But, to be honest, many of our biggest deals came down from a relationship from our CEO. After 5 years of running the sales department (predominantly Managed Services) at Compuquip Technologies I came to realize that Sales people do not drive the most managed services sales, its been the seasoned account manager, the director of services, or me as the manager that brought deals in. You both make great points about selling and this is hot topic. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of MSPmentor’s annual platinum sponsor program. Bringing in new clients yourself also means that your client will have a relationship with YOU, keeping client loss to a minimum when you experience account manager turnover.ĭo you have account managers or salespeople in your business? How is that working out for you? Are you contemplating a change?ĭavid Bellini is president of ConnectWise. No one else is going to be able to talk owner-to-owner better than you and land the deals that take extra time and effort. With a team of account managers, the number one salesperson bringing in new clients should be you, the business owner.
You are in a great position to leverage your full solution set and narrow the number of vendors with which your clients engage. As that trusted advisor, you have the ability to foresee the needs of your clients and proactively plan future upgrades and additional solutions to meet their needs.
“Trusted advisor” may be an over-used term, but it is the goal that you are trying to achieve. Selling services means you are selling your expertise and building long-term relationships. If you are selling mostly services, you need account managers. Salespeople are doers and are goal-oriented, which is what makes them successful in finding and closing new business. They are not interested in long-term relationships, they want to conquer client objections and bring home the prize. They are hunters who enjoy the thrill of the chase and are therefore compensated on the size of the sales they bring to you.
If you are selling mostly products, you need a sales staff, not account managers. In considering if my business should have account managers or salespeople, I’ve come to realize that it all hinges on WHAT you’re selling the most of: Products or Services? As a local VAR and MSP, we’ve always had account managers at our business to drive new business and maximize the engagement with our current client base.