Bits & Bytes

In our Assessment Tips Series, we’ve helped partners #KickSomeAzure with advice on how to start the Azure conversation and use customer questions to explain the benefits of assessments. This week, we’re going to help you close the deal and develop strong customer relationships with our final tip in the series!

Tip #3: Review assessment results with customers to guide them through existing problems, best solutions, and migration options.

Every customer’s IT looks different and it’s likely that their idea of their infrastructure differs from reality. Take the time to review assessment results and help customers better understand their Azure opportunities and re-evaluate their long-term IT goals and concerns.

Whether the data supports the customer’s original goals or points to other necessary services, there are three steps you can take to prepare for and deliver assessment results that support the customer and your business.

Step 1: Know their assessment data and how to explain it

• Know what assessment data you will present the customer with and why. It’s helpful to review the assessment of their IT as a whole and then align your review with their goals and concerns.

• Help the customer understand their weaknesses and strengths. If you see a security risk, identify it for the customer and explain options to resolve it. If server dependencies are an issue, show them the visualization and explain why it’s important.

• Build trust by making time to answer their questions and explain data that supports the plans you suggest.

Step 2: Prepare “what-if” scenarios for comparison

• Walk customers through different what-if scenarios to illustrate how the assessment solves original unknowns regarding cost, security, efficiency, and difficulty and how their current IT affects their migration options.

• Even if you have a best-case scenario in mind for a customer’s migration, show the customer how you reached that conclusion. It’s likely they didn’t understand the true costs of running their current IT, moving their workloads to Azure, or what it means to right-size workloads.

Step 3: Help the customer pivot

• If a customer’s original goals don’t align with their options, use data to show why.

• Explain how different plans are not a setback, especially if an assessment revealed important opportunities to better protect their assets, eliminate incorrect dependencies, and efficiently run workloads.

• Present the solution you think will best serve their short-term needs and address their long-term goals.

• Identify the steps that will address both and answer any questions the customer may have.

Go #KickSomeAzure!

We hope these tips help you run your best assessments and help customers make the switch!

If you want more great resources and tips for building business with Azure, check out our

Campaign-in-a-Box and Assessment Workshop Guide!