What Not To Sell: Three Rules Of Engagement For MSPs

By Stacy West, VP of marketing, SolarWinds MSP

When IT service providers become MSPs, the transition isn’t always easy. It requires a fundamental change in the way business is done. What you sell—and what you shouldn’t sell—needs to be clearly considered if success is part of your plan. When it comes to sales, here are three essential rules of engagement for every MSP:

1. Don’t sell on product:  The biggest change today’s MSPs need to adapt to is the mindset of their customers. These clients are no longer focused on buying products and services. Instead, they want business outcomes. Their goal is to solve a business challenge rather than purchase a piece of equipment or a cloud offering. As you engage with your customers, make sure your conversations are built around how you can help them invest in technology and services that will enable them to achieve the outcomes they desire. Ask them about their goals, their ability to meet the demands of the business, and what keeps them awake at night. From there, help them map out a technology strategy based on getting them where they want to be, both short term and long term. And don’t forget, you’re no longer only selling to the CIO or IT leaders. Line-of-business managers have their own set of goals and requirements, and you won’t be covering all the bases unless you have productive conversations with them as well.