Prospects are not buying your tech stack. They are buying their trust in you to solve their problems. So stop closing with a detailed proposal that reads like a parts list, and never email one. Instead, explain your approach before you show any package, so it builds confidence and sets you apart. Then present two options rather than one: it turns the close into a choice between plans instead of take it or leave it, it shows what the standard plan does not include, and 10% to 20% of prospects will choose the premium option because of how they are wired.
Theodore Levitt, an economist and marketing professor at Harvard Business School, famously said, "People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!"
It's such a simple truth in sales, yet so few people keep it at the forefront of their minds when selling IT services. They typically DON'T sell the SOLUTION. Instead, they confuse the hell out of prospects and clients alike by using a detailed proposal to attempt to close the deal, one that is essentially a "parts" list of "stuff" the client is clueless about.
WORSE YET, they E-MAIL that proposal to their prospects and wonder why they can't get anyone to buy from them.
Just horrible.
There's no value in it, and prospects and clients alike do NOT KNOW HOW to interpret a proposal into value. YOU need to do that, in person.
They're Not Buying Your Tech Stack
There is NO POWER or advantage in your "package" or tech stack, much less a proposal, UNLESS you can explain it in a way that persuades and influences a prospect to buy from you.
And prospects want to buy SOLUTIONS to problems, not IT.
They're NOT buying your tech stack. They're buying their trust in YOU to do a great job and solve their problems.
Where This Fits In The Sales Process
This is step 5 of the seven steps to close an MSP sale, and it happens inside the Prescribe and Close meeting.
By this point in the sales process, you should have already:
- Qualified the prospect
- Conducted a discovery meeting to understand their needs, wants, motives and budget
- Conducted a technical assessment to diagnose their situation
The purpose of this meeting is to explain your "Report Of Findings" from the technical assessment, convey how you are going to solve the problems, sell your solutions and CLOSE THE DEAL.
And within this meeting, you should have already:
- Opened with an agenda
- Started the Pain Train
- Explained why YOU are perfectly positioned to help them
Now it's time to sell the solution. Here's how.
1. Explain Your Approach Before You Show A Package
Now you are explaining your process and approach in a manner that will build trust in your company and confidence in your recommendations.
This should also differentiate you from other MSPs and IT shops who simply go in with a parts list.
Note that this is not where you get into the managed services plans you offer. You are simply explaining how your approach works, again with the goal of differentiating yourself.
An Example From My Own Business
I use my A.C.E. framework as a point of differentiation. I explain that all other marketing firms only work on lead generation. But what if your services aren't packaged and priced in a way that you're profitable? If the marketing succeeds and you're not profitable, it will sink your ship fast.
Further, if you don't have the tools, systems, people and strategy in place for properly handling inbound leads, your "sales bucket" has a HUUUUGE hole in it, and you'll end up wasting your marketing dollars, not getting an ROI because you can't effectively close the sales.
Because I address all three of these things, my clients get exponentially greater results. That's a differentiation most other sales and marketing firms don't address, nor do other coaching and peer groups.
Notice what that explanation does. It never mentions a single deliverable. It explains a way of thinking about the problem that makes every alternative look incomplete. That's the job of this section.
2. Present Two Options, Not One
After you've explained your approach, you present the service package and projects you are recommending.
In this section, I recommend presenting one or two solutions. Personally, I always like to have two options, for a couple of reasons.
Reason One: It Changes The Question
First, it allows me in the close to ask, "Which plan or option are you leaning toward?"
That makes it an either/or choice versus a "take it or leave it" choice.
It also allows me to convey what is NOT included in the "standard" package, so they don't assume you will do that for them.
Reason Two: Some People Always Fly First Class
The second reason I like having a "first-class" option is because, if it is presented properly, 10% to 20% will always want to buy it because of the way THEY are wired. Some people always fly first class.
That's a way of raising your prices without raising your prices.
Airlines make the most money on first-class seats, as do hotels with their "Presidential" suites and concierge-floor rooms. The regular seats and rooms will provide sufficient value and safety, but some people want, and can afford, to pay for more.
It's the same logic behind building a premium security and compliance tier into your offering.
Never Sell Less Than They Need
To be clear, never suggest or sell any solution that won't deliver good results for your client. I've always held to the belief that you should never sell a client less than they need. That's unethical.
But an upgraded plan could include things like:
- Faster guaranteed response times
- Evening and weekend hours
- Priority scheduling of projects
- Training classes for their employees on how to be productive with Teams or Microsoft products
- More advanced cybersecurity services for those who do not want or like risk
For example, as a marketing firm, I'm not held to the same cybersecurity protocols as a bank or a business handling medical records. However, I choose to pay for advanced cybersecurity protections because of my personal low-risk tolerance as the CEO.
Your prospects include people exactly like that. Give them a way to buy it.
If You Prefer One Option
I know that not everyone agrees with me on this point of offering two solutions. That's fine. I have several clients who sell one service and do a great job at closing those deals.
3. Stop Closing With A Proposal
For now, I strongly recommend getting away from using a proposal to close a deal and using the approach I'm outlining here.
A proposal is a document. A prospect reading it alone, without you there to translate it, sees a list of things they don't understand next to a number they do. Of course they fixate on the number.
So present it in person, explain what it means for their business, and never email it as a substitute for the meeting.
From here, the conversation moves naturally into the money talk and asking for the order.
The Bottom Line
Nobody wants a quarter-inch drill. They want the hole.
Your prospects don't want your RMM, your EDR or your backup vendor. They want the problem gone and someone they trust handling it.
So explain your approach before you show a package. Give them two options and let them choose. And stop handing over a parts list and hoping it sells itself.
My challenge to you is this: how can you explain YOUR APPROACH to solving IT problems in a way that differentiates you from your competition?
This won't be easy for most to do, which means it will require some work and time invested into thinking it through.
If you want help building that explanation and the presentation around it, that is exactly what my MSP sales training is built for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you sell managed services to a prospect?
Sell the solution, not the tech stack. Prospects are not buying your tools, they are buying their trust in you to solve their problems. In the closing meeting, explain your approach to solving IT problems first, then present your recommended service package, ideally as two options. Do it in person, and avoid closing with a detailed proposal that reads like a parts list.
Should I email a managed services proposal to a prospect?
No. A detailed proposal is essentially a parts list of things the prospect does not understand, and they do not know how to interpret it into value. Without you there to explain it, they fixate on the price. Present your solution in person, explain what it means for their business, and use the meeting to close rather than sending a document and waiting.
Should an MSP present one option or two?
Two works best for most MSPs. It turns the close into "which plan are you leaning toward?" instead of take it or leave it. It lets you show what the standard plan does not include so the client does not assume it is covered. And when presented properly, 10% to 20% of prospects will choose the premium option. Some MSPs close very well with one option, so it is not a hard rule.
What should premium MSP packages include?
Genuine additions, not padding. Examples include faster guaranteed response times, evening and weekend hours, priority scheduling of projects, employee training on tools like Teams or Microsoft products, and stronger cybersecurity for clients with a low tolerance for risk. The standard plan must still deliver good results on its own.
Is it ethical to offer a premium managed services plan?
Yes, as long as you never sell a client less than they need. Offering less than what is required to deliver good results would be unethical. A premium option simply gives clients who want more, such as faster response or stronger security, a way to pay for it, the same way airlines offer first class and hotels offer suites alongside standard rooms.
What is solution selling in IT sales?
It means selling the outcome the prospect wants instead of the components you use to deliver it. As Theodore Levitt put it, people do not want a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole. For an MSP, that means talking about solving their problems and reducing their risk, not walking them through a list of tools, licenses and line items.
How do I explain my MSP's approach so it differentiates me?
Describe how you think about solving the problem, not what you deliver. A strong explanation never lists deliverables. It frames the problem in a way that makes alternatives look incomplete, such as showing that other providers only address one part of what the client actually needs. Most MSPs have never worked this out, so it takes deliberate time and thought to build.