SALES STRATEGIES
No Pain , No Gain : Finding Your Prospect ' s Pain Is Critical To Making The Sale
Sitima Fowler Expert in Residence Sales & Sales Management , TMT Sitima Fowler turned her small MSP from zero growth and profits to a multimillion-dollar MSP generating over a million in net profit . She then merged with a group of other MSPs to form Iconic IT , where she headed marketing and sales , growing to over $ 25 million before it was sold to Integris . Today , she teaches TMT members how to close big , profitable managed services agreements with ease .
Ray Green , Expert In Residence Sales & Sales Management , TMT Ray Green has been an operator for investment groups , including CEO of a PE-backed company and other contract C-level roles . He was also managing director of small and midsize business at the U . S . Chamber of Commerce . Ray has helped some of the world ' s most successful business coaches execute world-class sales and marketing strategies . He has also coached dozens of solopreneurs on productizing and packaging their services to win better clients at higher rates .
Sales hinges on emotional connection .
Without it , your prospect will view you as a smarmy used car salesperson . That ’ s why it ’ s crucial to build authentic , empathetic connection during the discovery meeting .
The discovery meeting is step 2 of the 5-Step Process to Closing an MSP Sale . Sitima Fowler and Ray Green , MSP sales experts who teach this process , explain the how ’ s and why ’ s behind asking guiding questions , designed to get prospects to sell themselves , while getting you the information needed to put together a first-class proposal .
Finding the pain is part 2 of the discovery meeting . If you missed the previous installment on learning how your prospect uses technology , see the Oct ./ Nov . Issue of MSP Success by scanning the QR code or go to MSPSuccess . com / october-november-2024-issue .
Finding The Pain
Before you learn how to find the pain , you must understand the why .
He Said : Sales is about emotional connection , even B2B sales of IT services . At the end of the day , the person is making an emotionbased decision , which they justify with logic . The technological challenges you ’ ve learned about so far are problem-based . Pain is emotion-based . I always separate those in sales . If you walk into your doctor ' s office with a broken toe , that ' s the problem . What ' s the pain that ' s associated with that — the symptoms ?
She Said : Right ! It ’ s the same thing in sales . If they feel the pain , there is going to be a reaction .
Follow the process we ’ re about to describe even if you know what the pain is , because you still need to create that emotional connection and make the prospect feel it with you . If another
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