In this blog we explain how you can perfect your IaaS Pitch for your customers. Are you wondering how to prepare the perfect IaaS pitch for your customers? You may already have a killer pitch, but are you looking for ways to improve it? IaaS is increasingly being adopted by your customers, and we see that too! We already have a lot of programs and benefits ready for you to use. Step 1 is of course to understand why IaaS/Public Cloud is becoming more important.

After understanding  that, you can move on to create or improve your IaaS pitch that will blow your customers away. Bringing in business has never been easier. With great enthusiasm we guide you to improve your IaaS pitch.

Why IaaS?

As organizations continue to migrate their workloads from legacy data centers to the cloud, one of their top concerns is security, compliance, and regulation. Cloud platform misconfigurations and insecure APIs are seen as the biggest security risks. Some of the most challenging aspects of compliance are risk assessments, compliance monitoring and emerging vulnerabilities. But before we dive into that, it's important that you know why it's so easy to pitch IaaS and what Ingram Micro can do for you.

With the pandemic, we see a lasting impact on the public cloud sector. Cloud adaptation was already on the rise, but with the global health crisis, we saw this rapid adoption grow even more. Customers found that public cloud providers offer a reliable solution, one that can guarantee business continuity.

However, both you and your customers are in different stages of IaaS knowledge. Depending on where they are in the cloud journey, their needs and interests may differ. Start-up organizations are often more concerned about managing and monitoring, while advanced organizations are more interested in managing their cloud spend. The IaaS level of knowledge is also reflected in the preference of cloud providers. More advanced organizations have been using the cloud for some time. From our trends and own analyses, we see that these organizations often opt for AWS, while beginning and intermediate organizations are more likely to opt for Microsoft Azure. But what does this mean for you?

More as a Service

Ingram Micro Cloud can help you with your IaaS pitch. Regardless of your IaaS knowledge level, we can support you and we use this mindset to enable you as a partner to be successful. Partners are adapting to the cloud together with their customers. This transformation is inevitable. So, the question is how can Ingram Micro play a role in this transformation to help you be more successful? As an MSP/VAR, why would you want to partner with Ingram Micro? And why is it beneficial for your customers? The answers to those questions are simple! By working with us, you gain access to our:

• Platform (the Cloud Marketplace)

• Programs

• Services

• Resources

We know you get it now; Ingram Micro has a lot to offer! But what do these benefits mean? It means that Ingram Micro has something to offer you, whether you are just getting started with the cloud or are already at an advanced level. You can use our services and benefits at any stage. You can see it as a one size fits many.

The value of your pitch

We have all these great services and benefits. It is up to you to tell your customers about these benefits. So, it's time to pitch! But why is your pitch so important? It is important because, you want to transfer your buy-in. You want to grab their attention and interest enough to want to learn more about IaaS. The goal of your pitch is not to get that opportunity, but to get you into that second conversation. A pitch is short, just a few minutes. But you want to excite your customer's enough to engage and have that deeper conversation. That second meeting, that's where you're going to try to earn their business. Your pitch should not focus on product features or the benefits, but on the challenges, you will solve for your customer. The goal of your pitch is to find a solution for your customers.

Real value vs perceived value

When looking at real value versus perceived value, this is something you can consider. Let's say you offer migration services to your customers. You know the value of this service, but what do these services mean for your customer? Keep in mind that customers only want to know what you can do for them to solve their problem. Your customers want you to find a solution for them, which is why your pitch is so important. You come up with a solution! Think about how good you think your pitch is? Would you buy from yourself?!

Tips to improve your IaaS pitches

Maybe your pitch needs improvement, right? We all know this phrase “Can you sell me this pen?” It's such a simple statement, but it's not exactly an easy phrase to answer properly. Another common statement is, "Tell me about yourself?" It's a general statement, but sometimes it can be difficult to answer. Both statements have something in common. When you get these kinds of questions, you need to offer something that your customers need. The only concern for your customers is how you are going to solve their problem. A pitch is therefore not about you, but about your customers.

1. Know your IaaS benefits and programs

The first tip to help you improve your pitch is to know your IaaS benefits and programs. You want to provide added value to your customers. If you don't know these programs, how can you ever name their value and spark their interest? You should remember the term ''keep learning''. Ingram Micro can help you with that. We have a lot to offer, and we are always adding new services and features. So, make sure you stay informed about our latest offer. You want to make sure that your customers feel like you know what you're talking about. Know your IaaS benefits and programs, as well as what the competitor is doing in IaaS.

Get your IaaS Edge

Ingram Micro’s AWS Illuminate programma

2. Understand the market trends and current challenges

The second tip is to understand the market trends and current challenges. How vulnerable do you think you are if you are not aware of what is going on in the market? Knowing what's going on in the industry and what challenges it faces can help you have those deeper conversations, that are more valuable to your customers. Knowing these trends can help guide your customers in the right direction. Your customers may not know it, but that's where your value begins, by understanding the best course of action. Most likely, there are common industry challenges that your customers face. You need to familiarize yourself with these challenges so you can help your customers solve their problems.

3. Ask questions and listen

The third tip seems like a no-brainer, but you want to ask questions and listen. Remember this: don't find customers for your products, find products for your customers. You want to create value by asking questions. Things like: ''help me understand why you're saying that?'' or ''if you can solve this problem, what would it mean for your additional income?'' and ''how much is this problem costing you?'' it is valuable to solve your customers' challenges. It doesn't always have to be a number or specifically in euros, but there is an advantage to letting your customers experience what it would be like if their challenge wasn't there.

It's up to you to find out what that is. You can ask yourself the following questions: "Do you really know your customers' needs and concerns?" and "How confident are you?" If you don't know their challenges, how can you solve them? You should ask targeted questions to identify their needs. To do this, you need to find the core challenges, then understand what those challenges are and what they are about.

4. Be conversational

The fourth tip is to be conversational; you want to start your pitch with a question, which you also want to keep short. Don't be formal. Most pitches feel like a script, in those kinds of conversations you lose the involvement of your customers. You will be more successful if you have a conversation where you talk to your customers instead of talking to them. You also want to know what your customers need, their values, their pain points, whether they are looking for a solution or advice. It can't be said enough but stay deeply involved with their challenges.

You don't have to come up with a pitch right away, get to know your customers. Learn more about IaaS and perfect your IaaS pitch. You can find everything about IaaS here.

More information

Would you like to know how we can support you in your cloud journey? Please contact our IaaS team via iaas@ingrammicro.com or 32 2 254 99 50.

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