In this episode, Richard Tubb speaks to MSP sales expert Danny Boyle, author of “Sell More, Do Less, an 
MSP and IT Specialists’ Guide to Better Sales Calls.”
Danny’s a sales leader with a proven history of success in driving step change growth for cloud software brands in the IT industry.
He shares his advice on how MSPs can become comfortable with selling and the skills you need to master.
An Interview With Danny Boyle
How Danny Got into MSP Sales
Danny explains that he got into the IT industry via his time in sales at BT. Rick Yates at Zedsphere was looking for a VOIP solution. From there, Danny worked directly with Rick until the business was acquired.
Today, he’s part of the NinjaOne family. They’re one of the leading RMM products globally, with over 1,000 employees worldwide, one of the highest ranked tools, month after month, quarter after quarter for support and service.
What Inspired Danny to Write a Book
Danny admits it wasn’t his intention to write a book. But he’d spent a lot of time at BT coaching and mentoring others, especially on all the little things that they can say over the phone to make a big difference in the end outcome.
“And when I joined the MSP world, it became clear that technicians aren’t great at selling either. They’re often scared of it and try to avoid it. I saw it as a rewarding way of helping the community.
“So I admit that I hit rock bottom during lockdown. And I started writing as a way to distract myself. Once I did, it became a habit and I was driven to keep going. In my career, I’ve helped businesses generate the big numbers. But I’d never done anything that was an achievement of my own.”
Why MSPs Struggle With Sales
Like me, Danny finds that sales is the number one challenge for MSPs. He explains: “I think it’s to do with the fear of failure and venturing into the unknown. Because we don’t know what we don’t know, there are lots of situations in our lives where we’re built to settle for the path of least resistance.
“For example, if you were going to ask someone out, it can be easier to assume they’ll say no. So you avoid asking the question at all and you’re not disappointed. It’s much easier for technicians to settle with that option. And avoid pushing things to that next level.
The Skills You Need to be a Good Salesman
A lot of the advice relates to being confident, tenacious and able to overcome the fear. But Danny says that sales is just a process like anything else. You need a step-by-step guide and know how to overcome objections.
“The challenge for technical people is to bridge the gap between the logic and the emotional side of a buying decision. There’s a void of understanding in the full sales cycle because it’s based around the journey of the person, not always the product.
Obviously, everybody understands the long and short of why a product is useful. But sometimes people fail to make that emotional connection as to why it’s important, not just how it’s important.”
The Biggest Mistake to Avoid in MSP Sales
Again, Danny highlights the disconnect between logic and emotion. “Because technical people are so driven by the features and the benefits. And they dissociate from the emotional side as to how this will impact their customer.
“Everyone likes to think they’re a shepherd, leading the way. But really we’re sheep, because we like to make buying decisions based on reviews. They want to see the positive outcome for themselves. And technical people often miss that part out.”
The BANC OUT Process for Better MSP Sales
As an MSP sales mentor, Danny often sees key facts missed out during the initial chat with the qualifying lead. He has developed a tool called “BANC OUT”, which stands for the seven different key details of information.
“So these are the details you require to understand the customer. B= budget – how much they have. A = authority – establishing the decision maker. N = need – why does the customer need a solution?
“C = Competition – who else is in the frame for the work? O = opportunity – what is the size of the project? U = unique – why are they considering you? And T = timeline – when do they want to finish the project? And all of this is vital to the pipeline.”
How to Connect With Danny Boyle
- NinjaOne
- Connect with Danny on LinkedIn
- Email Danny
How to Connect With Me
- Subscribe to TubbTalk RSS feed
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk in iTunes
- Subscribe and rate TubbTalk on Spotify
- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
- Follow @tubblog on Twitter
Mentioned in This Episode
- Book: Danny Boyle: Sell More, Do Less
- MSP Expert Rick Yates
- Psychologist Jordan Peterson
- Book: Bob Burg: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
- MSP Expert James Steel
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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