MARKETING FEATURE CONT .
$ 10,000 a year or more with us because of the equity value we help them build by getting more MSPs onto their platforms .
As an MSP , you need to think about who you ’ re getting as a customer and what you ’ re delivering . Larger companies with greater cyber and compliance risk will naturally be willing to spend more to hire an MSP than a two-person realtor who works out of his spare bedroom . That ’ s not to say those are bad people to have as customers . The right model with a broad reach can represent a significant opportunity , but not for high-touch managed services .
2 . Ability To Pay .
In sales , there are two primary hurdles you must overcome : 1 ) ability to buy , and 2 ) willingness to buy . Willingness to buy is difficult enough to overcome , so you don ’ t want to make matters worse by adding inability to buy to the list . For us , a small MSP without private equity funding is unlikely to have the ability to pay us $ 10,000 a month for high-touch digital marketing services . They might even be willing but just cannot swing the payment for several months as we ramp up inbound leads and sales . Therefore , I need to target people who have the ability to pay and don ’ t perceive our fees as “ a lot of money .”
In selling outsourced IT , $ 10,000 + a month is completely within some clients ’ budgets and not a reach . Others can ’ t imagine paying more than $ 1,000 a month for IT services . Knowing this , you need to be very selective in thinking about who you want to choose as your client , selecting people who can easily pay the fees you want to command . I would also add that you want your clients to not perceive what you charge as “ a lot of money .” Clients who think they ’ re paying “ top dollar ” for support will be more needy and will likely complain more than someone who feels you ’ re right within the normal cost of good IT . Clients who think you ’ re “ expensive ” are more likely to fight you over recommendations and be hesitant to spend more , even if necessary . You don ’ t need that kind of burden when you ’ re attempting to provide quality services that clients need .
you want to find in all employees as well .) They have to be willing to take your advice on what needs to be done .
Being “ coachable ” is extremely important because clients who argue with you over every little recommendation are not only a liability but a giant , unproductive headache . Instead of spending your time on creating implementation plans , you ’ re having to waste time arguing with them over the approach , budget , strategy , etc ., and often over things that they aren ’ t qualified to have an opinion on anyway .
If you succumb to their stubbornness and compromise your recommendations to satisfy their demands , you can practically guarantee things won ’ t go as well as planned — and when that happens , they blame you . That ’ s why one of my strict criteria is that you take my advice and do things as I prescribe . After you write the check , this isn ’ t a negotiation . You need to make sure you ’ re taking the same stance with your client for the relationship to be truly productive .
As I ’ ve so often said , you want to set up your marketing systems so that you have an abundance of people willing and able to give you money . Only then can you truly be in a position where you can be more selective about who you take as a client . A line of people waiting to give you money stiffens the spine and ( should ) lower your threshold of tolerance for bad behavior — and then you get to do your best work for the best clients . A guarantee of success for both you and your clients .
3 . Willingness To Take Advice .
In the consulting business , we talk about clients needing to be “ coachable ” as a condition of a successful relationship . When we refer a client to one another , we are quick to add , “ They ’ re coachable ,” as a fancy way of saying they ’ ll actually take our advice . ( Aside : this is a quality
Robin Robins is the IT industry ’ s most in-demand marketing consultant , sales trainer , and direct response marketing consultant who specializes in developing strategic marketing , sales and lead generation systems for MSPs , VARs and IT services companies .
Robin Robins is the CEO and Founder of TMT . TMT is the parent company of MSP Success .
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