Most MSPs excel at providing top-notch technical expertise to their customers. They work hard to guide clients through complex technological decisions, assess problem areas, and introduce effective solutions. In turn, they create strong relationships along the way and hope customer satisfaction will lead to new clients. But if you genuinely want to grow your business, you cannot simply rely on word of mouth and referrals; you’ll need to recruit and train a fiery and passionate sales team who relentlessly hunt down new customers for your business.

In stage one of our sales training guide, we’ll focus in on how to onboard and train new sales members once they’ve been hired so they have everything they need to boost your business into the stratosphere.

GIVE THEM THE BASICS

Hopefully, if you’re bringing in an experienced salesperson, they have blown you away with all the requisite charisma and tenacity to be the superstar closer you’re searching for. However, the truth is that if they don’t fully understand the MSP industry, all that talent and persistence will lead them nowhere. So, your first step must be to sit down and make sure your new hire has a detailed understanding of how customers interact with an MSP, what your MSP does differently than others, and how to speak knowledgeably about all the services you offer. Although some core sales principles apply no matter the product, you’ll want to give your new hire all the unique intricacies of the MSP industry so they  

TEACH THEM TO TALK THE TALK

In keeping with this same idea, it’s essential to ensure your sales team knows what they mean when they say you offer “virtualization services.” Though this may seem like simple common sense, many technologically minded MSP leaders will overlook the confusing nature of tech jargon because they are used to talking amongst each other. But new salespeople need to be brought up to speed quickly, so they don’t awkwardly land on their faces when incorporating IT lingo and terminology into their pitches. And don’t be afraid to start with the basics, as many salespeople may be hesitant to admit they don’t understand seemingly common terms and concepts. 

GET THEM A SCRIPT

One way to get off to a running start when incorporating IT terms and MSP knowledge into your sales pitches is to start your team off with some strong scripting. If you’ve previously been pitching your business on your own, you may be able to talk about your services endlessly and effortlessly on cue. But to replicate that comfortability with new hires, you’ll need to give them some written guidance in the form of sales scripts. Make sure to stress that these are only meant to be guides, so experienced salespeople don’t end up parroting you and sacrificing the personality and charisma that got them the job in the first place. 

TEACH THEM TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Along with the proper lingo, you’ll also need to arm your salesforce with all the critical questions you need to be answered, so they aren’t doubling back to retrieve important information they weren’t aware they needed to seek out. Think through what your business needs to know about new potential clients to serve them best. How many employees do they have? Are they currently in a contract with another MSP? Do they already have an internal IT department? Bullet point the essential information you’ll need from each prospective client to strategize and serve them best. Then, incorporate these questions into your script.

The truth is that most MSPs don’t have the bandwidth to tackle the sales process with the attention and energy needed to bring their business to the next level. If you’re struggling with a similar dilemma, perhaps think about getting quality help by partnering with OSR Manage. OSR Manage gives you a team of experienced sales gurus who can provide you with a complete blueprint to attract, train, and develop a stellar team of star salespeople. Contact us now.