With approximately 5000 higher education institutions in North America alone, there is a tremendous marketplace for educational technology. The issue for most of these institutions today is deciding which EdTech companies offer the best future ready educational technology. Institutions are looking for companies that will help them help their students achieve success in higher education classrooms and the workforce.
However, with several competing EdTech companies, it is increasingly difficult to sell to the higher education market. However, as Forbes explains, “Each [institution] buys expensive niche higher education software and data solutions to help operate their institution and to manage students, faculty and resources. This provisioning is part of each institution’s infrastructure, singular to each campus.” Therefore, how does an EdTech company break into the higher education market? Let’s look at some ideas.
Consider All Involved in Purchasing
Once upon a time, companies could simply call the head of the technology department, or the CIO (Chief Information Officer) to market an educational technology product. However, with technology infrastructures growing, it is now important to consider others who will use the product in addition to the CIO. As you consider marketing your product, you must consider all involved in purchasing.
Begin at the very beginning. Who will be using this product? Then, move on to consider who else will benefit from the product. Finally, think about who else is involved in making purchases for the university. If you can convince multiple people that your product is beneficial to their campus, you are more likely to make the sale.
Show Relevance
Rather than simply demonstrating how your product works, you must show how it is relevant to that campus community. Much like how you should tailor a resume to a specific job, you should tailor your sale to that particular higher education institution. You need to show that the technology is relevant to their needs.
Attend Higher Education Conferences
By attending higher education conferences, you will get to interact with the higher education community. You will become a recognized name as you attend more conferences, and you will gain valuable insights into the trends affecting their institutions.
Develop Trust
After you become more recognized, you need to work on developing trust. This involves developing relationships with customers. By developing a relationship, you will learn what matters to the customer and what he/she needs and wants in educational technology.
Offer Deals
Finally, if you want to sell to the higher education market, you need to land customers. The more customers you have, the easier it is to sell your product. Therefore, it is wise to offer a great deal on your product, in the beginning, to give as many potential customers the chance to use and become satisfied with your technology in order to increase your future sales.
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