An agent of darkness

My wife and I have home educated our four kids since our oldest started kindergarten over 14 years ago. She is now in college and doing a summer internship in Israel before studying in Switzerland this next academic year. Our youngest is starting Kindergarten this fall. We say home "educated" instead of homeschool (or home school) for a reason. For us school is four walls, desks, blackboard (or whiteboard now), and too much rote memorization. We do not believe that public schools are evil, and that there are many teachers doing great work in educating the next generation. For us, educating our kids at home was a personal choice, not a mandate or flight from something else.

It was just over 10 years ago that I spent much of my time traversing the country and unveiling a new concept of home education known as virtual schools. There are stories worth sharing from each state I traveled -- from the questionable hotels before I started booking my own lodging to the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, and from sea to shining sea as the song goes.

I spent winters in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and summers in Florida and California, which seems to be the wrong timing I know. It wasn't my plan, that's for sure.

One of my fondest memories was just outside of Columbus, Ohio where I garnered my first nickname, the "agent of darkness."

It came after I gave a presentation to a packed room of families interested in learning more about the Ohio Virtual Academy, during its infancy. And it occurred during the Q and A time at the end.

He was a nice guy, yet when he posed his lengthy question (which was really more of a monologue as I recall), he framed it with the comment that "you come into our state as an agent of darkness, spreading all of these lies, and you know nothing about homeschool."

It wasn't easy standing there allowing him to "ask" his question, and he must have ignored my first part of the presentation where I covered the fact that my wife and I were home educating our own family. What I did find myself doing though was recalling something the great sales trainer Zig Ziglar had said a few years prior that related to situations like this.

Zig was at a conference, speaking with a fellow presenter who asked him, "Zig, what do you do about the man in the front row who is falling asleep while you are talking? What can you say that will convince him to pay attention to you?"

Zig, in his famous drawl answered, "Remember, you are not here for that man who is sleeping on the front row. You are here for the person next to him who is giving you their full attention. That is who you are speaking to, so talk to them."

I did the same thing that evening just outside of Columbus once the gentleman finished posing his question. I acknowledged his question, shared that the school was probably not for his family, and then answered his question for the rest of the room (at least for those who were there to listen), understanding that I was there for the other families and not for him.

Too many times we spend all of our time and energy trying to convince a prospect to listen to us when clearly they are uninterested, or even antagonistic at times. Sometimes you can't get away from them, however, you don't have to engage them.

Spend your time and energy finding those prospects who want to hear what you have to say, then share your information. Sharing is much more effective than convincing, even though both are considered activities.

And, thanks Zig, for all you did while on Earth.

houston@figment-consulting.com

How to reach homeschoolers, and other questions from readers.

Since launching this blog I have received a variety of questions via email related to my posts, and have answered each one directly. However, I thought some of them that are broader in scope might be of interest to others - whether my answers are also of interest is to be determined.

Below are just a few of the recent ones I have received.

1. How can we reach homeschoolers?

I have written about this in several of my blogs already:

Why homeschoolers are not listening to you
Marketing to homeschool moms
What is the common core to homeschoolers?
Why homeschoolers are not listening to you (Part 2)
Reaching homeschoolers in 2014

I won't rehash all of those blogs here, but the main item to keep in mind here is that this is really such a vague question. "Reaching homeschoolers" carries with it the assumption they are all the same, and they all think alike. Just because you carry the title "Mom" doesn't mean you think and act like all other women who also happen to be mothers.

So, the first thought here is to understand what homeschoolers you are wanting to talk to, because you cannot reach all of them due to their diversity of thought.

2. Are all homeschoolers conservative?

Short answer is No. There is a homeschool spectrum that exists with conservative ones on one side, and liberal ones on the other side. Between the two lies the full array of thoughts and beliefs that mirror the overall population. There are secular homeschoolers, Muslim homeschoolers, and so on that make this community a true mosaic.

Even within the "conservative" side of the spectrum lies diversity -- young-Earth Creationists and old-Earth Creationists. There are some who believe the Bible instructs them to homeschool while others homeschool by choice, not mandate.

3. Why do all homeschoolers distrust the government?

First of all, not all homeschoolers do. (see the answer to #2 above) Just because a group is loud does not mean they are a majority, it just means they are vocal.

However, for those that do distrust the government, it is a very emotional issue that cannot be addressed satisfactorily with logic or reason.

4. Do homeschoolers really perform better on standardized tests than their public school counterparts do?

Research indicates that those homeschoolers who take the standardized tests do perform better on average than their public school counterparts. However, it could have as much to do with selectivity as it does with performance because not all homeschoolers take these tests.

5. Do you believe the Common Core will lead to further growth in alternative education such as homeschooling?

Fear is a great motivator (election cycles remind us of this all the time), and change breeds fear many times. An issue as galvanizing as the Common Core could actually lead to an increase in homeschoolers because parents will move toward safety -- when homeschool becomes safer than Common Core in the minds of families, it could lead to greater movement to the former.

6. What do you mean when you say "mainstream homeschoolers"?

My use of the word "mainstream" has more to do with the reasons behind their choice and the way they interact in the world than it does with any philosophical, spiritual, or political bent. In my view you can be mainstream and Christian, mainstream and Muslim, mainstream and agnostic or atheist.

There are over 2.4 million homeschoolers in America, and growing. My contention is the majority of them are quietly educating their children at home because they believe that is best for their situation. For them, education is the primary motivator in the decision though faith and values are also important to them -- whatever their faith may be.

And, they engage with the world in manners similar to what we find across all other target markets -- they shop online; they visit local zoos/aquariums; they go to movies; they shop at Target, Macy's, or even Wal Mart; they participate in sports, activities, and clubs; they own multiple computers (even iPads) and carry Directv or DISH -- in essence they do what everyone else does, they just happen to homeschool rather than private school or public school.

More questions to come in the future. Now back to our regularly-scheduled blog post.

houston@figment-consulting.com

A letter from your competitor

Dear Company,

Your customers are trying to tell you something -- are you listening? If you are not, then they will find someone who will.

If you are listening, your customers want to know if you hear them too? If you do not, then they will find someone who will.

If you do hear them, your customers then want to know what you are doing about what they are telling you. If you do nothing, then they will find someone who will.

Signed,

Your Competitor


Figment Consulting

Reaching home schoolers in 2014

Assuming the research is correct, by December 31, 2014 there will be 161,000 to 345,000 new students added to the home school population. Each one will spend $600-900 on educational needs making this new population alone a multi-million dollar opportunity.

Reaching them in 2014 will become increasingly difficult. The competition is increasing, the landscape is changing, and the "noise" is becoming deafening.

Still, they will be searching for solutions, and they may be willing to hear what you have to say.

Want to reach them? Tactically there are a myriad of possibilities to utilize effectively in your marketing strategy so I will not address those here. However, let me suggest three things to consider that have more to do with your philosophy than tactics:

1) Know your audience.

There are approximately 2.3+ million home schoolers in America right now. Will these new additions be similar to the existing population? Or will they be drastically different? Who will be the primary educator at home? Why will they choose to home school? What is their motivation?

Existing or new you must know who it is you are talking to, and more importantly, who might listen to you.

2) Be bold.

If your strategy depends primarily on price then you really do not have a strategy. If you want to reach them with a product that is similar to others already on the market, price will matter but do not make it your focal point. Rather, be bold in your strategy.

Whether it is "edgecrafting" as Seth Godin calls it, or jumping off the precipice, find an extreme and go there. Staying in the center with the others will only lead to more "noise" keeping you from standing out.

Ask yourself, "Is it safer to go to the edge or get lost in the crowd?" The decision is yours.

3) Be real.

Know who you are, accept who you are, and be who you are. Then find those customers of yours who will participate in the sharing of your story. Give them an exciting story to share and provide them with the tools to share it.

Be real, be authentic, even vulnerable.

Bonus Point

Take care of your existing customers. So many times companies offer great incentives to attract new customers and ignore those who are most loyal to them. Reverse this trend and watch your customers become your greatest asset in reaching new ones.


Figment Consulting
www.figment-consulting.com
houston@figment-consulting.com

Customers are like teeth.

You only need to take care of the ones you want to keep.

Be careful though because the ones you lose will create holes in your smile and others will notice.

A light shining in the darkness

One small light shining in the darkness can be the brightest object in the room, and it draws all of the attention.

If you want to be different from your competitors then find the darkness and let your light shine. If you do not then you will simply blend in, and go unnoticed.

It can be hard to see in the dark. That's why we need your light.

Why home schoolers are not listening to you (part 2)

Several weeks ago I wrote a blog sharing with you why home schoolers are not listening to you. It generated some good questions from readers with many of them having a common thread. So, I thought I would do a little "Q and A" with one of the questions that was, by far, most popular in the emails coming to me.

Question: What is the most effective way to build trust with home schoolers?

Answer: Be trustworthy.

You must understand the world view of the niche within the home school market that aligns with yours, and be all you can be to them. Doing so will allow you to be authentic, which leads to trust. It takes time though so don't expect it overnight.

Remember, your product, your service will not appeal to all home schoolers. In fact, it probably will not appeal to the majority of them. Rather than spend your time trying to convince them otherwise, invest your time finding those home schoolers who want to hear what you have to say. They are the ones willing to give you a chance to earn their trust.

What is the common core for homeschoolers?

In a recent blog I discussed the diversity that exists within the home school market. Diversity such as this brings with it a mosaic of reasons for choosing this form of education. And, as you can imagine, the reasons families have chosen this form of education are as varied as the overall multiplicity within this market.

What then is the thread that binds this divergent group together? The most consistent one, ideologically speaking, is the conviction among home school parents that they should play a large role (solely responsible or partially responsible) in the education of their children.

This conviction is the common core for homeschoolers.

Home school v Home schooler

I recently conducted some training around the difference between "home school" and "home schooler" in order to help educate the client so they could better target the customer they wanted to reach.

If you have a desire to penetrate the home school market, it is imperative you understand this difference.

Why?

1) Your return on investment will jump because you are targeting the overall crowd that more closely aligns with your worldview

2) Your message, your story, will better resonate with the crowd you truly intend to serve because you are targeting the right crowd

3) Your advertising (search, display, and banner) will be displayed in the appropriate places, at the appropriate times, and will allow you to forgo other advertising opportunities that appear beneficial but are actually a waste of dollars

4) Your time and energy will be spent attracting those customers who want to hear from you, and are willing to listen to what you have to say

"Home school" or "Home schooler"? Do you know the difference? If you do it could dramatically impact your marketing strategy.