Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Education Channel Partner

Guest Column

How Good Are Your Matchmaking Skills?

By: Chuck Kleiner

1/1/2009

Show them products with track records and reference sites. If you've established some street cred for your product, your mainstream buyers will be more open to purchasing it. The mainstream are dependable purchasers, unlike their risk-averse colleagues-- the laggards-- who need a bit more convincing.

Laggards: Let's Wait and See

On the far end of the technology adoption scale are the laggard school districts. Whether large or small, laggard districts are usually run by risk-averse decision makers. But don't ignore them. Just keep on thinking: They have to buy something at some point. And what they will buy will be your well-established products. So if you do show the laggards your newest products, understand that by the time they decide to buy, those products will be established.

Whether you show new or established products to the laggards, persistence is required to make the sale.

One of my salespeople recently shared this story with me. Over the past seven years, he has contacted a particular college at least once a year. He never closed the deal. This year, my dogged salesperson contacted the college again. They asked him (again!), "Why should we use your service?" The salesperson lost his patience and replied, "With 26 colleges in the state already using our service, why aren't you?" They finally are.

Timing Is Everything

Time frames-- yours and your customer's-- are the final components to a successful match. Innovators and early adopters are quick to accept new technology; mainstream and laggard school districts take more time.

A good salesperson believes that everyone is going to buy his or her product. Some might buy it immediately, some tomorrow, some next year, or some five years from now.

So, focus your efforts today on matching your product with your best prospects. Properly aligning your product with your customer will help you maximize the opportunity for successful selling. But don't forget that what you do today can also help build your pipeline for tomorrow.

I'll leave you with this final story...

In 1993, I was in charge of a new territory with a new product. I held a seminar to introduce my new product to all potential customers in the territory. Twenty-four people showed up, much to my delight. Within one year, three attendees purchased my product. The seminar had been worthwhile.

Over the next few years, I continued to follow up with the remainder of the attendees. By the end of five years, all but one attendee had purchased the product. Little did I realize at the time of the seminar that I had invited all levels of potential customers (innovators, mainstream, and laggards). And they did purchase my product-- all in their own time.


Chuck Kleiner is vice president of sales and marketing at SMARTHINKING.COM. He has more than 20 years experience in education, successfully selling for companies such as Wasatch, Jostens, Riverdeep, and Academic Systems. He is also an accomplished magician, which may account, in part, for his sales success.