Robin Robin’s Managed IT Services Sales Training

I want to take a moment to recognize a very dangerous “fantasy” shared by many of the small IT business owners I work with. Consequently, this is a fantasy shared by many small business owners and NOT just IT companies, but I find it more rampant in this industry because most IT business owners have “technician” mindsets. Plus, they are handicapped not only by a lack of sales and marketing skills – they have a deep distain for it, and believe it is confusing, difficult and degrading work that is a necessary evil of running a business.

Therefore, they have a fantasy that there is some marketing or sales wizard out there available for hire that will ride in on a white horse and “save” them from this painful responsibility of marketing and selling - someone who will “do it all” for them and not explain what they are doing or why they are doing it…just bring in the clients so they (the business owner) can sit quietly behind their desk servicing customers and managing the day to day operations of the business.

This is pure fantasy and if you think this way, you will never be able to build a highly successful, fast-growth organization. That’s an employee mentality. If you think that way, you ought to go and get a job working for someone else who will own that responsibility and (rightfully) take the lion’s share of the profits while you fritter away your time fulfilling on the orders they’ve generated.

Sorry to be the cold, harsh slap of reality, but as a business owner, YOUR #1 role and responsibility is to make sure that business makes a profit. Obviously a HUGE part of making that happen your ability to market and promote your business so you attract and sell highly-profitable clients. Without that ability, all you are is another technician scrambling over whatever referral or lucky break comes your way – a perfect recipe for being broke.

Now let me be clear on one thing; I’m not suggesting that you never hire sales or marketing people to help you with the execution of your marketing strategy, and I’m certainly not suggesting that you never hire  consultant or agency to ‘short cut’ your path to success. I’m 100% for all of this. What I’m talking about specifically is completely delegating the responsibility. Here’s a mantra I repeat over and over again to clients:

“Master the strategy, delegate the execution.”

The problem is most don’t want to figure out the strategy which includes determining the markets you are targeting, the core message you want to communicate, your competitive position in the marketplace (USP), the price points, guarantees, and most important, the processes and systems you need to put in place for consistently generating a quality lead, following up on it and closing the sale.

And how can you possibly know if an employee, marketing consultant or agency is doing a good job UNLESS you have some type of foundation by which you can judge them? This is why so many ad agencies stay in business; they are playing to the ignorance, ego and laziness of the owner. They design beautiful looking brochures and flyers that make the business owner feel proud about the “image” of their business, but bring in ZERO clients, sales or profits. Agencies can ride that for a LONG time before an owner finally wakes up and seeks out another ‘wizard’ who will sing the siren song of taking all the responsibility of marketing off their shoulders, where the same process is repeated.

This sets up a cycle of hopping from one guru and ad agency to the next, writing checks all along the way and getting nowhere fast.

A friend of mine, Richard Rossi, President of EMI (a 20 million plus organization) has a great saying about marketing. He says, “I don’t need to know how to write a great marketing campaign, but I DO have to know the fundamentals of what it takes to create one so I can determine the difference between a good one and a bad one.” While he is delegating some of strategy to his staff, he is 1,000% involved in monitoring and overseeing everything that goes on.

And finally, I believe this desire to completely delegate the responsibility of acquiring clients (marketing) is grounded in an emotional dislike or hang up about asking people to give you money, whether that’s in a one-on-one sales situation or marketing communication; and if you aren’t confident enough to directly ask someone to give you money in exchange for the goods and services you sell, then you simply don’t have what it takes to be truly successful in business.

For a free CD that outlines the 9 steps involved in successfully implementing a marketing plan for your IT business, go to: www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com

Here's a HOT little marketing tip for all my serious students of managed services marketing…if you want to generate double digit response rates,  start using video sales letters. What's a 'video' sales letter you say? Read on…

First off, it's nothing really new but it is something I'm seeing more and more marketers employ very successfully. In addition to (or instead of) writing out a sales letter for your product or service, use a short e-mail or letter to drive prospects to a web site where you do a video "pitch" of your offer. An example of one of my campaigns is posted here: http://www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com/mastermind.php

So far, this video sales letter (along with direct mail and e-mail) has generated over $107,000 in sales, and we've only just launched it. Another example of this can be found on my friend Joe Polish's web site for his upcoming boot camp: http://www.richcleaner.com/conference In this case, he's using a GREAT client testimonial right at the top (the next time you're at a client's office, whip out your FlipVideo and capture their testimonial on tape talking about how wonderful your managed services program is and how it's saved their butt).

Even my Franklin neighbor Dave Ramsey is getting in on the action: http://www.townhallforhope.com

In most cases, I think it makes sense to have the video as PART of the web site with more sales copy to support your offer; that way visitors have the option to read or watch. So what do you need to get started? Simply a FlipVideo and a YouTube account!

The video I created was very 'homemade' on purpose…this went to my existing computer consulting clients so I didn't need it to be all polished up. If you are sending this to prospects, you might want to film it a finished office with a logo shirt on or a suit. But don't get too hung up on how "professional" it is. People want to do business with REAL people and a video that is filmed staring "Ken and Barbie" actors looks plastic.

If nothing else, you could test it the next time you send out a sales letter to promote your managed IT services offering to explain how you work with clients, what makes you different and why they should trust you. Or you could do a video for your home page talking about your guarantee.

I haven't seen any managed service providers using this method which is great news…it's always best to be first to market with an idea before your competition catches on. If you decide to shoot and post a video sales letter, let me know!

Okay, we’ve done a lot of things around here to make a sale, but this one was actually not our idea! Let me explain…

Every Monday we have a mandatory staff meeting at 1:00 p.m. in my office. This Monday was no different; Jenny was pulling her hair out trying to get a ton of last minute details tied down, Dawn was talking about all the new Producers Members coming onboard, Nicole was organizing us all for training on our shopping cart, Ella was talking about all the new sales she was making and I was hamming down a l-o-n-g list of “to-dos” we all needed to get done. Nothing unusual here…EXCEPT when we all walked out of my office at 2:07 p.m. we suddenly discovered a HUGE pool of water pouring in from the back of the office!

Turns out the refrigerator filter clogged up and flooded the entire back office including the kitchen, Nicole’s office, the two bathrooms, part of the training room AND a storage closet where we keep many of our products (see the pictures attached). My guess is that it had been flooding for the entire hour we were all in my office so there was at least 1 inch of water on the floor and spreading fast.

We shut off the water at the source ASAP and all of us grabbed brooms and mops to push the water away from the storage area (and Nicole’s PC) and out the back door but that didn’t prevent two boxes full of 36-Month Millionaire products from getting soaked (those are the two boxes in the picture sitting on the floor). I was absolutely aggravated…after all, we JUST moved in about one month ago and those products aren’t cheap! But Ella being Little Miss Positive gave me a big grin, put her hand on my shoulder and said, “Hey – at least we can do a flood sale now!”

I have to admit, I thought the idea was a good way to make lemonade out of lemons…so here’s the deal…

We have two boxes of 36-Month Millionaire programs that have a SLIGHT bit of water damage (8 total) that cannot be sold as “new” kits. Everything is intact and the CDs work just fine, but the paper is a little bit warped where it was sitting in water. If you want one of these products, we’re practically giving them away at a 40% discount off list. If you want to grab one, here’s what you need to do:

1.       Go to the 36-Month Millionaire web site to learn all about this program and how it can help your managed services business be more profitable: http://www.36monthmillionaire.com/main.php

2.       Click on the “Enroll Now” button and choose the “Pay In Full” option or the 40% will only come off the first payment.

3.       Use the coupon code “flood01” (without the quotes) and you’ll instantly save $1,300!

Important! If the coupon code is not working, that means we have sold out of all 8 programs. If you think there’s another error, contact us at 615-790-5011.

Keep in mind that you’ll also gain instant online access to all the sessions, templates, workbooks and systems in the 36 Month Millionaire program, so you can be using them within minutes of enrolling! But you have to hurry….this is a ONE-TIME discount and once these 8 are gone, they’re gone. Sorry, no exceptions!

To a standing ovation, Randy Hall, President of Worldlan Technology, LLC accepted the keys to his new Jaguar car and was declared Spokesperson and winner of the “Better Your Best” competition by Robin Robins, President of Technology Marketing Toolkit, Inc. for achieving exceptional growth in sales and profits at the 2009 Marketing & Money Making Boot Camp, held April 2 - 4 in Nashville, Tennessee for IT business owners: http://www.robinsbigseminar.com

A distinguished gathering of the of 350+ of the country’s top experts in the IT industry met at this event to share best practices and recession-proof marketing strategies for their technology businesses. The event featured the members of Robin Robins’ Genius League Coaching Program competing for Spokesperson Position and the new car with show-and-tell marketing strategies they've used to achieve an average increase of 209% in profits, 50.6% increase in recurring revenue and 45.2% increase in new clients.

“I can’t say that I’m a natural salesperson or a smarter than my peers. I certainly don’t live in a booming area and we have seen the negative impact this down economy has had on businesses. But the one advantage I have is a marketing system that works,” stated a proud Randy Hall.  “I also have a strong determination to succeed, to help others as I do so, and to be an honest, caring person, employer, father and husband. And when you have those fundamentals, you can do anything.”

“I’ve challenged my members to rise above the recession and do whatever it takes to make 2009 their most profitable year ever and I have put my new Jaguar on the line to inspire their action,” Robin Robins says.  “Choosing the winner was a very difficult decision because all of the contestants had tremendous growth and success over the last year. They are all winners.”

I just finished up a coaching call with a managed services client of mine (and Producers Club Member) who shared with me the same tale of woe I'm hearing from many MSPs: their clients are calling to find out if they can reduce their managed services contracts or get out of them all together. Why? Because they are reducing staff, closing their doors or simply looking for ways to cut costs. In some cases, I've heard that MSPs are seeing a solid 30% to 70% reduction in contracts, almost overnight. Not good…

HOWEVER, this client (and a few other MSP clients of mine) have identified a NEW and lucrative opportunity that is selling right now: cloud computing

This particular client of mine said that he recently started offering cloud computing to his clients and instantly had three enthusiastically jump on the opportunity. One client, a business consulting firm, commented that they were going to tell all of their clients about it too since it was such a tremendous way to save money.

Another client of mine and Genius League Member, David Bennett, Connections for Business is finding the same thing. Not only is cloud computing selling right now, but it is helping him differentiate his company in the marketplace since so few managed services providers are offering it.

What are the hot buttons that are getting clients to buy? I'm being told it's these three:

1. Saving money

2. The ability to access their network remotely (remote workplace)

3. The business continuity and backup

Clearly now more than ever your marketing message has to portray how you are going to help your clients save money and survive this tough economy. Personally, I think cloud computing is one critical way to do this. While you can certainly make a case for how managed services will save a company money, the argument is FAR stronger (and more tangible) with cloud computing.

If you are an MSP, are you getting clients cutting back and cancelling contracts? If so, what are you doing to fill the difference, and is cloud computing one of the ways you are doing this? Please post your comments below…

The other day I received my VERY FIRST piece of direct mail from a company trying to sell me managed services. I gotta tell ya, it was a little tear-jerker of a moment. Why? Amazingly, even though I've been in business for over 5 years and spent close to $20,000 last year on various IT support services, I have never received ANY type of promotion from ANY managed services company in this area. What makes it worse is that I know there are at least 30 to 40 MSPs withing driving distance of my office.

Not a flyer, postcard, cold call...I mean NOTHING...until now.

But I was a little disappointed about WHO the letter came from. It was AT&T (my phone company) offering their "Total Tech Solution," which is their version of managed services. The plan includes:

- My own virtual US-based IT support help desk that is open 24-7-365

- Automatic security updates

- A pop-up catcher

- Anti-spam software

- An Internet security suite including anti-virus, anti-spyware and a firewall

All for...drumroll please...

$63.90 per month.

And if I sign up now, I'll get a $100 credit on my phone bill PLUS a $25 VISA rewards card.

So my question is this...if AT&T (or any other telecom provider for that matter) started offering managed services to small businesses in YOUR town, is that a threat to your business? If yes, what can you do to overcome it? If no, why not?

My view on it is this...

You are safe UNLESS they figure out how to get the marketing right. Naturally they also have to figure out how to deliver a great service, but keep in mind that they have a lot of money backing them, and they have a HUGE customer base to pull from...something that should not be overlooked, espeically right now when people are looking for ways to save money and cut back.

This - and many other topics regarding recession-proofing your IT business - are going to be discussed at the upcoming Marketing and Money-Making Boot Camp in Nashville, April 2nd - 4th. Don't miss it: http://www.robinsbigseminar.com

In a moment, I’m going to tell you how to get your hands on one of the most powerful and mind-blowing interviews I’ve ever done on the topic of what it takes to achieve any goal or outcome you want – and if you are an IT business owner that can’t seem to figure out how to discipline yourself to get a marketing plan in place, you are going to eat up this interview.

But first, let me give you a little background on how this came about…

As a marketing coach, one of the toughest challenges I have to overcome with my clients is getting them to actually implement the plans and strategies I give them. This is a big problem for me because if a client doesn’t execute, they aren’t going to get the results they want…and if the don’t get the results they want, it doesn’t matter how brilliant my marketing systems are. There about as valuable as lottery ticket you don't cash in; lots of potential but worth nothing if not acted on.

No results = an unhappy client.

Of course, this makes no sense if you think about it: WHY would someone struggling financially NOT take action? WHY would someone pay me good money, and then shelf the solution to one of their biggest problems. They KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that if they follow my plans and systems, they will work. They’ll make more money, secure better clients, bigger profit margins and never have to worry about whether or not they are going to be able to make payroll or pay the rent.

With so much UPSIDE, why is it SO difficult for IT business owners to take action on marketing their business?

Because the truth is, they HATE the idea of marketing. Think about it yourself…if you are an IT business owner, chances are you think marketing is about as much fun as an IRS audit.

It’s the epitome of the phrase “necessary evil”…you utterly loathe the idea of having to do it, but you know it’s absolutely essential to the success of your business and your personal income. When times are ‘good’ you can sigh a bit of relief and ignore the fact that you don’t have a clue about how to drive in new sales; but inevitably, it comes back around to bite you and the frustration and anxiety of financial troubles forces you to (once again) get serious about improving this critical area of your business.

So it begs the question, WHY is it so difficult for small IT business owners to implement a marketing plan for their business? With all the information available on how to do it, you can’t blame ignorance – after all, there are plenty of resources available to teach you how to successfully implement a marketing system for your business. My Toolkit is just one. That eliminates that excuse…

You can’t blame ‘lack of time’ because that’s the oldest excuse in the book. Time is the greatest equalizer – we all get the same amount every day. Plus, there are many great examples of IT business owners who ARE growing and marketing their business very successfully. And if you hold on to that excuse – that you never have the TIME to work on plans to make your business more lucrative, profitable and stable – what hope do you have? No plan will work because you don’t have the time (hopefully you can see what a limiting and destructive belief that is).

So again, WHY is it so difficult for you to execute a great marketing plan?

I believe that UNTIL you figure out the answer to that question…until you get to the true ROOT of the problem, you’ll continue to be frustrated and stalled, floundering, flopping and struggling, making little or no progress.

BUT, I believe I have the answer.

A few days ago I interviewed Alan Deutschman, author of the book, “Change Or Die”  as a teaser to wet the appetites of my clients attending my upcoming 2009 Marketing Boot Camp in Nashville, TN (Alan is going to be one of the key speakers at that event).

Without a doubt, this was one of the most powerful interviews I’ve ever done. During this call, Alan and I get to the REAL reason why you are struggling to make progress on your marketing plan – and I promise you the strategies revealed on this call are NOT ones you’ve ever heard before.

Not only did Alan dispel old myths about goal setting and change, but he revealed the 3 critical keys to changing any bad habit (and yes, NOT marketing IS a bad habit…you are in the habit of NOT doing it.).

But these strategies don’t just apply to marketing; they apply to ANY habit, action or result that you seem stuck on that you are finding difficult – if not impossible – to break through.

This interview was so incredible that I decided to make the recording available to all of my clients, friends and subscribers; and if you are struggling to change anything in your life, then I urge you to drop everything and listen to this unbelievably insightful and life-changing interview.

To download it, go to: www.robinsbigseminar.com and opt in on the page.

On the VERY NEXT PAGE, you’ll see a section that says, “Free Stuff.” Click on that section of the site and you can download a copy instantly. No cost, no catches, no problem.

Below is a link to a video clip of a client of mine, Pam Viveiros of Think Tech, being interviewed on TV by Eyewitness News 3. Pam's company primarily sells managed IT services, but she also sells managed backup services. On this interview, she did SEVERAL things right; and if you are a managed services provider, computer consultant, etc., you should watch this video.

One really IMPORTANT tip for you to note is this: If you ever get the chance to be interviewed by the press - whether it's on TV, radio or in the newspapers - make sure you give your web site as the name of your company, NOT the name of your company. Pam's company is Think Tech Inc., but you'll notice she's giving the URL www.BackupNewEngland.com as her company. Very smart. Here's another important tip: keep what you do simple and to the point. Although Pam sells managed services, remote backup, consulting services, spam filtering, anti-virus, etc., etc., she kept what she does to a tight and concise statement. Watch the video to see how she pulled this off beautifully:

http://www.wfsb.com/video/18604768/index.html

Chin up, MSPs! Even though the economy is in the toilet, companies ARE buying managed services. You just need to be a bit more aggressive AND consistent in marketing yourself. Check out this video from one IT consultant who's managed services sales are up 92% and overall IT sales by 34%.  The secret to their success? Watch the video to find out: