Chin up, MSPs! Even though the economy is in the toilet, companies ARE buying managed services. You just need to be a bit more aggressive AND consistent in marketing yourself. Check out this video from one IT consultant who's managed services sales are up 92% and overall IT sales by 34%. The secret to their success? Watch the video to find out:
Posted via email from Robin Robin's Managed IT Services Sales Training
I have a very simple – yet incredibly powerful – strategy that will help you not only close more large managed services contracts or IT projects, but also eliminate bad debt and slow payers.
You ready for it? Here it is…
NEVER quote a client on the full price of a project; always give the price in monthly payments. This is particularly important when selling upgrades, installations, and other large projects to startups or companies who are desperately watching their cash-flow, or that need to invest in a large hardware refresh.
Of course, this is not a new strategy. Almost every company that sells high-ticket items such as cars, homes, timeshares, furniture, etc. know to quote the payment and NOT the end price to the client to avoid sticker shock. Plus, it’s much easier to justify the value of a $500 a month payment than a $6,000 annual contract.
I’ve been training my clients to do this for years because IT WORKS; and now that most companies are concerned about cash-flow, this is an even more important selling strategy.
Here’s another benefit for you…
When you work with a finance or leasing company, YOU get paid the full amount up front, and THEY take on the responsibility of collecting the debt. Many of my clients use Microsoft Financing (https://www.microsoftfinancing.com), but I’d love to hear from you on what companies you are using – the good, the bad and the ugly!
And if you like this tip (and want to know MORE about what’s working right now to close more IT sales) I would suggest you register for my 9-Step Marketing Secret Seminar:
For the full details: www.sellmoresolutions.com
You’ll get to see real-life examples, case studies and campaigns from other IT business owners that are driving sales and growing despite this tough economy.
As of today (January 21st) we only have 18 spots left for San Diego and 23 for D.C.
Posted via email from Robin Robin's Managed IT Services Sales Training
Since referrals are by far the single most effective way for IT business owners to secure new clients, I’ve decided to post a simple process and script I learned years ago from Tony Robbins that will enable you to generate MORE qualified referrals than you ever thought possible.
But first, a few pointers:
Now, here’s the script:
How To Ask Customers For Referrals:
“Hey John – as you probably know we get most of our clients through word of mouth and referrals, and you happen to be one of our best clients…and, quite honestly, I’d love to have a lot more like you. Ideally we are looking for (insert a description of your ideal prospect: CEOs of small or mid-sized companies with 5 or more employees…).”
“I was wondering if you knew of anyone who fits that description that you would feel comfortable introducing me to?”
If no, you’re done. If yes…
“Great! Would you be willing to call or e-mail (him/her), introduce me and then see if they would like to talk or set up a meeting with me? I’ve found that if you make the introduction rather than me calling out of the blue, it’s less intrusive and doesn’t put the person on the spot. Would you be willing to do that?”
They should say “no problem;” if they say no, then they really don’t want to refer you. Once they say “yes” then…
“Excellent! And you know what? When you call (John), why don’t you let him know that we’ll do a free network health check and give him two free hours of support since you referred him to us. That way we can provide value in advance and determine if we are a good fit for him without any cost or obligation to hire us. Does that sound okay to you?”
If yes, then say…
“I’ll send you an e-mail outlining what the network health check is and the 2 free hours offer so you can forward it on to (John).”
Want to get your hands on more marketing ideas like this one? Then make sure you register for an upcoming IT marketing seminar titled, “The 9-Step Marketing Secret That Will Flood Your Computer Consulting Business With All The Sales and High-Paying Clients You Want…EVEN In A Down Economy.”
For the full details: www.sellmoresolutions.com
The first 47 to register will receive a special bonus report on 25 easy and inexpensive ways to market your business in a recession, which includes real-life examples and campaigns from other IT business owners that are driving sales and growing despite the financial crisis everyone else seems to be suffering from. Supplies and seating are limited.
Posted via web from Robin Robin's Managed IT Services Sales Training
I recently read a quote from General Norman Schwarzkopf that goes, “Shined shoes save lives.” What he meant was the habit of being lazy, sloppy and undisciplined about the tiny, seemingly unimportant things ends up creeping into the bigger more important things. The General was referring to the battlefield, but in business (and particularly in marketing) this statement is every bit as true – especially now when opportunities are getting thinner and sales getting harder to come by.
There is a LOT of mediocrity in selling and marketing practices for IT companies. During good economic times, companies that are sloppy, unorganized and inept at it can still eke by - but when opportunities dry up, these folks are the first to die off. That’s because they have no process or “formula” for generating new opportunities, fueling referrals, or closing sales. Once sales slow down, they’re stuck trying to find a quick fix – a magic bullet – to turn things around. LOL.
So if you are one of those businesses that has been horribly neglectful about your marketing in the past and desperately needs to fill the sales funnel, what do you do? Where do you start?
Square one is to document the systems and processes you have (er, should have) in place right now. After all, you cannot improve and manage what you don’t measure. On a basic level for any IT service business, you should have documented processes and plans for:
#1. Asking for, following up on and closing referrals. After all, referrals are the #1 source of new clients; NOT having a documented system in place to maximize them is sheer stupidity. Start here. (Note: A big part of fueling referrals is having a referral reward system in place. Make sure you are not neglecting to truly thank people for sending you referrals).
#2. Following up on unconverted leads. When you get a “no” from someone, or run into a sales ‘stall,’ what do you do? Do you give up, throw the paperwork away and never contact the prospect again unless it’s entirely by accident 6 to 12 months later? Do you try to negotiate a better deal? More favorable terms? How many times do you follow up? What do you say? One client I consulted with years ago had a database FULL of old, unconverted leads. When I suggested they do an aggressive reactivation campaign, they argued against it saying that the sales people had already followed up and marked them as “worthless.” Fortunately they caved in to my persistence because one campaign resulted in 34% of these old leads buying. Fix your follow-up by adding more steps, more aggressive bonuses, and documenting and measuring the process.
#3. Increasing the number of leads you convert to sales. When you get a new lead or referral, what do you do? How do you follow up? WHEN do you follow up? In 1 hour? 1 day? 1 week? What do you say to get the appointment? When you get the appointment, what is the process to close the sale? Do you even HAVE a process? One of the cheapest ways to increase sales (and profits) is to increase the closing percentage of the opportunities you already have. If your closing percentage is already at 100%, chances are you aren’t generating many new leads and are basically securing the low-hanging fruit…which brings me to another point…
#4. Generating new opportunities (keeping the funnel full). This is one that stumps most people; if I held a gun to your head, how many ways could you think of to generate new leads? Probably dozens. I have a list of 84 ways to generate more sales and profits in an IT business in a short period of time; but the BIG question is, how many have you actually implemented? Can you name at least 5 to 7 things you’ve done over the last quarter to fuel sales? If you’ve done one or two (or none at all), why didn’t you get more done? And I don’t buy the “I’m too busy” excuse. You have to be smarter than that. If sales are down, you should be LESS busy than before. Besides, I don’t believe that 100% of your days are booked solid with projects and action items that are important and necessary. If you were managing your time and efforts that well, you probably wouldn’t be in a financial crunch right now.
Bottom line, these tough economic times call for even tougher strategy. If you own a business, it’s your butt on the line. That being the case, you need to be very aggressive in holding yourself and every process, strategy and employee accountable for results. There is no time for procrastination. Now more than ever you need to get a grip on marketing your business and do everything within your power to learn ‘best practices’ for getting more sales in the door.
The good news is that success leaves clues; you don’t need to stumble around in the dark wasting time and money trying to figure it out on your own.
If you are an IT business owner, I would urge you to register for one of my half-day seminars titled, “The 9-Step Marketing Secret That Will Flood Your Business With All The Sales and High-Paying Clients You Want…EVEN In A Down Economy.”
For the full details: www.sellmoresolutions.com
The first 47 to register will receive a special bonus report on 25 easy and inexpensive ways to market your business in a recession, which includes real-life examples and campaigns from other IT business owners that are driving sales and growing despite the financial crisis everyone else seems to be suffering from.
Supplies and seating are limited.
Posted via email from Robin Robin's Managed IT Services Sales Training
I recently conducted a survey to my clients asking them what the BEST sources of new clients were in all of 2008. Obviously, some things won't surprise you, such as referrals being #1 on the list; however, some will shake you up and cause you to rethink your marketing strategy for 2009. Here's the list starting with the #1 most effective way down to the least effective (#7):
1. Referrals
2. Direct mail
3. Yellow Pages
4. Partnering with vendors
5. BNI, LeTip and other networking groups
6. Google Adwords
7. Monthly client newsletters
What were the LEAST effective? Radio ads, newspapers and natural search engine optimization. HOWEVER, I do believe the reason that these are so low on the list is due to the fact that not many people use these methods effectively, if at all.
What surprised me the most was Yellow Pages being #3…but when I thought about it some more, it makes perfect sense. Here's why…
The people who are looking in the Yellow Pages for a "computer consultant" are 1) obviously in desperate need of immediate help and 2) don't know who to call. Therefore, they have the makings of an easy sale.
So should you add Yellow Pages ads to your 2009 marketing plan? I say it can't hurt PROVIDED you are already doing a GREAT job at fueling (and rewarding!) your clients for referrals, maximizing the revenue and profitability of the clients you DO have, and exhausting your efforts in finding and developing strong joint venture partnerships (which are nothing more than referrals on steroids). I would also tell you to hold off on Yellow Pages advertising if you are not willing to learn how to write a great direct response ad AND insert unique tracking URLs and phone numbers into the ad so you can truly MEASURE the return on your investment.
If you need more help in this area, I have a few dozen audio CDs on how to created highly-effective Yellow Pages ads. If you want one AND provided you are a VAR, MSP or IT consulting business, contact my office by e-mailing Dawn at dawn@technologymarketingtoolkit.com and include your FULL name, company and mailing address. We'll give them out on a first come-first served basis to IT business owners ONLY…but once they're gone, they're gone!
Posted via email from Robin Robin's Managed IT Services Sales Training
