Question

Topic: Strategy

Reaching Out To Decision Makers

Posted by Aaira on 5/18/2014 at 10:27 AM ET 250 Points
Based on existing customers feedback, we have an outstanding product: A reading program (graphic novel collection plus an assessment). Graphic novels have been bought by the private schools (which are very few) but the government schools penetration has been zero..

Efforts made:
Email blast plus cold calling/visits to meet up with decision makers.

Decision Makers in public schools are English HOD's who are rarely available. When available, they say they would get back but never do.

BUT THERE HAS TO BE A WAY..TO REACH OUT TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

MY ANALYSIS
1. In a public school, there is a library purchase and student purchase

2. When library purchases are made, a company processes purchases for free in their library software and won't allow any outside purchases..(they offer processing of books which is clerical and a time waster for the staff) This has turned into a significant barrier for new books to come in to the library....

3. Student purchases are again authorised by HOD, without affecting the school budget

4. Have spoken informally to Department of Education but they say it is a school matter..

So, we are left with the Student purchases..(but still need to target the HOD.)

Proposed POA

Unless someone proposes something totally different.. this is what my thought process has been..

Wondering if we can target a pain point of the HOD of every public school, like the library purchase process company Maybe offer them

1. a Free VA, for limited time on placing the order. Why: HOD's are swamped with work and have no breathing time..Without divulging confidentialities they possibly could outsource some of their work..

2. I am not so sure what else could attract the decision makers..but after having tried this over the last one year.. the biggest pain point I see is the teachers not having enough time..

3. Reaching out to all u marketing stalwarts to see if there is a faster, quicker and cheaper way

Thanks again
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by saul.dobney on 5/18/2014 at 1:10 PM Accepted
    What education events are there? For instance conferences of English teachers. What connections do you have to exam boards and curriculum suppliers? It sounds like yours is one product that needs to fit into a broader curriculum framework - a teacher may by everything en bloc, rather than pick and choose elements. Could someone present a paper showing effectiveness of the materials. Can you reach out to teacher-training colleges to reach the upcoming generation of teachers, or to mentors of existing teachers? Where do the HODs get their viewpoints from - what are their influencers - you can ask them this - how did they choose their last curriculum? Presumably you have some teachers on your advisory board to vet the materials - what do they say the communication routes should be?
  • Posted by cookmarketing@gmail. on 5/18/2014 at 7:58 PM Accepted
    License out to companies already there - i.e. Scholastic
    Trust me you will need Unions support - reach out.
    Unfortunatetly or forntuately dependent on you politics; almost everything needs Federal approval...not that you have a chance there, but that is the crux of nondecisions

    Mr. Dobney has some great thoughts, especially a parent(s) testimonial

    How has your digital/internet approach been?

  • Posted by cookmarketing@gmail. on 5/18/2014 at 7:58 PM Member
    License out to companies already there - i.e. Scholastic
    Trust me you will need Unions support - reach out.
    Unfortunatetly or forntuately dependent on you politics; almost everything needs Federal approval...not that you have a chance there, but that is the crux of nondecisions

    Mr. Dobney has some great thoughts, especially a parent(s) testimonial

    How has your digital/internet approach been?

  • Posted on 5/18/2014 at 8:03 PM Accepted
    What's a HOD? A VA? A POA?

    Too much jargon. I'm sure these initialisms mean something to the in-crowd, but I'm stumped.

    Can you boil the request down to something everyone can understand? We'd love to offer input, but only if we can understand the problem.

    Where? Who are these decision-makers? What kind of decisions?
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 5/18/2014 at 9:46 PM Accepted
    (I think HOD = head of department, VA = virtual assistant, POA = plan of attack)

    If the decision makers aren't looking for something better, there's no easy way to attract them. You need to convince them what you offer is better. And the way to do it is with proof. Give the material to some local schools with the caveat that you measure test scores before/after and can get access to testimonials from students & teachers. Do this enough, with enough validation, and you have a story and a network to prove your product.
  • Posted by Aaira on 5/18/2014 at 11:13 PM Author
    Apologies but Jay is right on. (I think HOD = head of department, VA = virtual assistant, POA = plan of attack)

    thanks
  • Posted by Jim Greenway on 5/19/2014 at 11:58 AM Accepted
    Jay is right, there isn't an easy way to attract them. It takes hard work. If your target is the head of the department then you have to understand what their pain points are. What gets their attention. You need to understand what their interests are then provide them with a solution and that is not talking about your product. You don't want to sell them something, you want to provide them information that will help you to be looked as a solution provider, a problem solver, not a product catalog. When that is accomplished, and it might take a while, you will win them over. And that may not just be email campaigns. It may be ads in magazines they subscribe to, Google Adword Campaigns, Facebook Ads, etc. You have to understand the voice of your customer, where they do their research and what they subscribe to really get their attention and provide a solution they are looking for. You are not alone. This is a problem most marketing departments face every day.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 5/20/2014 at 8:56 AM Accepted
    I believe there are companies similar to manufacturers reps who specialize in selling schools to schools. I suggest you talk to a few of them. They will be familiar with review and procurement, and they have ongoing contacts with existing customers.

    Look at it for a moment from the point of view of the purchaser. They have neither the time nor the energy nor the inclination to meet with every Tom Dick and Harry who thinks they might have a good product. They have their hands full educating children, and not really so much time to teach you how to sell to them. But there are experts and specialists in selling to schools (not my personal area of expertise).

    I think you can find these sorts of companies without looking too hard. You can find people with specific industry expertise by searching resumes, through LinkedIn, and with basic Google searches. The leading companies will exhibit at industry trade shows. If it were me, and I wanted to experiment with channel marketing, I would begin by testing in a remote geographic market. Thanks for your question, and good luck.
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