If there’s one thing that’s true of most IT professionals, it’s that you got into IT, not sales. Selling isn’t a natural skill for many MSP owners, because they’re often much more comfortable working on systems, software and services than they are with asking for orders or creating an outstanding pitch deck for the next presentation. However, trying to keep your MSP going without having a solid sales process in line can make the business much more difficult to grow successfully. Here are some secrets to help you improve your sales process and ensure that your MSP can see successful growth for many years to come.
Talk to Your Customers
You may think that you need to tell your customers about your certifications, credentials and specifications, but that’s not why your customer is seeking you out. They’re there because they have a problem and think that your MSP may be the solution. For this reason, it’s important that instead of discussing your MSP’s capabilities and credentials, that you listen to your client and find out what their issues are, then offer smart, well-considered solutions to their woes. This allows you to address their pain points while presenting your MSP in a position of expertise, providing them with the right solutions for the problems they’re actually facing.
Build a Solid, Experienced Sales Team
Though a MSP’s owner is often the best salesperson, because of their vested interest in the company, that’s not necessarily your best bet. Because you’re already being pulled in so many directions to keep things rolling for your business, it’s important that you build and develop an experienced sales team to grow your business. But what should you look for when hiring your sales team? Try to find sales professionals that already have some amount of technical experience, because it’s much harder to teach sales skills than it is to provide technical support and education to them. Though it’s possible to find some sales candidates who have worked with MSPs in the past, your existing top performers will often have the ambition to beat their quotas time and again, so be willing to let them make the shift to sales.
Educate Your Sales Team
Once you’ve created your sales team, take the time and effort to invest in educating them about the products. Though they won’t keep up with your tech staff, they will have a better understanding of which technologies to recommend and which ones to avoid in different situations. You should also schedule lunch learning or similar opportunities with your vendors and provide on-the-job training, because your sales staff may not be able to learn the technologies on their own.
Implement a Solid Marketing Strategy
In addition to your sales team’s prospecting, you’ll want to use a strategic content marketing program to improve your sales results. You’ll end up with much better quality leads, while ending up with articles, blogs, videos, and similar content to see much stronger growthfor your MSP. Another option is participating in educational outreach events for local growth. You can also improve your content’s reach by sharing it on social media, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
As you continue to work on your company’s sales, you’ll see reduced overall costs and increased return onyour investment. However, part of that process includes making sure that you’re creating solid connections with high-quality vendors and technology companies. Stick with partners who will deliver outstanding customer support and who have a great reputation, which will help you improve your customer relationships.