A new lead isn't just for today... it has tons of value until one of these 3 things happens

Last Updated on March 14, 2024 4:57 pm

You'd be surprised how many MSPs miss out on new clients because they never follow-up with leads. Here's a follow-up system you can use

I know lead generation is the HARDEST thing for many MSPs.

But you make it harder on yourself by treating your leads as if they were single use plastic.

Let's say you generate a new lead today. Then you get them on the phone and realise to your utter delight that they're not just a lead... they're a hot prospect.

Side note... to define my terms, this is the journey business owners and managers go through:

They start as a suspect knowing they want a new MSP but not knowing anything about who's out there
Once you know about them and they are in one of your audiences (i.e. connected on LinkedIn, in your email database, etc) they become a lead
Once they are ready to talk about potentially buying from you they become a prospect
And once you have qualified they're the kind of business you'd like as a client they are an opportunity
Then they become a client. HAPPY DAYS
Better still, when they've stayed a few years and love your service so much they would never leave, they are a bonded client

So, you talk to the prospect and at the start of the call you're really excited. They've got 30 users, technology is core to their business, and you have experience in their sector.

But the more you talk, the more your enthusiasm drops. They have an incumbent MSP they're not happy with, but they're not desperately UNhappy either. They're seeing who's out there and will probably sign "one final annual contract" with the incumbent.

You end the call by promising to call them in a year's time.

You'd be surprised and terrified how many MSPs would never make that call.

😳 Some forget because they don't have a sales system to remind them
😳 A few know to make the call but never get round to it
😳 Or think "I won't chase them, they'll call me if they're interested"

All of these things make my brain explode with utter disbelief...

Every MSP that acts in this way has serious follow-up failure. They're treating valuable expensive leads as if they were disposable and time limited.

But they're not. Leads don't last forever, but they do last 1,000x longer than you think.

In my last business, a healthcare marketing agency, one of the final clients I onboarded in 2016 just before I exited was a lead we had been following-up for nearly a decade.

TEN YEARS!

I wasn't paying them special attention... they were one of 12,000 leads constantly getting follow-ups from my team. It's just that it took many winters before the timing was right for them.

Here's my attitude towards following-up leads. It's a great attitude to embed into your MSP.

You follow up leads until they buy, die or say "bye bye".

I'm not joking.

You can't hope that your leads will remember you at the exact moment they are ready to switch MSPs. You are not and never will be top of their mind.

They cannot remember your MSP's name (or your name). That's why you have to do the hard work and follow them up. Repeatedly.

This is not "pestering them". If they don't want to hear from you they will unsubscribe or block your number (only a tiny number will).

Here are some practical ways to put in place a permanent follow-up system. For every lead you generate...

Connect with them on LinkedIn. Post content every day. Reply to comments
Go into their LinkedIn feed now and then to comment on their posts (if you have something valuable to add)
When you come across some content that might be of interest, DM it to them. Or for a greater impact, print it off and mail it to them with a short covering note
Add them to your email database. Send them an educational and entertaining email once a week
Add them to your snail mail database. Send them a physical printed newsletter once a month
Run a marketing campaign once or twice a year on a theme such as email security. Mail them a postcard, send related emails and make a follow-up phone call
Pick up the phone every 6 months just to chew the fat with them for a few minutes. Ask open questions and be interested in their favourite subject (themselves and their business). Don't be afraid to ask "is this the right time to meet?". If they say call in September, then make sure you do. Text them if they don't answer
Put on lunch & learns or other events and invite them. Webinars are OK... real life events are dynamite
Seek them out at networking events and make sure to say hello. Remind them who you are (as they won't remember) and give them another business card, even if it's the 200th card you've given them
Send them a Christmas card... in March