Conversations
with School Leaders
From time to time Agile sits down with
educators to find out how purchasing decisions are made in their schools and
districts. This conversation took place with the Superintendent of Schools in a rural system in Virginia.
District Profile:
Over $25,000,000 annual budget
Over $8,000 per pupil expenditure
Two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school
Over 2,000 students
Over 400employees – over 200licensed teachers
Q&A with the Superintendent
What are the major items that are purchased by the district?
1. Turnkey mobile computer labs
2. Transportation – all kinds
3. Textbooks
Who is responsible for selecting the vendor for those purchases?
Me, the superintendent.
Who within your district are decision makers?
IT manager, Innovation Leadership Group (department
heads), Transportation Manager, Superintendent
During what parts of the year are purchases made?
We make most purchases in the early spring because of year-end money that we
want to spend. And, late July and August before the school year begins.
How do you learn about products and services that the district may wish to
purchase?
1. Past experience with vendors and particular products
2. Licensed dealers
3. Word of mouth
What makes you purchase a particular product?
Purchasing decisions are very collaborative and the
input of my colleagues is the biggest influencer in what is ultimately
purchased. Staff regularly come to me to discuss new programs or services.
What catches your eye most when you receive marketing communications?
The communication must be timely and relevant or I
don’t look at it. E-mail especially must have a subject line that is relevant
or I won’t open it. Communications that demonstrate that a product improves
achievable results always catch my eye.
Do
teachers ever have conversations with you about communications they’ve received
and products they’d like to purchase?
Yes, but teachers talk with their Principal’s first
about products they’d like to purchase. Principals then talk to me about the
items needed for their schools.
What
are the most significant changes in spending in the coming year?
We have already experienced a RIF with a 10% decrease
in staff. We will continue to have reductions in salaries and benefits because
of a decreased tax base.
Take Aways for Education Marketers
While Superintendents have the ultimate purchasing power they are not
making purchasing decisions in a vacuum. It’s important to direct any marketing
communications to several people within a district at various levels of the
system. For instance, you may send a direct mail piece to both the
Superintendent and the district-level Curriculum Director as well as to
teachers who will be the end-user of your product. If you get teachers excited
about the possibilities they will lobby for the purchase to their Principal who
will take the matter up with the Superintendent. Make sure you leverage the
power of school-level personnel to help you make a sale even when the sale is
made at the district-level.
Make sure all of your communications are addressing the pain points of who
you’re sending them to. What interests teachers about products is different
than what interests a Superintendent. Be sure to customize your messages for
your different audiences. Use personalization to let people know you’re talking
directly to them and understand their needs. And make sure your messages are
targeted to the key decision-making and purchasing periods throughout the year
– early spring, late July and August.
For more helpful strategies for getting your marketing communications
delivered, opened and acted upon, contact your Agile Education Marketing
Account Executive.