Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About The Toolkit

A: The Toolkit is designed specifically for VARs, MSPs, MSSPs and other IT services companies that sell outsourced IT services and support and want to know how to implement a marketing plan for their business that is based on 20+ years of research, testing and experience.

The majority of our clients are MSPs, but many also sell break-fix IT services, block hours and IT projects, co-managed IT, cyber security services, phone systems, cloud solutions, print management and an array of IT-related solutions. Some are also selling computer support to home users in a retail store. A small percentage of clients are NOT pure MSPs or IT services firms; they are selling IT staffing, application development, leased office equipment, etc., and come to us because they want to build a more profitable and robust managed IT services division – and we help them with that. The majority of our new clients are under $5 million in revenue. However, our higher-level members are in the $5 to $20 million range, with a few who are $40+ million. Bottom line: our clients range in size, years in business, location and predominant business model – and the Toolkit has helped them all to secure more and better-quality clients. We’ve had brand-new start-ups use the program with great success, as well as several multimillion-dollar IT firms that have been in business for 20+ years. That’s because the program is designed to help you build a marketing plan based on YOUR specific goals, YOUR specific target market, YOUR specific resources and YOUR specific situation, resources and ambition.
A: The Toolkit is a membership service (not just a product) that consists of three main parts:

1. IT Marketing Templates: For the past two decades, we’ve been developing, testing and refining marketing campaigns to sell IT services and support for a wide variety of companies, from start-ups to well-established MSPs. This includes campaigns to sell managed IT services (MSPs), cyber security solutions, co-managed IT, network upgrades and projects, phone systems, cloud solutions, backup and disaster recovery and more. These templates are all “cut-and-paste” and extremely easy to use. We’ve taken the hard part out of writing the content so you don’t have to. Further, these campaigns are tested and refined by hundreds of our members, so you know they work.

Important: We are media-agnostic, which means we aren’t trying to sell you on using one particular type of marketing MEDIA (SEO, Facebook ads, LinkedIn prospecting, telemarketing, etc.). We believe a marketing plan needs to incorporate ALL of these, based on the specific client you are trying to attract. To that end, our program contains templates for ALL different media; the only three we don’t give you templates for are radio, TV and billboards. That said, you could modify any number of the other templates to suit those purposes.

2. “How-To” Marketing Blueprints And Campaigns: One of the things that distinguishes us from all other marketing firms is our proprietary approach to building and implementing a working marketing plan for an IT services business. We don’t just give you templates – we SHOW you exactly how to implement the various campaigns we have. We show you what good marketing is, how to avoid common pitfalls and mistakes, in what order to use the campaigns and how to be strategic in your marketing efforts, not just tactical. We also give you the exact blueprints for their implementation so you can avoid a lot of wasted time and money on failed attempts. We also provide BRAND-NEW campaigns and “how-to” blueprints MONTHLY on a variety of topics, including how to price your services, NEW social media strategies (since they’re constantly changing), NEW approaches to packaging, pricing and selling cyber security solutions, hiring and managing a sales and marketing team, online reviews, negotiating with tough prospects and DOZENS of additional programs that are available 24/7/365 in our on-demand library.

3. Community Support: Another BIG benefit to joining our program is the support, answers and help you’ll get from other members. New clients tell us this is often the biggest (and, to many, most surprising) benefit of the entire program – that’s because they typically buy to get a marketing plan in place, but then realize the support and answers they get from our unique community is far more valuable. YOU WILL NOT BE LEFT TO FIGURE THIS OUT ON YOUR OWN! We have a member QUE (forum) where you can post any question and get answers from us and other members. We offer monthly Q&A calls and a client concierge who can help you at any time.
A: Simply because it’s not a static program. Every month we add BRAND-NEW marketing campaigns, templates and resources, as well as providing monthly Q&A calls with Robin where you can join and talk directly to her, monthly webinars on NEW marketing strategies and livecasts with successful members on what they are doing to package, price and sell more high-profit services, as well as ongoing access to the QUE (member forum). We also update the Toolkit sessions frequently to ensure you’re always getting the most up-to-date strategies.

As a member you’ll also get two tickets to every annual Boot Camp and Fall Roadshow event. If you cannot attend in person, you can secure your spot virtually, or combine the in-person with virtual for your team back home.
A: There are several things that make us unique. You might find another marketing firm that can say yes to one or two of these things, but not to all of them.

1. We ONLY do marketing for VARs, MSPs and companies selling outsourced IT support and services. We’re specialists who understand the unique challenges you face, how your business operates, what you sell, the specific marketing and sales problems you have and the difficulty of unseating an incumbent provider, getting clients to see the value in what you do and dealing with price objections.

2. Our methods are based on two decades of in-the-trenches experience in working with over 10,000+ IT services companies from around the globe. That means we aren’t learning on your dime; WE KNOW WHAT WORKS better than anyone else you can find.

3. We have more documented client success stories than any other marketing consultant in this industry, period. If you care about tangible, measurable RESULTS, you’ll want to work only with us. Remember, the most expensive and damaging advice in the world is WRONG advice.

4. Our program is VENDOR- and MEDIA-agnostic; that means we aren’t biased to recommend a particular approach, vendor or media (fiduciary vs. salesperson).

5. Our delivery model is radically unique from that of other marketing consultants and agencies, which allows us to charge only a FRACTION of the cost for the deliverables, support, templates and value delivered. That’s because other agencies are glorified, overpriced fulfillment companies, NOT strategists – and they don’t TEACH you what good marketing is because they aren’t doing it themselves. (When was the last time you got a MARKETING campaign from another supposed marketing firm? If they won’t do it for themselves, how can they do it for YOU?)
A: A core belief we have is this: if you can’t make money without money, you can’t make money with money either. Our 4-Week Fast Start program (included with the Toolkit) is a series of easy-to-implement campaigns you can execute at $0 cost. We’ll show you how to get referrals, generate “hidden” money in your client base with upsells and cross-sell promotions, how to use strategic partners to get clients for free and how to make everything you do BETTER so you get a higher return on any marketing investment or activity.

Once you get beyond that start, what you need to spend on marketing depends on a number of factors, such as your specific goals, the resources you have, whether or not you have a list of prospects and clients (or are just a start-up), who your target market is, etc.

Bottom line: You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get value from the Toolkit or to use the strategies we provide. Yes, some will require an investment – but there are plenty of other moneymaking ideas you can use right out of the box.
A: Most of our clients DON’T have a marketing manager yet (over 60%) or someone to help them implement when they first come to us – which is perfectly okay and not a detriment to getting started with your marketing plan or seeing value from the Toolkit.

Further, this is a C-level coaching program, so you WILL need to be involved with its implementation. For example, who you select as your target market and what your USP (unique selling proposition) needs to be are not decisions for a marketing manager or admin. They are critical STRATEGIC business decisions that YOU, the CEO, need to ultimately make. Understanding the core principles is also important since these are money decisions and market intelligence YOU as the OWNER of the company need to know.

We do provide some Done-For-You marketing services (list cleaning and building, newsletters, websites, Google PPC, social media posting, etc.) that you might want to purchase later on.

And finally, when you are ready to hire a marketing manager, administrator or intern to help you, we actually have lessons and blueprints for what to look for, how to interview them, how to compensate them and how to manage them for maximum productivity.
A: That depends entirely on YOU – specifically, how quickly and aggressively you implement, what specific goals you’re trying to achieve (add a few clients vs. add $10 million in revenue) and what you consider “done.”

The reality is that you’re never really “done” marketing. It’s not a checklist of things you complete one time and forget about. So, on one hand, I could say this program could take you forever to implement because 1) there’s a lot of depth and breadth to the program and we’re constantly evolving and adding to it, and 2) if you have honest ambition to grow, you’re going to constantly be working on improving and expanding your marketing plan. IT’S NOT A STATIC ASSET, nor is our program. It’s constantly evolving, expanding and being updated as the market, trends, social media and other communication methods change.

Candidly, the people who have the most success with this program understand that marketing is not a “department” but incorporated into everything they do. How you answer the phone, how your techs interact with clients, the frequency and content of communication to your clients, how you conduct a sales meeting, the content you routinely post on your LinkedIn profile and social media pages and what the prospect sees before you even show up. Therefore, it could be argued that you can (should?) spend 40 hours a week on “marketing.” I realize that’s NOT realistic. Ideally, you need to invest three to four hours a week to get started. But, like everything in life, you’ll get out of it what you put into it.

Let me be crystal clear: This is NOT a flash-in-the-pan “get rich quick” program. This is a program for serious entrepreneurs with honest ambition who are willing to put in time and effort to grow their IT business and are mature enough to realize this is going to require dedication and time. We don’t sit well with the “no work” crowd.
A: Some of the strategies will give you an instant increase in sales the moment you implement them (see our 4-Week Fast Start program). Others will take longer to result in actual sales (three to six months) due to the natural discovery and proposal processes you go through with a new client. Ultimately, the answer to this question largely depends on:

1. How quickly and thoroughly you implement the strategies contained in the program. It IS self-paced so you can go at your own speed. However, if you implement fast, results will also come fast.

2. The size and quality of your current prospect list and client base (many clients who initially come to us don’t have a great list or any list; we help you with this).

3. Your average sales cycle and your ability to close opportunities that the marketing creates (which we also help you with, by the way).
A: On several occasions, I have encountered small IT firms that are really struggling to make ends meet. It’s almost tragic to hear their stories about how poorly they are doing. Funny thing is, these same people are the ones who resist to the bitter end when it comes to investing in learning programs, seminars or information products like the Toolkit – even though they are the ones who need it the MOST.

They think, “If I was doing better financially and in my business, I would have no problem investing some money into this kind of program.” But the truth is, successful people and businesses earn big profits because they invest in learning and growing their business, not the other way around. Some firms bind themselves into a failure loop – “I would do better if only I had __________.” That “blank” could be more money, more time, more experience, better clients, etc. Guess what? Those things don’t just show up, they’re EARNED. If you wait for them to show up before you move forward, you’ll never get ahead. Now, I bet you are thinking, “Of course you would say that, Robin, you’re trying to sell me something!” Yes, I am trying to sell you something, but that doesn’t make my observation incorrect. Besides, I’m also trying to help you.

Bottom line: If your business is doing so poorly that enrolling in the Toolkit is a big financial stretch, or if you are so busy chasing your tail working IN your business instead of working ON your business, that is all the more reason you need to enroll today.
A: I cannot make a specific guarantee or promise of income given the simple fact that I know NOTHING about you, your situation, your work ethic, your competition and a million other variables that would play into getting results.

However, I will guarantee you won’t be left to figure things out on your own. I guarantee that the hundreds of success stories on our website are REAL and TRUE stories submitted by those clients. And I guarantee that you won’t find a more comprehensive library of how-to marketing and sales templates, tools, strategies and training sessions at a better price.

Just look at the vast number of client success stories we have and see the results others have gotten. We are the largest and fastest-growing marketing firm in the IT services industry for a reason, and we keep clients for years.
A: Is there EVER a time when you’re not “busy”? Even if you could find such a window of time, you and I both know it won’t last – so, saying you’re “too busy” to work on marketing is a perpetual excuse. You’re never going to find more hours in the day.

Second, getting a REAL marketing plan in place takes time. Yes, we can give you some quick wins and sales, but a strategic marketing plan requires things such as researching and picking a target market, building a list of qualified prospects, implementing marketing automation systems and creating a high-converting website with 5-star reviews and testimonials. Then you need inbound lead handling systems, e-mail marketing systems and lead generation magnets. You CANNOT get all this done in a month (unless you are a unicorn that doesn’t sleep). So you need to start NOW so you can build up the momentum, implementing a little each week.

As Confucius so famously said, “Dig the well BEFORE you thirst.”

From my experience, those who use this excuse are filling up their days doing low-money work or unprofitable activities. They run like a hamster on a wheel day in and day out, tired at the end of the day from all the “work” they’re doing, but not getting anywhere.

Before they know it, 5, 10, 20 or more YEARS fly by and they’ve got nothing to show for it. They NEVER get a marketing plan implemented BECAUSE they’re waiting for the “right” time to get started. Know what? The “right” time NEVER comes along because there is always some project, problem or issue that takes up your time and attention.

If you wait around for the “perfect” time to come along, you’ll never start. The process of attracting new, profitable clients is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT thing for any business, because most of your stress, problems and anxiety come from NOT having enough money. Working on a marketing plan will give you the ability to attract HIGHER-PAYING clients to replace the penny-pinchers and slow payers. It will free you up to hire people to get the work done so you’re not “owned” by your business, working night and day, doing it, doing it, doing it. But you have to MAKE THE DECISION TO START.

Why not now
A: Absolutely! You have two choices: You can either spend a lot of time and money doing the wrong type of marketing, spending the little bit of money you have on ineffective advertising, wasting your time and frustrating the hell out of yourself, OR you can get the Toolkit and have a PROVEN BLUEPRINT for marketing handed to you on a silver platter.
A: It is our strict policy to NOT give out our clients’ phone numbers. I realize this seems completely UNREASONABLE, so let me explain why this is…

Every day we generate roughly 40 to 50 new leads, or 280 to 350 leads per week. We get a LOT of people requesting to talk to our clients, and many of our clients already get dozens of calls every week from complete strangers asking for advice on our program.

Out of respect for them, I’ve stopped giving out their phone numbers in an attempt to decrease the annoyance and burden it causes them to take these calls. Just like you, they are extremely busy running their own business, and they don’t work for me. However, they are loyal and will take these calls to help me out. Unfortunately, many abuse my clients’ kindness and the call ends up being a one- or two-hour consulting session. My clients do NOT need that kind of distraction, so I’ve stopped providing references.

We have taken great care to post case studies and testimonials. Plus, my staff can answer any questions you have.
A: While this is a valid question, there are several reasons why it’s a nonissue:

✔️   The VALUE of the program is NOT merely based on the marketing templates we give you. I’m going to show you how to make marketing work – fundamental strategies to success that you must know and must implement or forever be frustrated in failed marketing attempts and wasted money. Exactly what you should do, when to do it and HOW to do it. There IS value in having such a blueprint, and ours is a proven one.

✔️   There are DOZENS of campaigns, moneymaking ideas and sales strategies we give you that will generate sales and secure more leads using strategic joint ventures, upsell and cross-sell strategies for existing clients, fueling referrals, reactivating “dead” leads and prospects that have gone cold and becoming the “obvious expert” in your market area.

These have nothing to do with “templates” in the sense that it’s not a postcard or letter. Therefore, you can utilize these campaigns without appearing to be using the same marketing as your competitor.

✔️  There are over 300 different campaigns, templates, tools, examples in the program. The chances of someone in your area sending the exact same campaign, to the exact same prospect, at the exact same time, are extremely low.

✔️   Our CORE part of the program is teaching you how to select the most lucrative target market for YOU, and then how to develop a USP (unique selling proposition) or marketing messaging that will cause prospects to want to do business with you over all competitors, regardless of price. Your competition should NOT be able to copy this once developed, nor will they be able to “steal” your experience, client case studies, testimonials, value proposition and the personal brand we show you how to create.

✔️   Your biggest worry should not be whether or not your competition is sending the same campaign; your biggest concern should be that you currently don’t have a marketing plan in place and probably don’t know the first place to start. That is a MUCH bigger threat to your business and financial security than your competition sending out the same flyer. I suggest that you would be far better off to stay clear and focused on your objectives and make sure YOU are forming the right habits, studying the right materials and consistently working on building a marketing system in your business; do that and success will surely follow. There is a greater danger in NOT doing these things than anything your competition could do.

✔️   Finally, if your competition IS using my program, wouldn’t it be worth seeing what they are up to?
A: The templates are primarily designed for MSPs, VARs and IT services firms that sell managed services and other outsourced IT support – but the methodology of building a marketing plan is 100% applicable for any business-to-business IT services firm.

We DO have successful clients who do not fit the exact MSP model but have gotten value from the Toolkit; the only disconnect will be in the examples and the templates provided. You will need to modify some of those to make them work.

Some people can see beyond this and acquire a tremendous amount of value from the process and systems for marketing that I teach. After all, the processes for picking profitable target markets, crafting a compelling marketing message, lead generation, risk reversal, gathering testimonials and case studies, building websites that sell and fueling referrals are exactly the same for ALL companies. Since all of that (plus more) is covered in the Toolkit, any business owner trying to attract new clients on a small budget can benefit from the systems and processes outlined in the program.
A: Those memberships are IMPLEMENTATION programs designed to give you more direct support, coaching and done-for-you marketing to get a marketing plan implemented FAST.

MSP Launch Academy is specifically for small startup MSPs and break-fix companies who need help in figuring out their service offering, pricing, contracts, hiring and operations FIRST. This program covers those fundamentals in addition to giving you access to the Toolkit, a turnkey marketing implementation software and done-for-you marketing that is more appropriate for a small startup company or one-man-band. If you are under $500,000 in revenue, this is the program for you: www.MSPlaunchAcademy.com

Accelerators Club is our FAST IMPLEMENTATION program that is more appropriate for IT services firms that are generating at least $500,000+ in revenue and who want the most hand-holding and direct coaching to get marketing cranking. As a member, you get everything in the Toolkit and MSP Launch Academy. www.AcceleratorsClub.com

Producers Club is the crown jewel of peer groups and coaching in the MSP industry. It is an invitation-only membership extended to Accelerators Club members who are fast-growing and highly ambitious to scale. www.TMTproducersclub.com

Have A Question That Was Not Answered Here?

If you have any other questions you need answered, please call my office direct at 1-615-790-5011 and my staff will be glad to help you out. Looking forward to helping you take your business to new levels of success!