Surprise & Delight 😊 Sep 17, 2022

The process of exceeding a customer's expectations to create a positive customer experience with your product or brand to improve loyalty.” - Hubspot

“Surprise and Delight” is actually a psychological principle. It’s human nature to want to reciprocate when...

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It is hard to fail, but it is even worse to not succeed Sep 12, 2022

I love this quote because it's so true. We live so much of our lives in fear.

Fear of disappointing.

Fear of failing.

Fear of hoping.

Fear of succeeding.

And when we listen to these fears, we end up not trying.

This can look like not trying a different marketing strategy or continuing...

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Is there ever really a "slow" time for school leaders? Sep 10, 2022

In schools, we often have this false belief/hope that there are actually lulls and "down time" in our roles.

After almost 20 years in the field, I can tell you that is rarely the case. Yes, there might be a dip here and there. And perhaps a little bit of a break over the summer. But mostly what...

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4 Survey Mistakes & How to Avoid Them 🙅‍♀️ Aug 31, 2022

At our last Small School Leaders meetup, part of the discussion was about surveys, so I figured this might be a good topic to share. If our Small School Leaders are thinking about it, I bet others are as well. These common school survey mistakes are easily avoidable and make all the...

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Strategic Connection During Fundraising & Auction Season at Your Private School 💸 Aug 30, 2022

During this time of year, there's a lot that's unfolding — fundraising, annual funds, admissions events, open houses, and everything in between. We often forget that when we're planning out these seasons, we also have to plan out strategic connections 

Because of the chaos of...

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The REAL Reasons Why Families Choose Your Private School 💬 Aug 21, 2022

At our Small School Leaders meet-up, two important topics came...we chatted about why families enroll (see below!) and print vs. digital

I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest. Do you know why families enroll at your school?


No, I'm not talking about a...

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Making the Most of Your Small School's Faculty In-Service! 🎥 Aug 19, 2022
I'm a faculty/staff in-service veteran. I am not going to fib...I always let out a groan when that week rolled around. But this intensive preparation time serves many purposes. And when I became Director of Marketing and Development, I saw this as a great opportunity.

Why? Because...
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My Number 1 Faculty In-Service Tip for Your Independent School! Aug 19, 2022

↔ While working with schools, we've noticed there is often a disconnect between what parents think the school and teachers are delivering and what is actually being delivered. Now, there are many reasons for this but I'm going to tackle one common one today.

‍ Schools put a ton of effort...

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Faculty In-Service Tip for Your Independent School 😎🏫 Aug 10, 2022

It's that time of year again...faculty and staff in-services are happening! I've been to countless in-services either as a school employee or as a presenter. So I've witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to what works well and what should be avoided during these pivotal days...

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Marketing Your Small School is Holistic, Here's How! 🤩 Aug 08, 2022

I meet with lots of Heads of School and administrators and I'm sometimes very surprised by their view of marketing.

Some schools think marketing is about digital ads, email sequences, brand awareness, communications, SEO, and social media.

Yes, marketing is all of those things. But it's also...

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Negative vs. Positive Parent Experiences & How It Affects School Retention Jul 28, 2022

"Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-Legner claims that it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for ONE unresolved negative experience.

Now, you may be thinking, "well, I'll just make sure there are no negative experiences for my school families." But let's be realistic. Your school...

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8 Common Strategic Planning Mistakes for Private Schools Jun 10, 2022

Hi there,

Schools are really starting to dive into their strategic planning this year With the ease of COVID, now's the time to play catch up, but there are 8 common strategic planning mistakes I oftentimes see schools make. Today I'm sharing with you what these mistakes are to...

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