How to sell to Education Institutions Like a Pro?

10 practical strategies to help your EdTech business succeed in the education sector.

Schools spend more than ten billion USD annually on technology and materials, so the educational industry has become a major business customer to tech and SaaS providers.?

Educational institutions use a unique purchasing framework that requires years of learning and alignment with your internal sales and marketing strategies. Understanding how purchase decisions are made and what are the biggest challenges across schools and other education providers (particularly needs for innovation and technology) is key.?

As selling to schools and other education providers can be a lucrative market but challenging to break into, we created this guide to help your business design the right strategy.?

In this blog post, we will cover the top 10 approaches to help you become the number one EdTech provider for schools and an essential part of their future growth.?

So whether you're an established service provider or a new EdTech company, keep reading.?

1. Value proposition:?

In any sale, you need to focus on the benefits of your product or service, not just its features, think "Jobs to Be Done" framework. You'll need to position your solution or service as a valuable investment that will drive results for the school, particularly for large purchases. In Education Sector, this is especially important because decision-makers are often preoccupied with budget constraints and have real adversity to wasting time.?

To successfully engage and win over these customers, it is crucial that you clearly articulate the benefits and unique value that your technology offers to their students, teachers, and administrators.

One effective framework for positioning your product or service in this context is the "Jobs to be done" approach. This framework focuses on identifying and addressing the underlying needs that the school or education provider is trying to meet with their purchasing decisions. As such, it can help you better understand both the specific challenges facing your prospects as well as how your solution can meet those challenges more effectively than competing offerings.

To use this approach effectively, you will need to thoroughly research their goals and objectives for student learning and development. By understanding these broader needs and priorities, you can more effectively tailor your value proposition to align with their specific wants and needs.?

2. Lead generation:?

One of the main challenges is finding (and qualifying) high-quality leads. Schools and other education providers are often inundated with pitches from companies selling their services, therefore, you must create a clear value-add for the learners, teachers or any other operational part of the school your product is designed for. This means not just pitching every opportunity available but being specific about what value add service can help learners and teachers improve their roles at school.

Targeted campaign content should instantly catch the attention of key stakeholders and school leaders. You can target specific audiences, reach out to administrators, and use online tools to research your target accounts.

Tracking campaign performance can help provide critical insight into what is working well or challenging aspects of the overall marketing strategy, such as targeting specific audiences/administrators etc. Use online tools like Google Analytics which gives accurate data on traffic sources and conversion rates.

3. Sector knowledge:?

Schools and universities are typically funded by taxpayers, so they have unique governance structures when it comes to procurement. If you're new to selling in this market, it's important that you do your research to get to know the purchasing process and the people involved in making buying decisions. Talk to your contacts to learn the funding structure, the goals for the new school year, the required support and what other schools are doing to stand out.?

One of the most critical factors for a successful EdTech business is in-depth knowledge of the education sector. This means understanding the latest trends, challenges, and competitive landscape. It is crucial to understand what schools and educators are looking for when it comes to technology solutions, and how your company can meet their needs. Additionally, you need to have a deep understanding of students' evolving needs and expectations so that you can design products and services that address their unique needs and preferences.

To truly understand what schools need from education technology companies like yours, you must also be able to anticipate changes in the landscape and identify challenges that might impact your products or services. For example, you may need to adapt your offerings in response to shifting student demographics or budgetary constraints. Additionally, you will need to stay on top of new developments in areas such as data privacy regulations or increased competition from other tech companies looking to capitalise on the growing demand for educational technology solutions.

4. Networking:?

In order to be successful in the education sector, it's important that you build strong relationships with a variety of professionals working in this market, including teachers, administrators, and vendors, in addition to school leaders. One effective way to do this is through networking events and professional organisations (remember the value of in-person events), such as educational conferences and associations. These events can help you build your brand in the education sector, understand teaching-related challenges and make valuable connections.

?Keep yourself informed and create a calendar with some of the most popular industry-specific conferences, trade shows, meetups, webinars, educational fairs and workshops. It is important to become an active participant and put yourself out there by participating actively in discussions and panels.?

These events can be an excellent way for you and an Edtech business to showcase your products or services, forge new partnerships or collaborations with other companies in the field, and stay up-to-date on trends and best practices in the industry.?

?5. Education is a referral-driven market:?

To gain a reputation across educational institutions, you must build a strong name for your business through past success stories. Educators are a very tight community, so referrals are very frequent. Focus on the quality and ROI of your service and product, provide plenty of support and stay in touch.

Working in a highly interlinked and interconnected sector means that your success in one area can affect your success in another. Treat every customer like your first, and build a support system around public sector institutions, as they might require more support compared to your other clients. By focusing on building these referral relationships, you can help ensure that your EdTech business continues to grow and thrive.

6. Follow a sales strategy:?

Selling solutions to schools and educators requires a well-thought-through, repeatable business sales process. This includes having clearly defined steps for lead generation, pitching your product or service, negotiation, pricing, economies of scale, etc. Track your sales funnel closely and adjust as needed. Listen to the feedback and remember the importance of all stakeholders, including teachers, parents and learners.?

A detailed sales process will help you to effectively engage with potential customers, create a clear path to closing a sale, and develop a strong sales strategy that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your target market.

Some of the critical elements of a successful sales process typically include identifying potential customers, building solid relationships with those customers, and developing targeted marketing materials that will resonate with them. Other essential aspects may consist of tracking statistics such as conversion rates and average spending per customer, as well as using data to identify areas for improvement and making adjustments accordingly.

7. Consultative sales approach:?

Adopting a consultative sales approach can help you connect with your clients on a deeper level, ultimately leading to more successful sales outcomes. While consultative selling may seem like an intimidating prospect at first, there are several key strategies you can use to improve your skills in this area. These include practising active listening, focusing on customer needs rather than your own products or services, and using empathy and understanding to build strong relationships with potential customers.

Selling to educational institutions requires a strong ability to listen closely to your customers' needs during a sales effort. When conducting a sales pitch with a school or university, it's important that you demonstrate value from the first contact and focus on addressing specific pain points for your target school. You should also be prepared to negotiate and respond quickly to any objections that might arise during the conversation so your EdTech company can stand out. Remember to adjust your product to a specific education provider and show a level of flexibility.??

8. Seasonal purchasing:?

Knowing when your target schools are more likely to invest in new products or services will stop you from wasting time. It's important that you stay up-to-date on these dates and plan your sales and marketing efforts accordingly.?

Schools tend to follow a seasonal purchasing approach to new tech products, typically saving their most significant purchases for the start of the school year. This timing is driven by various factors, including budget cycles and other procurement processes often dictated by administrators or school boards.

To take advantage of this seasonal purchasing approach, as an EdTech business, you should be aware of these timeframes and work with schools to develop sales strategies that align with their buying cycles. For example, consider offering incentives or discounts to schools during back-to-school promotions or offer special pricing for bulk orders placed at certain times of the year.?

9. Email outreach:?

Email works!?

This applies to cold outreach to your desired accounts as well as automated email campaigns through targeted lists and engaging content. Remember, educational products often get scrutinised due to complex funding structures, so ensure your solution is relevant to your schools and educators.?

Email marketing is one of the most effective tools for cold outreach to schools and other educators. It allows you to reach large audiences with your message, giving you more opportunities to win new business and build meaningful relationships with potential clients.

To optimise your efforts over time, you must monitor your email campaign results closely. It can take up to 10 emails before you get a response from the desired stakeholder, so persistence pays off. Remember to keep your email outreach personalised, even if it takes longer and seems inefficient.??

10. Patience:?

Selling to schools and universities can be a long and challenging process, especially for those who are new to the education sector. This is because these institutions are often slow to make purchasing decisions, often taking months or even years before deciding which products or services to purchase.

You will likely need to make multiple contacts with different decision-makers within the institution before you can convince them of the value of your product or service. Ensure you have a strong understanding of the unique dynamics and challenges facing public sector organisations, as well as any applicable regulations that may apply.

It's important that you remain patient throughout your sales cycle and work closely with other stakeholders at your target accounts to move things along as effectively as possible. Although the selling cycle tends to be longer, it is also incredibly rewarding.?

With over 20 years of sales in the education sector, we have been through all major pitfalls and learned how to create bulletproof strategies for the best EdTech businesses working with educational institutions. We will support you in approaching these sales opportunities with a collaborative mindset and an open attitude so you can win the desired deals with schools and other public sector institutions.?

Reach out to us to learn more and find out how we can help you to create an ultimate sales strategy - find us on educatewalter.com or reach directly at [email protected].