The difficulty with selling workshops to schools and colleges is that their faculty are unionized and the union is solely responsible for curriculum development. This is a hard sell. The only way to reach these people is to make a presentation where you essentially teach the workshop to faculty who will be teaching it to students if they decide to buy. So, first of all, this is not a cost issue - it is a union issue. Your workshop needs to mesh with existing curriculum and provide existing faculty with extra work. At TcI College of Technology where I worked for nine years, the curriculum department took close to two years to implement any significant change to the standing curriculum. I am available for calls.

I worked as a career specialist in a Technical school for nine years. In most colleges and universities, career services directors do not make product decisions. The administrative wing, president, provost, and director of student services hold the budget. Navigating product sales to schools also requires a solid understanding of union politics. Frequently, career services staff are non-union, but decisions that affect school policy or work-flow processes always impact the union workers and if you don't get buy-in from their representatives selling a new system or service will be more difficult. In addition to connecting with Administration, you should do some research on the union side of the house. I am available for calls.

The biggest challenge for employers is motivation. Many entry level employees who are new entrants in the work force have a need for immediate gratification which creates a vicious cycle. For example, the more money they need, the more un-focused they become. If they are earning $10.00 and hour and a competitor is paying $12.00 and hour, entry level people will jump. They can't wait for their position to improve because they can't see that far ahead. Employers with an entry level workforce must motivate these workers with non-cash benefits. They must be creative and entice employees to stay on the job longer by providing training, group activities and other free benefits.

The most effective way to reach you target is to circle the wagons. My name is Vincent Gomory and I have 30 years of career coaching experience. First, do a detailed Linkedin analysis of contacts/employees related to the person you want to reach. Analyze their chronologies. Is there a pattern? Do you fit the profile of a person who works on that team? If so, make contact through in-mail, phone, and personal email to obtain informational interviews. I recommend Get Five (formerly The 5 O'Clock Club) books and tapes which provide an effective strategy for approaching your target's key influencers (the team members). The most important aspect of networking with these people is to find out what the culture is like at these companies. Many people have professional experience - but its the cultural fit that drives the interview to the next step. This article may help: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/assess-cultural-fit-when-interviewing-candidates-1918087. I am available for calls to answer any questions and provide a strategy for you to move forward.