Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Hi Zapprabbit,

You have to first answer the question who precisely is your target group.In other words who will pay for the books(schools or parents or both).I'm afraid leaflets, posters and samples are not enough.You have to convince those who are supposed to pay for your complete teaching range that it addresses kids' educational needs much better than any other books already on the market and it's worth the money especially when the resources are scarce.
Therefore you have to address teaching experts, teachers to be your advocates in your case.You should motivate them to first read and then critique a book or two of your range and then invite them to a conference on your teaching range.Otherwise you could choose to address the most opinion-forming educational media to post a critique of your books.You have to first make them read your stuff and critique it.If they will vote for your books then you are on the winning side.
Let them be your partner.

Rgds

Adam

Something does not quite add up in the situation you have outlined here:

1. You say you have carried out all sorts of promotional activity including printed leaflets, promotional posters, catalogues, samples and even an launch event, but this is a hard market due to money constraints, but;

2. You then say you're after some low cost, creative solutions to make teachers, Schools, parents and children aware of this new teaching range...

So, what did the promotional activities that you outlined actually achieve?

Is this really about money?

Or has the "awareness" campaign flopped badly?

IMO, If the schools were aware of your books, liked them, but had a problem raising the money to buy them, that's one kind of problem.

But the solution is not awareness. It's budgeting, fund-raising, priority setting, negotiation.

You're saying you need a low-cost creative solution which promotes awareness. What for? So they then realise they have a budget problem?

I think you need to determine what the real problem is behind the lack of sales. The schools can't be short of money to buy books they don't know about.

Perhaps they don't really think the books are worth buying and are using budget as an excuse. When refusing to buy, customers often conceal the truth from you. It's a sales skill to uncover their real meaning by asking the right questions.

Of course, if the campaign originally failed, then they still don't know about the book range - back to square one.

See how this goes round in a loop? You need to break the cycle by defining the real problem, properly. And maybe there is more than one problem.

Not much is ever fixed by "awareness" campaigns. You need a sales campaign, predicated upon creating demand.

Now, what was the problem again?

Hope these thoughts stimulate a creative analysis process for you.

ChrisB