Do customers inherently trust their MSPs to deliver quality managed services? The simple answer is yes. How long did it take for that customer to trust the MSP? That answer is probably a little more involved.
MSPs enjoy a unique relationship that never truly existed when they were a mere VAR or system integrator. During the 1990s, IT companies relied on transactional relationships that did not require trust or transparency. Price, and service (maybe) was the primary determining factor in whether customers worked with their VAR.
Today, customers looking at doing business with a new MSP have entirely new model for evaluating wehther they will engage a service provider (cloud providers, this applies to you as well!). Because customers today have changed the way they purchase IT, a MSP or cloud provider must demonstrate trust prior to the managed services relationship starting. I'll say this again. MSPs need to demonstrate trustworthy behavior and characteristics before they expect to be hired. This simple, yet important, distinction between how VARs used to sell and market themsevles and how MSPs do it today, often will be the difference between success and failure. Forget technical accomplishments; if you can't market and sell your services, you will not be successful.
MSPWorld will be focusing on this very topic in a dedicated session on selling and marketing your managed services and cloud computing offerings. Ed Ferrara, principal research analyst with Forrester Research, will be leading a panel of experts, as well as offering his own views of what customers are looking for when selecting a managed service provider. Taking a round table discussion approach, our panel of managed services experts will be discussing with the audience key obstacles that inhibit MSPs from being successful at their sales and marketing endeavors. The session will also focus on some of the more common mistakes made by MSPs when implementing a sales and marketing strategy.
We really encourage those companies who have struggled or continue to have questions or doubts about how they can advance their sales and marketing efforts where they currently are, to attend MSPWorld and this session.
