How much time have you spent surfing the Internet to find the latest and greatest information to resell Microsoft 365? Probably more hours than you care to count. It’s a tough market and MSPs like you have to work hard to stand out from the competition. Here’s where a bundle strategy can help increase your sales, profit margins and competitive edge.
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Before we go into the 5 important steps for building your managed services bundle, keep these client selling points in mind:
Value
Customers have more than one IT need. When you combine multiple products and services within a bundle, they get a comprehensive solution that produces greater results as a whole than as individual parts.
One-stop Shopping
Here’s a great way to look larger in the eyes of your clients and prospects. Your bundle is your gateway to becoming a one-stop shop for all your clients’ business needs, including security and backup. You should even add an e-learning solution that will help increase their adoption of Microsoft 365, allowing them to see a bigger return on their investment.
Over time, you can update your bundle to better meet their needs and branch out into other solutions, such as Dynamics 365, Azure and Cloud PBX.
Expertise
The solutions you choose to include in your bundle will reflect your expertise. This is where your value can truly shine. The more value you show, the more your clients will invest in you.
Relationship Building
What drives client loyalty and stronger relationships? A bundle can be the cornerstone of a long-term commitment. When your clients have the advantage of accessing your various services for different areas of their business, they’re more likely to stick with you.
How to Create Your Managed Services Bundle
Now, let’s get to those steps!
Step 1: Know Your Clients’ Pain Points
A big part of your work goes toward understanding their specific needs. What problems are they trying to solve? What challenges are they facing? How can your services help?
Listen to their pain points carefully so you can convert them into opportunity. You’d be surprised at what you’ll learn, either in conversations or email exchanges.
Once you understand their challenges and goals, start thinking of a new product or service that can address these problems.
Here’s a cross-selling scenario:
Challenge:
Your client tells you that his employees are frustrated with Microsoft 365 and it’s setting them back. They’re finding that the tools they need to do their work are complicated and inefficient.
Opportunity:
Here’s your chance to pitch a solution that will address his productivity issue. You can talk to him about an easy e-learning training software like QuickHelp. It’s engaging, interactive and will teach his employees how to work better with the tools they use every day, plus save time.
Remember to emphasize the product’s benefits and how it will improve their entire organization.
Step 2: Build Your Bundle
Before you piece together your managed services bundle, you first need to know exactly what you can bring to the table. Not sure where to start?
Start with what you know and what you’re good at. For example, if you’re more knowledgeable in providing managed security, make it a big part of your Office 365 bundle pitch. Once you get your customers on board, you can add another solution and service later, such as managed training for Office 365.
Step 3: Market Your Bundle
Marketing not your strong suit? We understand. Many MSPs have let their marketing fall to the bottom of their list of their most urgent tasks. If you want to sell your bundle effectively, here’s a tip.
“It’s about educating, not selling. What’s the difference? The difference is in the way you have that conversation. Use education versus sales tactics.”
–Marie Weiss, President and Founder of Marketing CoPilot Inc.
Think for a moment about what business owners fear. Security, productivity, business continuity are probably high on their list. So, what is it that makes them act on their fear and come to a decision? The answer is a complete solution that helps to overcome that fear: Your bundle.
Talk about the potential consequences of security breaches, loss of productivity and expensive downtime. They need to know that different problems require different solutions. Then, show them what your bundle has to offer to overcome their fears and challenges.
Step 4: Add Your Services
Combining your services with your solution bundle is the cherry on top.
When you’re pitching your bundle, remember to sell the value of your managed services. For example, you can provide your customers with a list of proactive measures that come with your Microsoft 365 bundle, such as software deployment and configuration, security consultation, monitoring and reporting – the list can go on!
You’ll also want to make sure that you’re able to give them good customer service. Make this part of your strategy by showing them that you’re committed to doing what it takes to ensure their success. If you feel like you can’t meet this expectation or need help, join forces with a trusted cloud provider like Sherweb and leverage their 24/7 support.
Step 5: Show Your Value
Truth is, if your clients feel like they’re not getting what they need from you, they’ll probably switch to your competitor. That’s why it’s important to demonstrate your value any way you can.
“A study shows that high-growth MSPs communicate and show the full value of their services to their clients.”
Source: Kaseya: 2017 Global MSP Pricing Survey
What more can you possibly add to your offering that can make them stick with you? Think about how you can truly highlight your expertise and skills with your solution bundle. The more value you show, the more your clients will invest in you.
Here are just some things you can do:
- Offer security, backup and disaster recovery consultation
- Monitor, report and alert on the performance and health of their systems, network and activities
- Create regular touchpoints through their lifecycle about their security activities, throughout their onboarding process, etc.
- Offer technical support, migration and data seeding
- Help implement a learning culture with an Office 365 e-learning tutorial program
- Monthly or quarterly reports highlighting what you accomplished, and the problems you fixed and prevented
Upsell!
Once you’ve established a relationship with your clients, it’s easier to suggest new products or an upgrade. Check in with them from time to time to find opportunities to upsell and cross-sell other products and services. It’s a great way to increase revenue and making sure they’re getting the most out of technology.
Sherweb makes Office 365 easy so you can focus on your business
Over to You
Remember, the goal of creating a unique bundle of vital services is to get more clients in the door and meet a variety of their needs for long-term success. It’s all about building a winning bundle that’s tailored to them and communicating the value of your services effectively.
Have what you need to get started? Get more expert tips and tricks on selling Office 365 in our Sales Guide.
