I Didn’t Trust Myself To Grow Our Company
On the first day of the Rapid Implementation Workshop, Robin Robins shared a quote from Thoreau: “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.” Suddenly I realized that quote perfectly described how I felt. As the business development manager for Integrated Axis Technology Group (IA), I knew that we struggled with lead generation, had a broken sales system, and had zero CRM or marketing automation system. Truth was, we were MARKETING FAILURES.
My head was clouded with questions, like how do I:
- Get a competitive edge over other MSPs in my market?
- Find enough time to strategize and sell?
- Entice prospects to respond?
- Prevent deals from slipping through the cracks?
But above all, I didn’t have a strong sales mindset. I used to tell myself I couldn’t do it, and I believed that in my bones. I didn’t trust myself with the responsibility of growing our company. Locked in that quiet-desperation headspace, I was hyperfocused on obstacles rather than on envisioning success.
Results Appear Outside Your Comfort Zone
With my emphasis-on-marketing business degree, I confidently (and naively) believed I could single-handedly drive our marketing to the next level. But I quickly discovered that the sleek and sophisticated marketing that I knew failed to resonate with MSP prospects and clients. Our COO, Rob Hoose, introduced me to Technology Marketing Toolkit’s marketing strategies. Because Robin’s methods were so foreign to anything I had ever seen, they were far outside of my comfort zone.
Truth is, it isn’t until we step outside our comfort zones that we finally see results. By going through Robin’s Rapid Implementation Workshop and completely leaning into Robin’s program, IA started WINNING! So far, we’ve eliminated our marketing pattern of trial and error, attracted better-quality clients, and accelerated our business growth.
9 Simple Words Transformed Ghosted Leads To $41,520 In ARR Clients!
I was losing opportunities because I didn’t know how to get prospects back into my sales funnel. Thankfully, Robin Robins’ 9-Word E-mail and MAP’s seamless automation remind me to follow up to keep driving sales forward.
One lead actually went stone-cold and ghosted us for 45 days. I sent him multiple e-mails. Even my CEO sent e-mails on my behalf. But ZERO RESPONSE! Expecting to continue to be ghosted, I tried the 9-Word E-mail. Immediately, he agreed to take a call and signed shortly after. This campaign brought in TWO NEW CLIENTS totaling $42K in annual recurring revenue! It’s by far my favorite campaign because it’s so effective, yet shockingly simple.
Convinced In 60 Seconds!
Most prospects do a quick Google search to find their next MSP. If you have a respectable number of 5-star Google reviews, they consider calling. If not, they look elsewhere. Therefore, we knew that getting more Google reviews would add to our credibility.
So, we took action and implemented the 5-Star Google Review campaign. By asking our clients to take just 60 seconds to leave us a Google review, we are proud to now have 73 reviews with a 4.8-star average!
Boosting Our Credibility And Our Confidence
When we sent out e-mails to our white-glove clients requesting testimonials and feedback, we never expected to receive a perfect 100% RESPONSE RATE! Yes, the positive feedback we received from the Testimonial E-mail campaign gave us newfound confidence in our service. Plus, since we now include these trust-based assets in our marketing, those shining testimonials from well-respected local company leaders helped us to gain new business!
Setting Ourselves Apart With A Customized Shock-And-Awe Box
After investing the time and money required to get a prospect to meet, you need to put your best foot forward to close the deal. That’s where our customized Shock-And-Awe boxes come in. Incorporating our Integrated Axis logo, colors, and even our core values inside each box wall – Customer Focus, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence (C.A.R.E.) – sets us apart as a prospect’s trusted technology advisor.
We Now Have A Website That WORKS!
Forget about how cool you THINK your website is. Only one question matters: DOES YOUR WEBSITE PRODUCE LEADS? Ours finally does! Yes, we now have a prospect-facing, SEO-optimized website complete with landing pages. Our new website gets the phone to ring and appointments on my calendar. Even more, this website backs our campaigns with dedicated landing pages and is invaluable for inbound lead capture.
Positioning Ourselves As THE IT EXPERTS In Southern Arizona
We needed something unique to stand out in our competitive MSP market. Therefore, one of the best efficiencies in our sales process has to be publishing our own Southern Arizona IT Buyers Guide! Not only does our IT Buyers Guide position us as the local IT experts, it also minimizes tough sales objections and targets prospects before they have a chance to seek out our competition.
Seeing as we are the only Southern Arizona MSP with an IT Buyers Guide, we are aggressive in our distribution. We include it in our Shock-And-Awe box as well as on our website.
Our Client Satisfaction Is Now Through The Roof!
All the improvements we’ve made have strengthened our client satisfaction. These changes include:
- Defining and promoting our unique selling proposition
- Implementing a CRM tool to automatically manage our sales funnel
- Sharing 27 social media posts with 9,721 impressions
- Adding a new admin, C.A.R.E. manager, and business development manager to our team
- Implementing drip marketing to stay in regular communication with 400+ prospects
- Adopting a 12-month marketing plan
- Scheduling and sitting 22 technology business reviews
- Answering all phones live and implementing phone best practices for inbound leads
Our Customer Satisfaction Score is now 9.9 based on 3,084 reviews. And our Net Promoter Score is at an industry high of 9.5. These scores prove that our customers are loyal, enthusiastic, and willing to promote Integrated Axis.
Delivering A Quality First Impression Over The Phone
Now that we are sending out campaigns and drip marketing, have a website that converts, are getting responses from our 9-Word E-mails, and are sitting many technology business reviews, we made sure to turn our attention to the phones. Without a great first impression over the phone, we would waste much of our marketing efforts and inbound leads.
Since the Rapid Implementation Workshop, we are answering our phones LIVE! Plus, we are implementing inbound lead phone best practices for all who answer calls. In addition, we are closely following TMT’s proven phone scripts.
Be Willing To Fail Forward
It doesn’t matter how often you fail. Go ahead and build a solid foundation by implementing proven marketing campaigns with a CRM and automated marketing system. Then be relentless in achieving your goals while giving yourself permission to trust your abilities.
Also, rather than prospect, PRESCRIBE. Just as a doctor would do, you let your ideal client explain their problems. Only then do you diagnose and define the remedies to take them where they need to be. Always have a service mindset so you genuinely communicate with your prospects to reach a mutually beneficial solution.
I used to be too timid to constantly follow up and remind prospects about our service. That is until I realized that we’re offering a service our prospects NEED. Giving myself permission to be relentless in educating our local businesses has allowed us to bring in new clients and provide desperately needed quality support and security.
From “Total Marketing Failure” To $44,546 In New MRR!
When it comes to marketing, sales, and business growth, I no longer live a life of quiet desperation. Back when I first filled out my TMT Marketing Roadmap and Implementation Scorecard, I was defined as a “Total Marketing Failure”! Well, I just recently completed my latest scorecard and improved my ranking to “Pretty Damned Good.”
Here’s what “Pretty Damned Good” can get you:
- We increased our revenue by $1,616,401 over last year
- We increased our MRR by $44,546 ($534,552 annually)
- We added $1,014,262 in hardware and $314,000 in professional services
Aside from the amazing gains we’ve made after going through the Rapid Implementation Program, I’ve been able to regain a proper work/life balance. I used to wake up stressed, go to work stressed, and come home stressed. Every day. Now I come home and celebrate my achievements. I feel like I’ve finally broken out of the rat race and can now live a fulfilling, well-balanced life! Here’s to living on the gas pedal!
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