MSP 2.0 Business Building: 2013

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

7C Discovery Process

The 7C discovery process is a way you are able to find out the customer’s needs in a very efficient and meaningful way.

The goal is to get to know the client’s challenges, business models, existing IT practices, the level of IT management and the complexity of the processes of the client.

It begins with the filling out of the ITcQ questionnaire. It gives you the basic overview, what key issues the client is facing regarding IT and IT management.
You prepare the custom report for them, highlighting the issues, stating your questions, and checking the hints and tips for further clarification, stories, expelling aids which you can use during the conversation
You conduct the reframing workshop with the 7C Canvas, Post-it, the Report, checklists while keep asking questions
You summarize all the knowledge in the 7C Action Plan builder
You present the 7C Action Plan to the client and look for feedback, prioritize the issues, and give a longer term plan
You put together the first quarterly action plan from the priorities
You present your MSP 2.0 service offering to make the action plan and long term goals happen

Of course, every client and every case is different. However, you can be pretty sure this is a process you have to go through. Keep in mind that the vast majority of the time fast is slow, slow is fast. So get the pace right to avoid to seem pushy or too slow.

See:

Sales techniques:

vCIO researches:

What is Virtual Chief Information Officer / Virtual CIO?

Thursday, November 28, 2013

7C Methodology

The overall goal of the 7C is to give the end client a competitive edge with IT. Competitive edge entails 3 things:

better service or product with IT to generate more revenue
lean processes, automatization with IT to decrease costs
information security, business continuity to maintain credibility

The clients seek competitive edge in every possible way. Our research shows that the IT field has the most reserves. So, 7C aims to unleash these potentials with the help of the existing MSP. The methodology measures and manages these areas which support the three main building blocks of competitive edge:

Continuous: What is the level of IT security?

Data security
Information security
Vulnerability checking
Preventive activities

Competent: How efficient and professional is the IT ecosystem?

Professionalism of the service provider / internal admin
End-user efficiency
Reliability of IT devices
Responsibilities of the IT management

Charge: How proactive and responsible is the IT ecosystem?

Quality of the IT service delivery
Problem management
Proactive behavior

Conscious: How strategy and business-focused is the IT ecosystem?

Quality of the IT strategy planning
Quality of the IT strategy
Quality of IT operation plan
Quality of execution of the IT operation plan

Controlled: How measurable, governable is the IT ecosystem?

IT performance management
Initiatives and development management
Audit, compliance, quality management
Organization of the IT operation

Clear: How transparent, clear is the IT ecosystem?

IT reporting
Transparency of IT department
Efficient, transparent system in place
Cost transparency

Cost effective: How cost effective is the IT ecosystem?

IT procurement management
Lean IT management
IT budget management

7C is a systematic approach with the following items

Methodology
Software application
Education, certification
Shared learning
Business building process

To give you an opportunity to build up your MSP 2.0 practice.

See:

Sales techniques:

vCIO researches:

What is Virtual Chief Information Officer / Virtual CIO?

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

We do not have real sales process

The MSPs usually grow as their client base grows, and also as a result of referrals. Usually it experiences a 10-30% yearly growth. But now the time has changed. The vendors want to go direct, the clients buy services directly from the cloud. There are smaller margins on hardware and software as well, and getting meaningful referrals is more and more difficult because of the growing competition.

It can result in very hectic periods and quick increases after drop downs. It is quite hard to manage.

A well planned, optimized, executed sales process entails predictable new clients and growth. It also entails exact activities and measures regarding the whole sales process.

GET

getting leads - who are not yet aware
getting opportunities - who has some awareness and interest
getting prospects - who is considering our services
first time buyer - trying out our services

KEEP

lock in/high switching costs - to make it hard to leave
service delivery fulfillment - to make sure they feel we are servicing them exceptionally

GROW

upselling - project selling and recurring, or more services
cross selling - to sell other services or service existing ones in more depth
referrals – sending us new prospects

But just imagine:

With ReframingYourClients you are able to

manage the whole sales cycle and the people working in sales
have an exceptionally low acquisition cost
get scalable growth
have tools for keeping clients
ensure exceptional efficiency in growing the service level for each customer
build in motivation and target setting for inside sales
build in tools for getting referrals in a viral way

If you have a dedicated sales guy or department it is quite likely you are able to double or triple the onboard clients with this tool. If you do not have any sales force onboard it makes it really easy to build a predictable sales force without the usual hassles of control, target setting, bonuses etc.

See:

Sales techniques:

vCIO researches: