are in their billing system. You already connect devices to their network.

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1 SPECIAL REPORT DEALER PRINCIPAL SERIES CONVERTING COPIER CUSTOMERS TO MANAGED NETWORK SERVICES CLIENTS This special report explores practical ideas to convert your hardware base to managed services clients. OVERVIEW Like many dealers, you ve set the goal to develop a managed network services business. You ve lined up your partners. You ve built a network operations center or partnered with a help desk provider. Maybe you have bought a managed network services company. The question now remains: how are you going to drive revenue? The easiest path to MNS success is to reach your current hardware customers. You have a relationship with them. You are in their billing system. You already connect devices to their network. Setting up MNS in your client base is about more than just creating new revenue. It gives you control over their network infrastructure, protecting your customer base. How do we access this low-hanging fruit? In this report, we ll explore obstacles that can keep your customers from trusting you with their network. Then we ll present three strategies to overcome these obstacles. Setting up MNS in these locations is about more than just creating new revenue. It gives you control over their network infrastructure, (c) 2013 Dealer Marketing

2 OBSTACLES TO YOUR SUCCESS Smart dealers recognize that there are obstacles in the way of converting their client base to managed network services clients. If there weren t obstacles, all of your clients would have signed up the day you opened your NOC! Have you noticed that many dealerships managed services programs either fail to launch or are only moderately successful? Part of the reason for this is that they didn t remove the obstacles to success. The three obstacles are: awareness, value and trust. All three of these need to be addressed in order set the stage for a hardware customer to become a managed services client. Create Awareness This first area is very practical. Your current customers must know that you offer managed network services. You think this would be a no-brainer, but the reality is that for many dealers the extent of their awareness campaign is 1. CREATE AWARENESS If your customers aren t aware of your new managed network services, you don t stand a chance. To communicate effectively you need repetition. Every time a current customer encounters your company they should learn about your managed services offering. Put yourself in the place of one of your clients. How do they interact with your company? They probably interact on the phone, online and through your simply sending out an and hosting a launch event. This isn t enough to get the message out. Communicate Value Just because your customers are aware that you now offer Managed Network Services and have a Network Operations Center doesn t mean that they know what that means to them. If they don t understand what you do and how they will benefit, they will likely just politely nod and move on to the next thing. It s up to you to clearly communicate what you can do for your clients and how they will benefit. Develop Trust Just because your clients trust you to take care of their copiers does not mean that they will trust you with their computer network. You need to develop credibility in your clients minds in the area of network support. Let s explore strategies to remove these three obstacles. invoices. They interact with your service team and sales representatives. Here are a few ways you can present your MNS offering in every client communication. On Hold Messages While clients are waiting, they should get a message about the benefits of your managed network services. Website Very few of your clients will ever visit your office. All of them will visit your website. Value Awareness Trust Make sure that anyone who visits your website knows within 3 seconds that you support networks. (c) 2013 Dealer Marketing 2

3 Your home page should clearly present your MNS offering. Anyone who visits your website knows within 3 seconds that you support networks. You also need to give clients an incentive to contact you to learn more. This could include: A Special Report on The Top Five Reasons Companies Outsource the Management of Their Desktop Computers. Entry in a drawing for something cool when they request information An invitation to a seminar on a topic related to The Business Risks of an Unmanaged Computer Network. There are many ideas that you could deploy. The important thing is to have some kind of lead conversion strategy. Service/Meter Forms When someone visits the customer service area of your website to place a service call or enter a meter reading, you have a great opportunity to share your network services offerings with them. This could include: Graphics (banner ads) in the sidebar Graphics in the confirmation and follow up s Your service request form should also include an option to request network or desktop support. Service Leave-Behinds When your service people go on a call they can leave behind a flyer about your managed services. Invoice Inserts Every time you send out an invoice you should include an insert with a clear message that you can service more than just their copiers and printers. Most of the time, these will just get a quick glance on the way to the trash can. So, make sure to have a high-impact benefit statement. This is an inexpensive way to make an impression. Sales Collateral During the sales process your sales team uses different types of collateral to communicate your value proposition. Brochures, presentations and proposal templates all need to be redone to include the managed network services message. Handing out an old company overview brochure that doesn t include information on MNS not only misses a big opportunity, it also casts doubt in the client s mind: if it s not important enough to put in your brochure, is it really something you re serious about? If MNS is not important enough to feature on your website or in your company overview brochure, is it really something you re serious about? 2. COMMUNICATE VALUE You must clearly communicate what you do--in simple English that the average non-technical business person can understand. Most MNS promotional material focused on the technical side of what you do. You end up seeing a long list of technical certifications and acronyms. The average person sees this and their eyes glaze over. Instead, build understanding by starting with the client. What are their problems related to computers and networks? (c) 2013 Dealer Marketing 3

4 The best way to do this is to start with the problem, present your solution and highlight your benefits. For example: Problem Have you ever been concerned that your office could get shut down with a computer virus? Solution We can keep all of your computers updated with the latest anti-virus software and Windows updates automatically. Benefit This means that you won t have to worry about your operations shutting down due to a computer virus. Do you need to include all of the technical certifications that you have? Of course. Just make sure to put these in the footer of your web page and printed material--not at the top. The best way to communicate value is to start with the problem, present your solution and highlight your benefits. 3. DEVELOP TRUST You ve got a plan to create awareness and communicate value. The third leg of the stool is trust. This may be the most important. Think about it. You are asking your clients to trust you with their computer network--the nerve center of their business. They know and trust you as their copier provider. This doesn t mean that they see you as a credible source of network services. So, how do you develop trust? You do this by educating your clients and then proving that you are trustworthy. Educate Your Clients Have you ever been to a seminar on a topic and left the seminar at the end of the day with more questions than you had walking in? This is the paradox of knowledge: the more you know about something the more questions do you have. Where do you go to get these questions answered? You go to the person that educated you. The first key to being seen as an expert and thus building trust is to educate your clients. Become a source of knowledge and help for them in the areas of computers and things related to computers. There are many ways to educate your clients. One way to do this is on your blog. Share useful articles and ideas related to computers and network support. When your current and potential clients visit your website they will see you as a credible source. As you help them understand computers, your company will be the natural go-to place when they have further questions. Articles that are shared on your blog can also be converted to useful white papers or special reports--much like the one you are reading right now. This information can also be shared on social media channels. You can also educate your clients in formal education events. This could be done in a lunch-and-learn format where you invite them to your office. It can also be done in webinars that you host. Your customers know and trust you as their copier provider. This doesn t mean that they see you as a credible source of network services. (c) 2013 Dealer Marketing 4

5 You can record these webinars and put them on your website for lasting impact. Whatever you do, find ways to educate your clients in the area of computers and network services. As you do this they will begin to see you as an expert in this area and their trust in you will grow. Prove You Are Trustworthy The second way to build trust is with references and case studies. When you are a new sales rep, the first few sales you make are very important. You ask for reference letters and build off of these to grow your machine base. In the same way, you are new at the network services business. So, get references from your current clients. These references could be a letter that you also quote on your website. These days it is also very helpful to get the client to put their references online in Google References, on your LinkedIn product page or on your Facebook page. (In addition to building credibility Google references also help your search engine optimization. Plus, you want to have some good references online to counteract any bad references an unhappy client might submit.) With the client s permission, the reference could be formatted into a formal case study where you feature the client, their business problem your solution and how they benefitted. This could also be done as a video. However you do it, make sure to get references from your clients. This will help you build the trust you need to develop your MNS client base. CONCLUSION Marketing should be a key strategic part of your Managed Network Services business plan. Make sure that your current clients are aware of the services you offer. Clearly communicate the value proposition so they understand what you do and how they will benefit. Finally, make the effort to build trust by educating your clients and providing references. Doing this will help ensure your success in this critical business initiative. LEARN MORE Dealer Marketing is a new kind of marketing services partner that helps you move from talk to action. Unlike other marketing companies that are stuck focused on social media, websites Contact Us Phone: and the marketing technology-of-themonth, we are focused on helping you solve your business problems and achieve your goals. /dealer-marketing-systems (c) 2013 Dealer Marketing 5