If you’re reading this, you probably do. I can pretty safely say that if you are a managed service provider, you suck at sales and marketing.
Now, don’t get my wrong, I’m not trying to throw stones. I think that Everon has done a good job at sales and marketing over the years, but we definitely have not done a great job at it. So…we suck, too.
Our website looks nice, our sales collateral is nice, and we generally maintain a positive image in the marketplace.
BUT I WOULD GIVE ALL OF THAT UP FOR ANOTHER 100 QUALIFIED PROSPECTS KNOCKING ON OUR DOOR EACH MONTH!
Maybe my standards are too high. We’ve grown quickly – we’ve hit the Inc 5000 two years in a row now – but I don’t think we’ve grown nearly fast enough. I want to be a $100m company, not a $5m company!
That’s why I hopped on a plane and went to Nashville, TN for Robin Robins’ marketing implementation seminar this week.
One thing you can say about Robin for sure: she knows marketing. Her passion for what she does was evident the whole time, and her knowledge of the practices of marketing has obviously been developed through years of study and probably millions of dollars of trial-and-error.
I left the seminar with my eyes opened to some things we’ve been doing very wrong, many things we’ve been doing very right, and a renewed energy to personally drive the sales and marketing activity at Everon – a role I have handed off to others for the last few years.
This brings me to two key lessons for all MSPs:
- You had better be continuously working on the development of your business knowledge and skills. Business is a full-contact sport, and if you aren’t getting better every day, you are going to get run over.
- If you are the head of your company, your #1 responsibility is revenue generation. That doesn’t mean you have to be the one cold-calling all day (although if you don’t have anyone to do it for you, your probably should), but it does mean that you are the person responsible for finding and capitalizing on new revenue-generating opportunities for your company.
If you do SUCK at sales and marketing, admit it and get help fast!
MRC
