I honestly had no idea.

That's why I asked Dan Carroll about his role as Chief Product Officer of Clever Inc.

Not only did he explain, but he truly made it stick. By telling a great story.

Dan shared several great stories and lots of thoughtful insights in our conversation on "Building EdTech for Elegant Impact"

A few highlights:

• Listen to Dan explain what it means to be CPO of Clever
• Hear the origin story of Clever from Dan's days as a tech director in Colorado
• Use this instant listen link to hear the full conversation in your browser now

A tale of two EdTech companies

In their deep-dive analysis, The Fuller Picture, the folks at Productive LLC share a data-driven overview of how EdTech companies are faring during COVID-19 school closures:

To try and simplify the story, let me break this crisis down by classifying the effects by type of EdTech companies: Those well-positioned for distance learning prior to COVID19 and those that are not.

In some cases, there's increased demand with a flat-line of sales. Others see pending deals going bust. And some companies that depend on physical interaction in the classroom are either scrambling to innovate - or hoping that they can make it until schools open back up.

I've talked before about how it can be disruptive for teachers using an EdTech product to get an email from the founder saying, sorry, but we're shutting down. Schools and students have been through a lot during Spring of 2020. Through this time, some EdTech startups are scrambling to get their products into the hands of teachers. Let's hope they have a plan for keep them there for the long term.

H/T to Adam from Listenwise for sharing this link.

Why you should tell your prospects about their problems

A quick copywriting tip to end for today...

Once, I was writing an "advertorial" style piece for a client.

The plan was to boost it with FB ads and test response. The market was parents with a uniquely stressful situation at home.

Feedback from someone on the team came in. It said:

"This is insulting. All you're doing is telling these people about their problems.

They already know they're feeling X, Y, and Z. You don't have to remind them."

Oh, but you do.

Validation is one of the most effective and EMPATHETIC parts of your marketing.

It's like a conversation with your partner. You don't always have to try to fix it.

...just show them you understand.

Have a good weekend,

Gerard Dawson

PS - Thanks for reading the Business of Learning Letter. If you know a friend or a teammate who may want to read this, can you send them this link?