The single greatest challenge facing leaders of companies that develop products for the education market is distribution. Creating a sales system for any company is an expensive proposition. Your first step in that endeavor is to figure out what works. Most managers do that by identifying a small geography and trying various sale approaches. But before you bring any sales system to scale you need to determine what works, and at what cost.

1. Selling to Schools with
Independent Reps and Resellers

2. By Glen McCandless
Glen is an expert on selling and
marketing products to schools.
For over 25 years, he has
provided the best sales advice
and business development
services to the education
industry.

3. Education-Market Focused
Sales Partners for You?
Currently the single greatest challenge
facing company leaders who develop
products for the education market is
distribution, because creating a sales
system for any company is an expensive
proposition.

4. Education-Market Focused
Sales Partners for You?
The absence of sufficient
capital motivates businesses
to look for resellers and/or
independent reps. Using
third parties to sell your
product has a lowered
upfront cost, but developing
these channels may be hard
work.

5. K-12 Channel Partners Defined
Independent K-12 sales reps:
• Choose 1 or 2 products which they sell to educators
• Have defined geographic sales territories
• Usually make about 25% of the list cost of your
product
• Usually do not invoice the buyer
• May be responsible for generating leads
• Are responsible for maintaining the customer
relationships

6. K-12 Channel Partners Defined
Education resellers:
• Are businesses with multiple K-12 sales reps
• Buy the product from the developer at a discounted price
• Sell the products to the school or school district buyer
• Often have larger sales territories
• Maintain the customer relationships
• Handle invoicing
• Follow up to ensure renewals
• Compensated 35% to 50% of sales

7. Picking the Right K-12 Channel Partner
at the Right Time
Finding resellers with sales
experience and relationships
with your target audience is
critical.
The best ones limit their
product lines and focus their
efforts on particular buyers or
niches. Ideally, these are the
ones you want to develop.

8. Picking the Right K-12 Channel Partner
at the Right Time
Timing is everything when choosing your channel.
Resellers and independent reps are not likely to
consider taking new products until they gear up for
the next sales cycle.

9. K-12 Sales Success: Training and
Communication is Vital
To ensure a successful sales
effort the sales team must be
trained to develop their selling
skills and product knowledge.
Both the reseller and developer
should be involved in the
training process.

10. How Organizational Dynamics in School
Districts Affect Your K-12 Sales Strategy
The requirement for evidence-based decision
making, issuance of RFPs and formal, complex
purchasing processes have replaced the old
trust-based models and you must choose a
channel that can keep up.

11. It’s Time To Hone
Your K-12 Sales Skills!
Do not underestimate the effort it takes to develop
channels and manage the channel process.
If you choose an indirect model as your approach to selling
to schools you must have the right partners at the right
time and you should have someone in your organization
who is dedicated and accountable for channel success at all
times.

12. Additional Resources
• For the full article of “Selling to Schools with
Independent Reps and Resellers”, click here.
• For more free sales and marketing advice,
click here.
• For a free 30-minute expert consultation,
click here.