THE ROBIN ROBINS REVEAL
WHAT ’ S THE PROMISE ONLY YOU CAN MAKE ?
A LESSON IN OVERCOMING THE ' WE ’ RE FINE ' OBJECTION WHEN PROSPECTING
A question I frequently get asked is “ How do I overcome the ‘ we ’ re fine ’ objection when prospecting ?”
Just the other day , an MSP client called in , befuddled by this objection . He was convinced that the reason he kept getting it was because everyone in his particular market area was unsophisticated about technology and didn ’ t see the value of outsourcing their IT , much less on a recurring basis . His question to me was about how he could get business owners to see the value of managed services . It ’ s the wrong question because it ’ s based on the wrong assumption .
For starters , he was prospecting anyone who could fog a mirror . That ’ s a bad start . Marketing 101 is making sure you ’ re talking to the people who have the ability , authority , and desire to buy what you sell . Next , I asked the more important question : “ When you get in front of a qualified prospect who is outsourcing their IT support to someone else and who clearly sees the value of managed services ( otherwise they wouldn ’ t already be paying someone for it ), what do you say to convince them to consider switching to you ?”
Crickets .
Well , folks , I think we found the problem . The right answer to that question would have been his USP , or unique selling proposition , which answers the question of why a prospect should buy from you over all the other IT firms knocking on their door , and , more specifically , why they should choose you over the firm they already have an established relationship with . What ’ s the promise that only you can make ? Unless that IT firm is royally screwing up , nobody is going to leave their current MSP for someone who is potentially better . And , if you cannot give them a single compelling reason to even consider having that conversation with you , prospecting is going to be akin to pushing a rope uphill .
So , how do you go about figuring out what your USP is ? For starters , it ’ s almost never “ naturally occurring ” because there ’ s nothing inherently unique about delivering managed services . Unfortunately , MSPs are a dime a dozen , and the market is saturated with no shortage of companies who can and will deliver IT services and support . Whether they ’ re any good or not is a differentiator , but if you ’ re not specifically detailing to your prospects how you are different and why that benefits them , then you appear to be just like every other run-of-the-mill MSP and , therefore , lack a USP .
Keep this in mind : Nobody knows how good you are until after the sale ; before they buy , they only know how good your marketing is . Prospects are not experts at buying IT services , and it ’ s very difficult for your average business owner to determine the differences from one MSP to another . To them , most MSPs are selling relatively the same types of service packages at about the same price point , using the same vendors and tools and pulling from the same pool of talent . What exacerbates the problem is that MSPs ’ marketing is full of generalities and platitudes ( our people make the difference , we ’ re proactive , our service is unparalleled ) and grandiose claims that they don ’ t ( can ’ t ) back up , like “ We ’ re the best IT firm in Nashville .”
Therefore , a USP must be strategically designed and created . It also has to be designed with your chosen target market in mind , taking into consideration their specific needs , problems , budgets , and business systems . If you think you have a USP , see if it can stand up to the following four criteria :
1 . It must be unique to you . 2 . It must have meaningful specifics . 3 . It must have a strong appeal to your target market . 4 . It must be defendable before they buy .
For many , this is a tough exercise , and one that requires considerable thinking time . The people who struggle with it the most are actually not the ones who don ’ t have anything unique about them . It ’ s the people who don ’ t truly and deeply understand their customers who have the most trouble with this . So , if you ’ re stumped and unable to articulate what your USP is or should be , I would suggest you start by hanging out with and talking to your clients more . Invest a few hours in sitting next to their employees and watching them work . Understand how they get paid and how they “ manufacture ” and deliver what they get paid for . Spend more time understanding the KPIs they pay attention to , the beliefs they have about their industry , their competition , and their employees . Know how work and information flows through their organization and the vendors they work with .
From there , the easiest way to start documenting a USP is to use a “ reason why ” advertising approach . We get our clients to write out an “ X Reasons Why << Name-Of-MSP >> Is the Best IT Support Company for << Niche >>.” If they ’ re confident in their abilities , we encourage them to have at least one guarantee on the list . Furthermore , the list should be made up of answers to what irks their “ avatar ” client when doing business with an IT firm or what their top IT-related headaches are . When done , you ’ ll have a solid answer to the “ What ’ s the promise only you can make ?” question that will subsequently get you in more doors with greater ease . n
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 • MSPSUCCESSMAGAZINE . COM | 21