Your Data Isn’t Perfect

Your data isn’t perfect.

Note: that isn’t a question.

Whenever I find myself in a conversation about leveraging existing CRM data to improve yield, the conversation invariably gets to the point where an admissions leader says something to the effect of, “I would do more with it, but our data is a mess.”

Of course, there are certainly instances where a data set could be more workable.

But more often than not, there is usable data.  Even when it’s not perfect, not fully complete, or doesn’t go back through nineteen recruiting cycles. Some data can and should be leveraged to help the institution achieve better results immediately.

Assuming a standard bell curve, there are just as many cases of messy “unusable” data sets as of perfect, pristine data sets.

The rest of us fall somewhere in the middle.  There’s valuable data, even in an incomplete data set , and admissions leaders should look for ways to use it immediately.

The institution will start to see the benefits of a smarter recruitment effort, and the admissions office will also begin to improve its data collection.  

Your data isn’t perfect. 

It never will be. 

Don’t wait.