When selling cloud solutions to prospective customers, it’s helpful to keep in mind that much of what you have to say they have probably heard before. At this stage, many benefits of transitioning to the cloud are repeated time after time by other hosting providers. So pointing out the less obvious – but just as important – benefits may be the selling points that help convince your clients to finally make the transition.
Costs: Go Green to Save Money
Obvious benefits: Most providers will explain to potential customers that they’ll save money because they won’t have to purchase new hardware and/or software periodically, as well as save money on the office space that is no longer needed to house their own servers.
Less-obvious benefits: Explain to your clients how moving to the cloud is much more energy-efficient, which will save their company money. Because your customer will pay only for the services they use, they won’t waste money paying for energy resources they don’t actually need. For the same reason, cloud computing is also a great way for companies to “go green,” which may be important to your customers and their customers as well.
Performance/Scalability: Increase Output with Fewer People
Obvious benefits: Many hosting companies will describe to clients how they will experience improved performance with cloud computing, and how scaling their computer needs up or down is simplified through the cloud.
Less-obvious benefits: One advantage of the cloud that your customers may not consider has to do with performance of their staff – i.e. productivity levels. When selling cloud solutions, explain to your clients that because the cloud allows multiple users to utilize resources simultaneously, they’ll be able to increase output with fewer people. This will result in a streamlined business process and lower overall project costs and/or cost per unit.
Technicalities: Customizable Applications and Data Security
Obvious benefits: Your potential customers have probably heard that the cloud provides increased storage, high-end technology, and that it’s easily implemented.
Less-obvious benefits: They may not realize that cloud computing will allow them to customize their business applications, and that the right cloud provider will also customize their entire infrastructure to specifically suit their business. They may envision the cloud as a “cookie cutter” solution, so take this opportunity to tell them why it’s not.
Equally or even more important is the topic of data safety. When selling cloud solutions, explain to your customers how and why their data will actually be safer in the cloud due to sophisticated encrypting practices, data center safeguards and redundancy, perimeter firewalls, etc. Remember that one of the long-standing myths regarding the cloud is its lack of security, so it’s time to dispel that notion once and for all.
Personnel: Time for IT Innovation
Obvious benefits: It’s probably pretty obvious to your customers that they’ll need fewer IT staff since much of their network-related tasks will be turned over to a managed provider once they transition to the cloud. And, because a hosting company provides the services of an experienced expert staff, your client won’t need to employ people with the same skill set.
Less-obvious benefits: Not only does moving to the cloud mean that your customer will need fewer in-house staff members performing IT tasks – it will also free up the time of their existing IT staff to work on other tasks that are more specifically related to their company and its goals. Once you’re handling all of their more routine network-related chores, their own IT staff will have more time for innovation.
Selling Cloud Solutions: The Closer
The final benefit to the cloud that may not be obvious to your customers is the business advantage it will provide. When selling cloud solutions remind them that this is an extremely competitive digital age in which we live, and in order for their business to succeed, they’ll need to make the most of whatever latest technology is available. And, without a doubt, the very best way to do that is with a managed hosting provider – namely, you! Need help selling cloud solutions? Contact us today.
