I review a LOT of software for schools, which means I sit in the spot between vendors and the schools they’re trying to sell to. This post is for the vendors out there. Just some tips and tricks that can help you on your journey.
I’ve seen vendors handle this really well, and I’ve seen it go not-so-well. The difference usually isn’t your product. It’s how the vendor treats the process.
If a school has brought me in to review software, that’s good news. It means there is a budget somewhere and a commitment to making a decision. Usually there’s a reviewing group behind it too, a group of key stakeholders like IT, curriculum leads, department heads, a business manager or principal, all of whom I’ll be reporting back to.
Here’s what actually helps, from my side of the table.
Talk to me like I’m someone you want on your side
I’m not someone you need to charm, and I’m not an obstacle between you and the sale. I’m someone who’s going to be honest with the school about what your product does well and where it falls short, and that’s usually good for you too, because it means the schools I recommend you to are ones where you’ll succeed. You’ve been shortlisted for a reason.
So just be honest with me – I’ll be honest with you. If I ask something you don’t know, tell me you’ll find out and follow up. I talk to a lot of vendors and my BS radar is on high. The ones who don’t try to bluff their way through a question or a process are the ones I trust.
Skip the bright shiny things
Every vendor has a few features built to impress in a demo. That’s fine, they’re often genuinely good features. But part of my job is to steer the reviewing group past the shine and toward what actually matters: does it do what the school needs, is it going to hold up day to day, does it fit the budget and the existing systems. If a pitch leans hard on flash and light on substance, I’ll notice, and I’ll be the one telling the group to look past it. You’re better off leading with the substance yourself.
Please don’t go around me
This is the one that trips vendors up more than anything else (and annoys schools). When a school brings me in, they want one clear channel for the review, not vendors reaching out to staff directly, or reconnecting with someone they knew from before, without going through the gatekeeper first.
I get why it happens. Maybe you already have a relationship with someone at the school. Maybe a staff member reaches out to you directly with a question. Totally fine, just loop me in. Tell me “hey, we’ve worked with so-and-so before” or “I got a message from someone at the school, wanted you to know.” That’s all it takes.
What doesn’t work is finding out later that a vendor was having side conversations with the school while the review was underway. It doesn’t just look bad, it puts me in an awkward spot with the people I’m representing, and it tells me something about how you’d behave once you actually have a contract.
Expect an RFP or a Needs Analysis
Somewhere in the process (usually at the beginning), there will be a formal step, either a proper RFP or a structured needs analysis, where the school sets out exactly what they’re trying to solve and asks vendors to respond against it. Be ready for this. Read it properly, answer what is asked rather than recycling a generic response, and don’t skip sections because they seem minor. This is often where the reviewing group forms its first real impression of how carefully you operate. If a spot is included to make comments – do so.
Schools aren’t like other buyers
We look at the real total cost of ownership once you factor in training and support, not just the year-one price. We also look at how well you actually integrate with what the school already runs. And ideally, some evidence that your product works, not just a case study written by your own marketing team.
If your team doesn’t have solid answers to these already, that’s worth discussing internally before you’re in front of a reviewing group.
Don’t oversell it
Part of my job is noticing the gap between what a vendor promises and what is true. If a feature is still on the roadmap, tell us it’s on the roadmap. If your development has stalled on a particular piece, be honest. If onboarding usually takes six weeks, don’t tell us two.
This matters more than it might seem, because we will talk to your reference schools, and if what we hear from them doesn’t match what you told us, that’s a bigger problem than the original gap would have been. Reputations move fast between schools. It’s a smaller world than people think.
Remember schools are social places
Schools run on relationships as much as they run on systems. A genuine in-person presentation can carry a lot more weight than another polished email, Zoom meeting, or slide deck. If you have the option to present in-person to the reviewing group, take it. It shows commitment, and it gives the people making the decision a chance to meet the humans behind the product, not just a logo on a screen. Sometimes the decision comes down to “the Vibe.”
Dress and present yourself professionally
This might sound old fashioned, but plenty of schools, particularly larger private ones, still run on a formal culture, and staff will often be in suits or at least smart business wear. You don’t need to match that exactly, but jeans and a t-shirt will read as not taking the meeting seriously. Smart, professional presentation, in person and in your written materials, goes a long way toward being taken seriously by the group.
Your service commitment matters as much as your demo
How you handle the review itself, how responsive you are, how honestly you answer hard questions, how well you prepare for the RFP, how you show up in person, all of that tells the reviewing group nearly as much about you as the product demo does. Schools are choosing a long-term partner, not just a tool, so treat every part of this process as part of the pitch, because it is.
Pick references that match the school
A glowing reference from a large, well-funded school doesn’t tell me much if I’m reviewing you for a small school with one IT person wearing five hats. Where you can, point me toward references that look like the school in question, similar size, similar resources, similar tech maturity.
Stay present, but don’t pressure me
I’ll move through the review as fast as I reasonably can, and I understand you’re keen for a decision. But please don’t push for updates every few days or try to force a timeline. Reviews can run long, sometimes months, especially when a whole stakeholder group needs to weigh in. A quick, occasional check-in is fine, and a note when something genuinely changes, like a new integration or a security certification, is welcome. Constant pressure just tells me you’re more focused on closing than on getting it right for the school.
Just ask me what REALLY matters here
This one is simple. Every review has priorities specific to that school, whether it’s cost, accessibility, ease of integration, or something else entirely. Ask me directly what’s weighing heaviest in this decision. I’ll usually just tell you, and it saves both of us a lot of guessing.
The short version
The review isn’t something standing between you and the sale. It’s a preview of what it’s like to work with you. Vendors who are transparent, responsive, professional, and respectful of the process I’ve set up tend to do well, not because they won us over, but because they gave the reviewing group real reasons to choose them.
