Closing managed services deals is really hard! Prospects are talking to you, to other MSPs, in some cases with internal IT, and the biggest competitor of all, the voice in their head who hates the idea of switching!
Therefore, closing hinges on an MSP's ability to educate prospects on the added value of changing!
Unfortunately, the value gap is very hard for MSPs to articulate. But here's the good news: Mark Woldman has a great framework that not only shows MSPs how to sell our value better, but also on how to actually deliver on that promise at scale.
One of my favorite quotes from the interview:
"Now I'm not in the change managed services provider gap, which is skinny, I'm in the business improvement gap, that's big."
-Mark Woldman
0:00 - 4:03 Who is Mark Woldman?
5:55 - 7:54 Be familiar with the typical challenges faced by your prospect
7:55 - 9:08 Bring value by showing them how 90% of their peers solve the problem
9:09 - 11:36 Managed Services = low value today vs Business Improvement = high value today
11:37 - 13:18 Using first conversation to find business value gaps, not IT gaps
13:19 - 14:41 Why does starting with business initiative challenges make sense? "Now I'm not in the change managed services provider gap, which is skinny, I'm in the business improvement gap, that's big."
14:42 - 18:38 MSPs must change to thrive or stay put and struggle
18:39 - 20:12 How to learn about any industry
20:13 - 21:32 If an MSP doesn't specialize, how do overcome that lack of expertise?
21:33 - 27:43 Example of meeting between MSP and Accounting Firm
27:44 - Reinventing ourselves from IT experts to Business Improvement Experts
30:20 - 31:14 Digital Transformation Journey
31:15 You need to have a process to deliver on the journey in order to win
32:05 - 35:06 Tips for having the right conversation with a prospect
35:43 - Signs you had a bad meeting
37:05 - What is Digital Maturity Group?
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