Time and personnel limitations frequently dictate a company’s priorities. That creates a challenge for any solution provider attempting to grow a successful IT services organization. Those shortages not only impede a company’s operations and make it more difficult to focus on their customers’ needs, but they also hinder the strategies and goals outlined in their long-term business plan.
With IT channel organizations, that struggle is repeated all too often, which may help explain why the marketing effort often takes a back seat to sales operations. After all, a common goal of any for-profit company should be acquisition: securing new clients and additional contracts from existing customers on a continual basis. If they can keep expenses in check while expanding their revenue base, the business is more likely to build cash reserves. While sales may be a critical part of that equation, and one that can’t be ignored when time and manpower are in short supply, a solid marketing effort can be even more essential to a solution provider’s long-term success.
If, taking a line from Glengarry Glen Ross, “coffee is for closers,” a solid lead generation and promotions team should be treated to espresso. Without a proactive marketing effort, few organizations would ever be able to effectively identify the best candidates for their products and services and generate greater awareness of those offerings with the same prospective audience. Those activities begin to pave a path that the sales team can eventually follow to seal a deal. When managed properly, these complementary departments or programs can focus their time and resources most efficiently to accomplish the same goals: attracting and retaining customers and increasing revenue from current clients.
As most solution providers acknowledge, they often start out their companies with more IT skills than business acumen. That’s not a knock on their entrepreneurial ambition, but it is a commonly recognized detail that successful VARs and MSPs work hard to overcome. Many spend years building specialized practices and a fairly stable group of clients before developing some of the programs many other new businesses start out with. Their time and energy is primarily focused on the client and prospective customer discussions, while the remainder of their attention goes into the technology portfolio and operations. Sales always remains a top concern, but marketing may be more of an afterthought to solution providers, who tend to overlook the role it can play in the growth of their organization. Some simply don’t understand that an effective marketing program has the potential to improve the efficiency and the overall success of their sales team, serving these two critical functions:
- Awareness: Promotional campaigns and other outreach activities (public relations, newsletters, blogs, etc.) tell prospective clients more about the company, its customers and the products and services it provides.
- Lead generation/qualifying: These programs are designed to gather detailed information from the company’s target audience. The team compiles this data and identifies the best prospects for the sales team to engage with.
When providers put little or no effort into marketing, it negatively impacts their ability to drive demand and ensure that their sales teams are involved in the right discussions with the right people. According to a recent UBM Tech Channel Market Research report, that situation is quite common in the IT channel; almost two out of three (63 percent) solution provider businesses have no marketing professional on their payroll. If not using a contractor or relying on vendor or distribution partner services, how are they generating the quality leads and building the organizational awareness needed to successfully grow their business?
A basic marketing plan doesn’t require a significant investment in personnel or other resources, and solution providers can find related best practices and promotional strategies in a number of CompTIA educational programs. Those opportunities include market and practice-specific channel training sessions and the workshops that help VARs and MSPs prepare for the organization’s industry respected Trustmark business credentials. These programs not only help providers improve their knowledge and skills in business fundamentals, but the certificates and acknowledgements they receive upon completion can be used in outbound marketing. A campaign that promotes a company’s continued commitment to excellence is a great way to start—nurturing the interest of key prospects and beginning a conversation that may eventually be handed off to a well-prepared sales team. That’s just one reason marketing should be a valued part of every solution provider business plan, co-piloting the strategy to grow sales and improve customer satisfaction.
Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and senior director of industry alliances with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@techsuccesscommunications.com.
