The education sector is continuing to grow, creating opportunities for workplace solutions suppliers. How can resellers further diversify their product offering and make the most of this burgeoning market?
Read the full article below or on page 26 in our March magazine
For most workplace solutions suppliers, the education sector is a familiar market, but this year will present even more opportunities to sell more products to a wider customer base in education. This is due to the growth of multi-academy trusts, which have massive purchasing power, coupled with the recent announcement by the government that the education sector is set to receive ‘the largest cash increase in a decade’. The impacts of these are already materialising in the industry: “As a group in 2022, we saw a 55% growth in education sales with our partner, Findel, despite tough market conditions,” explains Sian Haskell, director of marketing at Integra.
Selling into the education market requires diversification into new and trending product areas, therefore dealers need an insight into what those in education are looking at procuring from suppliers to give their business an edge over their competitors.
Emerging trends
Identifying the emerging trends in products for the education market are key for dealers looking to diversify, as it helps pinpoint the areas that they should be looking at to expand their offerings. Lawrence Savage, marketing manager at Exaclair, is seeing a trend in technology to boost collaboration in schools. “A growing use of technology throughout the industry has acted as a great influencer across several emerging trends within the sector, especially since experiencing the challenging times during the pandemic.”
This is seeing traction in two areas: “The gamification approach, which seeks to motivate students by incorporating video game design and gaming elements into the learning process, as well as bite-sized nano learning are amongst the more popular of these trends currently.” For workplace suppliers looking to identify new products to meet this demand, Lawrence believes the answer is collaborative tools. “There are driving demands in tools that can facilitate collaborative environments, whether that be remotely or within the classroom. For example, we’ve seen an uptake in product categories, such as desktop accessories and organisational items.”
The rising demand for technology is evident from both the supplier’s point of view, as well as the procurer’s. Sue Birchall, director of business and outreach at The Malling School in Kent, shared that they are searching for new technology to support their students. “In our school, ICT is heading towards some of the more forward-thinking technologies and there is a desire to provide our students with access to new technologies, such as AI.”
Sally Edwards, operations director at The LASBM Alliance Ltd, has also identified the demand for technological solutions. “There are regular developments in technology and digital solutions,” she shared, “but we have also recently seen a growing focus on cyber security and defending against malware and ransomware attacks.”
Outside of the classroom, Peter Clayton, sales and marketing director at Centurion Europe Ltd, has seen a trend in signage as “schools, like any establishment, need health and safety signage.” Signage can be applied across the school premises, and it can be custom designed for the needs of each school. “Through our sister company Visual Group, we are seeing trends specifically in wall graphics, which can easily enhance corridors and classrooms with educational messages as well as school values,” Peter added.
As well as opportunities for selling products and services inside the school building, there are also opportunities outside of the school building. Nemo Office Club’s marketing manager Alan Calder spoke to us about a completely new proposition where they recently signed an agreement with a supplier of bike sheds and scooter shelters. Whilst these new product areas are growing, more traditional core products are continuing to lead the sales categories, “art, crafts and stationery continue to be key product categories followed by exercise books, facilities, and furniture” shared Sian.
What to keep in mind
As well as knowing the trends that are emerging in products and services, it is also key to identify why they are needed, where they are needed and who requires them. According to Lawrence, “There are many similarities between the needs of the educational sector compared to the business market, but the key for any dealers seeking to capitalise within this area is to ensure that they take a comprehensive overview. When considering their recommendations, solutions for both teaching and administration staff and students should be incorporated.”
In addition to this, dealers need to consider any constraints that their customers may have, such as budget. “Schools have limited budgets to allocate across the whole school and each year, different areas will have a focus of the budget,” says Peter. “Keep the focus on the schools needs and its problems so you can offer solutions and be clear and concise on how you can help solve their problems. Be patient, be helpful and solve their need.”
And there can also be a lot to be said for personalising your product offering. To build good relationships with customers, Peter suggests that dealers should “understand the school’s needs and offer solutions without having to ask them what is going on. Each school is different, so a one size fits all sales pitch won’t work.”
This is also true for Alan, who shares the importance of meeting the needs of your customer even after the sale has been completed. “We have members that have been very successful in this area, and the success has come from the personal attention and willingness to source anything, deliver when convenient and manage the account with personality.”
Building relationships
Dealers need to understand how different customers in different settings in the education sector differ in their needs and priorities. “Understand the decision-making process,” says Peter, “this varies throughout private schools, academies and council-run establishments.” For Lawrence, he has found that often it is sustainability that comes out on top when it comes to priorities. “Although price and product innovations are important factors for educational customers, the criteria surrounding their decision processes are still greatly influenced by sourcing from suppliers who focus on developing ethical and sustainable operations.”
As well as knowing what to supply, knowing how to deliver that service is just as important. “Suppliers must be professional, deliver what they promise, offer value for money and be competitive. Service is key, and you have to know that you can trust them,” says Sally.
Building a relationship with your customers is key, and it could even be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity. “When suppliers have comparable offers, the deciding factor may be the contact you are dealing with,” Sally shares. “You’ve got to feel that you can trust them and that they will be responsive if anything goes wrong. It instils confidence when it’s clear that a supplier cares about delivering a good service and they genuinely believe in the product – after all, if they don’t, why would anyone else?”
Similarly, Sue is also searching for trust in a supplier. “When we are looking for suppliers, we are looking to create a relationship based upon trust on both sides with elements of negotiation, advice and conversation. When you find a supplier with whom you can have this trust-based relationship, they quickly become a preferred supplier which is where the conversations and negotiation come in. Any supplier that we work with needs to understand that we will always test prices and expect top-notch service and ongoing support.”
To build trust, dealers must first grab the attention of their customers. For Sally, industry events are a great way for suppliers to show off their offerings. “At our events, suppliers impress delegates when they communicate their offer, they are transparent about any overlap with competitor products and services, and they highlight what they do differently.”
For Sue, there are several avenues she takes to meet suppliers. “I like to meet suppliers at industry events and have a meeting rather than do business over the phone. I also look for suppliers through many other avenues, mostly in print and online.” However, when it comes to being approached, she prefers to have existing customers to speak with, to hear real-time experiences of the products, and a solution-focused selling approach. “I think as far as advertising services go, I would look for good knowledge and an understanding of why certain products are needed in schools and how we fund our purchases. In ICT, mistakes can be very expensive and visible. It is so important to trust not only the supplier but also what you are purchasing – this is where the trust comes in.”
To gain a comprehensive understanding of what schools need, dealers can give themselves the edge by reading education publications, such as Dealer Support’s sister publication Education Executive which offers expert insights into the education sector or by tapping into training opportunities from dealer groups that are experts at selling into the education market or education supplies specialists, such as Findel or YPO.
What opportunities can MATs offer?
In the education sector, multi-academy trusts (MATs) are growing in number. In the most recent Schools White Paper, the government committed up to £86m in trust capacity funding across the next three years and has stated they will invest a further £7bn by 2024-25 for the core schools budget in England.
According to Sian, “multi-academy trusts are providing members with additional opportunities within the education sector.” An increase in MATs across the UK and a boost in funding is offering more opportunities for education customers to invest in their schools and, where MATs are sometimes managed by one singular procurement officer, one sale now has the potential to supply multiple schools across one trust.
Get selling
Whilst the education sector can be challenging for dealers to break into, Alan believes that it is worth the effort. “Once you have got into an education establishment, they tend to be reliable payers and loyal customers.”
For Sian, local suppliers have the advantage of being able to get to know education customers well and understand their needs. “It’s not all about price, good product knowledge and advice is as important when it comes to selling educational products together with excellent customer service, something mainstream educational suppliers don’t do particularly well.”
To put yourself in the best position, you must know how to sell yourself as well as your products. “Members can differentiate themselves by clearly promoting their USPs. These could include stock room management and storage of bulky items or local community initiatives and sustainability for example. Local authorities in general actively seek a local business that is part of the community,” she added. This also rings true for Alan. “One of our members, Seated Furniture, known in the industry as Cost Cutters UK, has had great success and become a specialist in educational furniture with professional installations, free site consultation and planning of everything from indoor gym equipment and playgrounds to libraries and early learning interactive spaces. This reputation, as a specialist with a unique offering coupled with excellent personal service, has given them a huge advantage over any competitors.”
It is also key to consider what truly matters to your customers, like sustainability for example. “Although price and product innovations are important factors for educational customers, the criteria surrounding their decision processes are still greatly influenced by sourcing from suppliers who focus on developing ethical and sustainable operations,” says Lawrence.
Or, like Nemo Office Club, launching a programme to connect your business with local customers can help to build relationships and create business opportunities. “Our Keep It Local campaign has proved to be a foot through the door for dealers with education; schools want to be at the heart of their community and resonate with the message about supporting local businesses that will be employing the parents of many of the students and providing careers in the future,” shared Alan. “It is all about building relationships.”
Be the first to comment