Growing an MSP can be an exhilarating experience and takes considerable work. Most MSP owners spend the first few years of their business being the business’s only salesperson. Who better to discuss the value proposition than the owner?
While this is characteristic of a normal startup, at some point the business owner needs to get out of the way and build a sales engine for many reasons. First, the owner has more important things to do as the business grows. Staffing, company culture, dealing with growth problems and ensuring consistent cash flow are just a few. Second, the value of the business is greater if there is a sales engine that operates with minimal effort from the owner. This is very appealing to buyers who know the owner will exit the business once it is sold. There are more reasons, but you get the point.
Time to Hire?
So, what do you do at that point? Most owners hire a salesperson…and then another…and then another… Brining in salespeople does not necessarily work well unless you find a unicorn and those are difficult to find.
But let’s talk about sales strategy. The reason the business owner “gets it wrong” is that they change the strategy once they hire staff to support sales. When the sales are principal led, meaning the owner generates all the sales activity through their referral network and friends and goes to the appointments to close them, each sale starts with a relationship. You nurture that relationship and show value over time. Maybe you help answer a few questions here and there about antivirus at home, or pen testing on their network. You answer questions about tech when they have them. You are a valued resource for them and you show your credibility by helping them. So when it comes time to talk about what you do, they already trust you.
Most owners, once they have made the leap to hiring a salesperson, ask them to call as many people as they can as fast as they can. They believe that volume is the key and strongly encourage the salesperson they hired to maximize their opportunities by talking to as many people as possible. They buy lists and begin mass emailing strangers, hoping to get a response. And while the adage is true that a “blind squirrel will find a nut every now and again,” this is not the best way to go to market.
Your Lead Generation Journey
Owners need to think back to how they landed the deals that brought them to this point in their business. They need to think about everything that went into building the relationships that turned into business years later. If they do, they will see there is a big difference in how they have been selling for years and what they are asking their salespeople to do.
Here is a guide for the journey.
- Focus a sales strategy on building relationships. Yes, this includes networking, but the philosophy should also be applied to lead generation such as social media outreach, emails, and cold calls.
- Invite prospects to webinars. Instead of asking for a sales meeting with people you just met, invite them to a “lunch and learn” or webinar. This way you are proving your credibility by giving them high value content.
- Don’t pitch slap. Pitch slap is when you connect with someone on social media and immediately hit them up for a sales appointment. This is not relationship building. Connect with people on social media and then begin providing value through your posts, or comments on theirs. Truly try to understand their issues and the position they may be in (changing jobs? High-pressure sales job? Recently funding?) and target your content to those issues.
- Slow down the sales cycle. I know this seems counterintuitive, but once you have established an acquaintance with a prospect; you want to ensure you are not pushy, salesy or rude. Once a prospect is interested, show them your time is valuable by asking qualifying questions to qualify the prospect before jumping right to the meeting invite. This will further the conversation and build credibility while ensuring they get more invested in the conversation and are less likely to ghost you on the meeting request.
- Be of value. Last, be of value. Ask prospects how you can earn their time by doing something for them. Free content is king here, but you should also be willing to ask an individual what they need. “How can I help you in your business? Do you need to hire a good admin? Do you need someone to help with your website? Do you need a social media expert?” Be a Go Giver in the way you come across to prospects and you will earn their trust.
Conclusion
It seems logical to just “hire a salesperson” when you get to that point in your business. And it might be the right time. But make sure you train them to do outreach the same way you have been doing it to get your business where it is today. Relational selling is always more effective than shotgun approaches to outreach and will get you the return you are looking for in sales.
And if you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to RedVine Operations for a free sales assessment to see how your processes stack up with your peers.
If you are an MSP, selling into your market without the proper tools and would like some guidance, take a look at the Redvine Operations MGEN Program we developed specifically for this reason. Happy Prospecting!