The pandemic has seriously disrupted the MSP sales process in recent years, and while we navigate the new normal, it is still uncertain how much longer we will all have to put up with this. What are the top sales talents your team needs in order to succeed, so that your MSP firm can expand, since growth requires sales?
Understand the Audience
As an MSP, you are highly knowledgeable about technology and it is the center of your business. But keep in mind that not everyone in your target audience is tech-savvy. They are aware that they require technology to operate their business, but you are needed to help them decide what to adopt, why they require it, how to manage it, and how to repair it when it breaks.
But if you talk to your potential customer in technical speak, you will lose them. Instead, you want to change the subject and inform them about the advantages of working with you, as well as how good technology management would assist them in achieving their corporate goals and objectives. You will need to conduct an advanced study in order to accomplish this.
For instance, review the prospect’s website to find out how their business works. Research the person you are trying to connect with: What is their background? What is their role at the company? Can you identify any common interests or topics you can use to help build rapport? Gather insight on how their industry and organization are performing so you can connect with them on their level.
Strong business sense
Good business sense is a must for successful sales agents. They realize that a sale of a product is not what the sales process entails. They do not market capabilities like monitoring, remote management, antivirus software, or backup. Instead, effective sales representatives concentrate on selling results. To better understand what is preventing them from achieving their goals for revenue growth and profitability, they concentrate on doing thorough discovery and analyses with their prospects and structuring the flow of the conversation. They can offer suggestions to help bridge the gap if they are aware of it.
Further reading MSP Sales Personas: Hunters vs. Farmers
The sales journey has changed
As a result of the pandemic, there has been a shift towards digital marketing. There is an overabundance of information that prospects have access to, thus creating a more educated and highly qualified buyer.
This level of information accessibility has potential drawbacks. Sales representatives must transform into what Gartner refers to as "information curators," which means that instead of bombarding prospects with information about solely their goods and services, they work to understand their problems before focusing on how to help them solve them.
While prospects undertake their internet research, too much information may be confusing or contradictory. As a result, the sales effort needs to transition to educating and assisting them to put all of this information into perspective, so that it makes more sense and helps to ease their troubles.
Further reading Customer Journey for MSPs
Prioritize account management
To help to fill the sales pipeline, more focus needs to be put on account management and leveraging current client relationships. Many MSPs are excessively intent on finding new clients and generating leads, which may harm their current ones. New sales possibilities will inevitably arise as a result of concentrating on essential account management tasks like executing ongoing executive business reviews that aim to improve the whole client relationship, which will assist in filling the pipeline and minimize unanticipated customer attrition.
Handling objections
Whenever a new product was released when I worked in sales, I made it a routine to learn everything I could about it. I would even go so far as to write myself product manuals that would include all of the key features and advantages. After finishing, I would write call scripts for myself that would include an outline of my preferred format, a list of potential objections that partners might have, and my responses to each.
Further reading How to Deal with MSP Sales Objections
Then, in order to come across as thorough, knowledgeable and, most importantly, natural, I made it a priority to allocate time in my day to practice and rehearse my call flow and objection management tactics. I wrote down a number of anecdotes from other partners about how our solutions helped them and their clients as part of my objection handling strategies, so that my prospects could picture the same benefits for their MSP business and clients. Being able to share examples of how your services are unique and more effective than competing solutions in resolving the business difficulties of your prospects is just as crucial as having a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of the services your MSP offers, including its limits.
Further reading MSP Sales Challenges: Are You Selling on Price or Quality?
Articulate ROI
It is comparable to an artist creating a picture to assist in telling a tale to be able to demonstrate ROI during the sales process. Selling managed services and security services can be challenging, because you cannot see, touch, or physically grasp them, but you must persuade business owners to sign up for them, pay a monthly charge, and use them. So how do you go about doing this? It may be helpful to use strategies like developing case studies that highlight how your services have benefited previous clients. Additionally, customer testimonials published on your website, LinkedIn profile, or Google My Business profile can be beneficial. Additionally, using an ROI calculator to show the price of an hour of downtime due to a network performance or security problem is effective. Utilize news and articles from the industry that detail the extortionate demands of hackers from recent ransomware breaches or that include figures indicating how much a ransomware breach may cost a business if it is not adequately protected. Anything that will help the sales process become more tangible will help increase the seriousness of the conversation and establish your company's reputation.
Further reading Introduction to Financial KPIs for MSPs
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the epidemic is still ongoing, don't let it prevent you from achieving your sales objectives or hinder your ability to succeed in sales in the future. In order to effectively communicate how your MSP can assist, sales success truly boils down to being aware of the market, asking the correct questions, and genuinely listening to what your prospects and clients have to say. Despite the fact that we frequently discuss B2B marketing and sales, people—both those who are having difficulties and those who can offer solutions—are at the core of both.
Download our guide to move past these common objections:
- Budget
- Fear of adopting new technology
- Bad experience with a similar service, and more
