How would you like to close more managed services contracts WITHOUT slimy sales tactics or “needy” follow-up? To end to price resistance or an unwillingness to sign a longer-term managed IT services agreement? To close a higher percentage of MSP contracts without discounting?
Then here’s an extremely simple (yet powerful) strategy to get more clients to sign on the dotted line: STOP emailing your managed services contracts and proposals to the prospect before your meeting!
Why Emailing MSP Contracts In Advance Hurts You
Most MSPs require two to three meetings on average to close a managed services contract. The first meeting is usually for discovery and to discuss client needs. From there, you conduct an audit of the network to collect data and the information necessary to prepare a proposal to remediate that client’s IT environment. In the second meeting, you present a proposal, and sometimes a third meeting is needed to close the contract.
HOWEVER, the BIG mistake so many MSPs make is emailing the proposal to the client before the meeting and/or sending the contract before the client is even sold.
When that happens, the prospect opens the contract, ignores everything you’ve so carefully planned and looks right at the price. From there, they either go dark (stop responding) or compare your contract to the three or four other managed services providers who are also bidding for their business based on the bottom-line price instead of on quality and value. NOT good!
The Right Way To Deliver Your Managed Services Contract
So how should you deliver your managed services contract? I’ve worked with more than 7,000 MSPs and discovered the most effective contract delivery method:
1.Don’t use the phrase “contract.“ For starters, stop calling it a “contract” or a “proposal.” Call it an “action plan” and/or “report of findings” so prospects don’t instantly look for a price.
2. Deliver in person or via the phone: Never deliver a managed services proposal without YOU stapled to it. No client can truly understand everything you’ve outlined in your proposal, and many will have questions about contractual terms. That’s why you should NEVER email it in advance, even if the client asks for it. Tell them you need to walk them through the details and cannot email it in advance.
3. Separate the contract from the managed services plan. ONLY present the contract once the client is sold on choosing YOU to outsource their IT services to.
Of course, there are a lot of things you need to do in your sales process to close more sales, particularly managed services contracts, which are usually longer-term.
If you want a proven process to close more MSP contracts, then enroll in our Advanced Sales And Persuasion Blueprint and discover how to double or triple your ability to close managed services contracts faster and with less price resistance.
