Trying to grow your MSP company means getting new revenue streams. To keep on top of the growing market, finding new services to offer builds your business. Diversifying your services keeps you safe and lets you stay a forerunner in the industry. One of the newest services offerings from MSPs are vCIOs who are contracted on to provide great IT services to all of your clients.
What is a vCIO
A CIO is a top tier executive that deals with a company’s IT concerns. The CIO works with budgets, business needs, and other considerations to find the best solutions. They are also in charge of finding the newest and greatest technology for their companies. With a vCIO, this role is filled as a service, not as an employee.
Your MSP company is already working to provide your clients the right IT solutions. You have the knowledge of what your clients are doing and add value from your analysis. The idea of a vCIO takes this and puts a name on it. For existing customers, this is usually a gentle transition, with the vCIO slipping into the clients’ company seamlessly.
For new customers, your vCIO services have a bit more work to do. For new clients, you don’t have all the information to make good business decisions yet. This makes the discussion a little longer, but it still provides significant value.
Who Makes a Good vCIO
When you start offering vCIO services, you need to have the reliable personnel to go to your clients. The role of a vCIO is more than just a technical job. It is important that your vCIOs are business savvy and great communicators. A vCIO is going to be heavily involved in budgeting, strategic thinking, and planning— these are skills that are specific to vCIOs.
They also need to be able to handle multiple clients at the same time. This is a separate skillset from business skills and technical expertise. vCIOs are going to always be handling many different clients and they must do this in an organized and successful manner.
There are two options when it comes to hiring a vCIO. The first is to hire a former CIO. They have the background and are a safe bet when it comes to dealing with clients. It is also a great way to promote within your company. This is a little risky, but the right person could be within your company already.
How to Sell vCIO Services
It is important that you market vCIO services accurately. Let your clients know what they are to expect and what benefits they are going to receive. Here are the main reasons a client would look to you for vCIO services:
- They don’t need their own CIO – High-level management is expensive. For small companies, a full-time CIO is not worth the expense.
- A vCIO is very involved in the industry – Because vCIOs work with multiple clients, they are very aware of the new technology that is emerging. This gives your clients inside-track knowledge they can benefit from.
- Specialty knowledge – Companies can have multiple vCIOs, all of which have their own expertise and specialty domains. With vCIO services, your clients get the best of everything.
These points highlight what a client gets from your vCIOs. It is an interesting new way to let even small companies get the best of new technologies.
Finding new services keeps your business alive. By offering vCIO services, your MSP company becomes a true one stop shop for your clients. They are able to be sure that their IT strategies fit within their company, without having to staff a CIO, and you create a brand-new revenue stream.
