Managed services for small businesses
Small business can be a tough target for MSPs. With limited resources and tight budgets, SMBs may be less likely to take a risk on working with a managed services provider. However, many small business owners also have limited IT experience, and outsourcing their managed IT services can be a big benefit for their business venture. It’s up to you as the MSP to work out how to sell IT services to small businesses in a relationship that is mutually beneficial.
These are some sales points to hit if you’re wondering how to sell IT services to small businesses:
- Show them the true cost of downtime. The best SMBs think that adding their invoices together shows them what they spent on IT last year—but they’re wrong. Lost productivity or opportunity is a cost of downtime also.
- Justify the retainer model (versus a break/fix fee). Show them the ROI on the service by explaining how MSPs save both time and money. Highlight how reliant the business is on their computer network by asking a few simple questions. How much did they invest in their computer equipment? Are they in a position where they could make this same investment again should something go wrong? Illustrate that ongoing maintenance can minimize risk and significantly impact their bottom line.
- Data security is improved by MSP support. Small businesses are disproportionately impacted by cybersecurity breaches. Highlight how your MSP can offer localized data storage facilities, multiple redundancies, and high-level encryption to secure their customer data.
- MSPs bring trusted industry expertise. You must gain trust both by showcasing your expertise and staying honest. One of the biggest benefits of working with an MSP is the industry expertise and knowledge they bring to the table. Use case studies or testimonials from your previous work to illustrate the positive impact your service has had on other customers’ systems. Use those reviews to emphasize your reliability, too—no one will give you the keys to their network if they don’t trust you.
Questions to ask when selling managed services
Selling managed services to businesses starts with building a relationship. As with any conversation, asking the right questions can put you on track for a fruitful relationship that leads to a long-term sale. Ask these questions to boost your sales strategy:
- What are your current cybersecurity concerns?
- How have network downtimes impacted your bottom line?
- What are some IT concerns that are keeping you up at night?
- How much did you spend on network or IT equipment repair over the last year?
These open-ended questions can help you unlock some powerful insights and start the conversation off with your potential new customer.
Interested in more sales strategies for reaching more customers and pitching your managed services? Explore our MSP Institute or contact our Sales Team for other strategies you can use to grow your business.