Capitalizing on Niche Markets
Selling to Public Schools
Most public schools have lean financials and demanding schedules. Here are some of the things that are required to sell to public schools in the current market.
In today's economy, even small mistakes affect your company's bottom line and impede your selling success.
Young businesses need to develop a comprehensive sales plan that leverages the lessons that have been learned by the most successful players in the industry.
Industry Experience
In public school sales, industry experience is a huge plus. Although it isn't necessary to have decades of front line experience, it helps to speak the industry language and to be familiar with the things are important to a typical public school.
B2B sellers who lack industry experience can compensate for inexperience by subscribing to trade journals, partnering with industry insiders and immersing themselves in the industry culture. Remember, public schools may also be more friendly to sellers within their network, so it's important to make new contacts as quickly as possible.
Effective Marketing Strategies
Effective sales strategies begin with marketing, and the marketing strategies for public schools run the gamut.
Yet in this industry, marketing effectiveness is rooted in the ability to target key decision makers. From traditional marketing to cutting-edge Internet strategies, any initiative that fails to reach decision makers is a waste of time and resources.
Since your sales revenues hang in the balance, you can't afford to rely on stale or inaccurate sales leads. Third-party lead lists may be the smartest choice for making sure your team is equipped with the most up-to-date information possible. If you don't currently use lead lists, you may want to consider Experian -- a third-party lead list vendor with a reputation for providing regularly updated and sorted public school leads.
Sales Team Considerations
Most of the businesses that sell to public schools take a team sales approach.
Although your team may be comprised of individual sales reps, each rep has to recognize their role in the team strategy. There is simply no room for lone rangers in this industry! Team-based training programs and other initiatives can be beneficial, but the best strategy for encouraging buy-in to a team sales model is for owners and managers to become role models for teamwork.
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