Guide for MSPs: How to Ace Your First Appointment

Every MSP has its way of finding and securing valuable leads for their company. There are many tactics to employ, from cold calling to canvassing to using advanced lead-generation tools. Whichever you choose, your goal is to get that elusive first appointment with a potential client. How do the best MSPs go about this hurdle and start to ace your first Appointment? Managed service providers can go one of two paths: pick up the phone or join networking groups and events. These two methods will allow you to build a list of prospects to help you get started. Still, it’s a matter of finding opportunities by exploring options that work for your company. What do you need to do to ace your first Appointment?

Casting your ‘tentacles’ to ace your First Appointment

Of course, MSPs can never have the tentacles people imagine when hearing the word. However, think of it in the marketing sense: you need to broaden your strategies and see what tactics work. The ever-changing business environment means there’s no telling when the trends will shift. How do you cope with this dynamic nature of the managed services industry? What you need to do is to cast your ‘tentacles’ in avenues where possible leads abound. It can be through cold calling, cold knocking, or networking events. What matters is that you remain consistent in your marketing strategy and branding. Doing so allows prospects to find you easily, giving you more chances to find them, too.

Skipping steps—is it a go or not?

Should you treat referrals as permission to skip the steps of your sales process? For example, your most loyal customer managed to convince a friend to check out your services. No matter how highly they recommend you, it’s not a guarantee that you can book the first appointment without fail. What should you do? Despite their proximity to a buying decision, your prospects need to get to the top of the sales funnel. The discovery stage is something you must not skip regardless of their willingness to hire you. This step ensures that both parties meet each other’s expectations. That way, you can save time and resources by collaborating with those who fit right into your ideal clientele.

The first interaction

Do you know why there are a lot of missed opportunities and unqualified prospects despite the best efforts? It all boils down to how you deal with the first interaction with a potential client. Imagine this situation: a prospect approaches you and asks a few questions regarding your MSP. It's bound to tempt you to promptly offer a solution and every little detail of your service. Now, why shouldn't you do that? Here’s the thing: curiosity is what moves your sales process forward. However, if you give up all the information regarding your offering, how will you set up succeeding interactions with them? In essence, keeping them curious can help you move them step-by-step until you get them to say yes.

Ace Your First Appointment

You can avoid these blunders by setting an effective strategy for the first appointment. The next part of this guide can help you secure qualified prospects to get into your sales funnel. CharTec experts prepared some tips for you!

Guide for MSPs: Setting the First Appointment

For MSPs, booking a first appointment with a qualified prospect is the stepping stone to success. This stage in the funnel gives you a better opportunity to build your brand and grow your business. Still, it's not a guarantee that you can easily convert them from leads to clients. How do you make sure that the first appointment reels them into your sales process? As mentioned in the first part of this blog, curiosity is what moves your strategies forward. You cannot just throw away all information regarding your MSP within a single interaction. Doing so is as good as saying goodbye to the ‘almost’ client simply because they lose their interest in you. Rather than holding on to the hope that they will eventually call back, you need to take a proactive approach. What can you do to get them to say an obvious ‘yes!’ to your offer?

Following up to ace your First Appointment

No matter where the leads come from, it’s always going to depend on the tone of the first few interactions. Do you know why you are calling or sending an email? What is the purpose of reaching out to them? You need to have a clear picture of your objective so that you can come up with an efficient close. Here’s a definite goal: the first appointment. Take your call flow, for example. You will likely make several calls or voicemails to your prospective client. What should you say? Rather than having a robotic script, you can practice a conversational spiel that injects your MSP's personality. It's ideal to create a call flow that features the language and voice of your company. That way, the interaction becomes more natural and personal.

Diagnostic questions

Whether outbound or inbound calls, your conversations with would-be clients should have diagnostic questions sprinkled in there. You need to operate on the assumption that they are busy, and so are you. It’s best to avoid open-ended conversations that are often a waste of time. Instead, come up with quick-fire diagnostic queries that help you get a better idea of how their business works. For instance, you prefer to provide IT-related services to companies with at least 30 employees. Your possible questions may include their company size and the tools they utilize. From there, it’s easier to expand your dialogue and see whether you can continue guiding them into your sales process.

Closing on a first appointment

Your first few interactions should close on the first appointment setting. Like going into battle, you need to have your arsenal in place to win. Pique their interest, get to know them, and call with a purpose. You can learn more about successfully booking an appointment for qualified prospects when you join the CharTec Academy and roadshows. Check out our offerings and register to access a boatload of helpful tips for your MSP today!