Managed Service Providers ultimately have the same goal – growing business and providing clients with the best IT solutions. However, in the plight of winning business, some fundamentals are often overlooked and the MSP is either left with unhappy clients or lost business. Below are five mistakes MSPs should avoid.
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Assuming that all customers/organizations are familiar with all the facets of cloud. MSPs often think and rely on their clients to know their technical needs, however, the reality is that customers don’t have a complete understanding of the complexities and various solutions of backup systems. Potential clients need help understanding the benefits, risks, and costs associated with cloud models. Work with your potential clients to develop (or enhance) a data recovery strategy that will back up and protect their business data, ensuring their business critical data is safe and can be recovered.
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Over-promising, yet under delivering. In some circumstances, Service Providers don’t like to admit that they don’t offer certain services/solutions…they fear that this honesty will hinder them from acquiring new business. When you over promise, you’re actually spending more time trying to learn on the job while trying to deliver; which in fact hinders your business as you’re selling your clients short. Be clear on the services you provide, don’t make false promises and be upfront at all times with your client.
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Selling products, not a service. As an MSP, not only do you sell technology, you should strive to also sell your expertise, reliability and services. Most organizations are not extremely tech savvy, and they rely on you to provide sound advice and monitor systems to ensure everything is working up to the contractual expectations. By checking in sporadically (not only during the onboarding process but throughout the duration of the contract), you have a pulse on your clients’ needs and are able to fix any issues when and if they were to arise.
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Little to no content on website to describe products/services. Most consumers (if not all) are informed buyers, they are doing their due diligence in their research before making a purchasing decision. Therefore, having strong content about your services helps people find you, and also demonstrates that you have the technical wherewithal to deal with IT issues. By having information on the services provided and general industry information, you have forged a relationship of trust with your prospective clients…they begin to trust you and are much more likely to engage with your company and seek your expertise for their business.
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Not having a thorough understanding of what your clients really want. Assuming that one solution will suit the needs of all your clients or not selecting the right/suitable service package for your clients’ business needs will hurt your bottom line. Your clients are relying on your expertise to provide them with guidance as well as a sound solution that most adequately suits the needs of their business. By not providing the clear definitions of the scope of your offerings, you’re really undermining the success of your own relationship with your potential client.
By steering clear of these mistakes, new and veteran MSPs can significantly boost their success.
