Dear Education Sales Professionals,

We see you in our inbox. We hear you on our voicemail. We admire your hustle. But right now, many of us are drowning in voicemails, inbox pings, and LinkedIn nudges from folks who genuinely want to help, but don’t quite know how.

So let’s talk. Not to scold, but to invite you into a better way of connecting with us. Because if you truly want to serve schools, it starts with understanding what we’re up against.

⏰ Timing Is Everything (And Yours Might Be Off)

• The two weeks before school starts? That’s our Super Bowl. We’re onboarding staff, finalizing schedules, troubleshooting tech, and trying to remember where we left our sanity.
• But… “back to school” doesn’t happen on the same week everywhere. A little regional research goes a long way.
• Outreach during peak pressure points, like end-of-year wrap-ups, state testing windows, or reporting deadlines, doesn’t just get missed. It gets mentally shelved for “someday,” which often means never.

Try this instead: Use those high-stress seasons to listen, not pitch. Follow educators on platforms like K12Leaders, where you can observe real conversations and understand what’s top of mind.

🤝 Service Before Selling

You wouldn’t walk into a hospital and offer a new surgical tool without knowing what procedures they perform. So why offer us a product without understanding our students, our constraints, or our goals?

• Ask about our pain points before you propose a solution.
• Show us you’ve done your homework, not just scraped our job titles.
• Be curious. Be humble. Be helpful.

Try this instead: Send a short note that says, “I’m learning about the challenges educators are facing this fall. If you’re open to sharing, I’d love to hear what’s keeping you up at night—and how we might improve our solution for students.”

😔 Lose the Guilt Trips

We already feel bad that we can’t answer every email, attend every demo, or give every promising product a fair shake. Guilt doesn’t motivate—it drains.

• “I’ve reached out three times…” doesn’t make us feel seen. It makes us feel swamped.
• “I just need 15 minutes…” assumes we have 15 minutes to spare. We wish we did.

Try this instead: Offer value with no strings. A resource, a case study, a tip from another district. Let us opt in when we’re ready.

💰 Budgets Aren’t Built on Hope

Here’s a reality check: Most school budgets are locked in 2 or more years in advance. We can’t “decide next week” to “start onboarding next month.” Even if we love your product.

• Respect our fiscal timelines.
• Ask when our planning cycle begins—not when we can sign a contract.

Try this instead: Frame your outreach around future readiness. “I know many districts are planning for FY27—here’s how we’re helping others prepare now.”

🧠 K12Leaders: Your Listening Post

If you’re serious about serving schools, spend time where educators share openly. K12Leaders isn’t just a platform—it’s a pulse check.

• Observe before you engage.
• Learn what we’re facing: staffing shortages, student trauma, tech overload.
• Then design your pitch to meet those realities—not bypass them.

🛠️ Don’t Be a Vendor. Be a Solution Provider.

We don’t need more products. We need partners ~ people who understand our mission and want to help us succeed.

So if you’re ready to move from ignored to indispensable, start here:

• Listen more than you talk.
• Serve before you sell.
• Respect our time, our budgets, and our humanity.

We’re not ignoring you because we don’t care. We’re ignoring you because we’re overwhelmed. Meet us with empathy, and you’ll be amazed at what opens up.

Warmly,

A School Leader Who’d Rather Build Bridges Than Delete Emails