by Abbie-Lee Hollister, on September 23, 2019
Backup and disaster recovery services stand as a staple for most IT Services Providers today, but sometimes partners leave a lot of money on the table when pricing and packaging their solutions.
While backup and disaster recovery services should be among the most profitable that a partner can offer, the level of profitability will be driven by how the offering is priced and packaged. Here are 3 different ways to sell BDR to your clients.
1. As Part Of Your Complete Offering
High-performing IT Services Providers find that baking backup and disaster recovery services into a comprehensive managed service offering can greatly reduce the cost of selling a BDR service.
Under this approach, you can offer BDR as a standard option, and clients may not unwisely elect for lower cost and incomplete protection. When BDR services are a standard component of an offering, they become effective tools to offer and deliver on a phenomenal service-level agreement guarantee.
Why it works for your clients:
- Single point of contact for all IT issues
- SLA assurances that if something goes wrong, the provider will be there to take care of them
- Predictable, fixed price per month
Why it works for your business:
- Client sees a total solution - not line items
- Predictable, fixed price per month
2. As A Wedge Offering To Widen Network & Client List
On the other end of the spectrum, some IT Providers completely unbundle BDR services and use the simplicity of the offering as a strategic foot in the door for new clients. In this model, BDR becomes a very useful business building tool.
Organisations that can offer superior BDR services and solve a client’s particular pain around data protection and uptime will be well positioned to take on more managed services opportunities for client.
Why it works for your clients:
- Simple to buy
- Get exactly what they need from a BDR perspective
Why it works for your business:
- Very simple to sell
- Excellent for high-growth businesses
3. Offer A Menu Of Bundled Service Offerings
Partners can also consider developing a hybrid of the two techniques as above, where BDR isn’t necessarily offered as a point-product but it isn’t part of a comprehensive bundle, either. Instead, the alternative is to have a base package, with a whole host of additional, a la carte add-on service options.
This approach with a core offering, plus many customisation options, is meant to counter the all-or-nothing dilemma faced with a comprehensive bundle approach. This approach depends on truly listening to the needs of clients, and tailoring services.
Why it works for your clients:
- More flexibility in pricing and scoping of requirements
- Less likely to pay for what they don't need
Why it works for your business:
- Faster sales cycle than the bundled approach
- Less likely to overbundle and overcommit
Axcient is a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery service delivered to IT Service Providers, empowering them to offer end-to-end business continuity services to their clients.
