Using a Consultative Selling Approach for Your MSP Sales
Answering Questions
MSP sales can be difficult for many reasons. For one, there are usually quite a lot of resources on the line. Accordingly, those buying are careful to make the right decision. This means, the sales journey isn’t quick— it takes time. Pressure sales aren’t apt to work in IT realms–not in most cases. What works better is using consultation services as a means of introducing new services to existing clients and an entirely new means of service provision to new prospects. There are a number of ways your MSP can go about instituting such a model. Following are some pointers to help you get started:
- Research your prospects
- Ask the right questions
- Ensure you’re an active listener
- Communicate why you do what you do
- Follow through after all is said and done
Research Your Prospects
MSP sales should be propped up by solid data. Certainly, over the course of regular selling, there will come times when it is necessary to pitch on the fly. But for the most part, when you’re initiating a concerted pitch to a prospect, you’re going to have requisite research time beforehand. Don’t initiate until you get all the information you need. Search online for information about your prospect. Compare them to similar companies that have similar business models. Compare them to similar clients you’ve worked with. Figure out budgets, figure out prospective data, and get to know this information cold so that you can float a financial hypothetical scenario when the time is right.
Ask the Right Questions
When you’ve done your research properly, you’ll already be in the “ballpark” of your client’s operations. Then you can ask probing questions which give you the information you need to help them see why your business is valuable. You might ask what their company’s net profit is annually, and then you might ask how much is spent on technology. Then you can use those figures to show how your business can provide them the same service at a reduced rate, increasing profit.
Ensure You’re an Active Listener
Don’t forget to be actively participating in the conversation, though. Good sales often have strategies. Accordingly, during a sales meeting, sellers may be thinking about where they are trying to maneuver the potential client rather than where the client is actually coming from in that moment. You need to listen actively so that you come off as a sociable, sympathetic, effective technology provider.
Communicate Why You Do What You Do
Your MSP isn’t just in it for the money, is it? Many on your staff are downright passionate about technology and want to see it find its fullest expression in business and commerce. When your clients do good, you are able to make further tech breakthroughs. Communicate this reality to clients so they can see what drives you.
Follow Through
Potential clients may not close immediately with you, so follow through at least four times if they don’t. And if they do, you must follow through as well–don’t forget clients after they close with you!
Increased Sales
If you follow through, communicate, actively listen, ask the right questions, and research for your MSP sales, you are likely to see increased conversions.