When we hear that Company A is dropping the ball, we can be pretty certain they’re dropping it constantly — and that's the perfect time to hit Twitter to figure out who else on their client roster may be considering a change. Once you have your Twitter hit list for each of your competitors, you can lead with the services you happen to know (based on the calls you've already had or the business you've already won) they are likely going to be unhappy with.

Carrie Simpson, President

June 8, 2015

1 Min Read
Twitter can be used as a prospecting tool if leveraged correctly
Twitter can be used as a prospecting tool if leveraged correctly.

On behalf of our clients, we make thousands of cold calls monthly. When we call someone who is truly delighted with the IT support they are receiving, they tell us to get lost. On the other hand, when a company is upset, they want to talk about it, and they’ll share a lot of details. In my experience, when we hear that Company A is dropping the ball, we can be pretty certain they’re dropping it constantly —  and that’s the perfect time to hit Twitter to figure out who else on their client roster may be considering a change.

Here’s what you should be doing:

  1. Find your competitors Twitter account.

  2. Make a list of who they follow, and who follows them.

  3. Remove anyone industry specific from that list — vendors, coaches, publications, etc.

  4. Reduce the list to local companies in the city your competitor is in.

  5. You know what’s left? Clients and prospects.

Once you have your Twitter hit list for each of your competitors, you can lead with the services you happen to know (based on the calls you’ve already had or the business you’ve already won) they are likely going to be unhappy with. Don’t throw mud, just paint a picture of what life looks like when their technology just works. Get the meeting, and win the business.

Remember, some people have an extraordinary threshold for pain, so you may not win this business overnight. Keep on it. Gentle and regular reminders will keep you top of mind. And don’t forget to follow them on Twitter.

Carrie Simpson is founder and CEO of Managed Sales Pros.

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About the Author(s)

Carrie Simpson

Carrie Simpson

President, Managed Sales Pros

Carrie has 20 years of inside and field sales experience. She is the founder of Cold Calls Lead Generation, a business to business sales appointment setting firm. For fourteen years she has helped technology companies sell more, more efficiently. Carrie spent two years building the Managed Services lead generation program at The Eureka Project before founding Managed Sales Pros, a sales cycle acceleration firm that focuses exclusively on the managed services ecosystem. She was named by MSPMentor as one of the 250 most influential people in the technology channel for 2013.

Carrie still cold calls daily. She is responsible for client strategy at Managed Sales Pros and is available for consulting, training and speaking engagements. Carrie’s client list includes MSP industry guru Robin Robins, RMM vendors AVG Managed Workplace and Nable by Solar Winds, Network Security firm OpenDNS, the document management startup ITGlue and emerging and established MSPs from Seattle to New York City.

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