Do you know what is more frustrating than closing the barn door while watching your horse run away? Listening to your friend tell you how stupid you were to leave the barn door open in the first place. Especially when you know they’re right. But you still want to punch them; hard and in the face.
At Mailprotector, the last thing we want to be is that friend. Nonetheless, we get hit with partner requests around selling Mailprotector’s email security solutions in conjunction with Office 365 all too often. This question is difficult to answer; from our perspective, the opportunity has already been lost. The horse is out, roaming freely across the landscape. Now, the task is ten times harder. We don’t want to be the one saying, “how dumb was that”? Here’s why:
The Commodity Trap
Email is a ubiquitous communication tool that lives on several devices. Users have access to email everywhere. This distinction makes email a commodity in the eyes of most end-users. The expectation is the technology will allow them to communicate and the cost is low. As IT professionals and service providers, we understand it is not that simple, but perception is the reality for the end-user.
Taking a commodity service and leading with an “add-on” sales approach will leave you in the commodity selling conversation. Almost immediately, you’ll find yourself having to explain why the add-on is necessary, can it be cheaper, and often end up in limbo because the client will take their chances with what they already have. If you’re talking about anti-spam and anti-virus in conversations with prospects and clients, good luck to you. Nobody wants to hear it. They are not afraid, and most importantly, not motivated to spend extra dollars when things are working. It is an uphill battle, in the snow, both ways.
You Are the Real Value
So many things about being a successful MSP revolve around defining and displaying your value proposition as early as possible. Explain how you will keep the clients safe. Show them how you will ensure uptime. Prove how you will keep them at the leading edge of technology to help them save money and be more competitive.
All of these promises are the result of rolling out a proven platform that works and is easy to fix when it doesn’t. The value of Mailprotector email security is designed to be in support of the promises you make to your clients.
Here are a few value statements. Every one of them is intended to be additive to your MSP value story:
- Regardless of what happens to your business or employees via email, we will be able to track it and manage it for you with our email security suite in place. With Office 365 we are almost entirely blind.
- When you need complimentary technology like email archiving or email encryption software we can turn it on in a matter of moments.
- We are invisible but powerful. Email works, and we can customize the threat protection specifically to the needs of your business or employees.
- The tools are powerful yet easy, increasing adoption. Secure email that is easy to use and manage is better than the tool your employees ignore because it’s too hard.
Your story is so much better when told as part of the overall value proposition upfront, but the bullet points above are true all the time. As an MSP, if you don’t provide effective email security to your clients, you are the one taking the risk. You are the one who will take the blame. And you are the one who will suffer the reputation hit if things go sideways.
Your Email Security Wingman
I’m going to take the risk of being that friend for a moment. EMAIL SECURITY IS NOT AN ADD-ON PRODUCT. It is an essential cornerstone of best practice technology deployment just like firewalls, remote monitoring, or backup. Don’t let your clients and prospects tell you otherwise — you are the expert, not them.
