10 cybersecurity questions that will help prospects realize their need for you

Managed service providers (MSPs) who are looking to win new business are often challenged by the fact that prospects may not realize their need for managed IT services. Perhaps a prospect is under the notion that they’ve already been operating for so long without your services, so why start paying for them now. The biggest obstacle here is trying to get potential clients to realize, on their own, why they should hire you.

To help get your prospects to realize the benefit of MSP services, they need to truly understand the security risks they face. If they understand their risks, they’ll likely see that they can’t afford to risk data loss, data breaches, or the downtime that cyberattacks present.

Rather than lecturing prospects or preaching to them about the importance of cybersecurity, put the matter in their hands. Have them answer a set of questions about the security measures they’ve taken in their businesses, and they’ll quickly realize how much they need you to fill in some critical gaps.

When pitching your services to prospects, use the following 10 questions to help guide your conversation. Have your prospects be thorough and honest about each one.

SPOILER ALERT: Chances are, prospects won’t know or won’t like the answers to a lot of your questions, which gives you a great opportunity to demonstrate how your services would help.

Top 10 cybersecurity questions to ask your prospects

1. What kind of data are you using and creating on a daily basis?
2. Do you save and store your data using a cloud or an on-premise solution? 
3. Are there any compliance impacts with your data (HIPAA, Mass Data Privacy, etc.)?
4. What, if any, security processes do you have integrated with your current business processes?
5. What do you perceive as your major security risks?
6. Have you identified how unauthorized disclosure of your data may occur?
7. What measures, if any, have you implemented to mitigate data disclosure risks?
8. Do you store and work with customer PII (Private Identifiable Information)?
9. Are you aware of who may be interested in your data?
10. Are you equipped to handle cyberthreats and attacks on your own?

Question number 10 will likely be the one to seal the deal. If your prospect is, in fact, in need of a good MSP, their realization of that will grow stronger as your conversation progresses through each question. Once you’ve captured their attention, show them a real example of what their risks could cost them, such as the cost of downtime. This will probably open their eyes to the potential for a catastrophic event that could close their doors for good.

The next time you’re faced with a potential client saying “no thank you” to your services, pose these questions to them and help them realize that they can and should use your services.