I have found that charging a fixed monthly support fee per device supported and services performed is the easiest way to sell a support agreement.
First, a flat rate makes it easy for the customer to understand and budget for your services. Second, it prevents “scope creep”. Third, it focuses your customer on value instead of price and allows you to basis. It makes it easy for the prospect to shop you on price. My clients have also discovered that quoting a set number of hours per month in a maintenance program causes the customer to question whether or not they need “that” many hours.
Quick Note: Although I recommend packaging your support services into 3 groups, you may need to modify the services included and charge certain clients more than others. The 3 basic packages should include the most common support services you perform on the average client, and MOST clients should fit into one of the three; this will make it easier to sell. However, if a client has an old, patched- together network that requires more support, of if they are a located far away, or if they are a problem client, then charge them more.
On the following page is an example of a simple maintenance program for home users. If you want to learn more about selling maintenance programs, I have an entire audio, workbook, and marketing strategy brief on the Master Mind Page under “Audio Recordings.”
