

Ask HN: Selling to educators - 3dFlatLander

I'm working on a product that I'd like to sell to teachers. But, having never sold to educators before, I can only assume that it'd wildly different than dealing with businesses. From what searching I've done, it seems going after school districts isn't very effective. But, that seems to be the extent of what I can find on HN.<p>I know there a lot of education focused entrepreneurs around here. Any stories and experiences, no matter the length, will be met with eager ears. I'm especially interested in hearing some 'lessons learned' about pricing, as I've been contemplating a SAS model (but have doubt about teachers doing this).
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brycecolquitt
It really depends on what the product is. If it's a product that the teachers
would use in administration, then more than likely they wouldn't pay for it,
since they have to use the school's admin software.

If the product is for them to use in the classroom, they'd be more likely to
pay for it, but you'd have to be very price sensitive.

Honestly, I'd really need to know more about your product to give you better
feedback.

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3dFlatLander
The product is an ebook and software bundle aimed at technology / computer
teachers. The goal of it is to assist in teaching students programming and
computer science concepts, whilst subtly mixing in a lot of math and physics
(making games). So it is indeed something to be used in the classroom. I meant
to write this in my text, sorry I didn't include it that.

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brycecolquitt
A few things: 1) There's an old game called Rocky's Boots, it subtly teaches
engineering basics and is fun as hell. If you haven't checked it out yet, most
definitely do. 2) Regarding computer teachers, krschmidt is definitely right.
Teachers mostly do want to teach to the district guidelines because technology
advances too rapidly for them and they want colleagues to be able to benchmark
and bounce ideas with. The English literature canon doesn't change much, so
those teachers feel they have a little more leeway. 3) Your market may be
parents who want their kids to know how to program, especially homeschoolers.
I don't know how large that market is, but it's definitely worth exploring.

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3dFlatLander
> 3) Your market may be parents who want their kids to know how to program,
> especially homeschoolers. I don't know how large that market is, but it's
> definitely worth exploring.

I hadn't even considered that. Kinda puts a new spin on how I can market this.

Thank you all for the feedback, it's very much appreciated.

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revorad
What's the price point? And what level teachers are you targetting?

patio11 is good at selling $30 software to school teachers, entirely through
Google - <http://bingocardcreator.com>. Even if your product is wildly
different, it's probably a good idea to talk to him.

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jmatt
Check out Imagine K12[1]. It was recently on HN[2].

[1] <http://www.imaginek12.com/index.html>

[2] <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2337362>

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slysf
Have you talked to any teachers? Teachers are facing budget cuts and being
laid off left and right, so even if you're price sensitive your're going to be
trying to reach a small group within the larger teaching community. Have you
thought about how you'd achieve that?

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ffumarola
Get a lot of teachers to use it at a free / price sensitive basis. Then offer
a district package that really beefs up the offering.

Make the teachers want those features. They can push the district a bit, and
you can sell from the other end.

