Top tips for selling to the education market
For resellers that are making the move into selling to the education, then there are some tips that should be followed to ensure the move is successful and adds to the bottom line.
Selling into schools is not like selling into other sectors. As discussed elsewhere, schools can do much of their procurement through frameworks, which require a reseller to go through a rigorous assessment process to get onto.
But once resellers have made it onto a framework or are looking to sell to schools via another route, how do they ensure that they do make the sales they are looking for and make it a profitable venture? Here are some tips to follow from experts in the sector.
Research
The most important thing for resellers to do is research, says Vestel UK’s senior product manager, Tim Matthews. “But every educational establishment is different, so it’s difficult to do,” he says. “What works for one school may not work for another, so research within each multi academy trust or individual organisation is key. Bids on tenders with detailed specifications are easier but the implementation and some of the subtle details of why they require XYZ may still take some further investigation.”
Tim adds that it is important to keep up with the latest trends and technology, but notes that this isn’t always essential to every customer. “We will always have the trend-setters and pioneers of teaching and technology, and they will find the best products on the market,” he says.
“But never take for granted the organisations who demand products to aid their existing (and proven) ways of teaching. After all, technology should be there to assist teaching and learning, along with improving student engagement. Sometimes purchases are made based on ‘what-ifs’ and ‘wow’s’ and they pay more money for it… and while this is great during the demo and initial phase, is everyone still use this in six months’ time?”
Communication
Tim adds that communication – including listening – is also imperative for resellers to make the most of the opportunities in the sector. “We at Vestel require our partners to fully understand the customer requirements, listen to what they want, discover how they will use the products and what their realistic plans for the future look like,” he says.
“With the large range of interactive and non-touch displays in the Vestel portfolio suited to the classroom environment, listening and communicating form the basis of the research required. The more information we have, the happier the organisation and its users will be and that is what the Vestel team prides itself on.”
Tim adds that Vestel wants all its resellers to work with the company as true business partners. “We offer all the help required with product detail, training, marketing, arranging demonstrations, end user support and much more. Our partners don’t need to learn absolutely everything about our products because that’s what we are here for. For example, our sales and product team are happy to be included during the customer purchasing process. As such, my major tip would be to partner with a supplier like Vestel, that offers support for its resellers to ensure the success of all parties.”
Emphasise value
Mark Whitfield, director of school sales at Stone, A Converge Company, adds that many education institutions will be coming to the end of their current IT infrastructure as per the current stage of their lifecycle, so there will be an increased need to invest in new technology to replace their current obsolete infrastructure. “Resellers will be keen to capitalise on this and market their products effectively to key buyers,” he says.
“To achieve this, they must emphasise the value of what they have to offer to help prepare young people for a digital-first world. Will their tech make a significant improvement to learning outcomes? Will their skills and services help streamline the administrative processes within a school? And most importantly, can resellers provide a positive return on investment to their customers? If they can achieve these things, then they will market themselves as an attractive proposition to current and future customers.”
If resellers follow these tips, then they can give themselves the best chance of being successful in the education market.