Five Traits That Give MSPs a Competitive Edge

Last time, we talked about your special sauce, which in other words, are those little sprinkles of innovation that make your business standout. This time, I’d like to take a closer look at some of the things an MSP can do to stand out among competitors.

Offer Niche Services

You can learn a lot from an MSP like Logic Force. Logic Force caters to the legal industry—a niche with very specific requirements—specifically. Clients in any industry are discerning when it comes to an IT provider and often look for someone who can give them the service that fits their needs perfectly. Thinking about what types of business you’re best at working with and tailoring services to fit them can offer a competitive advantage over other MSPs.

Offer More Services

You’ll have advantages over competitors just by offering more services than they do. One thing you can do is offer print services, which is becoming more common for MSPs. According to a recent article on Channel Pro, “IT resellers [and MSPs] who haven’t yet realized that managed services now includes print will soon discover large portions of their business being ripped away by those who can meet both the physical and digital needs of a customer.” But it doesn’t stop at printing. Have you considered BYOD and mobile device services? Have you started providing cloud backup solutions in addition to onsite backups? Have you thought about taking disaster recovery one step further and providing full-on business continuity services? Think carefully about what additional services you can offer.

Use Service Agreements

We’ve talked a little about service agreements in the past, but having some solid service agreements can put you at an advantage. It might be tough to make firm guarantees when it comes to uptime, but you can certainly guarantee things like how long it will take for your techs to assist clients or things of that nature. Make sure your agreements are appealing to clients so that they can see the true value you offer as an organization.

Sell Value Over Price

It might seem crazy, but some customers won’t always be looking for the cheapest option around. In fact, some people might see extremely low prices as a red flag that suggests a lower quality of service. You’ll want to offer a solid value for the price rather than trying to cut corners to have low prices. Aim for quality above all else and let super cheap prices be damned. This way, you not only have satisfied clients, but can also make sure you’re making decent profits.      

Be Attractive

You’re best if you’re looking sexy. No, I’m not kidding. Your brand is reflected in not only the quality of your service, but in your appearance as well. An attractive brand can actually be an important factor. Imagine this: your technician shows up to a client’s office in a dirty service truck with cables flapping out the back. He nudges the door open and hops down in his flip-flops, revealing a heavily mustard-stained Metallica shirt. He might get the job done just fine (plus, Metallica rules), but he won’t look too appealing to clients or potential clients who see him. It seems superficial to think that clients would care about something like looks, but looking sharp has its benefits. People who work for you represent your brand, and you’ll likely want them to be associated with professionalism, cleanliness, and efficiency because it can only make you look better in client’s and potential client’s eyes. If you’re curious about how to give your brand a facelift, have a look at this MSP re-branding guide.

Make it Happen

There are dozens of ways for an MSP to stand out, and it might be that your organization can’t do all of these things right away. But the more ways you can stand out, the more of an advantage you’ll have. Sure, it can be tough to find time to find and develop these differentiating factors, but it can ultimately mean more work and profits for an MSP committed to making it happen.

Casey Morgan is the marketing content specialist at StorageCraft.