Hey! I’m Justin 👋 

I founded Starbridge to help businesses win more government and education deals.

Welcome to the SLED Sales Brief — a newsletter for gov & edu sales leaders.

Back when I was selling, I was always curious about what schools and agencies actually wanted from vendors. So, we went straight to the source.

We interviewed real SLED buyers to find out what makes a vendor stand out—and what makes them walk away.

Today, I’m sharing all the insights we’ve gathered.

Let’s dive in.

Section 1: Standing Out in the Sea of Outbound

1. Start with the challenge

Public buyers aren’t looking for vendors; they’re looking for solutions. Make sure your outbound message starts with the challenge, not your product. Research their budget, strategic plans, and meeting minutes to understand their key priorities.

💡 Proof Point: Success Academy only responds to vendors who connect their solutions to real operational pain points.

“I get 10-15 cold pitches a week. The emails that stand out are the ones where they position their solutions as answers to our existing challenges.” – Jacob C., Strategy Lead at Success Academy

2. Build reassurance through social proof

Word spreads fast among public buyers. Get ahead of the word-of-mouth by incorporating happy customers who are peers, neighbors, or even competitors in your initial outbound.

💡 Proof Point: The first thing a city manager does when they’re exploring a solution is asking their peers if they’re currently using it.

“The first thing a city manager will ask is: where is this already working?” – James Gant, Borough Manager

3. Get to the Point, Fast

Although we like to think buyers care about our origin story, most don’t want to hear the whole TedTalk. Give them a clear reason to reply—like a one-liner on how you solve a problem they already have.

💡 Proof Point: The best outreach is short, to the point, and easy to forward internally.

“I don’t need the origin story. I want to get into the solution.” – James Gant, Borough Manager, Red Bank, NJ

Section 2: How to Deliver a Demo That Converts

1. Make It Hyper-Relevant

A school district doesn’t care about a city’s challenges. A suburban borough doesn’t care about an urban borough’s tools. Show you’ve done the homework in your demo—use their data, talk about their workflows, and make it obvious how this fits them.

💡 Proof Point: A vendor won over Rachel’s team by customizing a demo down to room size and Bluetooth coverage for their attendance tool.

“They got the size of our rooms, did the homework, answered all the technical questions.” – Rachel Horton, Registrar at Columbia Business School

2. Give Them a Hands-On Experience

Seeing is good. Doing is better. The best demos feel real—they walk through actual use cases and let buyers try them themselves. Give them sample accounts, mock scenarios, and clear before-and-after results.

💡 Proof Point: Success Academy’s best demo pre-loaded real-world sample data so they could see an immediate impact.

“That level of preparation made the impact immediately clear.” – Jacob C., Strategic Lead at Success Academy

Section 3: How to Win the Deal & Close Faster

1. Sell the Relationship, Not Just the Product

This was true of every buyer we spoke to. It’s easy to see through the vendors that are just there to sell. Public buyers want partners who stick around. Show that you’ll support them through implementation, training, and beyond.

💡 Proof Point: Canvas by Instructure won Success Academy over by having a responsive customer success team always on hand.

“Our CSM has always been available to help support me when questions come up.” – Jacob C., Strategy Lead at Success Academy

2. Be Patient—Their Process is Slow (And That’s Normal)

Public buyers aren’t like private buyers—they have hoops to jump through. Budgets, approvals, legal reviews—it all takes time. If you push too hard, you’ll create friction instead of progress. Instead, help them navigate the process, set realistic timelines, and play the long game.

💡 Proof Point: Government buyers appreciate vendors who understand the procurement obstacles and work within their timelines.

“There are just so many hoops to jump through for government agencies. I appreciate when vendors understand the internal selling we also have to do.” – Medical Center Administrator

Thanks for reading!

Next week, I’ll be sharing a SLED conference playbook - best practices and tips to help you make the most of your time out in the field.

If you have any questions, reach out via Linkedin. My inbox is always open.

See you next week,

— Justin