As an MSP, offering a free assessment can be a game-changer for your business. But let’s be real—some of you might be hesitant about giving away your expertise for free, especially if you’ve had prospects who took your recommendations and tried to DIY or went back to their old IT guy. I get it, but let me tell you why a free assessment is still a powerful tool and how you can make it work to your advantage.
The Purpose Of The Free Assessment
When you conduct a free assessment, your goal is to point out all the shortcomings, flaws, and vulnerabilities in the prospect’s current IT setup. You’re essentially showing them where they’re at risk—whether it’s weak cybersecurity, lack of policies, or no two-factor authentication. But here’s the key: you’re not giving them the blueprint to fix it themselves. You’re simply identifying the problems and letting them know, “Hey, here’s where you’re leaking.”
Now, some prospects might think they can take this information and fix it on their own. That’s okay. Not everyone is going to hire you right away. In fact, no one closes 100% of the deals, and you’re always going to have some people who say, “Thanks, but we’ll handle it ourselves.” But that doesn’t mean the free assessment offer is flawed. It just means you need to refine your process.
Build Certainty In Your Process
If a prospect decides to take your assessment and go back to their old IT provider or try to fix things themselves, it usually means one of two things: either you’ve made the fixes sound too simple, or you haven’t convinced them that you’re the expert they need.
When you conduct these assessments, your job is not just to highlight the problems but also to build certainty in the prospect’s mind that these are problems they can’t afford to ignore—and that you’re the person to solve them.
If they’re not convinced, they might think, “We’ll just try to fix it ourselves,” or, “We’ll see if our current guy can handle it.” But if you’ve done your job right, they’ll realize that attempting to fix these issues without professional help is risky and likely to lead to more problems down the road.
Understanding The Sales Landscape
Here’s a reality check: about 10-20% of the prospects you engage with will be easy sales. They’ll buy without much resistance, usually because they came through a referral and have minimal objections. Another 10-20%? They’re never going to buy, no matter what you do. These folks should’ve been qualified out from the start.
But the majority—about 70-80%—are the ones who can go either way. They could be convinced to hire you, but they’re not certain yet. This is where your process becomes critical. If your process is solid, you can convert more of these prospects into clients. If it’s weak, you’ll see more of them walk away.
But don’t let the walkaways make you doubt the value of offering a free assessment. It’s not the offer that’s the problem; it’s how you’re using it. The assessment is a tool to get prospects on the path toward hiring you, but it’s your job to keep them on that path.
Keeping Prospects On The Path
Think of your sales process as a path through the woods. If the prospect stays on the path, they’ll reach the destination—a closed sale. But if they wander off, they might get lost, delayed, or even eaten by a bear (a.k.a. an objection).
Your job is to keep them on the path. Yes, they’ll try to wander off with objections or irrelevant questions, but you need to gently but firmly guide them back. This doesn’t mean being pushy or aggressive—nobody likes a hard sell—but it does mean being authoritative and confident.
You’re the expert. You know where the path leads, and you know how to get there. It’s up to you to guide the prospect along, addressing their concerns without letting them derail the process.
The Bottom Line
Offering a free assessment isn’t about giving away your expertise for free—it’s about opening the door to a relationship where you can demonstrate your value and build trust. Yes, some people will try to DIY or go back to their old provider. That’s just part of the game. But for the majority, your assessment can be the first step in showing them why they need your expertise.
Remember, it’s not the offer that’s the problem; it’s how you’re using it. Refine your process, keep prospects on the path, and you’ll see the results.
