Sell to Your Target Market

Selling to Schools for the Deaf

Leading schools for the deaf recognize that every dollar counts. Don't forget that schools for the deaf aren't easy sales marks -- here's what you'll need to convert prospects into customers.

The world is an uncertain place for emerging businesses and businesses are constantly adapting their sales approaches to respond to market demands.

With diligence, hard work and a carefully crafted sales strategy on your side, it's possible to break into the industry and capture your share of the marketplace.

Direct Marketing Strategies

Direct marketing is an effective way to sell to schools for the deaf. The benefit of direct marketing is that it is an efficient method reaching qualified prospects with targeted messaging. From a sales perspective, direct marketing establishes a platform for relationships with schools for the deaf that can benefit from your products or services.

The challenge with direct marketing is lead generation. Since finding leads is time-consuming and difficult, we recommend using lead lists supplied by established third-party vendors. Over the years we've found that Experian is one of the best in the business with a reputation for supplying consistently reliable lists of schools for the deaf that generate sales revenue and repeat business.

Know Your Products

In the real world, most schools for the deaf aren't interested in one-size-fits-all product lines. Before they commit to a purchase, they want to know everything there is to know about your product.

In this industry, product details can be the deciding factor in conversions. It's critical for your sales team to be knowledgeable and informed. If you're selling a service to schools for the deaf, your sales force has to be educated in service features and be prepared to resolve customer concerns during the sales cycle.

How to Evaluate Sales Staff

Frequent employee evaluations are a must for companies that sell in this industry. Businesses that achieve significant market share recruit the cream of the crop and routinely evaluate them against performance goals and benchmarks.

Although annual reviews may be enough for other business units, sales units should be evaluated quarterly with monthly or weekly reviews of sales totals. Training, coaching and sales incentives can be useful for boosting sales and employee morale. In some instances, it may be appropriate to team underperforming sales reps with reps that have more experience selling to schools for the deaf.

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary