Changing technologies mean necessary changes for managed service providers, said Alex Rogers, CEO of CharTec Inc., speaking to CompTIA’s Managed Service Community on Tuesday afternoon during CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
“Remember the days of clones?” he said to a crowd of about 100. “The biggest challenge you had was matching up the beige floppy drives.”
Managed services has undergone many changes over the years, from the transition to the desktop computer to a move from hardware to software, followed by a value shift to networking and services. And change just keeps marching on. Today, monitoring is old news and backup is something anyone can do, according to Rogers, who believes the new value shift is from services to business productivity.
“When we’re growing our business, we have challenges, so why are our clients any different?” he said. “You’ve got to find the challenges within the business and bring in the necessary technology and automation and processes to take care of it. It’s all the same things you’ve had to do in your own business.”
Using notes from CharTec’s trademarked approach to conversational layering, Rogers coached attendees through specific diagnostic questions and how to get buy-in from potential clients. Whether it’s the CEO, CFO, COO, office or sales manager, everyone wants to buy your solution for their own selfish reasons. “Consider it,” Rogers said. “How does your solution affect their jobs and make it easier for you to want to buy it?”
Become The Trusted Adviser
A lot of sales people just aren’t doing it right, Rogers said, pulling up some numbers. About 82 percent of sellers fail to differentiate themselves from customers, while 86 percent ask the wrong questions. A whopping 95 percent talk too much and listen too little, and 62 percent fail to ask for a commitment.
“If your client talked to 10 guys, he’s already very much jaded,” Rogers said. “You walk into every sales meeting with zero credibility. Less than zero. So how do you bring credibility to what you’re selling?” To build credibility, ask diagnostic questions, discover the needs of the client and then qualify the solutions so you can deliver a quality value proposition.
Becoming a trusted adviser means first getting your foot in the door. Offer an attractive option, like sending over a senior technician at a one-time discount to fix a pressing need — in exchange for a few hours of time to discuss the company’s overall IT issues, which gives you time to diagnose what they actually need. “That’s when they share their concerns and you can kill out alternative competitors and get in the door,” Rogers said. “Then you can throw out a net. ‘Hey, what are the IT issues that are keeping you up at night?’”
Discovery Is All About The Client
Discovery — when you’re finding out what the client needs and if you’re the one who can actually help — is not the time to talk about your services or brag about why your company is better. “This is not your time,” he said. “How warm and fuzzy would you feel if you knew something was wrong with your body and your doctor just talked about his school and his car and how long he’s been practicing?”
Once you think you’ve got a solution, make sure you can answer all of these questions before you offer it: Is there a need for this? Will my solution solve this problem? Does the value justify the cost? What have I uncovered during the discover process to make them want to move now? And am I going to present to decision makers?
“Before you present that price, go down those prerequisites and see if you’ve met them,” Rogers said.
Closing Throughout
Like in Glengarry Glen Ross closing is important, but in Rogers’s method, closing happens every step of the way. After your first interaction with a client, set up the first appointment. During that appointment, set up a chance for discovery. Once you’ve got some ideas, get a guarantee on when you can present your solution, and that you’ll be talking to a decision-maker. Get clients to commit, or end up in the proverbial friend zone. “Suddenly, you’re wasting all your time calling people who have no intentions of buying,” Rogers said.
His other tips: Record calls to keep the flow going and have a record of your discoveries, and use urgency as a tool. Consider which scenario is more pressing. Your doctor says, “You’re a little heavy, and that could be a challenge later on in life,” or, “These are the tests I’ve run, here’s what I’ve found: You’ve got six months to live and you need to lift weights and do some cardio.” Give clients a reason to commit.
The key to successful selling, he said, is to identify your clients’ problems, kill out any alternative solutions they might bring up, and then offer your solution. As the industry changes, sales techniques must follow suit.
Michelle Peterson is a communications specialist for CompTIA.
