Do
you offer technology assessments to your new IT consulting clients?
If not, you're really missing the boat. Why? Simply put,
technology assessments are a very important part of a well thought-out,
step-by-step sales process.
These small initial proving ground projects show
prospects that you know your stuff. And they help start real, long-term
relationships with steady, high-paying business owners that will sustain
your business long term.
However, technology assessments can be a difficult sell
if you don't know what you're doing.
In order to overcome resistance from prospects, approach
the sale from a features and benefits perspective, and be prepared to
answer the important question, “Why do I need a technology assessment?”
Answering this question involves making sure you are
explaining the benefits and not just generic features.
The following 3 pieces of advice can help you stress the
benefits of technology assessments to your prospective clients.
-
Know What Features Are. Features are great,
but they don’t get to the heart of why prospects buy technology
assessments. Features are often loaded with technical jargon, a big
turn-off to non-technical business owners that want to hear things
in business-focused terms. Features of technology assessments
include the following examples: “I will review your existing
network;” “I will look at your PC configurations;” “I will
examine your telco circuits;” “I will critique your IT policy;”
“I will analyze your existing data security and data protection
measures;” “I will tell you about some of the more common data
loss risks.” Features will often leave your prospects saying, “So
what?” They don’t answer the important question, “Why do I
need a technology assessment?” Benefits provide a definitive and
irrefutable answer to, "And this matters to me because?"
-
Know How to Present the Benefits of Technology
Assessments. Some of the benefits you can present to your
prospects include: “You’ll be able to understand what it is that
you already own;” “You’ll become aware of the inherent
limitations of what you own;” “You’ll understand the
weaknesses in your systems;” “You’ll learn about untapped
potential that you could be using more efficiently;” “You’ll
be able to get stronger bottom-line benefits out of your existing IT
assets;” and “You’ll be able to take steps to prevent
expensive disruptions and unplanned emergency downtime.”
-
Emphasize the Benefits of Technology Assessments
in Your Marketing Materials. Once you are clear about the
benefits, be sure to clearly articulate these benefits in all of
your marketing materials that you use to convert qualified leads
into new paying customers. A benefits list is an excellent addition
to fliers, postcards, e-mails and any other marketing collateral you
use with your prospects. But first, you need to know the difference
between “features” and “benefits.”
In this article, we discussed 3 proven strategies for
more effectively selling technology assessments to your prospective
clients.
To learn more
about how you can use technology assessments to attract great, steady,
high-paying clients, go sign-up now for the free
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