Businesses that provide products and service to multiple industries often struggle in the schools market. This is because schools require a different approach. In most other industries, the different organisations are competitors that rarely talk about what works and does not work within their own business. The opposite is true in schools. They are a very well connected community; happy to share their experiences, both good and bad with others. Businesses in the schools market need to be careful to ensure that their brand and reputation is as strong in these unofficial networks as it is on mainstream channels. A critical part of this difference is that in other industries, if your business fails to deliver on its promises to a client, the clients competitors probably wont find out about it. In the schools market they definitely will. This also works in your favour when things go well. But while goods news may travel fast, bad news will travel faster.
Another aspect that is important to understand in the schools market is the school calendar and its impact on the decision making frameworks. While there are variations in between states and sectors, the decision making process is closely tied to the school year. So depending on what you are trying to provide to a school you will need to understand when things need to be recommended for school budgets, when budgets are approved, and when commitments can be made. This should then shape your sales and marketing activities across the school year.
