With the start of the school year just around the corner (or already underway in a few states), CEOs are most likely focused on delivery during this crucial time of year. While successful back-to-school delivery is important, what companies should really be focused on is ensuring strong implementations that will lead to renewals. Now is a critical time to review your top 25 accounts, proactively deepen those relationships and make sure you have done everything you can to guarantee back-to-school success for them (and for you).
To effectively gauge what you can do to increase the likelihood of smooth implementations, there are several questions you should be asking about each account. For instance:
- Are there new personnel that need to be trained on your product?
- Do you have a strategy to move competent users to master users that can become resources for their colleagues?
- What about the district as a whole – is there new leadership that could change directions, choosing (for example) to emphasize reading over math? Or have recent shifts in test scores led to changes in curriculum emphasis?
- Are district leaders educated about your product and how it is being used in the classroom?
- Have there been any technological changes – for instance, a widespread switch to iPads that you didn’t know about?
By getting in there with your top accounts and taking the time to really know what is going on with both your customers and the district as a whole, you can make any necessary adjustments to keep them happy and keep your product useful and relevant. You may find that everything is running smoothly, or if it’s not, you then have a revenue opportunity to do product training for new personnel or advanced courses for teachers that are already using your product.
