence proving it, the narcissistic view can get you into trouble.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true. – Buddha
So what is “just better”?
The “just better,” non-distinctive approach is your position among the schools who are essentially selling the same elements in their college preparatory education. All of the educational programs do the same thing, although some may do it “just better.” However, with this approach, success is based on where you fall in the pecking order of “just better.” Because you aren’t demonstrating distinction, families will rate you based on the common features and quality that you offer. Do you have ice hockey, auditorium, class in marine biology, knowledgeable teachers, or friendly students? These factors alone won’t set you apart from the other “just better” schools.
At the time of this writing, I was speaking with a school who said they were distinctive because of their global education program. I pulled information from the internet about other schools that had written about their same distinctive global program. All of these global programs are working towards helping students understand and benefit from knowledge on differences and they demonstrate it in the same distinctive way.
I am going to guess that 95% of schools use the “just better,” non-distinctive approach. If you are the best non-distinctive school, then you get the larger share of the market than the school that is seen as second or third best. Unfortunately, the “just better” does not work as well against the very good public schools, the districts where the targeted full-pay market often lives.
So What Makes Your School Distinctive?
Schools can be distinctive, but is takes work and focus.
It takes courage to state that your educational program is different and even more to build it differently. Finally, you need to know and make public why it is distinctive – valid reasons that sets it apart from the rest. Can you say that your:
- “Named Program”(always better to give your distinctive program a name) is different? Why?
- What do the other schools do instead? Is there a differentiating way that students experience your program?
- Why do you execute your program the way that you do it
- Is it the best solution to the customer’s education problem? Why?
Remember, just stating that it is different, doesn’t make it different. You have to provide evidence and it has to be truly different than your competitors.
During the three-day Five Pillars workshop, we work on your school’s distinction, what your customer’s educational problems are that can be solved by your distinction, and we examine how you present it to the customer.