A Better Sales Op Alert Process

Is your MSP using Tickets to drive the sales process?  If so, you’re far from alone.  

 

We see a lot of MSPs using Tickets in this way.  What we’ve found is that while many MSPs are very knowledgeable about the Service Delivery side of the Autotask software, many are not as familiar with the included sales tools.  

 

And plenty aren’t aware of the opportunity that could help them amp up their sales process…Opportunities, that is.  They work like Tickets, but are a much better vehicle to drive the sales process.  Here’s why… 

 

Tickets do a great job…or do they? 

While Tickets may seem to do a great job on the surface, they lack some critical fields necessary for an efficient sales process.  

Fields like: 

  • the probability the Opportunity will be won  

  • when the Opportunity is projected to close (this is what reminds you to talk to the Client) 

  • what product/services is the Opportunity for 

  • …and oh yeah, the value of the Opportunity (FYI: The value can roll into a cashflow model/Live Report when the opportunity is won.) 

So how do you get started?  Follow these 3 key steps:   

  1. First, map out what your Sales process is or should be.  

  2. Next, create Opportunity Stages for each step in the sales process.  

  3. Finally, go thru the Opportunity Category and rearrange the fields to make the Opportunity easy to use. 

 

At this point, Opportunities are ready to be used.  When a Tech discovers a Sales opportunity, rather than dumping the Ticket in a Sales queue never to be seen again, have them create an Opportunity with the Ticket information and then complete the Ticket.  All the information that led to creating the opportunity will be stored with the opportunity in the Ticket attached to the opportunity. 

 

Now that the MSP is using Opportunities, a few more tools will be helpful.  

For instance, we created a speed code for each of our programs, so creating new Opportunities is 3-4 keystrokes.  We have a Sales dashboard that maps our Sales Pipeline, and as people move from just getting to know us (Prospects) to raving fans (Past Customers), it all shows up in one place.  

 

As people move from stage to stage, they automatically move thru the dashboard.  Of course, we wish everyone would move thru the dashboard, but knowing our conversion rate at each stage is critical to honing our messaging.  I am sure Robin Robins would concur. 

 

Another useful tool is a Live Report.  I do not know about you, but it is hard to put my thoughts and notes in a widget.  We have a Sales Pipeline Activity Live Report that comes out each Monday morning.  In the report is a blank column marked Comments.  

 

Each Account Manager can add their comments, and then we go over our notes in the Tuesday Sales Meeting, to ensure we stay in sync. 

 

The Cash Flow Report will also prove helpful.  We are a project/program-based organization, so milestones automatically bill via a shopping cart when an opportunity closes.  The report shows what opportunities have closed and where payments are still applicable. 

 

Leverage Autotask to the fullest… 

At the end of the day, I am very proud of how we have developed our Sales Process and the Tools that go along with it. 

 

By leveraging the Autotask software to the fullest, this awesome Team has been able to spend more time converting Prospects to Clients and less time dealing with paperwork.  And isn’t that what you want in your MSP, too? 

 

If you are struggling with developing or managing a good Sales process, we would be happy to strategize with you.  Just email us at Info@AGMSPCoaching.com  

 

The elephant in the room:  

Who is Advanced Global, and why should we listen to them? 

Recently someone we’ve been in communication with since DattoCon 2018, who was faithfully reading our articles, commented that up until a few months ago, “I really did not know what Advanced Global does.” So here are a few bullet points to let anyone interested know who we are and what we do: 

  1. We Are – the Autotask Global Service Delivery Authority 

  2. We Help – MSPs thrive 

  3. We Solve – Service Delivery issues, inefficiencies, and challenges by making sure: 

    1. techs know what to work on next 

    2. someone is managing all open tickets and driving them to completion 

    3. the staffing levels are correct, and the workload is balanced  

    4. Real-Time Time Entry is a cultural habit 

    5. the Client has a great client experience 

    6. profit is maximized 

    7. Autotask is being fully leveraged 

    8. the historical data that is in the Autotask software is accessible to benchmark, track & USE effectively 

    9. the Service Delivery operations can scale 

    10. projects are completed On-Time and On-Budget 

    11. the company can grow 

    12. MSPs know what they don’t know 

  4. Our Tools:  

    1. Autotask “Best in Class” standard build 

    2. Our MSP robust Service Delivery SOP library 

    3. Advanced Autotask Live Reports 

    4. Expertise in providing a transformational educational experience 

 

Note: We are not philosophers; we are doers with 31+ years of Service Delivery experience, bringing real Service Delivery Improvement change, profitability, and Best in Class performance. 

 

We start by offering a No-Obligation PSA Configuration Evaluation  

 

Steve & Co 

Stephen BuyzeAutotask, opportunities, sales process, MSP