Selling to customers these days – even as the overall economy improves, and budgets get some life back in them – isn’t easy. Customers have access to reams of information about products, comparative studies throughout a market, and price comparisons. A majority of the tasks for getting customers to buy has shifted from the sales department to marketing. So, how can a managed service provider (MSP) get ahead without shattering the marketing budget? The answer may be as simple as conducting a technology assessment.
How Can I Use a Technology Assessment to Improve Customer Relationships?
A technology assessment—an audit in which the target’s basic technology profile is ascertained—represents a great way to build stronger relationships and offers a better chance of making sales.
Establishes expertise. A technology assessment can be just the way to prove you know what you’re talking about by asking the most relevant questions. It demonstrates industry-specific knowledge and refines company-specific understanding. These two things combined establishes your expertise, making it more likely customers will think it’s worth their time to talk to you.
Demonstrates a concern for well-being. Anyone can try to make a sale. All that does, though, is validate you’re out to profit at someone else’s expense. Showing concern for the other company’s well-being, however, proves you’re out to make other people’s businesses better along with your own. That improves the chances of making sales through a stronger, mutually-beneficial relationship, even with existing customers.
Minimizes surprises and wasting time. Gathering information about expansions, satellite offices, remote employees, and technological expectations lets you tailor your offerings to their needs. This gives you the opportunity to make sure your sales pitches are spot-on and minimizes eleventh-hour requests. Asking how long is left in a current phone contract, for example, lets you know if a sale is even possible in the upcoming weeks or months, and lessens time wasted with needless follow-up.
Differentiates from the wider market. Everyone’s selling something. When you stop trying to sell and start trying to help, though, you change the dynamic entirely. You go from a person who’s calling businesses trying to make sales, to a person getting calls from businesses when they’re planning to make a purchase. Remember, when they call you, they’re not calling your competitors.
Need Help Getting Started?
If you’re ready to improve customer relationships to grow your business, tell us how we can help you. We’ve been in the tech industry for decades and built several businesses from the ground up utilizing technology assessments. If you do this for your customers already, keep D3UC in mind as you assess their phone and unified communication (UC) needs—with enterprise grade functionality and profits of 50-100%, you can help your customer while growing your business!
