During a conversation with a new sponsor prospect looking to invest a big chunk of money with us, I asked, “What do you know about us and what we do?”
His answer: “Very little, but I know that when you tell people to buy stuff, they do.”
Good answer.
That’s exactly the reputation I want to have with our sponsors about my influence. However, that’s not a useful position to hold in a sales meeting with an MSP prospect who may feel intimidated and anxious talking to us (or me specifically) about our services. Instead, I want them to “know” they are talking to a trusted advisor, a qualified consultant at the top of her game, not a highly skilled salesperson who will attempt to manipulate them into buying something that they can’t afford or that won’t work.
That position – or any position you want to hold in the minds of your prospects – must be intentionally manufactured, reinforced and maintained. You don’t get to just say you’re the “leading IT firm” or the “most responsive” or “most trusted” without doing a LOT of work to earn it, then defend it, so your ideal prospect “knows” it about you.
Problem is, most MSPs haven’t given any thought to the position they want to hold, much less put in place a marketing plan to reinforce it. They don’t have a brand, only a logo – so they swim in a sea of sameness where everyone competes on price.
If you want to get out of the rat race, here’s a useful exercise: Make a list of things you want your chosen marketplace to KNOW about you and your company.
Some of this is reputation. I want people to KNOW I’m the person MSPs come to when they want results in marketing. I want people to KNOW I can be trusted to tell them the truth and do the right thing. I want people to KNOW that my clients are strong advocates for me because of the extreme value I bring, the results I produce and the genuine love I have for them. I want people to KNOW I have more documented client success stories than anyone else.
Some additional things I want MSPs to “know” about me are my methods and approach.
I want people to know I’m aggressive and bullish on getting tangible results with marketing, NOT on just creating “pretty” brochures, websites and “brand” campaigns.
I want people to know I advocate for using celebrity, authority and trust (C.A.T.) strategies in marketing and selling to optimize results.
I want people to know I’m an extreme advocate for getting your STRATEGY correct FIRST and putting in the work, not selling short-term tactics and hacks that promise easy wins (but don’t achieve them).
I want people to know that I believe marketing is the beginning of the sales process, and that sales and marketing MUST align in philosophy, methods and goals in order for results to happen.
There are more, but these are core things I want MSPs to KNOW about me because they act like a magnet for people who want my type of approach and a repellent for those who don’t.
Then there are “advocated positions” I want MSPs to know that I hold.
An advocated position is a belief about how things and people in the world work (or should work). For example, the fact that I’m against using hacks, tricks and short-term hustles to win customers means I advocate FOR putting in the work to build trust. I advocate for investing in building a “money team” and real systems and processes in marketing and sales, which means some will opt out. Not everyone wants, likes or even agrees with my position on these items, and that’s just fine.
ALL advocated positions have an element of “controversy” to them, and that controversy can work in your favor if used appropriately.
Take Dr. Peter Attia, who I had speak to our Producers Club members a while back. People “know” him as the longevity doctor whose focus is on having the highest quality of life as you age. What makes him controversial are the advocated positions he takes regarding what he calls “Medicine 3.0.”
One such example is his recommendation for protein intake to maintain muscle mass, suggesting his patients consume 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight, nearly double the RDA guidelines. Critics say the high-protein diet is a “marketing scam.”
He also advocates for exercise as the #1 factor in maintaining quality of life, along with sleep quality and aggressive medical screenings for a number of conditions – screenings that most doctors do not recommend, such as full-body MRIs and liquid biopsies.
As an MSP, you might hold advocated positions such as “zero trust” environments or strict adherence to compliance standards – or the opposite of these. The real question is: What ARE your advocated positions about what you do and the approach you take?
A second useful exercise: What are the specific advocated positions you hold about your area of expertise? It’s worth thinking them through and writing them down since all marketing and sales efforts need to support your positions (or viewpoints).
And finally, people should “know” something about who you are as a person because this promotes trust and likability.
At events, I’m often talking to clients and prospects who like to share with me their thoughts on an article I wrote, a video I created or one of my Facebook posts. They will often say things like, “I know how much you love _________, so I’m sending you this…” Or, “I know how much you hate _______, so I wanted to share with you…”
People know I have two redheaded daughters. They know I love good red wine and spending time at the beach house in Florida. They know I love marketing, selling and GREAT strategy in business. They know I’m a tough, no-nonsense giver of business advice. They know about my husband’s armored truck, my cabinet story and that I was homeless at 14.
And hopefully, people know that I deeply care about the amazing people I’ve had the opportunity to work with and how grateful I am to God for the many blessings He’s bestowed on me.
What do people KNOW about YOU?
