Selling your goods and services to schools can be a difficult task in itself. Trying to hunt down the school principal or the right individual who can make a purchasing decision is only the beginning of the process. However, changing the buying habits of a school who has history with a previous vendor, consistency in the way they do business, and a method to their madness is a hard hurdle to overcome. So, how can a provider convert a lead to a sale when the consumer is a school?

Too often, providers want to go from first contact to closing the sale with a school. Then when the sale does not go through they wonder “well, what happened, everything seemed to be going good!?” But why wasn’t it going great? I’ll tell you…you didn’t take the time to build the relationship. There's no connection from an introduction. Truthfully how can there be when there was no time taken to cultivate the relationship. In the building process you allow room for the school to establish a respect for your expertise and develop a trust in your company's capabilities and knowledge.

Consumers are savvy shoppers today with endless information at their fingertips on the Internet. From price comparisons to researching products, consumers take in more information before making a purchase, especially a school that is deciding on a new service or product that could impact student learning, directly or indirectly.

Obtaining strong relationships with the providers your school partners with for products and services can sometimes be difficult. Vendors should truly be thought of as partners in helping to reach your outcomes at your school. Everything from the company you contract with for janitorial services to your accounting firm - are all equally important for your school to achieve its mission. Below is a list of the top 5 things to think about when walking through the process of choosing the best provider to meet the needs for your school. All providers should be ready and willing to be a true partner!