“ Robin showed me the importance of marketing and that marketing and sales go hand in hand . And for the first time in a long time , I felt excited about my business .”
CA , so I attended the TMT Roadshow . I was only planning to attend for one hour so I could get back to my vacation , but I was so absorbed I ended up staying for the entire two days . Robin ( Robins ) was so sincere . She talked about all the things I wasn ’ t doing . I discovered that while I was good at sales and had utilized that to grow my businesses , I wasn ’ t doing any marketing . Robin showed me the importance of marketing and that marketing and sales go hand in hand . And for the first time in a long time , I felt excited about my business .
What is the top lesson ( s ) you had to learn that allowed you to kickstart your business growth ?
The top lesson I learned was to make marketing an urgent priority . When I first joined TMT , I had zero marketing in place . At first I procrastinated , but after connecting with my TMT coach and attending my first meeting , I was motivated to do in two years what others had done in five . I delegated 90 percent of my technical responsibilities so I could focus on marketing and sales . I launched my first marketing campaign , chose a vertical market and hired a telemarketer to continually cold call prospects using a script . I also used TMT ’ s MAP CRM ( Marketing Automation Platform for Customer Relationship Marketing ) I subscribe to acclaimed international author Milan Kundera ’ s ( best known for his book " The Unbearable Lightness of Being ") thoughts on business . He says , ‘ Business has only two functions : marketing and innovation .’ Tech isn ’ t going to move the needle for you . Marketing opens the door . Sales capture the deal and generates revenue . Tech keeps the client .
What advice would you give an MSP who is worried about competition ?
Deliver the best service . I honestly believe no one can take care of my clients better than I can . If they leave , they will come back because nobody takes care of them the way I do . Two ways we accomplish this are 1 ) When a client calls in , they only speak with level 2.5 techs and higher . 2 ) We extensively train the level 1 engineers we hire before putting them in
front of a client . They sit with a level 2.5 tech or higher for a minimum of two months and do not get on the phone with a client until they become a level 2 +. Because when level 1 takes most of the calls , if they can ’ t solve it , they must escalate it to a level 2 and so on . What happens in this process is that the customer ’ s time gets wasted . By using level 2.5 as our entry point , it creates efficiency and a lot of customer loyalty .
How are you presenting security differently to win contracts ?
My DNA is a security company that does IT . Recently , I had a prospect that was comparing prices between my company and two other MSPs which were charging less than me . They both listed IT pricing with an optional security package , so the prospect asked if I could separate my pricing with IT as the main package and security as an option . I told him , " Yes , I can do that ," and separated my IT and security . But when I went back to present it to him , I reversed it . I told him that in my case , security is mandatory , and IT is an option . I said , " Security is mandatory because we believe in the age of cybercrime , we are in a war zone . If they think security is optional , maybe that ’ s how they handle security in their company . Maybe it ’ s optional for them too ." The client signed the agreement with me and took both the security and IT package .
What words of wisdom would you give to other MSPs who are looking to grow their business or build a successful exit ?
Find a mentor and a coach . I ’ ve always been inspired to seek out the right teachers and mentors , so I didn ’ t have to reinvent the wheel . In January 2020 , I had zero marketing in place . Then I joined Technology Marketing Toolkit . They provided me with campaigns , accountability group meetings , roadmaps and blueprints , shock and awe packages , community , seminars , bootcamps , and so much more . There is a lot of money to be made , and there are a lot of people that need help . Just don ’ t give up . Market persistently and believe in yourself .
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