Vendors can be difficult to work with. When it comes to MSP marketing, you’ll have more satisfied end users if you can eliminate the majority of vendors. The reason end users prefer to avoid vendors has a lot to do with the necessity of managing multiple professional relationships. Also, when packages are piecemeal or a la carte, they tend to be more expensive. It’s like a meal on a fast food menu as opposed to ordering each component separately. Generally, the meal is going to deliver more for less. Well, when you’re able to bundle your offerings together into a cohesive package that minimizes the necessity of vendors, this is likewise more attractive. It will cost the end user, deliver more, and ultimately yield an upward spiral of growth not possible otherwise.
It’s not something you’re likely going to be able to accomplish without some thought, however. What you’ll need to do is focus on what additional services can be provided. Think about what you can bundle to that which already exists under your provision penumbra. Whatever you can tack on will likely look good and simultaneously increase your margins.
The Data Protection Package
Consider data protection possibilities which come from cloud computing solutions. You could construct a package which includes:
- Backup
- Data Recovery
- Business Continuity Planning
- Help Desk Support
- Cross-Platform Support
- Multi-Location Backup
- Secure Encryption
- Antivirus Protection
- Proactive Support
Now, when it comes to data backup, you really don’t need all those things. All you really need is backup, storage, and recovery. But you’re going to want to ensure the data is secure, and you’re going to want clients to understand they can monitor and access it at a moment’s notice. Also, you want them to know that through the wonders of the cloud, they have the option to consolidate. And that consolidation should be coupled with “proactive” support, which continuously monitors cloud solutions to ensure business continuity.
The MSP marketing angle here is in putting services which don’t necessarily have to be involved with data protection in with the “main course.” Think of it like that fast food meal. Do you really need fries and soda? No, you don’t. The burger is fine, but fries and soda are nice. And so is a milkshake, and so is an apple pie, and while you’re at it, you might as well throw in some chicken nuggets. Bundle a package together like that, you can have a $7 meal that actually fills you up and is worth the money paid.
Don’t Erase Non-Bundle Options
It’s important to have many available bundles, but some clients— likely a minority, but still part of your target market–are going to want things piecemeal. So, give it to them at a slightly higher price. The increase in cost won’t be immediately perceptible, because separately priced items will stand alone from the primary bundled package. But doing things this way works as a natural marketing tool. It drives the buyer to the bundle, which is a larger subscription anyway, and represents a better sale. Additionally, it provides versatility in provision such that clients who may legitimately have no need for the bundled options don’t have to use them. If they want to pay more for less service, that’s their business. Give them the option and your brand gets a recognizable positive mark in the customer service department.
Provide for Clients
You want your MSP marketing endeavors to be all-inclusive. You want them to be amenable to individualized client needs. So, bundle together all that which clients traditionally purchase. Diminish the need for obtuse vendors. But don’t make it so that your bundled provisions represent the only services on your docket. By creating a bundled service package which is available at a discounted rate, you’ll have a natural marketing driver which communicates value. Additionally, both you and your client experience an increase in actual value. You’re able to enjoy a higher subscription fee, your client gets more services for less expense, and vendor interdiction is diminished facilitating an ease in the complications of operations for everybody. If you haven’t considered bundling your services, now is a great time to start.
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