The Evolution of Building a Career in the K12 Marketplace

The K-12 marketplace is changing, and an industry expert offered his insights into how it has and ways to meet those new circumstances.

“This career is a series of sprints inside of a marathon,” said Phil Kim, Managing Director, Signature Wealth Concepts, in “The Evolution of Building a Career in the K12 Marketplace,” an Aug. 27 NTSA webinar. Kim is an NTSA member and a 2016 winner of the NTSA Elite Advisor award.

Much has changed about the environment in which industry professionals must function, and the tools available to them and those whom they serve, and the circumstances affecting how services are sold and rendered, Kim noted, outlining the most important of those trends and circumstances.

One of the most important is access to schools, which Kim said “has become more and more challenging.” One reason he cited for that development is school shootings, which have resulted in greater difficulty in making visits to school campuses. But that is only part of how the K-12 marketplace has changed, he said. Even off-site visits are more challenging, he said, given demands on teachers’ and other school officials’ and employees’ time.

Kim urged attendees to embrace technology and incorporate it into their business and operations. “How many of you are doing webinars with clients? How many of you interact with clients on Facetime or Skype?” he asked, observing that entire businesses are built around online presentations and interactions. “Getting in front of clients is getting trickier and trickier,” Kim said, adding that “We have to devise new ways to get in front of them.”

Kim had some suggestions regarding how to better reach and serve the K-12 marketplace. “Relationship building in the [school] district is even more important than ever before,” he said, suggesting that another way to do that is by establishing a connection with organizations such as the Association of School Business Officials and the American Association of School Administrators. Becoming CRES-certified also can help in gaining access to school districts, Kim added.

It’s important to “be mindful of how we market ourselves,” said Kim, warning that being “painted into a corner” is a “short-sighted approach.” And he noted that “there are white papers that speak to the value of a multi-vendor environment.

“How will you continue to stay relevant?” Kim asked attendees. “We need to pursue change. We need to seek out innovation,” he said. And he suggested being prepared to work hard. “This is a white collar environment that requires a blue collar work ethic,” Kim remarked.

Kim also called on attendees to remember that there is a higher purpose to the effort. “We are fighting to uphold a common cause,” he said, and added that the industry is working to serve the K-12 workers and teachers “for whom we have genuine compassion.”

More information about this and other NTSA webcasts is available here.