But there’s that old paradox: Many MSPs were started by techs who aren’t sales/marketing pros. Or is that a stereotype we need to end?

Technical staff, RMM & MSP tools, process and infrastructure are all extremely important to supporting & maintaining your customers POST selling them a Managed Service contract. In order to get anyone to support you first have to tackle the sales game. For some MSP business owners, sales comes naturally. Personally, I have always felt that if you can wrap your mind around the sales game you should run with it as there’s nobody better to represent your company! In the end however, you can’t do both. Each role requires your full attention and 100% of your focus.

Mike Byrne
PacketTrap Networks

I don’t know if I agree or disagree with the CEO selling and here is why: In my experience the key to sales success has nothing to do with the person’s role in a company, but rather their ability to manage successful sales campaigns and a formal sales process coupled with an undying urge to close business and the ability to empathize with our prospects/customers.

These attributes exist in some CEO’s but not all, and it is important for all of us to realize our specific value to our respective organizations.

Rarely the key to sales success is not the metrics that we are all used to tracking(attention to detail, interest, capable writter/speaker. etc), but rather a specific personality type. Attributes like urgency, empathy, drive, and believe it or not ego (coming from a career sales professional), all come into account when making up a successful sales person.

Sometimes that’s the CEO and sometimes it’s not, but to add to Rich’s point, it’s not so much about the actual person or role but aligning our skill set to the functions of the company.

Sean E. McDonald
LabTech Software

Hire a sales person.

This type of a question is typically asked by someone that isn’t successful – yet. Wait till you have a bunch of employees and managers underneath you that you have to manage, lead, motivate and mentor as they grow your company – how are you going to do that and get on a sales call at the same time?

-Vlad

Some folks are better at sales. Some are great technicians, and some are great ops managers. A successful CEO will ultimately count on the mirror to expose his or her weaknesses and either address them through training or through finding someone who does a better job than they do in those areas.

Let’s face it – most IT companies are started by engineer or “technician” types. They start out with hard work and genuine excitement, and develop their own “success habits”. Those habits usually get them to a level where they have more work than they have time – then, they need to figure out how to delegate. The problem is, they can’t delegate what exists only in their head. So as Chris says, above, process, workflow, all that stuff that tends to bore IT techs, are absolutely crucial to the next step.

So in many cases, hiring a COO is the right move, not so much because the sales portion of the business is the best place for the owner, but because it’s where he or she is the least exposed. For me, the ultimate ball game is replacing every one of my functions with people who are better than I am, so that in the end, I am left able to sit around and respond to inciteful industry blogs all day.

Not there yet, but maybe soon .

Let us know how your own efforts are going. I’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you and your COO in 2010 when you’re fully focused on marketing and R&D.
-jp

Documenting processes has been invaluable. We have our COO in place, she does a great job running the day to day. We estimate by the end of January 2010 I’ll be 100% focused on Marketing and R&D.

The costs of hiring the staff to cover your existing duties and training are a huge and the work is hard.

It’s the same as when I started this business 16 years ago. It feels like a gamble, it’s like betting on yourself all over again. But I love the ride.

-Chris Chase

Gerson

http://www.degasystems.com