Sometimes broad business discussions relate pretty darn well to the managed services market. A prime example: Marketing guru Mary Schmidt says there are three types of people that every start-up needs to employ. Her points definitely relate to aspiring MSPs. Let’s take a look.
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Every MSP Needs the Following 3 People
Posted February 3rd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
MSPs: Do You (Really) Focus on Sales?
Posted February 3rd, 2010 by Paul Barnett
A lack of focus on sales is a common error I see a lot of small MSPs make. Heck, most have no dedicated sales staff or sales plan whatsoever. The standard way of doing business is to wait for the phone to ring and hope for new business. This is a mistake. All great businesses are built with a strong sales attack.
Boosting Sales: Secrets From Three MSP All-Stars
Posted January 29th, 2010 by Phil LaForge
When I want to learn about a business topic, I always try to get the scoop from people who are battling it out in the trenches. Real-world success trumps the white board gurus any day. So, for this blog post, I’m culling business insights, sales advice and cloud strategies from three MSP All-Stars. Here’s their guidance.
Two Surprises on MSPmentor Live Webcast
Posted January 12th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Our first MSPmentor Live webcast of 2010 is scheduled for January 20. Here’s a look at the topic, our guest speakers and two surprises (hint: they involve Amazon’s Kindle) we have in store for the webcast.
Not All MSPs Will Smile in 2010
Posted January 4th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
A new wave of optimism is building across the managed services market. Executives from Nimsoft, N-able and other software providers are making upbeat statements about 2010. I certainly agree with the core thesis — many MSPs are going to benefit from an improving economy. But I will repeat a familiar theme around MSPmentor: The rising economic tide won’t lift all MSP boats. Here’s why.
Top 10 Managed Services Blog Entries, Q2 2009
Posted December 30th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
So, what generated buzz on MSPmentor in 2009? Here’s a look at the individual blog entries that attracted the most readership for Q2 (April – June) 2009…
Managed Services Webcast: Register Now
Posted December 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Before you celebrate the New Year please do one thing: Register now for MSPmentor’s January 20, 2010 webcast. We’re shaking up the format a bit to ensure the content answers key questions for growth-oriented small, midsize and large MSPs. Here’s a quick look at what we’ll cover — plus, our guest speakers.
Should MSP CEOs Focus Mainly On Sales?
Posted November 18th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
During a meeting yesterday with EUS Networks — a solutions provider in New York — company co-founder Jeronimo Romero described how he launched the business with a partner back in 2001. When I asked him who actually runs day-to-day operations and who manages sales, Romero’s answer surprised me. Here’s why.
ConnectWise Partner Summit: Six Managed Services Videos
Posted November 9th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
During the ConnectWise Partner Summit, MSPmentor sat down with a range of managed services experts. In the following MSPmentor FastChat videos, we covered such topics as hardware as a service (HaaS), MSP-to-MSP collaboration, sales and business development, online marketing for MSPs and email security. Here are six FastChat videos with a range of MSP industry experts…
Will Wall Street Optimism Boost MSPs?
Posted October 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Two promising anecdotes from Wall Street this week: The economy is growing again. And for the third quarter, two-thirds of publicly held companies have delivered earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations, according to WCBS Radio in New York. Here are some quick observations for managed service providers.
Have 10 Percent of MSPs Closed Shop?
Posted October 23rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I need to make sure the following blog entry is in the proper context: Many managed service providers continue to grow and thrive. We’ll be sharing some early data points from our ongoing MSPmentor 100 research over the next few days. But this little anecdote is important to note: A few folks allege that 10 percent of MSPs have disappeared or closed up shop in 2009. True?
14 Business and Financial Tips for MSPs
Posted October 15th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Which financial and business metrics are most important for a managed service provider to track? Larry Schulze, co-founder and principal consultant at Taylor Business Group, offered up key thoughts during the N-able Partner Summit. Here are 14 key business and financial metrics he mentioned.
Creating a Culture of Continual Service Improvement
Posted September 28th, 2009 by Phil LaForge
Like it or not, the reality for MSPs is that they’re only an SLA breach or significant outage away from losing a customer. This immense contractual pressure is a significant motivator that drives MSPs to develop sophisticated approaches to continuous service improvement.
Reader Poll: How Did MSPs Perform In 3Q?
Posted September 23rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Amy Katz (my business partner) and I spent Tuesday in Boston meeting with a range of IT companies. For the first time in about two years, the economy did not dominate our meeting discussions. It made me wonder: Are managed services providers (MSPs) experiencing a strong 3Q?
SMB Managed Services Spending Up 9.2%
Posted August 24th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Upbeat forecasts about the managed services market continue. Small and midsize businesses will increase their managed services spending to $14.3 billion in 2009, up 9.2 percent from 2008, according to Techaisle. But MSPmentor continues to caution readers: Not all managed service providers are succeeding.
MSPs: Meet the Elephant in the Room
Posted August 12th, 2009 by Justin Crotty
The managed services market is growing rapidly and has strong, long-term potential for many who are pursuing it. It is changing the way IT services are consumed and delivered. It is helping many of us diversify and strengthen our value propositions and balance sheets. We are all bullish about the future and the opportunity in front of us. There is one significant hurdle, however, that nobody seems to want to acknowledge — the proverbial elephant in the room. Here’s the problem.
Three Tips for a Successful Sales Call
Posted July 6th, 2009 by Mitch York
Keith Ferrazzi has a nice piece on his blog called “Surefire Tips for a Successful Sales Call,” including a useful 2 minute video. He focuses on relationship selling–making the customer feel comfortable by focusing on her favorite subject–herself. He gives six great suggestions. Read what he has to say, and then have a look at a few more items that I’ve found useful over the years when it comes to relationship selling. I learned some of these ideas from Rennie Crabtree of Marketing Outcomes, whom I consider my mentor in relationship selling.
Managed Services Sales In Q2: How Did You Do?
Posted June 25th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
As the second quarter nears its close for many technology companies, I’m curious: How are managed services sales holding up out in the market? Has your business resumed growth after the turbulent first quarter than many of us witnessed?
Managed Services Revenue Lifts Dimension Data, AGT
Posted May 15th, 2009 by John Moore
More evidence that managed service providers (MSPs) can endure in difficult economic times: Dimension Data and Applied Global Technologies this week reported managed services as a key factor in fueling revenue growth.
Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Managed Services Sales Process
Posted May 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
During the Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference in Dallas, VP Justin Crotty offered 10 tips for improving your managed services sales process. Crotty credited a specific managed service provider for the tips. Alas, I missed the MSP’s name — but I will ask Crotty for the company name shortly. In the meantime, here are those top 10 tips…
The MSP and the Whale: Landing Big Accounts That Feed Growth
Posted April 30th, 2009 by Ken Vanderweel
At some point in their evolution, most mid-size MSPs will come to a critical juncture — one that will determine whether the future will be characterized by minimal growth and stagnancy, or by dramatic expansion. This juncture comes when the MSP looks to land a major, large account; one that can establish an entirely new level of validation and revenue.
Recession Begins to Impact Managed Service Providers
Posted April 6th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Nimsoft CEO Gary Read (photo, right) sounds like a lot of the executives I’ve interviewed lately. Although Nimsoft is growing and remains cash flow positive, customers and managed service providers are delaying purchasing decisions amid the recession, Read told me today. Read’s statements coupled with anecdotes from across the MSP industry provide an important reality check.
Managed Services: The Cure for IT Pain
Posted March 20th, 2009 by Maurice Saluan
Successful managed service providers understand the basic truisms of technology: Clients just want it to work, so don’t bother them with how it works. Second, technology is the means to an end, which is to support business operations and goals. MSPs who understand these realities also understand the importance of addressing clients’ common IT pain points. Here’s how to get started.
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