Agents need a business mindset  

Back in the early days of tech sales, the sales pitch was a little simpler. Use this solution and you’ll save $X for your bottom line.  

Nowadays, everything has changed. The tech is better, there’s more of it, and customers no longer want to look only at cost savings. They want to look at growth, profitability, efficiency, and so on. This makes the sell a bit harder because agents now need to learn the business-speak. 

Successful agents need to know how to talk to customers in business terms, as well as know enough about the tech to make a genuine, valuable recommendation.  

You need to know the tech 

One of the main things that agents need to know in the modern channel is the tech. While you don’t have to be an expert or have an engineer-level of knowledge, you still need to know the ins and outs of different solutions so you can recommend the most efficient and valuable option for a customer. 

It’s not enough to just sell long distance or SIP because customers want more these days. They’re building more sophisticated technology stacks and are expecting a higher ROI on any solution they buy. The more knowledgeable you are, the more trusted you are, and this makes it easier for you to retain customers because they’ll want to come back. 

Niche is the way to go  

Agents running small consultancy businesses should niche down, says Jay. It’s much easier to build a brand as a small business around a smaller niche and just admit you don’t cover everything.  

The good thing about finding a niche is that it doesn’t really limit you from doing other stuff. It just becomes known as your specialty – the thing that gets you in the door with customers. You can still branch out and try other things because there’s a good chance your customers will want help with other areas as well. 

For more insights from Vic and Jay, tune in to the full episode of The Channel Champions Podcast.