A discussion about sales, sales tips and advice, and about those who land the deal

Today, we're finding out about the latest rankings for the "Best Colleges" in the U.S., as determined by U.S. News and World Report. 

For the last twenty or so years, U.S. News and World Report has been ranking colleges.  They use things like SAT scores of the student body, alumni giving, graduation rates, etc. to compile and then formulate into rankings.  They then publish those rankings, which is one of their most popular and best-selling publications of the year.

Sounds harmless enough, right?

Well, maybe not.  Now, a lot of colleges are balking at the rankings and pulling out of the annual survey.  Why?  Because if you aren't ranked in the top 20 or 50 schools out of the 1,400 or so that they rank, it gets harder to sell your program to prospective students.

Yes, I did say "sell".  College costs for many schools range between $30k to $50k+, so this is a huge investment for parents and students.  And, they are shopping around more than ever. 

So, a bad ranking on the U.S. News "Best Colleges" list can effect everything from enrollment to fundraising.  It has a real impact.

As a society, we love rankings.  We love surveys.  We are a competitive culture, and love to see who is "winning" and who is "losing".  Some colleges, however, are trying to push back, making the case that mere rankings don't take into account all of the intangibles that a college campus may offer a prospective student.

Like it or not, as buyers, we use rankings to make buying decisions.  Is that right, or wrong, you ask?  I'm not the one to say.  But it is a reality that colleges need to face up to and embrace.  It's tough to go against the internal buying motives of information-starved parents who are trying to assess where to plunk down $40,000 a year for their child to get a college degree.