ENTREPRENEURIAL TOOLBOX
Discover The Hiding-In-Plain-Sight
“ Secret ” That Profitable MSPs Use To Grow
Without Adding Sales And Marketing Costs
BY SARAH JORDAN
Allison Mascolo , Founder and Owner , Red Stapler IT Consulting
Scott Lawson , CEO eCreek Solutions Group
Robb Patterson , GM TMT ’ s Mastermind Peer Group
Natalia Scheidegger CEO , 3rdmill
Account management is an MSP ’ s “ secret weapon .” Done right , it is a tool for retention , forecasting , and growth , says Allison Mascolo , founder and owner of Red Stapler IT Consulting . “ Usually , you ’ re able to get referrals from it as well . If you ’ re looking to not spend on extra marketing , isn ’ t it great if your own clients are helping [ to grow business ]?”
The power of proper account management is that it leverages the clients you already have — no marketing or sales budget required . It ensures that you ’ re not missing any potential projects , and your customers are informed , secure , and satisfied .
For far too many MSPs , though , account management tends to fall to the wayside in favor of hiring technicians or salespeople . While those roles are essential , not hiring a dedicated account manager often means lowered client satisfaction and missed project opportunities .
A dedicated account manager allows salespeople and technicians to stick with what they ’ re best at , says Scott Lawson , CEO of eCreek Solutions Group , an MSP in Denver , Colorado . “ The account manager can create the road map that keeps the client moving forward . They ’ re able to achieve a lot more than we were when we
were trying to push account management around to different people in the company .”
3 Pillars To Effective Account Management
A great account management system has three pillars :
• Proper onboarding
• IT road map and budget creation
• Quarterly business reviews ( QBRs ) Onboarding
It ’ s important to introduce new clients to your account management process during onboarding so they know what to expect , from quarterly meetings to what a strategic partnership looks like , advises Robb Patterson , GM of TMT ’ s Mastermind peer group . When it comes time to meet about the road map or hold a QBR , “ You don ’ t want them wondering , ‘ What do these IT guys want to talk about and why do they need my time ?’” Patterson says .
Mascolo recommends tailoring the onboarding to each customer . “ You should have a templated process , but you need to make it unique to each client by getting to know them . That means dedicating
22 | MSPSUCCESS . COM