Prospecting today is tough. Buyers are flooded with generic outreach, and it can take more than a dozen touches to land one meeting.
That’s why Kent Donges, Chief Revenue Officer at Kiddom, leads with a different approach: “We focus on adding a ton of value in buyer engagement strategies.”
Kiddom is a provider of core curriculum to K12 districts. Instead of pushing curriculum features or talking about their first, Kent and his team flip the conversation. Their strategy begins with the buyer’s goals and pain points—and offers immediate help.
“We become trusted advisors before the first call is even over,” Kent says. Kiddom’s demand generation isn’t just about getting attention—it’s about creating real value from the start.
Here are four ways Kent and Kiddom build that value early in the buyer journey:
1️⃣ Peer-Based Customer Stories
Kiddom anchors its messaging in real stories from other districts. “Efficacy speaks a lot,” Kent explains. “Leaders want to know—where has this worked before?”
Peer customers’ stories resonate because they demonstrate proof of outcomes, not just product features. When a district sees a peer that had a similar challenge, then partnered with Kiddom to successfully tackle that challenge, it builds credibility fast.
2️⃣ Campaigns Connected to State Initiatives
“We run highly specific, state-targeted campaigns,” Kent says. “If a state is rolling out something like the Minnesota Reads Act, we make that front and center in our outreach.”
3️⃣ Market Research Surveys with Purpose
Surveys are another tool Kent’s team uses to drive awareness and qualify interest. “We ran surveys in Virginia, South Carolina, and Texas to understand adoption timelines, funding, and readiness,” Kent shares.
In exchange for quick feedback—often through a five-question Google Form—respondents receive a simple incentive. The insights help Kiddom refine its pipeline while creating soft engagement early in the sales cycle. The process helps the buyer in a self-guided way to judge their own readiness to engage.
4️⃣ Thought Leadership at Conferences
“Our best leads come from professional learning sessions,” Kent explains. These are not sales demos—they’re high-level discussions that position Kiddom as a guide.
The goal is to share some of Kiddom’s best thinking and provide a lot of value to buyers who are making changes to their core curriculum. “If we get the right buyers into those rooms, those leads are instantly high quality. They’re already seeing us as partners,” says Kent.
🏁 In summary, Kent Donges and the Kiddom team have built a demand gen engine rooted in relevance, empathy, and strategic alignment.
By leading with value—through peer storytelling, personalized campaigns, meaningful research, and expert-driven content—they’ve turned demand gen into a gateway for real partnership. For Kent, it’s simple: “Meet buyers where they are, show them you understand their world, and let value lead the way.”