As the New Year approaches, we’re looking back at the most read managed services stories of 2011. Yesterday, we recapped the 10 most read MSP news stories from Q1, 2011. Now, let’s look at the most read MSP stories from Q2, 2011 and their implications for managed services providers.
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10 Most Read Managed Services Stories Q2 2011
Posted December 28th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Ask a Mentor: How to Set Managed Services Prices?
Posted January 11th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Each Tuesday, MSPmentor’s Ask a Mentor service publishes a reader question and invites you to weigh in with recommendations. This week’s question comes from an MSP based in Florida. Here’s the question and our reply…
5 Managed Services Pricing Tips From 2 Top MSPs: Join Us Today
Posted November 17th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
How should you adjust your managed services pricing strategies for 2011? Find the answer today (Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 2:00 p.m. eastern) during our MSPmentor Live webcast. Two top MSPs will share at least five managed services pricing tips while answering dozens of attendee questions. Here’s a closer look at our guest speakers and the what we’ll cover.
Five Managed Services Pricing Tips From Two Top MSPs
Posted November 15th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
How should you adjust your managed services pricing strategies for 2011? Find the answer during our next MSPmentor Live webcast, scheduled for this Wednesday, November 17 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. During the webcast, two top MSPs will share at least five managed services pricing tips. Here’s a closer look at our guest speakers and the what we’ll cover.
Five Managed Services Pricing Tips From 2 Top MSPs
Posted November 10th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
As the managed services market continues to evolve, how should you adjust your pricing strategies for 2011? Before you answer be sure to join us for our next MSPmentor Live webcast, scheduled for Wednesday, November 17 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. During the webcast, two top MSPs will share at least five managed services pricing tips. Here’s a closer look at our guest speakers and the what we’ll cover.
Webcast Today: Marketing Strategies for Your First SaaS Solutions
Posted November 3rd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
How can VARs and MSPs effectively brand and market their first SaaS solutions? Find the answers by joining us today (Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2:00 p.m. eastern) for The VAR Guy Live webcast. The topic: How to Market and Brand Your First SaaS Services. The marketing pros from Robin Robins’ Technology Marketing Toolkit will join the discussion. During the event we’ll cover dozens of live questions from attendees. Thanks to those who join us. We look forward to your questions and a lively discussion.
Join Us Wednesday: SaaS Marketing Strategies for MSPs and VARs
Posted November 2nd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Our next Webcast is this Wednesday (Nov. 3) at 2:00 p.m. eastern. During the webcast we’ll cover How to Market and Brand Your First SaaS Services. But that’s not all we’re working on. On November 17, our webcast will cover Managed Services Pricing Strategies (per user, or per device… or something else?) and we’ll wrap up 2010 webcasts on December 8 but sitting down and exploring ConnectWise’s 2011 Vision for MSPs. In the meantime, we hope you join MSPmentor and The VAR Guy this Wednesday, November 3 for the SaaS marketing and branding webcast. Thanks for your time and for visiting MSPmentor.
CompTIA Launches Managed Services Business Templates
Posted August 23rd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
CompTIA has launched four templates to help managed services providers organize their customer agreements, on-board customers, develop pricing models and organize best practices. Here’s a quick overview.
Gartner: Customer Belt-Tightening Impacts Service Providers
Posted July 8th, 2010 by Charlene OHanlon
Managed services have emerged as a popular way for companies to reduce both cost and IT footprint. But here’s the irony: The very traits that make managed services so compelling have also started to make margins shrink for services providers, according to Gartner, the research firm. Here are the details.
MSP Customer Conversations: Navigating SaaS Price Discussions
Posted June 24th, 2010 by Sam Gutmann
One of the most common issues our partners struggle with is discussing price with their clients. Our partners know that they’re offering a great online data backup solution. They know that they can help their clients’ businesses be more efficient, secure, and profitable. But still, prospects can be hesitant and the discussion always seems to circle back to SaaS and managed services prices. What is the root issue?
Quest Software Launches Managed Services Partner Program
Posted June 16th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
It’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day in the managed services market. Indeed, each day I get ready to blog I hear about yet another software vendor launching a managed services provider partner program. The latest example involves Quest Software, owner of PacketTrap Networks and other administration tools. Here’s how Quest plans to engage MSPs and hosting companies, plus a look at rival service provider partner programs launched in recent days.
Managed Services: Time to Abandon Per-Device Prices?
Posted June 14th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
On the one hand, plenty of managed services providers have made a healthy living with per-device/per month business models. But on the other hand I’m starting to hear from MSPs that no longer discuss per-device price quotes with their customers. Is this the start of a bigger trend? Here are some thoughts.
How to Set Managed Services Pricing
Posted January 21st, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
It’s the question I hear all the time: “How much should I charge for managed services?” The obvious answer (as my dad often tells me): As much as your customers are willing to pay. Still, that’s over simplifying matters. I realize MSPs use a range of metrics and formulas to set pricing. But perhaps it’s time to go back to basics.
Would You Guarantee Your Managed Services Price — for a Lifetime?
Posted March 10th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
The recession is triggering some rather wild IT service strategies. Consider the situation at Cincinnati Bell. The service provider has launched a “Price for Life” program that gives customers a permanent monthly rate for several bundled services. Plus, there’s no contract requirement. It sounds to me like an act of desperation by a telcommunications company trying to retain residential customers. But I wonder: Would managed service providers be crazy enough to make similar guarantees?
How to Structure Your Managed Services Offering
Posted March 3rd, 2009 by Paul Barnett
Our VirtualAdministrator partners often ask us how to package and price their managed services offerings. Structuring your offering correctly can be vital to the success of your business. If you charge too much, you risk scaring customers away — charge too little, and you cheat yourself. Too many plan options confuse customers, while too few limits your market. A great method to use is a tiered offering. The Silver, Gold, and Platinum approach as we call it. Here’s how to get started.
Are You Charging Enough for Managed Services?
Posted December 29th, 2008 by Mitch York
Recently, I was updating my contact database and asked my newsletter recipients to answer a question along with giving me their mailing info. The question was, “What is the biggest challenge you faced when making (or thinking about) the transition from being an executive to being an entrepreneur?”
Putting A Price On Eternal IT and MSP Happiness
Posted October 3rd, 2008 by Jim Hamilton
The evil-hearted Mr. Burns of Simpson’s fame once quipped “One dollar for eternal happiness? I’d be happier with the dollar.”
Two Trends In Managed Services Prices
Posted August 6th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Are you charging “by device” for your managed services? Perhaps it’s time to move to a “per user” model that also includes quarterly — instead of monthly — fee adjustments. The approach, which Autotask CEO Bob Godgart described to me earlier today, caught my attention. Here’s why.
How Not to Market Your Managed Services
Posted August 4th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Managed services are supposed to be a simple elevator pitch: For a flat monthly fee, you’ll pro-actively manage all of your customers’ systems. Sounds simple. But some MSPs, such as ASI System Integration (ASI) in New York, are sending customers confusing messages containing low-ball pricing filled with technical jargon.
