This document outlines a 7-step sales process for MSPs to define their sales strategy and clearly articulate their business value to prospects. The steps include: 1) qualifying prospects, 2) utilizing personal and professional networks, 3) scheduling in-person appointments, 4) determining the client's current business needs, 5) conducting a network assessment, 6) explaining pricing and services, and 7) following up multiple times to close the sale over several weeks. The goal is to position managed services as preventative care that keeps a business healthy and avoids downtime, in order to minimize rejections and close more sales.

1. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2:
7 Steps to Consider When Defining
Your Sales Process

2. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
Introduction
Selling managed services can often
be a difficult process. For one,
there is the hurdle of explaining
your solutions in a digestible way
so your prospects can understand
how your services will benefit their
businesses. Terms such as network
systems or business continuity are
not second nature to most clients
and may be met with a blank
stare. This is your chance to be
the expert and break these terms
down in a manner that is easily
comprehensible and will show that
you can fully support your clients’
business needs.
The managed services business
is very similar to the preventative
medicine business in the sense
that both provide proactive care so
that you do not have to resort to
reactive care. When explaining to
prospective clients how your MSP
can help protect their corporate
data and provide a high level of
business continuity, this is often
a great metaphor to use. If your
clients have a clear and concise
understanding of how you can
help them achieve their business
goals, then there is a high
possibility that you can close
the sale.
Here are 7 creative strategies
to define your sales process
and clearly articulate your
business value.

3. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
1It’s extremely important to identify what qualities you are looking for
in a client. This will help you qualify and narrow down your list of prospects
to those who will be a good fit for your MSP. You can consider factors such
as business size, annual revenue, number of employees, and location. It’s
also important to figure out if a client had a recent leadership change and if
they currently have any IT staff. All of these factors will help you determine
which prospects are worth your time and energy.
Qualify
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4. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
2The key to selling your services is finding great people to sell to.
Look around your personal and professional networks such as friends,
mutual friends, professional clubs or associations, your children’s sports
teams or even your local place of worship. These contacts are key to
making connections, spreading the word about your services, and finding
prospective clients.
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Utilize your “in-network”

5. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
3The next key step is to meet for an in-person appointment. Schedule
a time where you can meet with the CEO, COO, or another important
decision maker to have a conversation around their business strategy and
the services that they are looking to offer. It’s a good idea to avoid speaking
with the IT Services Manager, as oftentimes you could eventually end up
replacing their job. Keep in mind that these meetings should be no longer
than 30 minutes, so that you do not take up too much of their time.
Schedule an appointment
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6. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
4The in-person appointment is when you can start the conversation
about the prospective client’s business strategy. Find out what their
business goals are and if they are experiencing any pain points. Explain
best practices and proactive measures that they should be taking, but aren’t
currently. Discuss the risks of downtime and how much money and time
downtime could potentially cost their business. Share how you differentiate
yourself from other MSPs in the area and how you can, and will, provide
them the best possible experience.
Determine the current health state
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7. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
5In order to ensure your potential partnership is beneficial and you
can live up to your SLA, you need to assess the state of their current
health. Go in and use a software tool, such as RapidFire Tools, to see
how their existing networks are run and if there are any security threats
or vulnerabilities. Think of this like conducting a physical exam or doing
some lab work. You need to determine the diagnoses of the illness before
you prescribe medication, or you may be at risk for malpractice. It’s an
important step for determining how your managed services can best
help out their company.
Conduct lab work
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8. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
6The plan back to health is where talking prices and costs comes into
play, and this can sometimes be a tricky conversation. It helps to explain
that the services your team provides are equivalent to the role a physician
plays in prescribing preventive medicine; your services are designed to
keep their business up and running and their employees as productive
as possible. Your team will keep everything healthy so that a trip to the
emergency room surgeon is never needed and their business will suffer
from no unpredictable downtime.
Prescribe and diagnose
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9. MSP Sales Strategies, Part 2
7After you conduct your initial conversations and provide the network
assessments, you should continue to follow up with your prospect. It
takes an average of 3 to 6 conversations to close a sale and it can often end
up being a 4 to 8-week process. It helps to use a CRM such as HubSpot,
Capsule or even ConnectWise to keep track of prospects, monitor the
number of touches and track average sale sizes. This is important to
managing your sales process and forecasting your pipeline accurately.
Checkups
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10. Conclusion
It’s best to remember that your goal as an MSP is to prevent illnesses rather
than encourage trips to the emergency room. If you explain that concept
thoroughly to prospects and position yourself as the best in your industry,
they will have a clear and concise picture of how they can benefit from your
services. This process shows you can be successful in sales while minimizing
rejections by selling the best solutions for your clients. Happy selling!
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