We’ve recognized a repeating pattern amongst managed service providers. Those who don’t overcomplicate their marketing and sales approach seem to excel, while many others constantly struggle to get new business. Why is that?
The reason? Prospects and clients don’t want to hear the details about what you do. They only want to know:
- How what you’re selling will benefit them.
- How much they have to pay for it.
- That they’ll get a good return on their investment.
When marketing and selling, put yourself in their place. IT is complicated. Most people won’t understand, or want to know the intricacies, the terminology, or the inner-workings of your IT strategies. All they want to know is that they need your services and that it will make their lives better in some way.
I am stealing a line from one of my mentors Arif Mulji...Information Technology Is Complex — Give Them The “Readers’ Digest Version” Do you know what that means? They don't need to know how many nanoseconds a hard drive spins!
Let them know the benefits of using your services vs. not using them. Verbally draw them a picture of their world with you and without you. I learned this in Mexico sitting through a sales presentation for a time share. Do you know notice that they all draw out their offer on a pad of paper. Why is that? To help you understand. Can you do the same with managed IT services? YES YOU CAN!
For example:
Reduced IT Costs
vs.
Hiring expensive in-house IT staff, and paying for IT solutions that may not be the right solutions
Managed IT Security
vs.
Trying to keep up with patches, updates, new threats on their own
Access to State-of-the Art Technologies
vs.
Using outdated unsecure technologies
IT Support 24/7
vs.
Trying to find an IT guy to come onsite during an emergency
The Ability to Scale Up or Down
vs.
Buying Equipment/Software they might not need next year
Onsite Training
vs.
Their staff must learn programs on their own and not get full use from them
These are just a few suggestions. You can surely come up with more. Certainly, if they have in-depth questions, answer them as clearly as you can without overwhelming your prospect. But whatever you present remember the KISS policy. Ensure whatever you’re presenting is easy to understand. No gimmicks, no “song and dance.” Just speak plainly, simply and explain the pros of using your specific services vs. not. If they’re smart, they’ll figure out on their own that they need you.
Also remember to revisit Ulistic’s 17-Step Sales & Marketing Process for MSPs at: https://www.ulistic.com/download-ulistic-17-steps/
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