Selling IT services to C and VP level executives can be nerve racking. Not everyone is a natural born salesman, some are trained to be great sales reps, some were just born to sell. Most IT firms whether they are break/fix, MSPs, SOC providers or 24×7 Help Desk support firms, the CEOs are more likely to be techy and the resident sales rep. They have the drive and the knowledge to build infrastructures to support a clients requirements.
With all this amazing technical knowledge, many of them lack the ability to sell vale. It’s a different beast when it comes to selling. What is one to do? What are the signs that indicate I need help selling.
The CEO needs to dig deep on his short comings. The CEO cannot do it all, he can walk on water and bring a network back to life, their abilities border on a miracle level. However, what are the signs.
One must first have a CRM that tracks your W’s and L’s. That report is going to indicate why you won or lost. If you have 20 opportunities referred your way and you only close 10%, that is not a good number.
First sign, low close rate, but we need to get to the bottom of why.
Second sign, you forgot the “FOLLOWUP”. Keep in mind the process. You get referred into an opportunity. You take time to call and take down all their requirements and take careful notes of their challenges. You meet face to face to build that rapport. Its Tuesday afternoon, you agree to have a proposal to the CEO by Friday. Two weeks later, you recall the promise you made…lost opportunity due to having too many items on your plate. This is where a sales staff at a white label managed IT service firm can step in. The sales team tracks all opportunities and they are on top of the “follow up”. Selling value is second nature for reps at most white label IT firms.
Third sign, poor qualification, this happens and it’s easy to overcome on a quick call with a list of questions. This needs to be part of your sales process, keep a handy list on hand. Don’t have one? Partnering with a white label MSP can be beneficial if you are just starting out and you lack the sales skills to get a process in place.
Forth sign, fear, no one likes rejection, but it’s something all entrepreneurs must face. Overcoming fear is not an easy task but learn to embrace it. Running from fear will not allow you to grow as a business or an individual.
Fifth sign, your IT firm lacks a sales process. A sales process consists of five steps. We are not going to include prospecting, it is marketings job to bring in opportunities and that is a much longer topic that involves too many objectives.
- Be prepared – Someone may call you out of the blue and you must have a polished summary of what you have to offer. DO NOT talk tech jargon. Do not talk about how great you are. Listen to what their problem, solve it with two sentences. Keep in mind, you will not always succeed, but do not get discouraged. This is a process, master it.
- Presentation – You succeeded in booking a Zoom or face to face with the prospect. What does your presentation look like? Does it solve problems? Is it tailored to the prospects requirements?
- Handling objections – Create a list of your top 10 objections for a specific industry. Have a response for each objection as they come up. When you are the expert in a certain industry, these will be easy to overcome.
- Closing – The goal is to get to the next step of confirming your firm is a fit and if the next step is to produce a proposal. Be direct, do not fear rejection.
- Follow up – This is a must in your sales process. If you do not follow up, you will miss out on opportunities.
Conclusion, keep careful metrics on your sales opportunities. Implement a CRM that will provide you with the ability to keep detailed information and the ability to run reports.
Single Point of Contact is a White Label Managed Security Service Provider that provides a wide range of cybersecurity technologies, 24×7 help desk and managed IT services. If you have challenges selling, we can help. Our experienced sales staff will assist on calls, give presentations, produce proposals as an extension of your firm. We understand the struggles and have mastered a sales process.
Contact us today to discover more about how we can help you achieve your company goals.
