When it comes to marketing your MSP and selling your services, the simple fact that all MSPs are naturally alike is incredibly painful.  And to make matters worse, with each passing year, more and more MSPs fall out of the sky and scurry around your territory to give you a run for your money.

If you want to go for broke, then we could make matters even worse by bringing up the even more painful fact that most MSPs are not only alike, but they’re named basically the same thing, stringing together words like IT, Management, Solutions, and Technology.

But if you really think about it, most stores actually do sell the same products, but they package, spin, and service these products differently.  Because of this, consumers can make a legitimate choice based on preference, price, and style rather than playing spin the bottle or Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe.

Take Target and Wal-Mart for example.  They both sell bowls, but Target charges nearly double what Wal-Mart charges; however, Target can get away with this because they package, spin, and service this bowl on a different level than Wal-Mart does or ever will.

So obviously, the question becomes – How do you, as a Managed Service Provider, package, spin, and service your bowl differently?      

Well, for starters, you can’t do it all, be it all, or offer it all.

Businesses, in general, tend to fall back on this thought process, “Maybe if I offer anything anyone could possibly want, then I’ll get the majority of consumers.”  And, unfortunately for you, you’re not Wal-Mart.

If you want to differentiate yourself from other MSPs that are creeping up on your clients and prospects, then you actually need to differentiate yourself.  You’d be surprised how many more companies will migrate your way if you specialize in something – healthcare, legal, education, hospitality.

But that’s not the only way you can specialize; you can be the go-to for security, cloud computing, or backup and recovery.  You can even specialize in a “benefit” like increasing productivity or protecting assets.

If you decide to go this route, you’ll be surprised by how much more traffic you’ll receive than if you chose to become the Wal-Mart of MSPs.  Businesses in need of an IT Provider usually have a need for a reason.  Can you satisfy this need expertly and efficiently? Or can you sort of satisfy this need and then give them a bunch of other stuff they don’t really need or care about?

Even if you aren’t the expert, you better look like an expert.

It might seem like a pain, but it’s incredibly important that you find the time and the way to provide your clients and prospects with information that makes you look like a certified genius in your field.  And I’m sure you know what’s about to come next.

CONTENT.

In our previous blog, we discussed the importance of written content, and we even provided you with a ridiculously simple method to plan and organize the production of your strategic content.  Go back and read this blog if you haven’t done so already.

61% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company if they deliver custom content, and 70% of consumers prefer to familiarize themselves with a company through custom content. In other words, consumers are looking for reasons to purchase from you, and if you don’t give them the reason, they will look elsewhere to find it.

Do you remember who your clients are or do you pitch, sign, and forget?

With our local MSP, ARRC Technology, we like to make sure our current clients are never forgotten and never pushed aside in the hunt for prospects.  While we do market more heavily to prospects, we still put a substantial amount of effort into “remembering” our current client base.  We do this through lunch & learns, client appreciation dinners, and holiday goodies and baskets.

This is our way of preventing current clients from becoming previous clients.  If their contract ends and you ceased all unnecessary contact with them after their contract was originally signed, then you better believe that client will be out hunting for a new MSP.  Why?  Because they have no reason to renew.  You are no different, no better, and no less expensive than any other MSP out there.  Bravo to you.