Sell to Your Target Market
Selling to Schools
The difficulty with selling to schools is that misguided efforts can threaten your entire business model. Product offerings, cost and service are all important considerations – so businesses that sell to schools need to demand excellence from their team.
In the current business climate, schools are looking for the best products at affordable price points.
New entries to the marketplace need to develop a comprehensive sales plan that is built on industry fundamentals.
Tips for Selling to Schools
Businesses that sell to schools live and die by the amount of information they have about their prospects, their products and their competition.
Successful sales strategies prioritize information-gathering processes and are adept at using that information as a tool for converting prospects to satisfied customers.
Niche Selling
New businesses that attempt to tackle the entire marketplace face a long, uphill battle. A better approach is to customize your approach to an underserved niche.
In the school industry, niches can be based on geographic, demographic or industry-specific factors. For niche sellers, advance research is essential. Don't assume that there will be demand for a niche product line unless you have done your homework and can support your expectations with solid research.
Marketing, Promotions & PR
Young B2B companies are often tempted to buy their way into the market. Rather than taking the time to develop relationships with school owners, these companies blanket the market with high-priced marketing content in hopes of scoring fast conversions from buyers.
Marketing is useful and necessary. But new businesses should funnel their resources toward initiatives that support their value proposition. Although lead lists obtained from third-party vendors like Experian can dramatically increase the quality of your prospects, the effectiveness of your marketing efforts is limited to your team's ability to connect marketing, promotional and PR messaging with your company's unique product traits.
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