It’s time to claim your spot in your prospects' IT budget

Hint: it’s easier than you think...

Prospect (we'll call him Colin: "I'm sorry, I love your solution but we just don't have the budget."

MSP (Let's call him Nate): Screams silently into his hands. Thinks back to the budgeting conversations they had. I told him I would them hit their goals.

All that hard work. The endless calls. The prepping. Traveling three hours for onsite meetings.  

All for Colin to decide IT'S NOT IN HIS BUDGET...   

"Okay Colin, thank you for letting me know. Catch up soon."

At one point or another, you have been Nate. You thought you were about to land your next big client only to be turned down and totally caught off guard. Leaving you thinking your only option is going back to break-fix...' 

It's mind-boggling, really. You spend so much time nurturing your customers and building relationships. Why would they not want you as their MSP?  

The answer is simple. They don’t see why they should prioritize you in their budget...  

And for good reason. Did you know that 84% of businesses are concerned about a potential recession and are starting to cut costs?  

But that doesn't mean they need to cut you.   

It means you need to show them how much value you will bring to their business and how your solutions will help them hit their budget goals.  

The next five years are going to be exciting for MSPs. By 2026, the MSP market value is expected to reach 354.8 billion dollars. And this year alone, you can expect to grow your revenue by 12 percent. 

It's time to get ahead and take your share of the market.   

Together, we are going to change the budgeting conversation. You're going to show your clients how you can help them hit their budget goals and get them to invest in your solutions.  

It's time to go from ‘nice-to-have' to 'must-have.' And here's how you're going to do it. 

Step one: Assess their business goals and objectives

To avoid ending up on Colin's hit list, you must help him and other potential clients think about their goals. 

Why? Because goals are measurable. And everyone loves celebrating a milestone.  

Setting goals is the easy part. You work with key stakeholders, gain insights into short- and long-term goals, and talk it through – sometimes over coffee or a drink.   

But the hard part, and arguably the most important, is aligning your tech stack with their goals so you can recommend solutions that directly contribute to their future success and ensure that budgets are allocated wisely.  

And don't forget they will want evidence. How can you prove that your solutions will help them hit their business and budget goals? What data can you provide to back your point? 

Quick question. How are you tracking clients’ goals currently? Do you store them in a doc, in notes on your phone, or are they yet to find a safe place?  

If you’re doing any of the above, it might be worth looking into a unified client portal. They can help you store all kinds of information in one consolidated platform that both you and your clients can access anytime. This article will give you more info.  

Step two: Assess their current IT infrastructure  

You already know that SMBs want technology to directly support their primary business objectives. But what if their current solutions are doing the opposite?   

(You'll quickly answer that when you perform a health check on their current IT infrastructure.) 

• You need to evaluate their existing hardware and software. Check for outdated, underused, or unnecessary items that are racking up bills that you can mitigate.   
• Look at the state of their cybersecurity. We are talking firewalls, antivirus, endpoint management, and their disaster recovery plan. What do they have in place, where could you improve it and cut costs? 
• Are they compliant with industry regulations? Are they affected by GDPR or HIPPA? If so, what solutions can you provide to ensure they are up-to-date and not subject to fines?   

Once you identify opportunities for cost savings and performance optimization, you can start a conversation about how your recommendations will help them achieve a secure and reliable IT infrastructure with solutions within their budget. 

Step three: Provide a roadmap with technology must-haves 

Creating a client roadmap might look something like this:   

You take the information from their IT assessment and report your key findings.  

You outline the strengths and weaknesses and tell your client how you will solve problems and improve efficiency.  

You give them a list of key priorities, ensuring they align with the business goals you set in step one.  

You tell them how your current tech stack can support everything you hope to achieve, and it will be well within their budget.  

You let them know of any risks and how you'll mitigate them while minimizing disruption. Because you will, and you're good at it.  

And then, you give them a realistic timeline of when and how you will execute this plan. Don't set yourself up for failure – give deadlines you can stick to.  

Sounds doable, right? What would make it easier? 

Well, funny you should ask. Because did you know that CloudRadial has a vCIO planner? 

The Planner acts as a central place for consolidating suggestions from you and your clients. You can:  

• Easily arrange your client's roadmap with drag-and-drop convenience. 
• Show item priority and pricing on the list for client presentation. 
• And present items by category to make it easy for clients to understand how all your services work together.   

Check it out for yourself and let us know how you get on delivering your client roadmaps! 

Step four: Show them where they can cut costs  

If you want to win your prospects over, you need to show them how they can get the best bang for their buck.  

It’s that simple. 

If you can suggest cloud-based solutions or even ways to consolidate hardware, then do it.  

Think automation might help them streamline processes and lower costs? Push for it.  

Know a way to optimize software licenses, then share it on Reddit – there's a whole stream of MSPs looking for ideas.  

Taking the time to present cost-effective solutions to new prospects puts you in a great position to sell. 

• New clients will be intrigued by the competitive pricing and instantly want to learn more.  
• As an MSP, you can show how you differentiate and always aim to meet the needs of budget-conscious businesses.  
• And you can prove you're not just in it for a quick sale. You can help them hit their budget goals without breaking the bank because you're truly invested in their success. 

It’s a win-win for everyone.  

Step five: Show them how you meet their needs

Your clients want more than just service providers; they’re looking for trusted advisors and partners. 

So, it's time to bring out the big guns and show your clients why they should bet on you.   

Let them know that:  

• You offer tailored solutions that will meet their unique business needs, help them achieve their goals, and address their pain points while working within their budget.  
• You offer round-the-clock support. You have solutions that help you monitor and manage them and proactively address issues before they arise. And they don't need to pay extra for it.  
• You're completely transparent. You take the time to communicate, keep them up to date with their IT environment, and always suggest the latest tech. Again, there's no extra cost! 

And your customer service is exceptional (because you're a CloudRadial partner, right?) and your commitment to your clients is unmatched. 

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In the title, we said that claiming your spot in your prospects' IT budget would be easier than you think. And now that you've read each of the five steps, wouldn't you agree?  

You now have the tools you need to win your prospects over and show them how they can build a secure, reliable, and easy-to-manage IT infrastructure that is well within their budget, all because you're their MSP.   

And the next time you get a Colin on the phone, the only question he'll be asking is, 'Where do I sign?'.