New MRR from New Clients
Consistently growing your new client recurring revenue is the only way to organically grow your MSP. There’s no simple trick or magic bullet to signing more clients, but the path from here to there is no mystery. All it takes is Training, Consistency, and someone who knows the way.
The Hard Truth About Sales
%
Of sales reps take 10 months or longer to become productive enough to contribute to company goals
%
Of salespeople are unable to achieve their sales goal in their first year, and over half will not make it through a second year
%
Of prospects say they are dissatisfied with the salespeople they meet, and it damages their opinion of the company
%
Of people in sales never intended to sell for a living, and are working in the role by accident
Sources: https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-statistics
https://blog.close.com/39-shocking-stats-that-will-change-the-way-you-sell/
For an MSP to Grow You Need a Disciplined Sales Team and Reliable Sales Process
Professional Development
People buy from people. Every interaction you and your team have with a prospect is part of your sales process, either building or destroying trust in your MSP. Junior reps need to learn to speak like executives. Seasoned reps need motivation. Owners who are in a selling role need a coach to keep them focused on effectively using their very limited time.
Dependable Forecasting
New clients are like water: too little and you die of thirst, too much and you drown. Without dependable forecasting, it’s impossible to manage the incoming demand. Forecasting can also feel like fortune telling… with about the same level of accuracy. Well developed sales reps, leveraged by accurate data and disciplined coaching can give reliable predictions.
Accountability
Success is measured in closed deals and retired quotas, but built on successful days. Someone needs to push the team to set the right goals, and follow them through. Someone needs to make sure the team follows the sales process. Someone has to apply the pressure to perform, to push through the discomfort and hit their metrics. That pressure must be applied tactfully; too little an no one wins, too much and people burn out.
Repeatable Process
Habits are formed by repeating the same actions over and over, the same way, until it becomes part of who you are. A reliable sales process is one that can not only be run over and over again, but IS run over and over the same way. The only way to know if what you’re doing is working is to do it the same way consistently and measure the results.
CRM Standardisation
No sales team can succeed without a well set up CRM. The specific tool you choose matters far less than collecting the right data, and tracking the correct metrics. You can waste an entire day “woking” in a poorly configured CRM, achieve nothing, and feel like you’ve worked a full day. Your CRM has to tell you what is working, what isn’t, and who is most likely to buy next.
Traditional Sales Training
Most MSP owners are really just talented engineers with some on-the-job sales experience. Talent counts, but effort counts twice. Consistently closing new revenue requires technical excellence in selling that only comes from the study and practice of fundamentals. High performers professionalize, and have a plan for continuing education just like an attorney or CPA.
Emotional Management
Selling a complex service in the B2B world is emotionally challenging, and anyone who ignores the difficult toll that takes on a salesperson is destined to fail. Experts say that over 90% of what you communicate in a sales meeting is going to be colored by what is going on in your head. I call it the sniff test. If something about you is off, if your head is not in the right place, your prospect can smell it. They won’t know what is off… but they’ll know that something doesn’t smell right. You’ll lose the deal and never really know why. The agreement is won or lost between your ears.
Are you the Owner of an MSP who needs someone to hold them accountable, and help them consistantly close New Client MRR?
Are you the Owner of an MSP who wants to grow a sales team, so you can offload some or all of the sales responsibility?
Are you responsible for leading or managing a sales team that is underperforming, and need a catalyst to get things on track?
If the answer is YES, then we should talk.
It doesn’t matter what has or hasn’t worked for you in the past, results are what drive growth. If you aren’t happy with there results you’re currently getting, then it might be time for a fresh set of eyes.
I don’t know yet if I can help you, but if you’ve made it this far then I guarantee a short call is worth your time.
I started working with Robert after my largest client left, which represented about 20% of my total revenue. My sales guy also quit, which means that it was all up to me. With Robert’s help, I replaced that revenue within 6 months. But more than that, I feel like this is the best I’ve ever been prepared to grow. I’m more confident in my ability to bring on new business. I love being able to call Robert just before a sales meeting to get a “top up” on strategy and encouragement, and then checking in after to make sure I’m getting better with every meeting.
About Robert Gillette
I’m happily married, and have two wonderful children. I’m an SF Bay Area native who’s been selling MSP services in the middle of the Silicon Valley since 2015. I’m a full-cycle salesman; responsible for everything from uncovering new prospects, to qualifying and closing deals, to upselling current clients. In my first 3 years at Endsight I sold more than one million dollars in recurring revenue, including the largest client in the company’s 15 year history. In January of 2021 I launched the Reclaiming Sales Podcast to pave the way for my move into coaching. I still work (and plan to always work) for at least one client that makes me carry a quota. It’s my way of making sure that I still have skin in the game, and have first hand knowledge of what’s happening at every level of the sales organization.