IT Managed Services
Sales Assessment Results
61
Developing Closer
10 questions
Maximum score: 100
Completed in
Let's cut to the chase: your performance here is underwhelming. With an average score of 6.1, it's clear that you're leaving a lot of potential on the table. You have moments where you recognize the prospect's concerns, but you fall short of providing concrete examples or a compelling narrative that would really make your points stick. Your strongest techniques seem to lie in recognizing the prospect's concerns and outlining processes, but you need to elevate your game by incorporating specific success stories and deeper engagement.
The consistent pattern of missing details and clarity in your responses stands out. You often provide a structure, but without the rich context or emotional engagement that builds trust. You're not just selling a service; you're selling a relationship, and your responses need to reflect that.
I suggest you dive deeper into the Challenger Sale and Storytelling in Sales techniques. Learn how to challenge prospects' thinking and use stories to illustrate your value. These could be game-changers for you, transforming your responses from generic to memorable.
Here's your coaching moment: think of every interaction as an opportunity to not just answer questions, but to lead a conversation. Get curious about your prospects’ experiences and tailor your responses to meet their unique needs. Remember, it's not just about what you're selling; it's about how you make prospects feel heard and valued. Step up your game, and let’s turn those scores around!
Question Breakdown
1.
3
/ 10Question:
"I'm worried about how this new system will integrate with our existing software; what if there are compatibility issues?"
Answer:
We have come across many customized solutions and have addressed compatibility issues during our initial discover scans. We do not want any surprises prior to starting.
Feedback:
Your response lacks clarity and specificity, which makes it less effective in addressing the prospect's concern about integration and compatibility issues. Rather than simply stating that you've addressed such issues before, consider elaborating on specific steps you take to ensure compatibility or sharing a relevant success story. This would help build trust and demonstrate your expertise. Additionally, asking the prospect about their current systems or specific concerns would show curiosity and active listening, enhancing the dialogue. Overall, you missed an opportunity for a more collaborative approach to reassure the prospect.
2.
5
/ 10Question:
"Your pricing seems higher than the competitor we currently work with; can you explain the value that justifies the cost?"
Answer:
Your concern on pricing is extremely valid in an arena where pricing is extremely competitive. We test every solutions we use yearly to make sure we are delivering world class services and bring peace of mind to the services you are subscribing to. Our technicians our required to have the latest certifications to make sure you have the best talent and team available for your needs.
Feedback:
Your response does recognize the validity of the prospect's concern, which is a good start. However, it lacks a direct explanation of the specific value your higher pricing offers compared to competitors. You should clearly articulate unique benefits, such as the quality of service, reliability, or any additional features that justify the cost. Including a success story or example of how your services have positively impacted other clients would also strengthen your argument. Additionally, checking in with the prospect about their current experience and understanding their specific needs could enhance your approach, demonstrating curiosity and active listening. Overall, while you touch on important points, the response could be more compelling and tailored to address the specific value proposition.
3.
7
/ 10Question:
"I’ve heard from colleagues that switching providers can lead to downtime; how do you ensure business continuity during the transition?"
Answer:
Business Continuity is of extreme importance and its great that you brought this up. We have created a step by step process to ensure we capture all your current technologies and create a project plan for each implementation to reduce the risk of downtime. We work around your schedule during off business hours to ensure your clients to do not experience any disruption to your normal services.
Feedback:
Your response effectively recognizes the importance of business continuity during the transition, which is a strong start. You clearly outline a step-by-step process, demonstrating a structured approach to minimizing downtime. However, it would be beneficial to provide more specific examples or success stories that illustrate how this process has worked in the past for other clients. This would enhance credibility and show real-world application of your claims. Additionally, asking the prospect about their specific concerns or previous experiences with downtime could improve engagement and demonstrate active listening. Overall, while your answer is solid, it could be more compelling with additional details and a more interactive approach.
4.
7
/ 10Question:
"If we move forward, what kind of changes will our team need to adapt to?"
Answer:
That is an excellent question that shows mature operations. The top three changes will be first, Communication methods. We utilize teams chats and have a dedicated hotline for your team to use in emergencies. We also created a "start a ticket" option on their desktops to make IT request easy. Second will be uptime of their devices should increase from what we have discovered over the past few conversations. Your team should expect to have technology work for them and not against. Finally, your team should expect regular communication from your dedicated CSM to make sure we are aligned to your goals and changes you have implemented.
Were there any other concerns that we did not discuss?
Feedback:
Your response effectively acknowledges the prospect's question and communicates the necessary changes your team will implement. By outlining specific changes, including communication methods and increased device uptime, you're providing valuable insight into the transition process. However, your response could benefit from more clarity in explaining how these changes will specifically impact the team's daily operations. Additionally, it would strengthen your position to include examples of how your past clients adapted to these changes successfully, showcasing real-world impact. Moreover, while you did ask if there were any other concerns, consider incorporating more active listening by summarizing previous discussions or expressing an understanding of their unique situation. This would create a more collaborative environment and reassure the prospect that you are fully engaged with their needs.
5.
7
/ 10Question:
"Will your service be accessible via mobile devices? Our team often works remotely and we need that flexibility."
Answer:
Absolutely. Due to the work from home movement caused by COVID, we have adapted to a cloud environment for all our partners to make sure we deliver reliable services no matter where you remote workers login.
What are some of the roadblocks your remote workers are facing today? How have you handled the remote workforce thus far? Have you worked with any other of your providers to create a more user friendly remote experience?
Feedback:
Your response effectively addresses the prospect's concern about mobile accessibility by emphasizing your cloud-based services, which aligns well with current remote work trends. However, it could be improved by providing more specific details about how your service ensures seamless access on mobile devices and any features that enhance the user experience. Additionally, while you ask insightful follow-up questions, consider rephrasing them for clarity and focus. For instance, instead of asking about experiences with other providers, you could ask about their specific requirements for mobile access. This would make your inquiry more relevant and engaging. Overall, while you demonstrate a solution-oriented approach, enhancing clarity and depth would strengthen your response further.
6.
6
/ 10Question:
"I'm concerned that our current vendor has better support availability; what can you offer to assure us of your responsiveness?"
Answer:
Availability is a big concern when using a Managed IT Provider. Help me understand what you mean by "better support," and availability greater than 24/7.
We consistently rank in the top 5% of NPS scores for MSPs in our region and use consistent feedback loops to get better every day. With SLAs of 30 minutes to 2 hours dependent on severity, are there concerns that this would not meet your expectations?
Feedback:
Your response begins by acknowledging the importance of availability, which is essential in addressing the prospect's concern. However, instead of asking for clarification on what they mean by "better support," it would be more effective to emphasize your own strengths in support availability and responsiveness right away. While mentioning your NPS ranking is a positive, it would be beneficial to provide specific examples of how your responsiveness has positively impacted other clients. Additionally, discussing how your SLAs are structured and the real-world benefits they deliver could better illustrate your commitment to customer service. While you did ask about their concerns, enhancing the conversation with follow-up questions related to their current vendor's performance could demonstrate active listening and build rapport. Overall, while you have a solid foundation, focusing more on your offerings and engaging the prospect more directly would strengthen your response.
7.
6
/ 10Question:
"This sounds great, but I’m not sure our budget can handle monthly payments like these; are there alternatives?"
Answer:
We have priced our services in monthly installments to make your operational expenses predictable and consistent. If you would prefer to have a capital expenditure for these services, we could work out a pre-payment method.
From all the opportunities for improvement we have identified, do you feel that budget we laid out does not match the needs you have asked us to provide?
Feedback:
Your response addresses the prospect's budget concern by highlighting the predictability of monthly installments, which is a positive aspect. However, you could strengthen your answer by explicitly acknowledging their concern about affordability and empathizing with their financial constraints. Suggesting alternatives could also include options like scaling services or flexible payment plans tailored to their budgetary needs. Additionally, reiterating the value and ROI of your services can help justify the investment. Asking for more specific feedback on their budget situation is beneficial, but it could be more engaging by framing it in a way that encourages a dialogue about potential trade-offs or adjustments. Overall, while you provide a solid foundation, enhancing empathy and exploring more budget-friendly solutions could improve your effectiveness in this scenario.
8.
7
/ 10Question:
"We had a bad experience with a past implementation of a similar service; how can you assure me this will be different?"
Answer:
This is a common response we are hearing from the customers we have onboarded from other providers as well. Having a project manager to help document every step of the onboarding process ensures that we have a smooth implementation. We have created checkpoints along the way to make sure you are satisfied with the processes being handled and can make adjustments if need be.
Can you tell me more about some of those bad experiences so we can identify those up front and be sure to have a solution in place?
Feedback:
Your response effectively acknowledges the commonality of the concern and introduces a structured approach to onboarding, which is a positive aspect. However, it could be strengthened by providing specific examples or testimonials from past clients who had successful implementations after bad experiences with previous providers. This would enhance credibility and illustrate how your approach has led to successful outcomes. Additionally, while you ask about their past experiences, consider leading with empathy by recognizing their frustration and assuring them that their concerns will be a priority. Overall, your response shows a solid understanding of the issue, but could benefit from more detail and emotional engagement to fully address the prospect's apprehensions.
9.
7
/ 10Question:
"There's a lot of uncertainty in the market; how will your service evolve with changing technology to keep us secure?"
Answer:
This is a great question as it is the reason we believe we are the best in the market. Cybersecurity needs to be the core of every MSP since we are highly targeted and are trusted with your data protection. We have a dedicated team of cyber analyst and engineers who are constantly testing our own environment and incentivized to find such gaps. We also commit to a yearly third party audit to ensure we are indeed following best practices. Finally, we are striving to achieve SOC 2 type II to prove that we have not only followed these standards but continue to abide by these best practices over time.
Feedback:
Your response effectively highlights the importance of cybersecurity in the context of uncertainty in the market, which aligns well with the prospect's concerns. You articulate the proactive measures your company is taking, including having a dedicated team, continuous testing, and third-party audits, which demonstrate a strong commitment to maintaining security standards. However, it would enhance your response to provide specific examples of how your services have adapted to changing technologies or real-world scenarios where your security measures effectively mitigated risks. Additionally, consider touching on how you keep clients informed about evolving threats and how you integrate their feedback into your security practices. This could foster greater trust and engagement with the prospect. Overall, a solid response that could benefit from added specificity and examples.
10.
6
/ 10Question:
"How can I ensure that moving to your service won’t disrupt our daily operations, especially since we’re already stretched thin?"
Answer:
We exist to ensure that your daily operations are up and running and their maximum capabilities. In order to ensure this uptime, we use our documented processes and pre-agreed timelines to make these transitions in a way that will not impact your business or your customers.
Their will be a heavy lift at the very beginning to ensure we have all the information we need to make a successful transition but after the initial two weeks, your team should find much more time to dedicated their actual jobs and not take on the IT role that we are hired to do.
Your team should feel a sense of relieve knowing they will not be stretched so thin.
Feedback:
Your response addresses the prospect's concern about operational disruption by emphasizing your commitment to ensuring uptime and utilizing documented processes. However, it could benefit from more specific details about how these processes work and examples of successful transitions from other clients. Articulating the roles your team will play during the transition and how they will communicate with the prospect's team could enhance clarity and build trust. The mention of a "heavy lift" at the beginning is important, but elaborating on what that entails and how you plan to support them during this phase would help alleviate concerns. Additionally, consider rephrasing the last sentence to create a stronger, more positive reassurance regarding the support they will receive. Overall, your answer shows a solid understanding of the need for operational continuity but lacks some specificity and examples that could strengthen your case.