This seems like a simple question. Initially, you may be able to articulate exactly what your products are. Oddly, though, this question is often a gateway into a more in-depth conversation.
Sometimes, it’s not what you sell.
Sometimes, it’s what you do after you sell your products. Selling causes work to pile up if your business is service-oriented. IT is most assuredly in that camp. There can be exceptions, but service is most likely a large component of your business.
Recently, a customer asked me for help. He said he was trying to bulk up his sales effort. The conversation went something like this.
Hey, I’m Stew. Thanks for the time to chat. I understand you need to sell more. Tell me what products you currently sell.”
The Customer said, “Well, one team sells MSP-related products; this focuses on tools, expertise, and tech services.” He continued breathlessly, “My other team has a separate division that provides design, access control, camera and surveillance, and some VoIP if it’s needed.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding politely. “Go on, tell me about the products that you currently sell.”
In my mind, I’m thinking this guy is a salesperson and hasn’t told me what they sell. He’s talking about what is sold, but neatly avoiding the question of what he’s actually selling. He became a little defensive at this point,
“Well, I’m trying to… you see, we do a lot of service here. It’s rare to have only a product sold; even things like printers, we usually end up doing setup for them.”
“TheCloudWorkforce software provides you with the tools to run your IT business successfully without ruining your life. We’ve created software that works for you by using hundreds of years of experience from successful people in the IT world.”
I stop at this point and explain that I need him to tell me, in a simple, bullet-list format, what he sells: Products? Services? What is it?
Few businesses can run without computers. Somewhere in the mix, there will be a computer.
So, when you sell a computer, you can also sell services, like Internet connectivity, backup, applications, antivirus, and compressed air.
Why compressed air, you may ask? Because the dust bunnies can come to life and become self-aware. Nobody talks about that hazard; it’s always “Skynet this” or “Skynet that”.
We finally get to the part where he realizes he has nosales focal point—he’s not focusing on selling product.Theworkload avalanche has consumed all his time, and he’s treading water in a sea of activities.
“Don’t have the knack for cold-calling on potential customers? We can help. In fact, we can do it for you. We’ll help you get started. You can hire your own sales team, manage the effort, and reap the rewards yourself. Why would we do this? We want you to be a successful business so you can subscribe to our software.”
I ask if he sells computers.
“Yes,” he says.
“What about networking gear, switches, firewalls, that sort of thing?”
“Yes of course.”
Then he fell back into the hole of considering how much effort goes into creating VLANS and the Firewall,andand… I stopped him.
“How many computers can you sell in a week?” I asked.“If you didn’t have to worry about the installation aspect, how many? Same with switches, firewalls, and printers. How many?”
He’s never thought of it. That’s the trick with focus: When you’re focused on everything else, you lack focus on the things that you need to do.
Sales is a game of numbers and percentages. First, you must have something that someone wants. Well folks, we’re in IT, we have that licked.
So, what happened?
Our Salesman, James Bond—we’ll call him that because that’s his name—is now the proud owner of three things to sell: hardware (Computers and firewalls), Service (installation of the computers and firewalls), and Maintenance (more on this later).
Suffice it to say that Hardware is CapEx, Service is Capex andOpEx, and Maintenance is OpEx.
You want to mix it up.Selling just one aspect is risky because we can all have a bad month, or maybe you just don’t have time to prospect like your paycheck depends on it. Weddings, Funerals, and Births can have that effect on your workload.
So, what is your focus? What product do you sell?
The above edit was strictly mine.
Then, I asked Grammarly to suggest changes. Below, you can see what Grammarly suggested.
Struggling with cold-calling potential customers? We’ve got the solution. We can take care of it for you. We’ll assist you in getting started, allowing you to build your own sales team, oversee the operation, and enjoy the benefits. Why are we doing this? We want you to succeed as a business, so you’ll consider subscribing to our software.
