MSP University Managed Services Blog

Selling the Cloud as a Managed Service

Join us for MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar
 
Please join us Thursday, November 19th @ 9am PST as I host MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar.

Topic: Selling the Cloud as a Managed Service
 
Solution providers have always been pioneers in taking advantage of the latest technologies and translating their expertise into profits. Small and medium business' demand for computing services has not changed in over a decade: they need reliable, cost effective and full-featured products that help them execute their business strategy. What has changed is the solution portfolio that is now available to everyone on demand.

Gone are the days of expensive internal network design, centralized security and working with dozens of vendors to provide necessary technology for business. Small and medium business customers are spending their money on mobility through their laptops and smartphones, providing the ability to do business anywhere, anytime. The term "cloud computing" has come to encompass computing capability without intense local configuration and software deployments. 

Cloud services present MSPs with an opportunity to extend their business model of delivering predictable service levels at a predictable cost by providing services and solutions without large capital investments for themselves or their clients. Technologies such as Hosted Exchange, SharePoint, Offsite Backups, Web Filtering and more provide enterprise level reliability and features far beyond company firewalls.

Our special guest for this timely Webcast is Vlad Mazek, CEO of Own Web Now Corp www.ownwebnow.com, a global provider of hosted solutions to the IT industry, who will share his special insights into the growing cloud computing movement and how you can take advantage of it.
 
Attend this valuable Webinar and learn to sell the cloud as a Managed Service!

Click here to register! 

 

About MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar Series
 
MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar Series is meant to inform.  The more you know about your industry, the products and services available to you and your clients, and how to market and sell those products and services, the greater your opportunities to increase your value to your clients, as well as your business success. 

About Erick Simpson

Vice President and CIO of MSP University, Erick is a recognized industry expert and IT and Managed Services author, speaker and trainer, and contributor to numerous industry publications and events. Author of "The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice - What Every SMB IT Service Provider Should Know..." the definitive book on Managed Services, and the follow-ups in MSP University's Managed Services Series "The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!", "The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER!" and "The Best NOC and Service Desk Operations BOOK EVER!". Erick has also co-authored the HTG Peer Groups publication "Peer Power - Powerful Ideas for Partners from Peers".
 
About Vlad Mazek
 
Vlad Mazek, MCSE, is an author, technology radio show host, Exchange MVP and CEO of Own Web Now Corp, creator of ExchangeDefender and Shockey Monkey, and which hosts thousands of SBS and Exchange Servers. Mr. Mazek is very active in the IT professional community and has over ten years of experience managing and developing secure communication networks and platforms. Through a network of thousands of partners, numerous international data centers, A popular blog site and a radio show, Mr. Mazek has a unique insight to the needs of both businesses and IT solution providers.

3 Quick Tips On How To Sell When No One Seems To Be Buying

Whether you are selling products or services, economic times like these can be rough for anyone in sales. The word recession scares consumers and businesses alike. While the recession would be an easy excuse to explain away limited sales, the current economic climate should not be the downfall of your business.

 There is an even stronger need to sell and sell well. Sure, it can seem tough to prove otherwise when the media keeps pointing out statistics about consumer and business buying habits, but regardless - the reality is that people are still buying and sales are still being made. You just have to get better at selling.

True Sales Professionals know they need to create their own opportunities and find the solutions to fill a need. Here are 3 quick tips for selling during recessionary times.

Tip #1: Experiment With New Initiatives
If you have been using the same old sales tactics and marketing initiatives, now may be the time to try more innovative techniques that you may have avoided in the past. You may have shied away from breakfast meetings, lunch 'n learns, or other public speaking engagements because they were not your cup of tea, but both of those marketing avenues can be a great source of potential clients. Adding personal touches to your presentations can make people decide they trust in you and think seriously about investing their cash in your services.

Tip #2: Remember Psychology
Regardless of money matters, one of the keys to consistent sales is a human one. Our decision- making process is often driven by emotion, so if you can touch on some of those natural emotions such as money, security, fulfillment, and peace of mind, you may be able to trigger a sale. If you have not traditionally use an approach that elicited emotion in your prospects and clients, it's time to modify your sales approach. Consider what you would want to hear to motivate you to make a purchase of a product or service.

Tip #3: Watch Your Language
People may be too quick to throw around economy-related terms, including the dreaded 'recession'. Use more positive words, such as advantages, benefits, and opportunities. A few switches of your vocabulary can have a great impact on your potential customers or clientele.

As a Sales Professional who is battling low sales numbers, step back and take a good look at your sales approach first before assuming wary prospects or the economy is to blame. In a time when everyone seems to be pessimistic about the state of the nation, it is the prime time to become an agile, creative Sales Professional.

Click here to learn marketing and sales techniques to sell on value and increase your profitability during difficult economic times in The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!

Attend MSP University's next Boot Camp for FREE!

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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Changing Your Clients' Perception to Adopt Managed Services

For many small and medium business prospects, their technology mindset starts out with the “if it’s broken, then we’ll fix it” attitude. However, we all know that it costs much less to provide proactive maintenance to maximize business continuity than it does to deliver reactive, emergency support. That said, It's time to help your prospects and clients adopt a different attitude – one that considers Managed Services. But getting some business owners to change these attitudes is not an easy task for some Managed Services Providers. How to do it effectively can be just as frustrating a riddle for providers to solve as it can be for business owners to understand.

Here are some tips to help your clients understand how Managed Services are both efficient and effective for a growing business:

Highlight the Costs

While many business owners don’t feel the need to fix it until it’s broken, they do not understand that they actually spend more money working that way. The costs of their current monthly fix-it’s are actually running higher than regular, preventative maintenance fee plans.

Cover the Insurance Factor

Clients may not think proactively enough about what might happen should they lose their main server until the day it actually happens. Inform your clientsof the business continuity risks and what could happen in the event of a server failure. Losing information, losing valuable work time, and the possibility of even more long-term business damage may strike the right cord.

Recovery Costs Big-Time

Be sure to mention the recovery costs that could be incurred in the event of a real emergency. From labor charges to lost man hours, recovery costs can be double or triple what a regular maintenance plan can run a business owner.

Prove the Benefits of Proactive Measures

By explaining the benefits of proactive maintenance measures, a prospect or client is more likely to understand that they will be saving money by maintaining their technology in a proactive manner, rather than fixing it reactively over and over again. Instead of paying higher rates to fix it after it breaks, they will be paying considerably less to keep it from breaking in the first place.

Fear of the Unknown

While many business owners are cost-conscious, they are also savvy enough to understand that an all-inclusive plan is beneficial. With most flat-fee IT maintenance plans, a business will not have to pay out more money if something does go wrong with a a covered user, system or service, allowing them to feel the security of being able to budget for their IT maintenance costs month after month and expecting no extraordinary fluctuations for maintenance services.

Often, it is not that the business owners do not want to change the way they handle their technology, it is simply that they do not understand there is a better way of maintaining the critical systems and services that power their business until it is pointed out plainly. 

Changing your clients' perception of flat-fee, proactive Managed Services plans can be achieved when presented properly.

Click here to learn how to effectively illustrate the value of Managed Services and use the 7 Step Sales Process during 3 client appointments to close Managed Services business.

Attend MSP University's next Boot Camp for FREE!

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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MSP University helps Solution Providers succeed...period.

 

Recorded Webinar Posted: How To Increase Profits By Providing Free Service to Clients

Topic: How to Increase Profits by Providing Free Service to Existing Clients 
 
This is one of the best State of the Industry Webinars we have had, with over 2/3 of the attendees staying on and asking questions for 20 minutes after our scheduled end time!
 
In case you missed it live, we've posted MSP University's latest State of the Industry Webinar and it and its companion slide deck are available for viewing now on MSP University's website. Browse to www.mspu.us and select "Courses" in the top navigation bar. The Webcast can be found under "This Month's FREE Training".
 
(If you do not already have a Free Basic MSP University Membership, you will be asked to create one to view this webinar and access the included PowerPoint slide deck. If you already have an MSP University Membership, you'll simply need to log in to access the download)

This recorded Webinar focuses on helping your clients during these tough economic times in ways that increase their satisfaction, position you as a "go-giver" and true business partner, differentiate your business from your competitors, and uncover additional revenue opportunities that you can help your clients budget for, to increase their operational uptime and profitability.
 
The techniques and methodology discussed during this Webinar are a tremendous way for you to strengthen your existing client relationships by helping your clients through difficult economic times.

This is truly a win-win all the way around for you and your existing clients - and will open the door to more opportunity!

Our special guest for this unique presentation is Chad Gniffke, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Kaseya, who shares how Kaseya partners are leveraging this philosophy with their existing clients.

Attend MSP University's next Boot Camp for FREE!

Erick Simpson
MSP University
Subscribe to my blog here
Subscribe to our Newsletter here 
Join MSP University FREE for all things Managed Services
MSP University helps Solution Providers succeed...period.