Are You a Bum or a Closer? (PART 1)
How Everyone at Your MSP Can Improve the Sales Process Using Autotask (yes, even the Techs)
Here’s what you’ll learn today:
Enter: Automation
Autotask saves the day
7 Automation tools for the sales process
Start with Stage Review
Before diving in, explore Swim Lanes
Sales Process, a little-known automation
If you’ve never seen the 1992 Al Pacino/Jack Lemmon/Alec Baldwin movie “Glengarry Glen Ross” and you’ve ever thought about selling something, then you have to watch it. Tonight. And if you’re not in Sales, then watch it anyway and laugh at the salespeople. It’s that good. (It’s also loaded with profanity, so be warned).
So, what does a movie about sleazy salespeople have to do with improving MSP Service Delivery? And why should the Techs and non-Salespeople keep reading? Well, you have to have sales (incoming cash) in order to have someone to deliver that excellent service to. And among many memorable quotes come two of the three things that help grow the business and make the ENTIRE Team a success.
But before I cash your check (Always Be Closing, you know), how about I just give it all away for free? Roll up your sleeves, and let’s get to work.
If you’ve read my articles before, you know when it comes to “How to Automate the PSAutomation” Autotask gives us a whole section of the Admin module to communicate what we are talking about:
Form Templates (Speed Codes)
Incoming Email Processing
Workflow Rules
And we would like to add two more – Categories and Widgets.
As we approach Sales Dashboard and Opportunity training, Think Automation. For the Sales process, there are seven significant automation tools:
Part 1
a. Sales Process
b. Opportunity Categories
Part 2
c. Opportunity Form Templates
d. Incoming Email Processing
e. CRM Workflow Rules
Part 3
f. Sales Dashboard and Widgets
g. Scheduled Autotask Sales Live Reports
h. Sales Assessment Tool
You can implement Sales Dashboard and Opportunity in two ways:
Across the board, starting with Stage Review and then proceeding with each item in the list
On the fly as needed during the normal course of business
Stage Review:
The purpose of the stage review is twofold:
To make sure the Sales Pipeline coded into the Autotask software via the Stage list is correct and the right one for the MSP
As a reminder of what the Sales Pipeline is as we brainstorm around how the workflow can be automated at each Stage. It is the Opportunity Stage that drives the majority of the Sales Pipeline Automation
Swim Lanes:
Another aspect of the Sales Pipeline to be considered before diving into the automation conversation is that not all opportunities are created equal.
The longest Pipeline will be for a New Managed Service Client. Here, the workflow starts with introductions and qualifications, and may include a network upgrade proposal.
A single PC needs to be quoted along with all the bells and whistles but is a much shorter workflow. And parts should be ordered without burdening a Salesperson (Tech commission?).
The Swim Lanes that we need to keep in mind as we go through building out the Sales Pipeline automation are:
Small Sales – think WAPs, PCs, Azure Provisioning, etc.
Small Projects or Installations – Opportunity labor below a threshold requiring a Scope of Work and Build of Materials in the signed proposal. Typically, the threshold is $2,800 or 16 hours of billable labor
Projects – Opportunity labor at or above a threshold requiring a Scope of Work and Build of Materials in the signed proposal
New Managed Service Clients – self-explanatory
Sales Process:
The sales process is a little-known Autotask automation that assists with tracking where in the sales pipeline an opportunity is at. It is one thing to have a stage, but where are we at within the Stage, is the question. The Sales Process provides stage by stage checklists that report not only what is done but a weighted % of completion of the Stage, as well as the Opportunity overall.
It is fair to say that while it is a checklist, it does not validate that the step in the Stage has been done correctly or with satisfactory results. It is merely a checklist that alerts where in the process the Opportunity is at and highlights the next step or that a step has been completed and is ready for review.
As stages are modified and updated, the Sales Process does not modify automatically. That is why a stage review first, is important. Once the Stage Review has been completed, go through the Sales Process and modify the phases to match stages, update the checklist for each Stage, and verify the Opportunity Stage the Opportunity is moved to upon completion of the phase checklist.
The Sales Process is handy because it can be updated without editing the Opportunity. The Sales Process can be accessed via a button in the top right-hand corner of the Opportunity, and once a phase has been completed:
The Stage is updated automatically
The next stage checklist is automatically available for further Sales Process Processing
Besides looking into the Opportunity itself, the Sales Process Percented Complete can be added to an Opportunities Live Report.
Opportunity Categories:
Categories generally have three benefits that make it easier to use the Autotask Software:
The detail fields can be rearranged, so access to the most used fields can be moved to the top and more readily available. Fields seldom used can be moved to the bottom of the view, and fields not applicable can be removed.
Opportunity Categories can be created to include, limit, or set as a default field data. This makes it faster to create the Opportunity and to populate or update the data fields as the Opportunity moves through the Pipeline. An Opportunity Category should be created for each Swim Lane. The reason being is that the Stages and fields needed for a small sale are much less than for a New Managed Service Client.
The adding or hiding insight panels are based on the Opportunity Category (Swim Lane). Insights are panels of information added or subtracted from the right panel. They include groups of additional information that are related to, but not part of, the Opportunity. Insights are either impacted by or impact the Opportunity.
FYI: Insights are added from time to time in Major and Maintenance Releases. It is a good habit to check them after every Major Release.
Back to the movie:
Seriously, don’t be like the bums in the movie – get your MSP’s Sales Process rocking with the whole Team on board. You don’t have to have the Glengarry leads to be a success (they help), but you do need a plan, a process, and perhaps someone who already knows the way.
And hey, if you get stuck, know that we’re always here for you. We have a sleazy, Alec Baldwin-type character awaiting your call (just kidding). Seriously, if my team can be of help, reach out to info@AGMSPCoaching.com anytime.
The elephant in the room:
How do we know what we know? Because we are not philosophers! We are hands-on "How To" coaches that everyday guide MSPs on how to thrive by:
1) Fully leveraging the Autotask software
2) Providing the "Best in Class" Standard Operating Procedures
3) Leveraging Autotask Live Reports to hold everyone accountable
We are Thinkers and Doers with 49+ years of working for MSPs, bringing real Bottom-Line Improvements, change, profitability, and Best in Class performance.
Here are a few bullet points to let anyone interested know who we are and what we do:
1) We Are – the Autotask Global Service Delivery Authority
2) We Help – MSPs thrive
3) We Solve – Service Delivery issues, inefficiencies, and challenges by making sure that:
a. MSPs know what they don't know
b. Techs know what to work on next
c. Someone is managing all open tickets and driving them to completion
d. The Client has a great client experience
e. Real-Time Time Entry is a cultural habit
f. Projects are completed On-Time and On-Budget
g. Profit is maximized
h. Autotask is being fully leveraged
i. The staffing levels are correct, and the workload is balanced
j. The historical data that is in the Autotask software is accessible to benchmark, track & USE effectively
k. The Service Delivery operations can scale
l. The Company can grow
4) Our Tools:
a. Autotask "Best in Class" standard build
b. Our MSP robust Service Delivery SOP library
c. Advanced Live Reports
d. Expertise in providing a transformational experience
Note: We are not philosophers; we are doers with 49+ years of Service Delivery experience, bringing real Service Delivery Improvement change, profitability, and Best in Class performance.
We start by offering a FREE No-Obligation PSA Configuration Evaluation.
To your success.
