Are you an MPS provider?
Then you probably know that, even though the service has a lot to offer, it’s still important that you learn how to sell MPS.
Year after year, more providers enter the field, so if you don’t properly utilize the best practices for selling MPS, you may soon find yourself without a job.
How to Sell MPS in 5 Steps
Selling Managed print shouldn’t be difficult. It’s a great service that saves money, reduces waste, and improves productivity.
Still, the five best practices for selling MPS listed below will help you close more clients than ever before.
1. Focus on a Particular Specialty
Industry-specific marketing is essential for B2B companies.
Every industry has its own specific needs when it comes to printing. Spend the time to learn about these needs and you’ll come off as the specialist potential clients can trust with their printing requirements.
Try to sell government agencies, healthcare companies, and schools, and you’re going to have a very hard time positioning yourself as the specialists these companies want.
2. Leverage Social Proof
Another reason to get industry-specific is because you can then leverage social proof to close more sales.
In short, you can tell Prospect A how you’re already helping Prospect B by providing them with managed print services.
Even though those services are most likely customized, because Prospect A and Prospect B are in the same industry, the former will know that you understand what it demands in terms of printing.
3. Ask About Their Annual Print Costs
Once you make contact with a prospect, get to this question ASAP. Managed print selling is largely about helping clients save money, so this question is of the utmost importance. Don't focus on just the consumables spend but also how much time they spend on managing their own printers.
A lot of times, if you can prove your managed print services will be more affordable, you’ll close the sale right there.
4. Ask About Other Needs that Fall Under Managed Print Services
If you can’t beat your competitor’s price, ask about other services they need. You might be able to bundle two or more that your prospect currently gets from two different providers. This will most likely save them time and would definitely be more efficient for them.
Of course, even if you win out on price, never miss an opportunity to sell a client on even more of your services.
5. Ask About Their Current Provider
That’s not the only thing you want to know about their current provider, though. Keep digging and you may find out that they don’t always deliver on their promises or that there have been other problems in the past.
Those missteps on their part are big opportunities for you to explain your USP. This is also another time when social proof can be a huge advantage. If other companies in their industry can trust you not to make the same missteps, they certainly can, too.
Think about other services you can provide that their current provider isn’t, as well. For example, you might be able to better organize their equipment to improve workflow.
If the Prospect Says No
Learning how to sell MPS means also learning how to accept a "no."
Even when you follow the best practices for selling MPS, this is going to happen from time-to-time. There are a number of reasons you may not close the deal that have nothing to do with your offer, too.
For example, the company may be in the early stages of a merger. Your contact can’t tell you this, but it means that right now isn’t a good time to switch vendors. Your contact could also just be overwhelmed with other tasks at the moment and can’t give you the attention you deserve.
In any case, ask if you can follow up with them in 6, 9, or 12 months.
The vast majority of people will agree to one of these.
About a month before when they said they would meet again, send them an email reminder. In this message, remind them about the benefits you promised them last time. In effect, you want to make them think about how much better off they’d be if they had taken you up on you offer months earlier.
This should position you to close the sale when you meet again.
Selling Managed Print Services Takes Practice
As with all things, practice makes perfect.
Learning how to sell MPS successfully will take work, but this doesn’t mean playing the numbers game by going from one prospect to the next, hoping one will finally become a client.
You need to develop a deep understanding of the managed print services you offer. When a client mentions one of their requirements, you should immediately have a response. They need to have complete confidence in your abilities.
Again, specializing in a certain field will help.
Use that tip and the other four above, practice your pitches, and it will only be a matter of time before you become a successful MPS seller.
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