A rather funny thing happened to me on the way to the office today. I was cold called by a company selling managed services. Well, they claimed to be offering managed services and while I don't have any evidence to the contrary the gentleman said several things that made me question if this was a real MSP.
Now, it should be pointed out that the company did have a wide variety of services it claimed to offer. I have absolutely no evidence that there was anything wrong with the company (who will remain nameless to protect the innocent). However, the first problem I encountered was the demand, by this salesperson, to shift my attention into "trust mode". What do I mean by this? When you receive a call from your doctor in the morning and they say "I need to talk to you" or "I've just gotten the results of your exam" you tend to listen to what they have to say. True, you would already have an existing relationship with the person in this scenario but the point I'm trying to make is that professionalism is cultivated over time, not sold.
The gentleman on the phone this morning was very professional sounding, he spoke in a clear, well mannered tone, and he had good diction. But, what he was asking of me was something I was not willing to give on a first time phone conversation: my trust. Another tip-off that this wasn't a real MSP was that he was offering time & material based services. In the end, I politely said we weren't interested and wished him a good day. Needless to say, I was somewhat stunned after the call. That had never happened to me. The irony of propositioning the MSP Alliance to buy managed services aside, this morning's call underscored for me a long held belief (and that of many MSPs) that you cannot sell managed services like you sell other goods.
Now, this next statement may be a shock to some but those of you who are cold calling for your managed services I hope you would put an end to that practice. It doesn't work! You may get a few hits now and then but I would be willing to bet it isn't real managed services you are selling. It is nearly impossible to call someone (to whom you've never spoken) and convince them that they should give over control of their IT to you. Trust isn't built that quickly.
Well Charlie, what do you suggest we do to sell our managed services? Stop the cold calling and put those people to work setting up an event. For example, you can earn trust by educating your prospects on a topic that you understand well. Start with some issue that is tangentially related to a service you provide. Hosting an event like that (where you are educating your guests) will impart to your prospects that you know what you are talking about. You will be perceived as an expert on that issue. Who knows, next time they experience that issue they might call you!
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