It’s hard selling to schools. They’re busy places. Access to the key decision-makers isn’t always straightforward. This is a perennial problem for all suppliers, as the Department for Education’s Prospectus 2020-2025 “Schools’ buying strategy” guide reports:
“With a disparate market and lots of suppliers and products on offer, it is often a challenge for SBPs and decision makers to know what product to buy and when to purchase products and services.”
Effective marketing to schools is all about long-term relationships with the right people.
So who exactly are they? And where are they to be found? Who to target?
Here’s a whistle-stop “who’s who” to help.
Regional school buying hubs
You will want to make contact with regional school buying hubs. Set up after the government report above, they help schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts (MATs) to save time and money by running competitive tenders for high-value goods and services and providing category expertise and specialist advice to help deliver better value, especially with products and services which can be effectively bought on a regional basis. The government believes that there are savings to be made on big-ticket items. For schools reviewing energy, printers, photocopiers, ICT, and insurance cover, school buying hubs may be their first port of call.
Education supplier directories
Similarly, make sure you’re listed in directories such as The National Register of Education Suppliers, BESA, and Edu Suppliers. This will give you greater credibility and makes it easier for buyers to find you and know who to target.
Headteachers
It’s worth remembering these three key fundamentals.
Firstly, schools mostly act as autonomous purchasing units.
Secondly, as the government’s own research revealed, procurement practices in schools vary enormously.
Thirdly, the bigger the school, the likelier procurement will be delegated down the chain of command.
In a small rural primary school, a headteacher may well oversee a large share of, if not all, the procurement responsibilities, including building projects. At the opposite end of the scale, heads of large multi-academy trusts will have the luxury of a team of experts to call on. They may sign off purchases, but they will initially look for guidance from their SBM or their SLT.
School business managers (SBMs)
Many headteachers leave most procurement responsibilities in the hands of their SBM. Otherwise known as bursars or finance managers, the school business manager is an important person to know. It may be the case that the school business manager is the only person within a school tasked with procuring goods and services. In other words, they oversee ALL expenditure.
Senior leadership teams (SLTs)
You may wish to nurture relationships with senior school leaders. In a larger school, with, say, over 500 pupils, the headteacher will be advised by a team of experienced staff, each with their own distinct roles and responsibilities: for example, ICT, marketing, examinations, curriculum, extra-curricular activities and events. Each will have its own procurement requirements, along with a sizeable budget. If you’re looking for names and email addresses, you will often find this information easily enough on a school’s website.
Key stage heads, faculty heads, and heads of department
SLTs and SBMs are busy. Heads of department or faculty may be given the autonomy to pick and choose their own suppliers. Ignoring these people is a missed opportunity. After all, if you’re looking to sell equipment, it makes sense to first of all target those who are going to use and benefit from it on a daily basis.
A head of sport will want to road-test equipment such as running machines. They’ll also be looking for someone they can trust to provide excellent after-care for when those running machines servicing.
A head of IT will want to suss out technology for themselves, rather than let others decide for them. Getting the right kit is important to them, otherwise, it won’t get used.
All heads of department will want to top up supplies from time to time. Knowing someone who knows them and their department’s requirements make all the difference. And using the same order codes saves so much time.
Teachers at the chalk face
Teachers know what they like and will state preferences to their heads of department. Using the right products and services smooths their day-to-day efficiency.
Support staff
It’s often support staff who oil the wheels of schools and academies across the land. But who to target? “Lab tech Larry” or “Michelle in IT”, guided by procurement protocol, are often the ones who are tasked with shopping around for the best deals in terms of price and service.
The head of reprographics may have complete control of where to buy stationery, paper, and other office materials.
“These invaluable members of personnel are often ex-industry, and highly experienced and knowledgeable. They have chosen to see out their careers in an environment where they can work fewer hours and make a difference. Armed with an enviable list of contacts, inside and outside education, they’re the ones who save the pennies on units to save pounds in the long run. These are the people to know if you’re keen to pitch to schools.”
Final thoughts
Marketing’s hard enough without it falling on deaf ears! Selling to schools takes time. With multiple stakeholders involved in the decision-making process, it can take a while to establish who to target, and for the key decision-makers to give you a definitive “yes” or “no”.
At Ambleglow we’re always keen to share best practice and lessons learned for the education industry.
For more on selling to schools, take a look at
- Selling To Schools: 7 Tips To Simplify The Process
- What Schools Look For In A Supplier
- How Do Schools Procure Products And Services?
- Our Top Tips For Marketing To Schools Effectively (Video Guide Included)
Or better still, get in touch with us.
This blog was updated August 2024.
