Network assessment tools automate auditing and evaluating your clients’ IT environments. They provide undeniable value to your customers who may not know what’s connected to their networks and whether they’re vulnerable to cyberattacks. But they can also benefit your business by helping you convert prospects into customers.
Use this network assessment checklist for managed services providers (MSPs) to help move leads through the sales funnel.
1Open their eyes
Prospects that have never used managed services may have built a network to meet their changing needs over time but never considered ways to optimize performance, retire outdated devices, or take the proper measures to keep devices.
A network assessment can generate a report, sometimes in less than an hour, which shows issues or vulnerabilities with a prospect’s network. Network assessment tools don’t require the installation of an agent, so it’s possible to start a scan the morning of your meeting (with the permission and appropriate information from the prospect) and have a report to take with you that you can share with the decision-makers. You may choose to offer this scan at a minimal cost or free of charge.
2Prove you’re smarter than the competition
If your prospect has worked with another IT service provider, a network assessment can reveal things they may have missed. For example, the provider may use a remote monitoring and management (RMM) solution to monitor devices on the network, but they may not be aware of devices the business’ employees added to the network without their knowledge. Or, if the prospect must comply with PCI DSS, HIPAA, or other regulations, an assessment can reveal if their networks are correctly set up to keep data secure.
The network assessment report you provide can materially differentiate your business from the prospect’s current provider.
3Take a consultative approach using network assessment tools
With a network assessment tool report, you don’t just have to tell a prospect they need your services. You can show them. By preparing a report in advance, you can take the time to understand the prospect’s IT environment and make recommendations based specifically on their needs.
You can also establish priorities for the issues you uncover, explaining the risk associated with each one and how you would approach handling them over time in a budget-friendly manner, which may open the door to a managed services contract.
4Sell deeper into existing accounts
You probably have some customers that use your services on a project-by-project or limited basis. Using network assessments, you can look for new opportunities with those clients or share reports that demonstrate how they could benefit from a managed services contract.
5Create accurate quotes
With the information you collect from a network assessment tool, you can base your quotes on fact, not conjecture. You can provide the prospect with details on the scope of work, down to the exact number of devices, their types and manufacturers, and the services you will provide to support them. Collecting the precise information you need for an accurate quote provides the prospect with the specific information they need to evaluate your proposal against other companies and ensures the account will be profitable for your MSP.
6Create and Follow Your Own Network Assessment Checklist to Grow Your Business
You may have rejected the idea of using a network assessment tool with your existing client base, confident that all of the information you need is available from other automation tools your MSP uses. However, by following the tips in this network assessment checklist, you may find new opportunities with your clients, such as performing a network assessment for remote work, for example. Evaluate each of your client’s networks step-by-step to optimize their IT environments and grow your business.
