Don't sell in a down economy, deliver value

Never before have we been in an economy where it is more important to distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd. I've heard a lot of people talking about how to sell managed services in a down economy and my honest view is this is not a good approach. At least for the foreseeable future, managed services should be about delivering value in IT, controlling costs, and improving efficiencies, not about selling a solution. Here's why I think this way.

In today's economy businesses are searching for ways to become more lean and efficient. Company's are desperately trying to find ways to cut costs and extract more out of what they already have. The notion of "buying" something just isn't in their vocabulary right now. Some of you might be wondering why I'm saying this when managed services is expected to grow by 20% in 2009. Well, I believe we will likely hit that 20% growth mark (we might even exceed it). But I don't believe MSPs will be successful in 2009 if they persist with the same VAR mentality of selling a solution to a business. Businesses want to know that you are helping them bring their expenses into alignment, not that you are trying to sell them something. Clients want advice on how to maintain their IT without letting expenses get out of hand.

So, the next time you're on a "sales" call with one of your clients, try talking to them about how managed services can help them save money this year. They might actually thank you for such advice. I'd be curious to hear how some of you are dealing with your recent "sales" calls and how clients are reacting to the economy.