Selling to an Industry

Selling to Christian Schools

The vast majority of Christian schools have lean financials and demanding schedules. Here's how to sell to Christian schools in the current business climate.

A good sales strategy is money in the bank. So for businesses that sell to Christian schools, strategic sales planning is a prerequisite for success.

Leveraging the strength of the market, entrepreneurs are knocking on the doors of the marketplace, eager to earn their share of the profits. Competition is fierce, so new businesses have to be careful about the way they approach Christian schools.

Casting a Broad Net

The first step in selling to Christian schools is to take a broad approach to the marketplace. Strategies that are isolated to the local market are not likely to succeed in an environment that leverages the benefits of long-distance sales techniques.

Although a geographic concentration may be a useful strategy for new sellers, you will eventually need to broaden your focus to include prospects outside of your initial range. You can also broaden your prospect base by introducing new products and partnerships into the mix.

How to Find Christian School Leads

Leads form the basis for winning sales strategies. The first step in lead generation is to evaluate the local market. From there, you can broaden your net to include the yellow pages, Internet searches and trade listings.

The names of Christian schools you obtain through your own efforts need to be qualified through phone calls, emails, and face-to-face conversations.

But the most reliable source of qualified sales leads is often a third-party lead list provider. For consistently high quality lead lists, we recommend Experian Business Services to our business partners. Experian has a reputation for providing accurate and filtered lead lists that can be used for direct mail and other marketing efforts directed toward Christian schools.

Role of Owners & Managers

Owners and managers are active players in selling to Christian schools. Front line visibility is essential for large accounts, but your sales team can benefit from occasional field interactions with the owner or sales manager.

By periodically accompanying your reps in the field, you can build relationships with the people you count on to close sales.

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