The typical sales process is often described as a dance between the sales rep and the buyer, and you\u2019ll get no objection from me. I find it to be an especially good analogy because it helps reps focus on building trust and providing a partnership instead of pushing for a signature. It also helps reps understand their role in leading the process without controlling it. When done well, it\u2019s a repeatable dance that helps win contracts and makes both partners happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if you\u2019ve added managed IT services, you might have noticed that this process doesn\u2019t work near as well as it does with managed print. I believe I understand why, and it\u2019s probably not what you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Biggest Problems Aren\u2019t the Real Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the subject of managed IT sales inevitably comes up, you\u2019ll hear someone articulate some very real issues. While managed print services are relatively easy to explain, managed IT isn\u2019t. There\u2019s more: the financial and productivity savings are nearly impossible to quantify to a broad audience, it\u2019s always hard to sell prevention and managed IT doesn\u2019t always include the same set of services from provider to provider. Oh, I almost forgot\u2014managed IT also tends to come with an expensive sticker price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But these problems are actually fixable. Yes, you\u2019ll have to invest more time training your sales staff, but we find that potential customers actually love it when a rep loops in one of our IT solutions engineers to field more advanced questions. We\u2019re also happy to sit with customers and do the math on the value they can expect to get from us versus cost. We\u2019ve also made sure our reps have simple brochures that make it easy to understand everything we\u2019re providing and how each item benefits our clients in terms that match their goals. In essence, we understand that we\u2019re selling something complicated, and we make sure those problems are ours, not the buyer\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, like I said, those problems aren\u2019t the real problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Leap of Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A winning sales process involves a series of small, repeatable steps that sales reps and buyers take together. But when it comes to managed IT and other offers like it, the final step often requires buyers to take a leap that\u2019s simply too intimidating, especially if they haven\u2019t worked with a managed IT provider before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many managed IT buyers will need a solid stepping stone between no IT support and a locked-in service contract, and most providers aren\u2019t giving them that. Sales reps are essentially tasked with leading a buyer step by step, only to leave them hanging at the end with a huge decision on their hands and not enough information to make the leap. That\u2019s frustrating for buyers, but it\u2019s also frustrating for sales reps! If they\u2019ve done their job well, they\u2019ve already invested quite a bit of their time. And for it all to come to a halt at this point in the process over and over again is extremely discouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Test of Strength<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re not the only IT provider to offer technology assessments, but ours are different for a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most providers will offer theirs for free. However, the end product is basically a bunch of raw data that\u2019s practically meaningless for most organizations that already know they have an IT skill gap. It\u2019s not a good stepping stone, and I suspect it also makes an impression that most providers don\u2019t know they\u2019re making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We offer comprehensive technology assessments and cybersecurity assessments, and while they\u2019re not free, they allow us to actually partner with a client before they\u2019re forced to make a big commitment with us. On paper, we\u2019re assessing where their risks are and giving them our recommendations for where we think their dollars would go the furthest. But we\u2019re very aware that many buyers are actually using these assessments to test us. And in so doing, they\u2019re able to get answers they wouldn\u2019t get any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s it like to work with us? How good are we at minimizing risk? How do we talk about solving problems within a realistic budget? How will we help them meet their goals? Can we solve problems or find risks that are beyond the capabilities of their current provider?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a buyer likes the answers they get, they have the information they need to make the last step\u2014signing a managed IT contract\u2014very easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Going Downmarket Without Losing Your Place<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine walking through a grocery store on a typical Sunday afternoon\u2014one where you can sample a variety of products for free as you shop. A display at the counter catches your eye, so you\u2019re happy to take a sample when it\u2019s offered. You take a bite and are instantly disappointed. The employee behind the counter smiles and explains that what you sampled is just the free version. If you want the good-tasting version, you\u2019ll need to buy a box. How many people do you think would buy it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a real risk when you offer services at lower price points. If you\u2019ve read my previous articles, I think you already know where I\u2019m going with this. Incidentally, this is exactly what I believe is happening when many providers offer their free \u201cassessments.\u201d Free offers are great, but only when your customers like what they receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To put it another way, a lower-priced, more accessible offer still has to make your customers happy. If it doesn\u2019t, you\u2019ve only succeeded in devaluing your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Takeaways for Non-IT Providers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even when managed IT isn\u2019t part of a portfolio, we\u2019ve seen success in our other offerings when we add more \u201cstepping stone\u201d services that offer value without making first-time buyers go all or nothing. It\u2019s helped us steadily build our monthly recurring revenue in the past few years and led more clients over time to adopt larger, more profitable contracts with us. We get more stability, and our buyers have a better way to make us earn their trust over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As print volumes continue to decline, and as you consider adding additional products or services, don\u2019t forget to build in smart ways for customers to vet you. If you design your offers well, there will be plenty of opportunities to show them just how responsive and agile a partner you can be. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The typical sales process is often described as a dance between the sales rep and the buyer, and you\u2019ll get no objection from me. I find it to be an especially good analogy because it helps reps focus on building trust and providing a partnership instead of pushing for a signature. It also helps reps understand their role in leading the process without controlling it. When done well, it\u2019s a repeatable dance that helps win contracts and makes both partners happy. But if you\u2019ve added managed IT services, you might have noticed that this process doesn\u2019t work near as well as it does with managed print. I believe I understand why, and it\u2019s probably not what you think. The Biggest Problems Aren\u2019t the Real Problem When the subject of managed IT sales inevitably comes up, you\u2019ll hear someone articulate some very real issues. While managed print services are relatively easy to explain, managed IT isn\u2019t. There\u2019s more: the financial and productivity savings are nearly impossible to quantify to a broad audience, it\u2019s always hard to sell prevention and managed IT doesn\u2019t always include the same set of services from provider to provider. Oh, I almost forgot\u2014managed IT also tends to come with an expensive sticker price. But these problems are actually fixable. Yes, you\u2019ll have to invest more time training your sales staff, but we find that potential customers actually love it when a rep loops in one of our IT solutions engineers to field more advanced questions. We\u2019re also happy to sit with customers and do the math on the value they can expect to get from us versus cost. We\u2019ve also made sure our reps have simple brochures that make it easy to understand everything we\u2019re providing and how each item benefits our clients in terms that match their goals. In essence, we understand that we\u2019re selling something complicated, and we make sure those problems are ours, not the buyer\u2019s. But, like I said, those problems aren\u2019t the real problem. The Leap of Faith A winning sales process involves a series of small, repeatable steps that sales reps and buyers take together. But when it comes to managed IT and other offers like it, the final step often requires buyers to take a leap that\u2019s simply too intimidating, especially if they haven\u2019t worked with a managed IT provider before. Many managed IT buyers will need a solid stepping stone between no IT support and a locked-in service contract, and most providers aren\u2019t giving them that. Sales reps are essentially tasked with leading a buyer step by step, only to leave them hanging at the end with a huge decision on their hands and not enough information to make the leap. That\u2019s frustrating for buyers, but it\u2019s also frustrating for sales reps! If they\u2019ve done their job well, they\u2019ve already invested quite a bit of their time. And for it all to come to a halt at this point in the process over and over again is extremely discouraging. The Test of Strength We\u2019re not the only IT provider to offer technology assessments, but ours are different for a reason. Most providers will offer theirs for free. However, the end product is basically a bunch of raw data that\u2019s practically meaningless for most organizations that already know they have an IT skill gap. It\u2019s not a good stepping stone, and I suspect it also makes an impression that most providers don\u2019t know they\u2019re making. We offer comprehensive technology assessments and cybersecurity assessments, and while they\u2019re not free, they allow us to actually partner with a client before they\u2019re forced to make a big commitment with us. On paper, we\u2019re assessing where their risks are and giving them our recommendations for where we think their dollars would go the furthest. But we\u2019re very aware that many buyers are actually using these assessments to test us. And in so doing, they\u2019re able to get answers they wouldn\u2019t get any other way. What\u2019s it like to work with us? How good are we at minimizing risk? How do we talk about solving problems within a realistic budget? How will we help them meet their goals? Can we solve problems or find risks that are beyond the capabilities of their current provider? If a buyer likes the answers they get, they have the information they need to make the last step\u2014signing a managed IT contract\u2014very easy. Going Downmarket Without Losing Your Place Imagine walking through a grocery store on a typical Sunday afternoon\u2014one where you can sample a variety of products for free as you shop. A display at the counter catches your eye, so you\u2019re happy to take a sample when it\u2019s offered. You take a bite and are instantly disappointed. The employee behind the counter smiles and explains that what you sampled is just the free version. If you want the good-tasting version, you\u2019ll need to buy a box. How many people do you think would buy it? There\u2019s a real risk when you offer services at lower price points. If you\u2019ve read my previous articles, I think you already know where I\u2019m going with this. Incidentally, this is exactly what I believe is happening when many providers offer their free \u201cassessments.\u201d Free offers are great, but only when your customers like what they receive. To put it another way, a lower-priced, more accessible offer still has to make your customers happy. If it doesn\u2019t, you\u2019ve only succeeded in devaluing your brand. Takeaways for Non-IT Providers Even when managed IT isn\u2019t part of a portfolio, we\u2019ve seen success in our other offerings when we add more \u201cstepping stone\u201d services that offer value without making first-time buyers go all or nothing. It\u2019s helped us steadily build our monthly recurring revenue in the past few years and led more clients over time to adopt larger, more profitable contracts with us. We get more stability, and our buyers have a better way to make us earn their trust over time. As print volumes continue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":286,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3936],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63624"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/286"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63624"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63625,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63624\/revisions\/63625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}