A common belief among IT experts is that only tech gurus have the knowledge to sell disaster recovery and other managed services. But the reality is that all it takes is natural sales talent to sell almost anything. No matter how technical, you merely need enough product knowledge to answer customer questions about your services. Here’s all the evidence you’ll need to debunk the tech geek sales myth.
Executive Ignorance of Geek Speak
Chances are when you pitch data backup and disaster recovery plan services, you will be meeting with company decision makers. But that doesn’t mean they have a deep understanding of tech jargon. Many executives rely on their IT consultants for that expertise and are more concerned about focusing on their business agendas that they do understand.
Believe it or not, most business managers of all levels only have minimal knowledge of technological advancements and don’t want to be bombarded with tech jargon. It’s actually better if you send in sales people who are great communicators and can easily reach common ground with anyone they meet. After all, regardless of profession, sales people and company leaders still have many things in common: they’re human, strive for clarity and enjoy success.
Clear Communication Matters Most
You should be very careful how you use tech jargon, if at all. Always remember not to take for granted that every executive understands the following technical terms:
- backup, data and recovery (BDR)
- patch deployment
- redundant networks
- encrypted off-site storage
- Dependable SafeStore (DSS)
- hybrid cloud solutions
- server co-location
These may all be familiar terms to IT professionals, but the common person who has no technology background isn’t likely to completely comprehend these terms. But if your sales pro can clearly define each of these phrases in an easy-to-understand manner, then the executive won’t be embarrassed to hide his or her lack of knowledge about them. Server co-location, for example, can easily be explained as sharing a server with a cloud provider, which paints an instant picture of security and efficiency instead of a possible blur.
Be Helpful, Not Boastful
Instead of trying to show off technical knowledge, it’s better for your sales representative to find out immediately what the business prospect’s existing level of knowledge is about BDR and various IT services.
You are more likely to connect and begin building a relationship with the manager by offering a statement like: “I’m curious what your level of understanding is of current technology or if I can answer any questions you have about IT services that can upgrade your business.” Remember that too much tech talk can backfire by becoming annoying and confusing. Managers only have so much time to be pitched and often try to cut meetings short they don’t see going anywhere.
Focus on Problem Resolution
Instead of talking about the details of how tech works, be more cognizant of the prospect’s needs simply by asking questions about what solutions may help their business. Here are some sample questions to ask during the interview:
- What concerns do you have if we offered you this package at this price?
- If we could provide a solution to your problem how soon would you be ready to a sign a contract with us to get started?
- Would you be willing to try a free trial offer for a brief period so that you can see for yourself how well our solutions fit your business?
- I would not want you to face a disaster in which you were unprepared, so are you ready to put this issue to rest today and sign with us?
- Since this seems like the right fit, may I have your commitment today?
Conclusion
Yes, the idea that only IT geeks can sell BDR solutions is merely a myth that is easy to debunk as the above scenarios suggest. The real key to selling any IT services is to enlighten managers about how your solutions can improve their businesses. No, it does not take a technical genius to convey why BDR and other services are important for literally any business that runs on computer systems.
Explaining in simple English why security, backups, testing and disaster strategies are necessary to avoid downtime, customer complaints and lawsuits is certainly more important than trying to impress managers with how many industry buzz words you can rattle off rapidly. Then driving home the points how your solutions can raise company levels of credibility and customer satisfaction will help close deals, which simply requires well trained, friendly communicators.
The truth about tech geeks is that many of them know about tech stuff only (such as disaster recovery); they were never trained in sales and don’t know the difference between a natural sales person and a contrived one. So find people whose specialty is that they love to sell and you will likely close many more deals.
About the author
Michael Fitzgerald is the CEO of Spacelink, (www.spacelink.com) a San Diego company providing IT infrastructure cloud hosting services and IT support since 2001. Michael has over 9 years of experience in IT infrastructure and a passion to simplify the complexities of information technology and cloud services. Spacelink exists to help companies propel their businesses with a well-reasoned IT strategy and forward-thinking technology that’s cost effective and reliable. Spacelink was recognized as a top Managed IT service provider in North America by MSP Mentor in 2016.