For those who work in the Managed Service Provider (MSP) market, increasing networking is one of the most efficient ways to generate new business and establish strong and trusting business relationships.
That’s because the relationship is not only a way to win a new work agreement, but also the biggest competitive advantage to manage your services later on.
After all, the closeness and trust gained allow the company to better understand the needs of its customers and manage eventual mistakes without major conflicts.
It is not by chance that the strategies of large companies are based on long-term relationships with their consumers.
But you have an advantage over them: as you work close to your customers, you have the opportunity to make excellent business connections and, therefore, we have separated 7 networking tips to put into practice. Look:
1. Map the interests of your connections
For a relationship to be beneficial to both parties, the needs of each must be recognized and met. Therefore, mapping your contact’s interests is essential.
He won’t always become your customer, but he can give you good indications about your service and the way you conduct relationships if he sees your concern for meeting his needs and interests.
A good example is establishing a connection with a supplier of printer supplies. He may not demand services in the MSP modality, but due to his relationship with his consumers, he can be a good contact.
Knowing, then, their interests and needs and, as far as possible, proposing solutions is an excellent networking strategy.
2. Have previously defined approaches
Networking is a totally different action from an approach to sales, as its initial focus is to establish a contact that later allows the two parties to get to know each other better.
Even so, it is valid to develop approaches that have an informational nature and serve to better understand the profile of the potential client and contact. With such speeches previously defined, it is possible to convey the differentials of your service in an informal conversation without sounding like an advertisement or direct offer.
At this point, the main strategy is to establish a relationship that opens up new approaches and conversations. Thus, using approaches that generate expectations or seal commitments, such as emailing an invitation to an upcoming event, ensures that new contact will be made.
3. Develop your differential to increase networking
Are your company’s differentials already clear? Would your current customers already know how to point them out without difficulties? This well-established identity is essential to have strength when developing your networking.
This is because at all times the differentials must be communicated by the actions of the employees and representatives of the IT company, including its owner — that is, if agility is a business differential, conveying this quality in the response to e-mails is essential.
The same goes for companies that want to show their attention with their signed deals. If a contact has shown interest in investing in VoIP telephony in their business, even if it is not the focus of MSP, sending tips and information on the subject shows interest in helping and knowledge about related sectors.
4. Avoid embarrassment
The market is full of companies and professionals with very specific characteristics and care must be taken not to cross the professional limit, or make pejorative mentions or comments.
If the prospected contact for networking has difficulties using communication technologies, for example, trying to make teleconferences or use instant messaging applications can embarrass him.
Instead, use such an occasion to add value to the relationship. Show availability to talk to him in person and, if there is an opportunity, try to convey knowledge that can demonstrate the potential and care of your services.
5. Get out of the basics and be bold
You have to be more than the rest of the competition. When presenting your company and team, you need to justify why it is better than the others. Using a system for managing customer tickets, for example, makes the service much more automated.
In addition, it also allows the company to stop acting only reactively and start taking preventive actions. Demonstrating such differentials can also place your company as a differentiated networking contact for other players in the market.
Approach more robust contacts and don’t be intimidated by the size of their business. If you have a well-structured service, with the right technologies, you can position yourself as a scalable and low-cost solution for it.
6. Bet on social networks
Social networks, especially those with a professional character, are excellent environments to increase networking. Invest in relevant content about your business on the main page, participate in forums on specialized topics and interact with your customers and stakeholders quickly.
Try to lead contacts first to establish a relationship and then invest in sales approaches.
7. Know that knowledge is power
There are several ways to increase your knowledge and, amazingly, in all of them it is possible to increase your networking. Undergraduate, graduate, and other specialization courses are filled with people with the same interest as the focus of your business.
Having professional relationships with such individuals is essential to increasing networking. In addition to courses, lectures and events in the area are also ways to increase your knowledge and make contacts that can generate new business opportunities.
Find out which are the best events, schedule yourself to participate in them, and put together support material for your relationship actions — that is, business cards, updating company profiles on social networks, explanatory materials, and everything else that is relevant to you. , in the few seconds of a presentation, manage to attract the interest of the contact for you and your company.
In all these strategies to increase networking, it is necessary to remember that each contact cannot be seen as a single business possibility, but as a strategic source that can open new markets for action and referrals.
Sales professionals often use the jargon that such relationships are “hot contacts”, which were conquered by networking and can generate a lot of direct and indirect business.
They are right, especially when they reinforce that networking is only efficient in generating new sales and services if it is constantly nurtured and managed.
The same goes for the business portfolio already conquered. Want to know how to manage the relationship with her? Read now 6 tips on how to retain customers from IT companies and find out!
