MARKETING FEATURE CONT .
means I ’ m only asking you to commit four to five hours a week to this , given you need a little time to get the list and you ’ ll want to make more than one phone call .)
Fundamental # 2 : BACKWARDS PLANNING .
Most people don ’ t achieve their goals in life because they never create a plan to achieve them . Let ’ s take adding new clients as an example .
Lots of MSPs will tell you they ’ d like to add one to two new MSP clients a month . That ’ s their “ goal .” However , if you ask them to show you the backwards math that details how many proposals they ’ d need to create to get two new clients based on their close rate , how many first-time appointments they ’ d need to go on with new prospective customers to get the proposals in the first place , and how many MQLs ( marketing qualified leads ) they ’ d need to get the appointments that will produce the proposals to get the clients they want , and then how many raw leads they ’ d need to generate to get the number of MQLs they need , they ’ re clueless .
Quite simply , a goal without a plan to get there is a wish , and as Grandpa Gustafson said about wishes in the movie Grumpy Old Men , well . . . Google it .
Fundamental # 3 : FREQUENTLY MEETING With Existing Clients .
So many MSPs step over dollars to pick up dimes by totally , completely ignoring their current paying clients , not going deeper into those accounts , not ferreting out referrals , not leveraging their stories and results to get another one like them . One member recently wrote that he just paid off over $ 60,000 in personal debt thanks to one email I forced him to send to his clients . That potential was there , locked up , hiding in plain sight , waiting to be realized . All it took was the correct application of a fundamental .
Another fundamental under this umbrella : QBRs done well . Based on rough polling of MSPs , less than 20 % of them routinely do QBRs with their clients , and of the ones who do them regularly , they only conduct them with less than 20 % of their customers , leaving 80 % to the “ call us if you need us ” plan .
This is so epically stupid , there are no words . Not only do you fail your customers in being their IT leader and trusted advisor but you miss the opportunity to align their environment with your technology stack , providing you more profits and efficiency while simultaneously improving their stability and lowering their risks . Sure , some clients aren ’ t worth doing a QBR with , but my question would then be , why are you keeping them as a client at all ? Maybe you can ’ t fire them all in one fell swoop , but you could start replacing them once you get a marketing system in place , which is exactly why every MSP , even the “ busy ” ones that are too slammed to take on any more clients , should be doing ongoing , consistent marketing . If nothing else , it gives you the ability to shed low-margin , PITA ( you can figure it out ) clients who aren ’ t a right fit for you .
Fundamental # 4 : CREATING A Business That Stands Alone In A Category Of One .
This is a matter of what you do so well , and so uniquely , that you have no competition . Totally redefining what you do and who you do it for , abandoning all industry norms and standards . Going rogue and having an entirely different organizing system for your customers and how you market and sell to them . To quote my friend and mentor , Dr . Nido Qubein , “ The easier it is to replicate what you do , the less you get paid to do it .”
When you look at how dysfunctional most MSPs are , it ’ s not all that hard to stand out , but it does require attention to detail and a huge dose of determination to execute , determination to set standards and manage to them , and determination to settle for nothing less , which brings me to another key fundamental . . .
Fundamental # 5 : A DETERMINATION To Succeed .
I am not , by far , the most skilled salesperson , copywriter , leader , manager , or entrepreneur . Many outpace me ( although the number I outpace is vast ).
I am , however , pigheaded and determined to succeed and achieve my personal objectives . Every day , my goal is to have more net worth and equity banked than I did the day before . I look at my sales receipts daily . I am determined to make every day a money day , not just a day to get stuff done . Also , not just sales , but equity and recurring revenue — more new members , more events booked , more consulting days scheduled . Not a day should pass without me doing at least one thing , often several , to move that goal forward . One email . One phone call . One new sales letter or initiative . This year , why not set a goal every morning to dedicate at least one thing to “ money-getting ”?
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