Truths and Myths About Selling Technology to Educators

By Josh Morgan, Vice President, Digital West

I was part of the first generation to have computers in classrooms.  In my sixth grade classroom there was an Apple IIe in the back of the room on a table.  For the most part it was used to play “Oregon Trail.”  I’m sure my teacher wanted to do more with the computer, and knew that she could do more, but there was no one showing her how.  She was just told that she was lucky enough to be one of the first teachers in the district with one of these fantastic new tools.

Flash forward almost twenty years and I was working at Apple as part of the PR team to help market Apple computers to education.  I’m not at Apple any longer, but at Edelman I still always work with at least one education-related client. While working with educators, administrators and technology consultants, I’ve learned a few myths about marketing to education, and a few things that always seem to be true.

Myth:  The Average Superintendent Is Only at Their Job for Two Years
The first myth one often hears when learning about technology in education is that the average tenure of K-12 superintendents is two years, so it’s not necessary to build a relationship at that level.  In reality, the median tenure of a superintendent is usually somewhere around twice that long, and when superintendents move to a new district, many of them take along the friends, partnerships and technology that they made in their previous district.

Myth:  School starts in September
If a company wants to reach teachers, September is not the time to be talking to them.  Many school districts start a new year in August, and most teachers were preparing for the school year in July. 

Truth:  Tie to Standards
The “success” of many teachers and administrators is tied to how their students perform on standardized tests and how well the scores stack up against similar districts. If you want to get the attention of administrators, let them know how your products can help their student s succeed against these metrics.

Truth:  Education is not a “Market”
If you want to turn off teachers immediately, start by explaining how education is “one of the most important markets for our company.”  To teachers, education is not a “market.” It’s what they do, it’s who they are, and they are doing very important work. The moment, you call them a “market,” is the moment they stop listening to you.

Truth:  Recognize Achievement and Say “Thank you”
There are teachers who stand out. The ones who are always looking for new ways to do something. The first ones to try a new technology, or integrate into the curriculum in a new way.  In the business world, this type of initiative can result in a bonus.  That type of financial incentive doesn’t happen in education.  The “bonus,” for innovative teachers is often recognition from their peers, and their ideas being used by others to help students learn.  Seek out the educators who are using your products, say “thank you,” and help them get the recognition they deserve.