What the Mulch Business can Teach Independent Schools about Marketing Strategy
My parents, both in their late 80's, live north of Asheville, North Carolina, at the end of a road that begins at Merrimon Avenue alongside the Asheville Mulch Yard. Each drive past the place refreshes my awe of the mulch yard business model: little or no fixed overhead (even the yard itself is for sale), minimal "bricks and mortar," a seemingly year-round business with ancillary bulk products for winter, hours limited to daylight, essentially a cash business in terms of receivables (they do take credit cards), and no shipping or packaging costs as customers haul away the product by themselves. Most of all, I am in awe of the fact that customers really want to buy the mulch (or decorative stone or whatever they have on hand).
It is far, far easier to sell something that people like and want to buy, rather than sell something that is typically bought under duress, or because one must (in order to meet regulatory requirements or defend oneself legally). Even worse is having to convince people to buy your product by asking them to undergo a sort of conversion experience to see its features and benefits.
Of course, not everyone is a "natural" customer for mulch. I am not, for one. I have little to no interest in gardening and landscaping. But, there are tons of people who live to garden in one form or another, and those that do will quite happily spend money at the mulch yard. I would be a terrible customer for them to target--no interest = unwilling customer = either someone who buys under duress (because someone else is forcing them to) or who must be convinced to buy. A better marketing strategy would be to target those who actually want the mulch--natural interest = eager customer = sales.
Who and where are your natural customers; e.g., those who already have an affinity for what you have to sell, whether it is a progressive, Montessori, religiously-affiliated, or whatever flavor of education? It's only worth forcing or convincing if your community lacks enough of these to populate your school. The two approaches to marketing strategy--sell to naturtal customers or make converts of others--require very different tactics. And mis-judging the strategic approach means mis-matching tactic with group--a sure-fire road to ruin.