MSPs should have a solid understanding of what they offer. The real challenge is whether prospective customers understand it as well. Since many MSPs rely on prospects visiting their website, visitors need to quickly understand the service being offered.
One common challenge is that MSPs often target multiple personas within a prospective organization. These may include the people who will use the service, those responsible for managing it, those who approve the budget, and those tasked with reviewing and signing contracts.
A single web page is unlikely to address the needs of all these different audiences.
Different stakeholders have different priorities
Another challenge is that MSPs may not fully understand the concerns and priorities of each persona. MSPs tend to be highly technical organizations, and their messaging often focuses on details that may not resonate with less technical audiences.
For example, end users are generally not interested in how resources scale to meet demand or how a service uses open APIs to integrate with other platforms. They care about whether the service helps them complete tasks efficiently and fits seamlessly into their workflow. They also have little interest in how much the service costs their organization—that concern belongs to someone else.
Those focused on financial matters have different priorities. They are generally less concerned with functionality because the people requesting the service have already evaluated those requirements. However, they rarely approve a purchase until the legal team reviews it. Legal teams, in turn, are often less concerned with functionality or upfront costs than with issues such as data sovereignty, liability, and force majeure clauses.
Building a website for the right audience
The solution is not to create separate websites for every persona. Instead, MSPs need a process that connects all stakeholders while removing friction from the buying journey.
The first step is understanding the primary audience for the MSP’s service. For example, an MSP offering email services may target business unit managers, while one offering sales management solutions may focus on sales and marketing leaders. Once the MSP clearly defines its target audience, it can build a website that addresses that audience’s needs and highlights the service’s unique selling points (USPs).
Using the email services example, these differentiators might include email search and recovery, auditing capabilities, security features, content classification, and compliance controls. For sales management platforms, the focus may be on pipeline visibility, conversion rates, and reporting. Keep the landing page concise and focused. Add links to additional information for visitors who want to explore specific topics in more detail.
Qualifying and engaging prospects
When a prospect expresses interest, the MSP can collect additional information through a form. The MSP can then determine whether the individual is a serious prospect or simply exploring options.
For less-qualified prospects, the MSP can provide educational resources or have an account manager reach out to better understand their needs and level of interest.
If the opportunity appears promising, ask the prospect to identify other stakeholders involved in the decision-making process—such as representatives from finance, legal, IT, or senior management. The MSP can then send tailored information to each stakeholder. Explain that someone within their organization has expressed interest and provide links to content designed specifically for their role.
These communications should clearly articulate value from two perspectives: the value to the organization and the value to the individual recipient. Both matter.
Encourage feedback and address it promptly. Any concerns should be answered in a way that is meaningful to the individual involved. Generic responses can quickly undermine confidence and put a potential deal at risk.
Using AI to support the buying journey
By managing the process behind the scenes, the MSP maintains visibility into the opportunity and its progress. The MSP can identify and address bottlenecks more easily. The original contact who recognized the need for the service no longer has to carry the entire process alone. Instead, they become part of a smoother, more collaborative buying journey in which the MSP provides support without being overly aggressive.
And, of course, AI is making this process easier—when implemented effectively. AI can help assess prospect quality, create targeted messaging for each stakeholder, aggregate engagement data, and recommend the next best actions.
To see why this matters, visit a few competitor websites. Look at their home pages and try to determine exactly what they offer. In far too many cases, you may leave with less understanding than you had when you arrived.
Photo: moryachka7 / Shutterstock
This post originally appeared on Smarter MSP.