Combining traditional and new channels to pump-up your sales success
A three part blog series that reveals the sales tactics N-able’s top tier partners are using to sell more. Part one focuses on cold calling (yep, it still works folks). Part two is on how to integrate social media. Part three is all about lead-gen.   
Here are the top two questions N-able get from our webinar and roadshow participants for MSPs:

• “How do I sell my managed services to new customers?”
• “How do I get more business from my existing customers?”

It’s not surprising. New, big one-stop-players like Microsoft and Google have entered the managed services space.  And we’re seeing more non-traditional providers offering managed services. Nowadays you’re as likely to rub shoulders with photocopier companies like Ricoh and Canon as you are traditional, pure play MSPs. 
As a result, SMB customers have started to see options and commoditization is inevitable. What can you do to sell more, go deeper into your client base, and differentiate your managed service business in this new competitive landscape?
Any successful MSP sales strategy worth its salt has specific tactics spelt out for cold calling, social media, and lead-gen – which of course can include social media.
 Cold calling – tried tested and true
Mention cold calling and many people have a knee jerk reaction. It doesn’t work.  Nobody responds to cold calling. It’s too intrusive.  Those are myths or excuses.
Believe it or not many SMB prospects actually prefer getting a ‘cold call’ over other tactics like email. Why? Because it’s an incredibly personal approach. They’re immediately talking to a live human being.
What prospects don’t like is a sales pitch or someone trying to sell something that’s completely irrelevant. That’s not you.
By the way, nobody likes to be sold anything. But everyone wants to know about value. And if that value meshes with their needs, they’ll convince themselves.
I don’t want to dwell on the pros and cons of cold calling here. What I will say is this: at N-able we recommend cold calling as a key plank in your sales approach for one simple reason. Cold calling works – when it’s done right.
You must take a structured approach
‘Structure’ simply means planning your approach for different industry verticals that you are targeting. Lawyers, doctors, financial service providers – all have slightly different priorities or challenges that you will need to address.
Cold calling should also be written and controlled by the sales department or someone who is building a sales program. That could be a Sales VP or Sales Director, or Sales Manager. Assigning responsibility helps to ensure cold calling tactics are aligned with the programs you are offering.
Five steps to a successful cold calling program
To bring maximum structure and rigor to their cold calling, we recommend our partners segment their cold calling into five discrete steps:  

• First you prepare your lists and messaging for each industry vertical and/or type of customer.
• Introduce your company and value proposition – the benefit that will have the highest appeal recognizing a prospect may not be looking to change.
• Ask open-ended questions – being sure to avoid “yes” or “no” answers. The goal is to engage your prospect and get them talking about their need so you can fine tune your approach.
• You listen and interpret what the customer is saying – and paraphrase to confirm to your customer that you understand what they are telling you.
• Inform and educate the customer about the value you are offering as a managed service provider – leveraging the insight gained from asking open ended questions and the value.

That’s how we structure a cold call. The goal is to set up an appointment to meet the end user and be able to present in more detail the services you offer.
Taking a structured approach increases your chances of success simply because you are prepared, you have thought about your approach, and you make the call as relevant as possible.
In part 2, we’ll do a deep dive into social media and how top MSP are integrating this into their sales program.
written by Tan Ansari, Inside Sales Manager
 
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