MSP Sales: Documentation as a Sales Wedge
BY IT GLUE | October 19, 2016
What do you and your competitors have in common? Chances are pretty good that the answer is “a lot.”
So, how do you differentiate?
Sales Wedge
noun
- A unique offering that helps you get your foot in the door.
- Documentation.
Documentation as a sales wedge? Absolutely.
The thing is, most MSPs aren’t very good at documentation. Some try, but fail. Others would rather scrub the toilet than attempt to document their processes.
That’s why documentation is such a valuable source of competitive advantage. If your competitors aren’t doing it, and you are, that makes you look like the pro.
Think about what effective documentation will allow you to do:
- Lower your response and resolution times
- Onboard new clients faster
- Never miss a warranty or license expiry
- Maintain SOPs in a way that even the most junior techs can handle tickets from any client
- Hit all your SLAs and prove your track record to prospects and leads
Are any of these things valuable to your clients? They sure are.
And that’s why you can sell them to prospects.
Documentation = process = performance
Consider this lesson from an MSP using IT Glue™. Their Business Development Manager sees documentation as the key to selling.
“Documentation gives me transparency that nobody else has. I can pull up the data to show a prospect our track record of hitting SLAs. I can show them how we will record their information and explain why this improves the service they receive.
“Our service levels won’t suffer if somebody leaves the company, and junior staff can solve problems right away, instead of having to escalate to swamped senior techs. MSP clients have proven very receptive to these arguments. Nothing builds trust quite like evidence does.”
That’s one heck of a sales wedge — something you do that your competitors can’t. The prospect you’re pitching might not even have thought about it before, and an unusual pitch is a great way to pique someone’s interest. If you’re not selling your documentation capabilities, you’re missing a powerful opportunity.
