By Josh Chernikoff
Selling in the education space can feel like an endless uphill battle. Long sales cycles, tight budgets, and constant stops and starts make it tough to build real momentum. One month you’re riding high on new leads, and the next, it’s like schools have disappeared off the face of the earth.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Ernie Delgado knows this challenge well—but he’s no rookie.
As the founder of Beyond Technology Education, Ernie has been helping schools integrate technology—and more recently, AI-driven solutions—into classrooms for over 20 years. Long before Chromebooks and artificial intelligence were part of everyday learning, Ernie was guiding schools on how to leverage cutting-edge tools to improve learning outcomes.
His business has weathered major disruptions, from the 2008 financial crisis to the chaos of COVID-19, proving his resilience and adaptability in the face of change. But even with decades of experience and a strong foundation, Ernie knew his business wasn’t reaching its full potential. Sales simply weren’t where he knew they could be. The traditional school-year sales cycle felt limiting, and the growth he envisioned always seemed just out of reach.
This is the story of how Ernie shifted his strategy, refined his sales process, and built a system that’s now on track to generate seven figures in revenue. Let’s dive in.
Stuck in the School-Year Sales Cycle
Before shifting his strategy, Ernie was like many education business owners—stuck in the school calendar. Sales had a rhythm, but it wasn’t one he controlled. "Christmas, December, just a shutdown. January, the first week of January, people are just getting their feet wet. "Then came February with its long weekends, March and April brought spring breaks, and by May, schools were winding down for the summer. “It’s a really difficult one to swallow sometimes.”
For Ernie, this cycle created constant gaps in revenue and made it nearly impossible to predict growth. And the pressure wasn’t just on him—his sales team was feeling it too. "If you have sales reps that you need to pay a commission to, they need to get paid. They don’t want to wait until September if they made the sale in November.”
The traditional sales approach in the education space wasn’t built for consistency. It was built around school schedules, and that was holding his business back.
Flipping the Sales Mindset
The real breakthrough came for Ernie when he started working with us in the EdSales Elevation Experience. He quickly realized that his sales challenges weren’t just about the right tactics—they were rooted in his mindset.
Ernie’s approach to selling had been shaped by the traditional school-year cycle, which often created a sense of urgency only during certain months. But through the Elevation Experience, he learned to flip this perspective. Rather than viewing the school year as a barrier that restricted sales, Ernie shifted his focus to how he could stay visible and valuable throughout the year.
This shift wasn’t about pushing hard sales during the quieter months. Instead, it was about consistently showing up, adding value, and nurturing relationships with schools. When the time came for schools to make purchasing decisions, Ernie wanted to ensure he was already top of mind, ready to meet their needs. This mindset shift laid the foundation for the sustainable, year-round sales growth he’s now experiencing.
Redesigning the Business Model
One of Ernie’s biggest changes was rethinking how Beyond Technology Education offered its services. Originally, everything was tied to the academic calendar. Schools would start programs in September, so that’s when Beyond Technology would ramp up. But that model left months of missed opportunities on the table.
Through our work together, Ernie realized his services didn’t have to be locked into that cycle. "Now I could start any time of the year because the PD assessment part and the integration part could start anytime.” By breaking free from the traditional school timeline, Ernie could offer solutions that schools could implement whenever they were ready—even mid-year.
This shift in mindset opened up more opportunities for Ernie. Instead of waiting for the school year to kick off, he could now approach schools at any time during the year. This flexibility not only expanded his sales opportunities but also allowed him to better manage his revenue streams throughout the year.
Chasing the Right Strategy: A Journey of Trial and Error
Before Ernie found the EdSales Elevation Experience, he felt like he was constantly chasing the right marketing strategy. He had tried almost everything—pay-per-click ads, Google ads, and even attending countless conferences, all in search of that one thing that would turn his business around.
But despite all his efforts, results remained inconsistent. “I’ve tried it all. We did pay-per-click, we went to conferences, and even invested in this big mastermind," Ernie shares. "The people I met were top-level, but the program wasn’t specific to my industry. I didn’t get the value I was expecting from what I paid for.”
Ernie spent a lot of time and money hoping that the next strategy would be the breakthrough. “We threw a lot of cash at marketing ideas over the last couple of years, trying to figure it out,” he recalls. “There were all these marketing gurus promising the answer, but I still wasn’t seeing the results I wanted.” All those attempts left him looking for the right fit to drive the kind of growth he knew was possible.
Learning to Embrace Feedback
Here’s the truth: it’s hard to see your own blind spots.
Ernie was deep in his business, so it took outside perspective to help him see what wasn’t working. That’s where the power of the EdSales Elevation Experience came in—a community of other education entrepreneurs who understood the same challenges. “It’s hard to see the label when you’re inside the bottle.”
This wasn’t just surface-level advice. The group offered honest, actionable feedback. Hearing different perspectives helped Ernie fine-tune his strategy and messaging.Ernie also learned to handle rejection differently. Instead of seeing it as failure, he started using it as fuel to improve.“That’s how you make the critical breakthroughs—when someone else is giving you a perspective.”
Refining the Messaging: The LinkedIn Booth Analogy
Another crucial piece of the puzzle was refining Ernie's messaging. The transformation was largely driven by fine-tuning his approach to how he presented his business online, especially through LinkedIn. "Messaging has been really important for us, and fine-tuning that through the LinkedIn profile has been a game-changer."
Ernie realized that LinkedIn, much like a conference hall, was a space filled with potential customers just waiting to discover the right booth—or in this case, the right profile. “It’s like a big conference hall. Everybody’s there. There are millions of people. And if you have the right booth that people notice, they stop, read your profile, and if it resonates with their needs, they’ll want to know more.”
That realization opened his eyes to the power of LinkedIn as a place for genuine engagement, not just a platform for cold outreach. By optimizing his LinkedIn profile, Ernie made it easier for potential clients to connect with him on a deeper level. His profile became more than just a resume; it became a tool for sparking meaningful conversations. “The messaging and the profile helped me in other areas too. I updated my website, pitch deck, and proposal. It drove so many other elements of our strategy.”
This refined messaging became one of the key drivers of his success, providing clarity and focus for his efforts. Instead of spreading himself thin with several strategies, Ernie now had one clear path forward fueled by messaging that resonated with his ideal clients.
Building a Sales System That Delivers Results
For Ernie, the breakthrough wasn’t a one-time marketing gimmick or a new sales script. It came from developing a robust, repeatable system that consistently generates quality leads and turns them into long-term clients.
Since implementing the new sales model, Ernie has directly presented his “signature solution” to 10 school principals—and not a single one said no. Eight out of those ten principals moved forward, eager to sign on.
This isn’t just a good conversion rate; it’s a game-changer. Eight out of ten is the kind of success most business owners only dream about. And the best part? This is just the beginning.
“When we lock in these four-year agreements, each one brings in over seven figures in revenue across the contract period.”
These results didn’t come by chance. They were the direct outcome of refining Ernie’s approach and building a sales system that works—one that turns cold leads into long-term, high-value partnerships.
What Ernie’s Story Means for You
Ernie’s journey shows that it is possible to create consistent growth in the education space. Here’s what you can take from his story:
Adopt a Year-Round Sales Mindset – Don’t let the school calendar dictate when you sell. Stay visible and valuable all year.
Make Your Offerings Flexible – Design services that schools can start anytime, not just in September.
Get Honest Feedback – Surround yourself with people who understand the education space and will tell you the truth.
Turn Rejection into Progress – Don’t take a “no” personally. Use it to sharpen your strategy.
Build a Repeatable Sales System – Consistent leads and sales come from a process, not luck.
Ready to Build Your Own Sales Machine?
Ernie’s story is proof that success in the education space doesn’t have to be a constant struggle. By shifting his mindset, refining his messaging, and building a repeatable system, he unlocked a seven-figure revenue stream and positioned his company for long-term growth.
The good news?
You can do the same. You don’t need a viral marketing campaign or a miracle sales script. What you need is a system that works—a system that attracts quality leads, converts them into loyal clients, and keeps your sales pipeline full year-round.
If you’re tired of riding the unpredictable rollercoaster of education sales and ready to build a strategy that brings results, it’s time to take action. The EdSales Elevation Experience is coming back soon! It’s the only group coaching program designed to transform your sales process—without costly ads or wasted content. Join the waitlist today for exclusive bonuses and early access. Let's make 2025 the year your business thrives!