Every prospect is weighing "why should we buy from you?" even if they never ask it out loud. Without a clear answer, you get prospects who won't take a meeting, fee resistance, stalls, prospects who go dark and a low close rate. In the closing meeting, give it its own section: one to three slides, and no more than three reasons, chosen for that specific prospect. The four main ways an MSP can differentiate are niche, specialization, price and service or process. A USP is never something you are born with. You decide on it and build it.
Why buy from us?
That IS the question every CEO of every company, along with every salesperson, MUST have a clear, concise and COMPELLING answer to.
That answer is called a USP, or "unique selling proposition," sometimes a "unique selling point." It originated with advertising pioneer Rosser Reeves, who realized the need for every company to differentiate itself from all the other brands available. Reeves created M&M's "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands," and ran Eisenhower's 1952 "Eisenhower Answers America" television campaign.
Your Prospect Is Asking, Even If They Never Say It
Most prospects won't directly ask you that question. But they ARE thinking it.
They're weighing options, comparing you to all the other IT guys and MSPs in your market area, as well as the other options they have: hiring an internal IT person, getting someone 1099, buying from a vendor or supplier, and even doing nothing.
That last one is worth remembering. You are not only competing with other MSPs. You are competing with the option of changing nothing.
What Happens When You Don't Have An Answer
Similar to not understanding their target market, this is the second question most MSPs don't have a high-resolution answer to. And because of this, you end up with:
- Prospects who won't take a meeting with you ("Not interested, we're fine")
- Persistent and above-average fee resistance
- Stalls and delays in getting the deal closed
- Prospects who go dark and unresponsive
- A low close rate
- The need to do a lot of "convincing" to get prospects to buy
Read that list again. Almost every sales problem an MSP complains about is on it, and they share a single root cause.
Where "Why Us" Belongs In The Sales Process
Your USP does play an important role in marketing, but it's HYPERCRITICAL in the sales process, where you're actually meeting with the prospect to get a check.
While certain marketing pieces, such as your website and the credibility materials you send in advance, should convey how you are superior to your competition, it is the sum total of everything you DO and SAY in the process of following up with a prospect and leading them through the sales process that will impact whether or not they like you, trust you and ultimately believe you enough to buy.
However, there should be at least ONE specific section of your Prescribe and Close meeting, where you review your report of findings and propose your solution to their problems, where you directly tell the prospect why you are "uniquely qualified" to help them solve their problems and take over IT support.
It is step 4 of the seven steps to close an MSP sale, and it comes right after you have built the need. Once a prospect agrees they have a problem they must solve, the next thing on their mind is why you.
Keep It To One To Three Slides
I recommend summarizing it on one to no more than three slides.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that the slides are merely visuals to prompt the conversation. They are not meant to be read, or to do the entire job of conveying why a prospect should do business with you.
Three Reasons, Not Ten
In the sales meeting, I'd suggest you keep this talk to no more than three key points about why they should buy from you.
It's perfectly okay to have a "Top 10 list" in your credibility materials or other marketing, but in the closing presentation you can go too long and lose the prospect if you simply throw a looooong list of reasons at them.
Use your judgment, but pick the MOST relevant and powerful talking points you have.
Choose Them For The Prospect In Front Of You
Keep in mind that those talking points may vary from prospect to prospect.
If, for example, you're talking to a prospect that has been dissatisfied with or disappointed by another MSP that is a lot smaller or larger than you, pointing out you're "big enough to service but small enough to care" may be a strong selling point.
Meaning: unlike smaller MSPs who don't have the staff to do the job well, or larger MSPs who will prioritize their larger clients with bigger budgets, YOU are exactly right to eliminate both of those problems.
This is where your discovery notes pay off. The prospect already told you what went wrong with their last provider. Your three reasons should answer that, not a generic list.
The 4 Ways To Build An MSP USP
1. Niche
If you niche, people believe you have above-average knowledge about their industry, how their business operates and the unique challenges they face, and will be more likely to buy from you over other "generic" MSPs at a higher price point.
2. Specialization
Either solving a specific problem, like how to obtain CMMC status or recover from a ransomware attack, or combining that with a niche, so you specialize in solving a specific problem for a specific type of entity or person.
3. Price
This is not my favorite way of differentiating, but it IS a viable option and I'd be remiss for not listing it.
4. Service Or Process
HOW you deliver the service matters.
Just keep in mind that if your argument is that you do a better job than others, you have to be able to defend that statement, providing evidence and demonstrating how. That is the whole argument behind differentiating through your sales process: the prospect judges how you will serve them by how you sell to them.
Other Ways To Stand Apart
Of course, you can also differentiate using:
- Celebrity, of yourself or a hired celebrity
- Superior marketing
- A strong guarantee of above-average performance or results
- Affinity
- Proof, meaning testimonials and reviews
You Don't Stumble Into A USP
Remember, a USP has to be DECIDED upon and MANUFACTURED.
You aren't "born" with a USP, and you don't stumble into one. It's a critical strategic decision you make, done with close consideration of your chosen target market.
A great USP needs work, dedication, measurement, implementation, maintenance and marketing to make it succeed.
The Bottom Line
Every prospect is asking why they should buy from you. If you can't answer it clearly, you'll pay for it in stalls, fee resistance and prospects who disappear.
So decide on your answer. Build it deliberately. Then, in the closing meeting, give it its own moment: one to three slides, no more than three reasons, chosen for the prospect in front of you.
If you want your team trained to answer "why us" with confidence, that is exactly what my MSP sales training is built for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you answer "why should we buy from you?"
With a clear, concise and compelling answer, known as your unique selling proposition. In a sales meeting, give it its own section in the closing presentation, summarized on one to three slides, and limit yourself to no more than three reasons. Choose the reasons for the specific prospect, based on what they told you went wrong with their current provider, rather than reciting a generic list.
What is a USP for an MSP?
A unique selling proposition is your answer to why a prospect should choose you over every other option available to them. That includes other MSPs, hiring an internal IT person, using a 1099 contractor, buying from a vendor or doing nothing at all. The concept originated with advertising pioneer Rosser Reeves, who created M&M's "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands."
What happens if an MSP doesn't have a USP?
You get prospects who refuse to meet ("not interested, we're fine"), persistent and above-average fee resistance, stalls and delays in closing, prospects who go dark, a low close rate, and a lot of convincing just to get a prospect to buy. Most of the sales problems MSPs complain about trace back to not having a clear answer to why a prospect should buy from them.
How many reasons should I give a prospect in a sales meeting?
No more than three. It is fine to have a longer list of reasons in your marketing materials, but in the closing presentation a long list loses the prospect. Pick the most relevant and powerful points for that specific prospect. The slides are there to prompt the conversation, not to be read aloud or to do the persuading on their own.
What are the 4 ways to build an MSP USP?
Four: niche, meaning you serve a specific industry and understand it deeply; specialization, meaning you solve a specific problem such as CMMC compliance or ransomware recovery; price; and service or process, meaning how you deliver. You can also differentiate through celebrity, superior marketing, a strong performance guarantee, affinity and proof such as testimonials and reviews.
Is competing on price a good way for an MSP to differentiate?
It is viable, but it is not the preferred way. Price is one of the four legitimate ways to differentiate, and it works only if you genuinely are the lowest-cost option. Niche and specialization are generally stronger, because prospects will pay more for a provider they believe has above-average knowledge of their industry or their specific problem.
Can an MSP create a USP, or do you have to be born with one?
You create it. A USP has to be decided upon and manufactured. You are not born with one and you do not stumble into one. It is a strategic decision made with close consideration of your target market, and it takes work, dedication, measurement, implementation, maintenance and marketing to make it succeed.