Let me introduce myself. My name is Stefanie Hammond and I am the new Head Sales and Marketing Nerd here at N‑able. Since its inception in 2020, our Head Nerds program has been focused on the technological and operational aspects of running an MSP.<\/p>\n
Fast-forward to late 2020: We identified a gap in our training offerings. We continued to hear from partners that they were struggling with the basic elements of sales and marketing, and asking the age-old question, \u201cHow can I sell more so I can grow my business and increase profits?\u201d We decided to create a new role to specifically address the business side of growing your MSP\u2014and so here I am!<\/p>\n
Hopefully many of you reading this today already know me, as I\u2019ve been working here for almost 17 years. If we haven\u2019t met yet, I\u2019m looking forward to meeting you virtually or at one of our events someday (post COVID-19), as I thoroughly enjoy talking to MSPs about their business. I feel like I\u2019ve grown up in this industry, and yet so many changes keep occurring that continue to keep us on our toes and ever-evolving\u2014that is the fun in it all!<\/p>\n
In the past, my role was in partner development. Several years ago, I transitioned into a sales role on the channel side of the business, managing an elite group of our top-tier partners. I\u2019ve worked with hundreds of partners throughout the years, helping them reach their growth goals and sales potential. I don\u2019t claim to have all the answers, but there are some key habits I\u2019ve learned and incorporated in my daily sales routines that I believe were instrumental in helping me achieve \u201cSales Club\u201d status for six out of the seven years I worked in sales. I\u2019d like to share them with you now to help you along your sales journey.<\/p>\n
In this day and age, email is easy\u2014and everyone is on various social media platforms. Both are useful tools to help foster partner engagement. But things can get lost in translation in these channels. I\u2019ve always found that it\u2019s actually easier to simply pick up the phone and call a partner to talk through things. Maybe I\u2019m just an old dog who refuses to learn new tricks, but I firmly believe the personal touch will continue to help mold and build long-term customer satisfaction and sustainable partnerships.<\/p>\n
We live in a time where we want instant gratification. We want immediate answers to our questions. We love being able to google something and get exactly what we need. But your customers can\u2019t google specific questions or concerns they may have about their account. This is where you can really shine in the customer service department.<\/p>\n
It goes without saying that you need to return phone calls and emails as quickly as possible during business hours. And I\u2019m not advocating responding to customer emails at 2 a.m. But, if I\u2019m sitting at my dinner table, with a glass of wine in hand, scrolling through Pinterest, while my kids are cleaning up, I can answer a few easy low-ball questions that might come my way. My partners don\u2019t necessarily expect a response at 7 p.m. on a Friday evening, but they always seemed to be very appreciative that I took the time to answer their questions in during off hours.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t let things fall through the cracks and don\u2019t let the ball drop on issues that are important to your partners. Account management and sales is often 10% sales and 90% babysitting and helicoptering. Following up with other members of the business\u2014like support, product management, and finance\u2014may seem like it\u2019s taking away from your selling time, but these are critical activities that build trust and credibility with your partners. If the issue is important to them, it should be important to you, and you should ensure they get the answers they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n
When we don\u2019t know an answer to a question, it sometimes feels like you need to make something up. But customers can tell when you aren\u2019t being honest, and dishonesty threatens any relationship. It\u2019s much better to simply admit you don\u2019t know, find the answer, and get back to them as soon as possible (refer back to lesson number three).<\/p>\n
No one likes dealing with upset customers. I definitely wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s my favorite part of the job. But sometimes partners get angry and you get to be their advocate\u2014standing up for them and being their voice in the company. If you can see it through, and at the end of it your customer feels heard, that\u2019s when a true partnership blossoms. You\u2019ll have proven you aren\u2019t in it just for the money, but that you truly value the relationship, and are in it for the long haul.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t stress this enough.<\/i> I document everything. If it isn\u2019t in our Salesforce system, it didn\u2019t happen. Going back to \u201cold dog\u201d here\u2014my mind is a sieve. There is nothing worse than having a follow-up call with a partner, not having any notes, and having to ask the partner to repeat something they\u2019ve previously told you. So, write it all down and refer back to it before every partner call.<\/p>\n7. Make it personal<\/h3>\n
People buy from people. You can read up on all sorts of B2B sales and marketing tactics and strategies but, at the end of the day, it is really P2P\u2014and people buy from people they like. Be genuine. Be authentic. Be present. You may not get a purchase order today, but if you can strive to create real connections with your partners and prospects in all interactions, the long game is in your favor.<\/p>\n
So, let\u2019s connect and let\u2019s see where I can help.<\/p>\n
Stefanie Hammond is the head sales and marketing nerd at N‑able<\/a>. You can follow her on t<\/i>witter at @sales_mktg_nerd<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Head Sales and Marketing Nerd Stefanie Hammond offers some opening advice on seven things MSPs can focus on to hone their sales skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","topic-head-nerds","topic-msp-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n