10 Tips to Rebuild Your IT Business Post COVID-19
Not a business today exists that doesn't require the services of an IT professional.
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If you want to truly understand how valuable your IT service is, put yourself deep into the shoes of your prospective client, Sherbill said. Describe in detail your ideal long-term client:
● What industry do they work in?
● How long have they been in business?
● What are their top three biggest IT challenges?
● What are the three clearest IT solutions they need?
● Why would they object to hiring you?
● What problems does their business suffer from that they don’t even realize is costing them time, energy and money?
“By doing that simple and fun exercise, you’re now armed with a powerful understanding: the core needs of your best potential client,” Sherbill said.
Instead of speaking about your services, educate your prospects on why they need your services and how you can help them, Sherbill said.
Now that you know your potential clients’ challenges, educate them on how your work is the solution.
Here are a five simple examples:
● Statistics on how costly downtime is for an organization.
● How to increase productivity with enhanced IT infrastructure.
● How to prevent cyberattacks.
● Costly mistakes of ineffective remote work setup.
● Case study of time and money saved with optimal IT infrastructure.
Marketing, advertising, business growth strategies and tips can be complicated. So here’s a way to make it simple.
Coined by Leo Burnett — the man responsible for generating hundreds of billions in sales for companies like Kellogg’s, Allstate, Nestle, GM, Heinz and United Airlines — below are three easy steps that turn interested and qualified prospects into clients:
● Here’s what I do.
● Here’s how it helps you.
● Here’s how to get it.
Sherbill said an example could sound like the following, even if someone asks what you do for a living while waiting in line for coffee:
“I help Chicago-based businesses doing over $1 million in annual sales become 100% bulletproof from cyberattacks so they never lose any crucial data. Here’s a link for interested businesses to apply to become a client.”
If you buy a hamburger, adding fries to the order is a logical next step. And if your client hires your core IT service, it’s logical they’ll have other IT needs outside of your core service, Sherbill said.
Here are five additional services you can offer:
● Security for remote workers that may be using home computers (antivirus, etc)
● Security for remote servers (AiP Defense, etc. )
● Remote access
● Managed VPN services
● Managed firewall service
If your client needs these, it’s your moral obligation to fulfill their needs. When fulfilled, it helps grow your business and increases your monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
In the event your client says they can’t afford you or you just want to go above and beyond for them, simply audit their current pricing plans for internet, data center, insurance, cell phone, VoIP, Office 365, Adobe Cloud, QuickBooks and antivirus.
“By adding these together, your client might end up saving a significant sum on their monthly bill, thanks to you, the IT genius,” Sherbill said.
One of the easiest ways to influence your prospects to hire you is with strong and unique positioning. Here’s a quick “positioning” exercise that always works:
“When my prospects think of me, I want them to think _________________”.
Here are some starting points of what prospects are looking for:
● Remote office expert
● The fastest IT service
● The most affordable
● The most professional
● The IT that gets results
“Whatever your choice, the more you convey that in your messaging, the more it will stick in the minds of your prospects,” Sherbill said. “Now with COVID-19 affecting businesses, if you position yourself as the solution to their business challenges, such as remote, you’re light years ahead of your competition.”
Imagine if, no matter what time of day or season, 24/7, prospects can watch, read and listen to your IT insights to inspire them to become clients. Think of social media as cloning yourself so whenever a potential prospect looks up something IT-related, they can find you and learn from you.
How? By just putting simple content on YouTube or Facebook, or wherever you like online.
And yes, this goes hand in hand with tip No. 6.
By committing just 20 minutes a week to this, over the course of three months alone you can have an abundance of content that attracts clients.
Here’s a simple structure:
● Pull out your phone and record video or audio.
● Introduce the problem your prospect faces.
● Show or tell how you’ve solved this for a client recently.
● Explain a common mistake most prospects make around this area.
● Give them a link to learn more about you or apply to become a client.
“You can create a solid piece of weekly content using that structure alone,” Sherbill said. “Who knows, you might even be recognized the next time you get coffee where someone comes up to you and says, ‘Hey, you’re that IT guy on YouTube, right?’”
Robert Cialdini, psychology and marketing professor at Arizona State University, says in his book, “Influence,” how impactful the trait of “likeability” is in the realm of persuasion. And nothing creates the experience of feeling liked as does the fun and wonderful food of pizza and doughnuts.
Whether having a virtual event where you send attendees doughnuts or pizza, or by having a small gathering alone, when people are relaxed, they’re more personable. And when people are more personable with one another, they’re more open to discussing what they need and listening to expert advice from the IT pro themselves: you.
If you have any doubts or uncertainty in the best next step forward, there is absolutely someone who has already been in your shoes and thrived. While everyone on earth is happy to offer advice, even business advice, your best bet is taking and implementing the advice of someone who has achieved the very result you’re striving to achieve yourself.
You’d be surprised how enthused a response you might get by reaching out to a mentor of yours seeking their advice.
Having worked with business owners during economic highs and terrifying lows, here is a universal truth: You always have more creative power than you realize. The power lies within you, not outside of you. So, here’s something you already know: Physical movement equals happiness.
According to a 2015 study, participants who went through an intensive mindfulness meditation training reported having significant reductions in perceived stress.
If your business isn’t moving, get your body and mind moving. It will do wonders for your clarity. The less stressed, more focused and happier you are, the more business will thrive, Sherbill said.
Having worked with business owners during economic highs and terrifying lows, here is a universal truth: You always have more creative power than you realize. The power lies within you, not outside of you. So, here’s something you already know: Physical movement equals happiness.
According to a 2015 study, participants who went through an intensive mindfulness meditation training reported having significant reductions in perceived stress.
If your business isn’t moving, get your body and mind moving. It will do wonders for your clarity. The less stressed, more focused and happier you are, the more business will thrive, Sherbill said.
As more and more businesses slowly reopen and others commit to staying fully remote, many IT providers are looking for simple ways to attract new clients post COVID-19.
Whether you’re an IT professional in an internal department who was let go, an MSP or an IT business owner, what you’re about to read can help you get the work and clients you need. What’s more, this can happen in virtually any economic environment.
Ari Sherbill, Atera‘s lead evangelist, offers 10 tips for IT businesses to rebuild and prosper post COVID-19. Atera provides remote monitoring and management (RMM).
“Before we get into these 10 tips, let’s start with some very true and good news,” he said. “Not a business today exists that does not require the services of an IT professional. This is true today more than ever before in history.”
Technology Adoption Accelerates
Also, technology adoption is at an all-time high in our personal and professional lives, Sherbill said. From network connections and setup, to malware attacks to password fatigue data recovery, “if you’re an IT provider, your services are in high demand,” he said.
Keep up with resources for supporting partners and customers during the COVID-19 crisis. |
“IT will always be needed in increasing levels of dependency and urgency,” he said. “So, to tap into that, understand you’re the priority of value. With that undercurrent of focus, coupled with implementing these 10 tips, you’re on a clear path forward to absolutely, positively succeed in virtually any environment.”
Worldwide IT spending should reach $3.4 trillion in 2020, down 8% from 2019, according to the latest forecast by Gartner. CIOs are prioritizing spending on “mission critical” technology and services over initiatives aimed at growth or transformation. That’s because of the pandemic and the global economic recession.
Scroll through our slideshow above for Sherbill’s 10 tips for IT business success.
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