Say a client calls your help desk every time the internet drops. Your team already knows what goes down and how long the business can wait. Bring that into the next account review. If the client wants a better plan, you have a real reason to talk about a backup connection or a different provider.
Give account managers three questions
- New site or move. “Who’s ordering the internet, and what day does it need to be live?” Ask during the move or network planning conversation.
- Carrier renewal. “When does your agreement end, and what would you change if you renewed it today?” Ask during the account review while there’s time to compare options and check any notice deadline.
- Repeated outages. “What stopped working the last time the circuit went down?” Bring one example from the help desk and ask what the business needs to keep running.
Work one opportunity in your existing process
Pick the account with the clearest need and a decision date. With the client’s permission, have the account manager bring the address, timing, and requirements to your technology services distributor (TSD). Ask the distributor to help check availability and build options. If the client needs backup internet, verify whether it can keep the critical systems running and whether it could fail for the same reason as the primary connection.
Before you quote anything, agree on who updates the client, who handles installation, and who takes the first call if the connection drops. Put the opportunity in the pipeline your team already uses and review it alongside your other deals.
On the next account review, use the question that got the client talking. If the same need keeps coming up, coach the rest of the team on when to ask and where to hand off the opportunity.