Close More Sales
Success in selling educational technology requires ongoing professional development. There has always been a heavy emphasis on product knowledge and face-to-face interaction with potential customers. But not enough is done to provide the training needed to develop world-class sales reps and sales managers. STS is the ideal professional development platform, providing solid advice from K-12 market experts who know how to develop a strategic sales plan, how to sell to schools, how educators decide what to buy, and who they will do business with.
Investing to create and then enlist the help of a group of advisors is a proven method to gain credibility and to open the doors for sales of your products to educators. What do advisory groups typically do, and how does their work translate into revenue? An education marketing veteran offers perspective on this important topic.
What is the best way to gain access to school administrators who make buying decisions? It's a common question and a source of frustration for those who develop education marketing programs and sell to K-12 schools. Here's sage advice from a leading K-12 sales coach. 
Pending federal ESEA reauthorization and increased budget pressures are creating a growing need for publishers and developers to substantiate their product claims. Just-released 
Do you have a sales plan for your K-12 business? Most managers say, "Yes" when asked this important question. But often those plans fall short of what is needed to drive sales and focus activity and investments. According to two K-12 industry experts, a solid education market sales plan has six components, not to be overlooked.
You make lots of promises about the ways your product will improve teaching and learning. Can you provide proof? School administrators want and need efficacy data to know if your claims are true. But is investing in effectiveness research a cost of doing business, or is it one of your best education marketing opportunities?
Win-loss analysis typically focuses on why you get a purchase order or you don't, and happens at the end of the sales process. But now, with a range of analytic tools and the power of CRM, we have the opportunity to take a much closer look across the entire range of conversions from inception to close.
It's the question we get most often: How do we get a senior district administrator to talk to us by phone or to respond to our email request to schedule a meeting? It's tough to do, especially when most inbound communications is considered "Spam." Knowing what to say when you do get that meeting is also critical to your success. Do you need better connections with the “C” level of school districts?
Does your offer of a full refund result in bigger orders from school administrators? Will a money-back guarantee help you close deals for your high-ticket products and services? It’s a popular topic of discussion with education marketing and K-12 sales managers. 
Relationship selling is a fundamental skill for anyone who wants to succeed in the K-12 school market. Why? Because educators are people-oriented. Many say they are more relational than other professionals. Building rapport with busy school administrators requires constant honing of your interpersonal skills. Start here with seven rapport-building strategies from a school sales expert.
For anyone selling a high-ticket item to schools these days, finding effective ways to handle price objections is a critical success factor. With more budget cuts and competitive pressures on the horizon, honing your skills in this area, especially through a better understanding of the buyer's perspective, should be your top priority! Copyright 2012 Selling To Schools www.sellingtoschools.com
