MSP Business School
MSP Business School
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A podcast geared to Technology Service Providers where we bring you strategies and tactics to grow your business and build a winning culture.
This podcast helps MSP's and MSSP"s accelerate their business through strategies, tips, and tactics to drive sales, marketing, and account management.
Join our hosts Brian Doyle, Tim McNeil, and Robb Rogers every Thursday!
Available episodes
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17 hours ago
Masterclass “The Emerging Role of the vCIO in Account Management”
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Apr 6, 2021
Virtual Roundtable Discussion "Prospecting in a Post-Pandemic Climate"
This episode of MSP Business School serves as a follow up to last week’s Special Edition episode (episode 45).
A few weeks ago, Robb and Tim joined Brian for his monthly learning series at vCIOToolbox to talk about the future of sales in a post-pandemic world. In this episode, the guys answer some follow up questions that came from that webinar and dive deeper into a few important sales topics they come across on a regular basis.
Mar 30, 2021
Building a Post-Pandemic Sales Team
Prospecting changed dramatically when the pandemic upended our lives and sent most of us to home offices. While sales meetings have been conducted almost exclusively virtually for the past year, this will soon be behind us (hopefully), and a new sales model will emerge. Are you ready?
For this special episode of MSP Business School, your hosts Brian Doyle, Robb Rogers, and Tim McNeil discuss the future of sales as a part of vCIOToolbox’s monthly learning webinar series.
Robb and Tim talk about the strategies they’re beginning to employ with their teams at OSR and the changes that sales teams should be expecting. They share the steps that every MSP should consider in order to set their teams up for long term success.
6:51 – Tim and Robb share their expectations for sales post-Covid. They talk about their experiences in sales pre-Covid and how those were changed during the pandemic, both positively and negatively. They also discuss which Covid-era practices they see sticking around.
14:53 – Brian, Tim, and Robb talk about the benefits of tools such as email campaigns and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and how they’re being used differently today than they were a year ago. They discuss how to employ LinkedIn most successfully and how they see it continuing to be useful in the upcoming land grab.
29:26 – Tim and Robb go into the differences between how virtual meetings and onsite meetings were viewed pre-pandemic versus now. They dive into how the expectations have shifted and where they see the trend going.
38:50 – Robb and Tim remind us of the importance of building stories around your MSP, giving us excellent examples on how to do that effectively.
47:35 – Robb and Tim tackle questions from an audience member about virtual events and how to implement them, and also about how to effectively use business groups to grow your network.
Mar 23, 2021
Jamie D'Agostino Netology "The Risk You Take When Going Outside Your Contract"
Jamie D’Agostino is the Founder and CEO of Netology, an MSP out of Stamford, CT. Having been in business for nearly two decades, Jamie is no stranger to the various types of specific and individual requests MSPs encounter.
In this episode of MSP Business School, Jamie shares an example from his own life about the importance of setting defined boundaries with your clients.
1:50 – Jamie gives us some background on Netology and how they’ve operated for the past 18 years. He talks about the changes he’s seen in the industry, specifically around the conversations he’s had with potential clients in recent years, and gives us some insight into which partner vendors he sees the most referrals coming from.
7:28 – We talk about the changes the pandemic has had on Netology, including both the negative and positives impacts. Jamie shares that it was a very busy year for them, and that although several of their clients experienced downsizing, they weren’t too negatively affected because of the heavy load of projects they’ve been completing.
15:53 – Jamie tells us about an account he recently lost that had a major impact on his company. He lays out the difficulties they had with this particular client, sharing that the revenue wasn’t worth the amount of extra work they were being asked to do. Jamie and the hosts discuss the importance of boundary setting within a contract, and the even greater importance of keeping those boundaries.
21:14 – We wrap up the episode with a discussion about the parallels between client relationships and romantic relationships, and the telltale signs that a potential new client may not be the best fit. Jamie leaves us with a reminder to take it easy on ourselves, and urges us to remember that even though we’re coming out of the pandemic, it’s been a very tough year on everyone.
Mar 16, 2021
Dave Cava, Encore Strategic Consulting "Vertical Focus = Maximum Valuation"
In this episode of MSP Business School, Dave Cava shares with us how a vertical focus delivers tremendous payoffs. Centered almost exclusively on the financial sector, Dave and his partner grew Proactive Technologies into a very successful MSP: in the span of just 11.5 years, they were bringing in $10 million annually before a very profitable acquisition in 2019.
While many MSPs are hesitant to have such a narrow approach and instead choose to remain generalists, Dave reminds us that being the top expert and “go-to” business in a single, particular field provides an unparalleled advantage.
Show Notes
Mar 9, 2021
Ross Brouse, Continuous Networks "How to lose $200K on a salesperson and win!"
Ross Brouse is the president and COO of Continuous, an IT company specializing in “making IT personal.” As someone who’s always curious about how things work, Ross shares his experience with the delicate balance between being involved in all aspects of your company and trying to control every outcome. He gives us a glimpse at how the DEY (Do Everything Yourself) approach taught him some very valuable lessons about the importance of letting go and trusting your team.
1:36 – We talk with Ross about his path to the MSP world, how quitting a job was the best decision he ever made, and why flexibility matters when it comes to your MSP’s operations and offerings. Ross also shares his journey from film school to IT, and how running an MSP is incredibly similar to making a movie.
6:16 – We discuss the things that make Continuous unique, and how their team managed to shift from the commodity world to the consulting world. Ross also shares how Entrepreneurial Operating Systems changed the way he approaches everything about the company – not just with clients, but internally as well. Ross tells his engineers that they are “80% psychologist and 20% technologists” and that as long as they keep that in mind, they’ll do the right thing.
10:45 – Ross shares a story about how losing $200K on a single salesperson was the wakeup call he needed in order to finally get the company’s sales and marketing on track… and how to avoid that mistake yourself.
20:30 – Ross explains how consistent discipline and owning responsibility for every success and failure at the company helped him break out of the cycle of control and ultimately find growth and success.
23:13 – Ross updates us on how this mindset shift and pivot are going, and leaves us with parting thoughts about growth and change.
Mar 4, 2021
Roundtable Discussion: 3 MSP Trends we are seeing in 2021
In this episode, MSP Business School’s hosts Brian Doyle, Tim McNeil, and Robb Rogers sit down for a roundtable discussion about three of the trends they’re seeing for MSPs in 2021. Brian, Tim, and Robb offer their insight, advice, and predictions about everything from what an MSP needs to consider before making the shift to becoming an MSSP, to what the future of sales will be in a post-Covid world.
Feb 25, 2021
Tim Schmitt, Switchfast "Taking Big Risks When Facing the Adversity"
n this episode, we talk with Tim about the strategies Switchfast employed to keep business growing through the pandemic, focusing on the importance of improving current client relationships. He walks us through the M&A process that contributed heavily to the company’s growth, pointing to the methodical due diligence of Switchfast’s CEO as the number one reason for its success.
Feb 18, 2021
James Kernan Kernan Consulting "Explosive Growth when you Engage a Business Coach"
After running MSPs for the first half of his career, James Kernan found himself speaking at conferences about his experience growing and selling businesses. Fifteen years later, his consulting firm has become one of the most successful management consulting firms in the country.
Feb 11, 2021
Kevin Clune, MSP Growth Hacks “Showing MSP’s How To Hack Their Way to the Top!”
Kevin Clune is passionate about helping Managed Service Providers learn from his own experiences in the industry. As the former Operations and Marketing Director of a US-based Managed Services company (which he helped grow to an eventual acquisition in 2018), Kevin has first-hand experience with the challenges facing MSPs.
Kevin began writing a blog immediately after this exit, focused solely on educating other MSPs and offering resources he wished he’d had when he was starting out. This grew into MSPGrowthHacks.com, a service where Clune and co-founder Paul Green (another ex-MSP Exec) share with other MSPs how they turned their struggling IT Businesses upside down, grew revenue, cultivated profit, and ultimately successfully sold their businesses.
In this episode of MSP Business School, we chat with Kevin about MSP Growth Hacks, their brand new, in-depth, and exhaustive resource MSP Growth Guide (a publication that gathers all resources available to MSPs into one central, easy-to-use pamphlet), and the mindsets that are crucial for all MSPs to adopt.
We dive into out-of-the-box strategies MSPs can employ when growing their networks – including how to leverage relationships you may not traditionally consider – and focus on how to foster a community that shares resources rather than hoard them.
We explore a turning point in Kevin’s career that helped him shape this mindset of abundance in client and vendor relationships and launched him into an exploration of connections with people outside of those he was transacting with, to the benefit of his MSP. We talk about how addressing the pain point for a vendor led to an extended network of new clients and new contracts.
We wrap up with a brief discussion about what we can expect from MSP Growth Hacks in the near future – spoiler alert: we’ve got a very exciting resource to look forward to that is certain to be a game changer.
Feb 4, 2021
Masterclass "Why your first sales rep will fail (and why it may be your fault)"
Many MSP's hire their first sales rep and expect a windfall...then are surprised when it does not work out. In our episode today we discuss why your sales rep failed and why that may be your fault.
Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/
Hosts
Brian Doyle. https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl...
Robb Rogers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge...
Tim McNeil https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/
Sponsors
vCIOToolbox https://vciotoolbox.com
OSR Manage https://osrmanage.com
Jan 28, 2021
Craig Taylor, Cyberhoot "When a client experiences a $26K phishing attack, a business is born"
Craig found inspiration when a client had a phishing attack that caused an employee to purchase $26K on gift cards based on an email.
The problem was obvious and he set out to create training that is easy to use and for end users to consume.
Jan 22, 2021
Teresa Rule "Teaching the Next Generation of CyberWarriors to Defend the Digital Universe"
Teresa is a woman who enjoys a good fight. As a former Marine, she has seen the threats our country faces each day and when she neared retirement she wanted to keep up the good fight and prepared for a career in cybersecurity.
In launching PNT Professional Services with her husband, she put her aim on continuing the fight to protect our great nation. Additionally, they wanted to create an opportunity for service veterans to gain the skills to start a post-military career in cybersecurity.
In our conversation today Teresa shares with us the training MSSP's should consider for their staff as they build their security practices. In fact, Teresa is holding a virtual conference, The RNT Cyber Ethics Conference, bringing some of the top minds together for 20+ sessions over three days (Feb.16-18) for only $50!
A woman with many anecdotes around tales of cyber threats we focus in on a story of a modern day cattle heist. The Wild, Wild West has gone Hi Tech.
Join us today for an action pack…
Jan 14, 2021
Brian Doyle, vCIOToolbox "Why Strategic Account Management is Vital to MSP Success
Today we turn the tables and have our Co-Host Brian Doyle on the show to talk about the importance of the vCIO Role. As the CEO and Co-Founder of vCIOToolbox, Brian works with MSP's globally to build strategic account management programs. These programs help the MSP keep the client informed, elevate their perception as a partner, and drive a technology roadmap that creates win/win outcomes for both the client and MSP.
In our discussion we talk about how MSP's often focus on client acquisition and service delivery. Those are two key pillars in all service providers, but often overlook is a strong process of staying engaged with the client post-sale and on-boarding.
Brian talks about how MSP value is always equated to MRR, but one of the most overlooked steps for many MSP's is managing and controlling the client relationship. Too many times, once on-boarded, the primary point of contact for the client is the helpdesk team. Thus the health of the relationship often is being guarded by y…
Jan 5, 2021
Jesse Hill, Tier 3 Solutions, "Treat your team well and good things will happen"
Jesse Hill is the President of Tier 3 IT Solutions a MSP located in Edmonton, Alberta. Jesse chats with us about running a business he grew up in and the lessons he has learned since taking over the business.
We start with Jesse's story about an acquisition they made and the challenges they faced during the transition and in their approach to the merging cultures. He discusses things that they did not evaluate during this acquisition that impacted the bottom line.
Jesse then moves to a story of an event that helped shape Tier 3 Solutions. He attended a conference that helped him see that they truly did not have a defined sales process and how this led to an overhaul of their sales division. We discuss how you can't shortcut the process and steps they took to get sales in line and improve the close rates.
Jesse then shares steps they are focused on for 2021 that will help them grow and develop as an organization in 2021. Tier 3 is planning improvements to keep the team engaged as the…
Dec 15, 2020
Abe Garver, "What MSP's can do to prepare for M&A in 2021"
Abe Garver and Focus Investment Banking are Merger and Acquisition specialists focusing on the small to mid-market Managed Service Providers with transaction sizes between $5M and $50M.
Dec 8, 2020
Guy Walton, CAMO "Going Phishing with a Former FBI Cybercrime Guy"
Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/
Guest
Guy Walton. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cybervirture/
CAMO
Hosts Brian Doyle. https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl...
Robb Rogers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge...
Tim McNeil https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/
Sponsors
vCIOToolbox https://vciotoolbox.com
OSR Manage https://osrmanage.com
Dec 1, 2020
Craig Reeds "Protecting the Production Lines From Cyber Crime"
Velta Technologies is a firm that specializes in providing security services for the industrial space. Based out of St. Charles, Mo. their practice focuses on the security needs of the manufacturing, utility, and maritime verticals. Craig serves as a Cyber Security Engineer for the organization and in this episode he shares with us an area not often travelled by many MSP's, but can be an area of opportunity, Operational Technology Networks or OT.
With the growth of IoT devices coupled with aging production machines this area can often be overlooking in its importance and access within each business and become a huge target for the hacking community. Craig starts the discussion describing what is the first step in security the OT, a Cyber Security Assessment for exposure risks and technology gaps.
He then shares with us about how electrical utilities have many compliance regulations for its power generation system and need to be NERC compliant (North American Electrical Reliability Co…
Nov 17, 2020
Stuart Selbst, Industry Veteran "Customer Success Starts with You"
Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/
Stuart Selbst joins us in today's episode to discuss the customer experience and steps we can take to have long-term success. We begin the discussion talking about Stuart's path from corporate IT, to MSP, to MSP Coach, to Vendor, and back to MSP.
We talk about the customer journey and how important it is to stay in front of your customers to drive long-term success, but that also requires the right individual to lead the customer relationship.
We talk about a solid customer relationship breeding loyalty and financial reward for the MSP as the relationship becomes the gift that keeps on giving. Stuart discusses how he had a client that he built such a strong relationship with that they asked to increase their fee. They looked at the value given and the long term need, and quickly realized they were not paying enough to ensure that the MSP (their trusted partner) would be there when called upon.
Robb shares how right now the hunters are lo…
Nov 10, 2020
Roundtable Discussion: Commoditization and Competition During COVID
Today we discuss the marketplace as the pandemic rages on. May MSP's are fighting to stay afloat as we head into what looks like it can be a long winter. Robb starts the discussion sharing that in the peer groups he operates sales pro's are indicating that the race to the bottom is on.
We then dive into the difference between building strategic relationships for the long-term vs. solution selling. The goal of a strategic approach is getting closer to the customer and by leveraging a more aligned approach to client management, margins can be preserved.
Brian talks about the fact that the solutions starts through understanding. We are seeing a trend to solution first selling where solutions are't being fully fleshed out and quotes are hitting the streets.
We then discussed how both companies strategies need to be aligned to have a successful relationship and to box out commoditized competitors. Tim and Brin discuss how sales reps can struggle with the strategic discussion as it is a c…
Nov 3, 2020
Peter Strahan, Lantech, "Sometimes it takes a fire!"
Peter Strahan is the Managing Director for Lantech located Dublin, Ireland.
Peter shares with us a story of a disaster in the form of a fire that hit his customer's building and how in that moment Lantech's unseen value came front and center.
Oct 27, 2020
Robert Cioffi, Progressive Computing "No Man is an Island"
Robert Cioffi is COO & Co-Founder of Progressive Computing located in Yonkers, NY. Launching in 1993 very early in his and his partner’s careers they learned a lot through the school of hard knocks. One of the primary drivers of his company’s long-term success was engaging a coach and being part of a peer group.
Robert starts the conversation is it takes a certain mindset and ego to start a company, but that can also be one of the biggest blockers to growth. Coaching helped him learn the things he didn’t know and start changing the business model, launching managed services in the early 00’s.
He speaks about his business model and how it differs from the average MSP. Many speak of the “All you can eat (AYCE)” model, but Progressive has taken that to a very literal stance. They include all projects within their plans.
They view the relationship as a true partnership with their clients and truly have adopted and internal IT department mindset of we do what the client needs…
Oct 20, 2020
Carrie Simpson, Managed Sales Pros, "How I opened a call center overnight, from another country"
Carrie Simpson launched Managed Sales Pros in 2013 as a call center serving the MSP market. Starting with a contract in her native country, Canada, the operations quickly grew. A contract opportunity was presented to her and almost overnight she launched operations in the U.S.
Managed Sales Pros hit a market need that is large in the MSP community, customer acquisition through cold calling. With many of the MSP's being Technologist led organizations, sales can often be a foreign process.
Sometime acquisition comes quickly and without the intention to sell. Carrie speaks of how she reached out to a company to help her with her strong pipeline and staffing needs. With more business than people she could hire in the Las Vegas market, she approached EB Quckstart for assistance with overflow. Their response was how about we just buy your operation, and before you knew it the deal was done.
Post-acquisition Carrie still operates Managed Sales Pros in Canada, but has her eye on the next ch…
Oct 13, 2020
Jeff Grande & Mike Paone, TBNG Consulting "Building an MSP from 2 to 50 and what we learned along the way"
Jeff Grande and Mike Paone launched TBNG Consulting started their company as many MSP's have, bootstrapping the business while working full-time jobs, in their caae from different states. They accelerated the growth through grit and determination knocking on neighborhood doors and working evenings to kick off the company.
One growth hack that they learned was truly engaging the channel and making investments to become the local leader in newer channel entrants and building long term relationships. Mike shares how he grew those relationships, but does add you "have to sleep with one eye open". n It is also about having clear boundaries with the vendor on what they are willing to sell.
In sharing how they grew TBNG Jeff shares that no growth comes without peril. IT was a constant reinvestment into the business and hiring quality people that they trusted then helping them learn their role.
They also talked about understanding where your deficiencies personally are. In 2012 they reflect…
Oct 1, 2020
Turning the Tables ” An Interview with Robb Rogers and Tim McNeil, OSR Manage
Today we turn the tables and interview two of MSP Business Schools Co-Hosts, Robb Rogers and Tim McNeil. Robb and Tim started OSR Manage. Originally started as an MSP Lead Generation company OSR has morphed into a Virtual Sales Management juggernaut.
The OSR Manage team focuses on helping Tech Founders build winning sales teams. Their approach which is a mix of Executive, and Sales coaching coupled with peer groups for the individual reps has helped 100’s of companies succeed in s
Sep 17, 2020
Leigh Wood, Node IT “How a $50K Loss Improved our Business”
Leigh Wood Owner and Director of Node IT Solutions in Biggleswade, England joins us today and shares a story of persistence in the face of adversity. We learn how when faced with a crisis that can cause a company to cease operations, Leigh and his team rose up and met the challenge head on.
Leigh starts with a conversation of his companies rise from its roots as an IT consultancy and its ultimate migration into becoming an MSP. Having formed Node IT Solutions with a co-founder, Leigh initially served as the lead technician. Soon his partner left the business and Leigh began the transition from technician to the business leader holding the main responsibility for Node IT’s sales.
We then moved to a discussion of the biggest challenge that Leigh faced as a small business owner. Returning from vacation, Leigh stepped off the plane to a text none of us would ever like to receive, a client who owed 50,000 pounds announced that they had gone out of business and that debt will never be co…
Sep 10, 2020
Jason Schaller, Anderson Zurmuehlen "MSSP's: The Wild, Wild West of Risk Assessment"
Jason Schaller joins us in today's episode to discuss the importance of regular assessments and compliance reviews. Anderson Zurmuehlen started as a traditional audit and accounting firm and ultimately added technology as a division of their business. Leveraging their existing relationships where trust was established it only made sense to move into IT where trust of private information is also required.
Jason is responsible for both internal security and serving as the vCISO for the AZTS technology clients. AZTS has built a strong advisory firm focused on IT governance and performing audits like SOC2 and CMMC..
Jason tells us how there is a huge opportunities for MSP's to provide security based resources to the small to mid-sized business community.Accountants have long been conversing with clients about risk management and in his role he is able to use that common language and extend it to IT.
We then discuss how many MSP's are changing their models to MSSP, but most are falling s…
Sep 3, 2020
Todd Whitley, Brightwire Networks "If You're Not Growing, You're Dying!"
Today's Interview Series guest is Todd Whitley, CEO and Partner for Brightwire Networks. Brightwire started as the traditional owner-led sales organization, and has since completed the transition to a mature sales team. Todd sees 5-year business cycles within his business. They key is being adaptable and focusing on growth.
A key to Brightwire's success is building trust with clients and the sales team to drive the sales relationship. We talk about the responsibilities an MSP and its ownership has to supporting staff, clients, family and community.
One of the biggest challenges Brightwire faces is the pace of change within the technology sector and helping the team keep up with new tech. Todd explains that Brightwire's mentality as a Business first service provider has given them the ability to control the pace of new technology and when their clients will implement new services.
Through consultative advice, business alignment, and strong client relationships, Brightwire is not forc…
Aug 20, 2020
Roundtable Discussion: Selling Large, Service Models, and Peer Groups
In this episode we recap some of the highlights from our past 5 guests. As experts in the field we have seen that each has their own approach in achieving success. Robb, Tim, and Brian discuss hat they learned and share their opinions on whether they agree or disagree.
We start with a discussion that centered around discussions with Craig Skevinington and Matthew Bookspan. Each has experienced a large, game changing sale and each shared with us what it took to win the deal. The biggest takeaway we learned as each put in about 100 hours of business development time to win the deal. We discuss the tactics you need to take to win a big deal and how it is not for the faint of heart.
We also talk about service models and whether of not a dedicated resource model trumps the pod model for providing support to your key clients.
We close with a discussion around peer groups and how they have helped most of the experts we met with and what they have done for our own businesses'.
Aug 13, 2020
Tommy Wolosin, NetWorks "Creating Customer Loyalty through an Amazing Culture"
Today we speak to Tommy Wolosin, one of two partners operating NetWorks in Nashville, TN. Tommy talks to us about creating an amazing culture to drive both client and customer relationships.
We start with a conversation around how NetWorks started operations and how growth came from Tommy networking heavily in the Nashville area. We talk about how peer groups and coaching were fundamental in breaking past growth driven by hustle into a more predictable sales model.
We then transition into creating a culture that both customer and staff wanted to be a part of. Tommy shares how Net Works has long term and close relationships with many of their customers. They leverage a strong vCIO process to drive engagement and loyalty in their client relationships.
We also discuss how that culture spills into the business with most employees being part of the team for 10+ and the tactics that Net Works employs to meet the needs of both the business and their team.
Aug 6, 2020
Jon Rees, Allied Communications “How UCaaS and CCaaS Can Be a Tool for Success in our New Working Conditions”
Jon Rees joins us today on MSP Business School. Jon is the Head of Technologies for Allied Communications, a Communications focused service provider with a large focus on the Casino and Gaming industry. In fact, they are the provider for 37% of the Las Vegas strip and 60% of Atlantic City.
Today we discuss how to approach the enterprise space with a solutions focused approach. How once you crack the first enterprise account, you have to work your relationship to help guide you to the next enterprise opportunity.
We shift gears to solutions to drive the remote workforce. Jon explains how UCaaS and CCaaS can simplify customer interactions in a world of expanding remote workforce. We talk about customer experience and how that can make or break a relationship.
Jon tells us where contact centers can enhance the experience and client support. It can also help managers keep tabs, especially when your team is geographically dispersed.
Jul 30, 2020
Eric Kiehn, C&W Technologies "Using a Down Economy to Innovate and Succeed"
In today's episode we speak with Eric Kiehn, the owner of C&W Technologies. His service provider business has lasted 36 years and has seen good times and bad. Eric tells us about those experiences and the downturns often led to new revenue opportunities.
Eric speaks about how as he went into the last great recession in '08 it opened up a new market in cloud services for his break-fix shop. Through the need to control costs it opened up a new recurring revenue model. In fact, cloud drove the MSP services vs. the other way around.
Eric also shares how peer groups changed his business and his life. How the feedback from peers, both inside the industry with other MSP's, and with local business leaders shaped his leadership perspective and helped C&W Technologies innovate.
He then shares about C&W's approach to the COVID-19 crisis. Change is more apt to happen during these down periods and clients are open to ideas they may have rejected in the past. He adds that C&W Technologies built a…
Jul 23, 2020
Matthew Bookspan, Blacktip IT "The Courage to Launch When The Forces Around You Say You Shouldn’t"
Today we start our Interview Series with our first guest Matthew Bookspan talks to us about the launch of Blacktip IT. He did this at a time where most of us would be avoiding risk. Holding a six-figure job and with a baby on the way, Matthew and his wife made the decision to start and IT company and he has never looked back.
Matthew starts by telling us the story of his launch and his decision process to make the jump becoming and IT Service provider. Not only did he take a big risk for himself and his family he went a step further focusing Apple Solutions at a time where Apple could only be termed as 'hyperniche".
Matthew takes us through his journey of going from startup to a multi-million dollar service provider. His story is a great one as he shares the focus and strategy he used to drive growth, keep costs in-line and even fire 200 clients on a single day.
Jul 16, 2020
Craig Skevington, Steadfast IT "How to Hook a Whale"
Today we start our Interview Series with our first guest Craig Skevington, the founder of Steadfast IT. Steadfast started as a traditional break-fix house, moved to managed services and then took the bold step in focusing on multi-location companies with remote workforce.
Craig shares with us the steps his company took to drive success. This included building a portfolio and driving customer acquisition. Craig discusses how their focus is over delivering to their client base.
By focusing on service analytics and searching to the repeatable issues that affect their clients to streamline support. This yields an 8 minute ticket response goal, and leverages skill based routing for support. This approach increases client happiness and drives referral business.
We then move into Craig's story about the process he took in order to "hook a whale", an extremely large deal his organization has in their portfolio. He discusses the sales process, how critical it is to listen and find the pain,…
Jul 9, 2020
Motivation through Sales Metrics
On this episode we do another virtual case study on using sales metrics as a source of sales rep motivation.
Brian kicks off the conversation talking about a rep he took on through an acquisition. This rep was a textbook salesperson with a mission. We go into how this mission will drive success
From a metrics perspective this rep was consistent, and his sales metrics reflected that consistency. Knowing how he operated he needed less of a sales manager and more of a sales coach. Someone to keep on track.
We discuss sales DNA and learning what a sales rep looks like based on their DNA. Once this DNA is recognized, it becomes easy to pull the right levers to move the needle.
Robb talks about to provide reps with systems and support in the sales operations process. What tasks should the rep own what tasks should belong to others? We discuss how to approach this.
We then discuss the activities that are required and how you can use ConnectWise sales activity points to manage the Busines…
Jul 2, 2020
Overcoming Sales Objections – The Two-Headed Monster
As MSP’s work with their clients’ it is easy to get complacent and work exclusively through your primary point of contact. What happens when then contact is not the sole decision maker and has an equal partner who has equal say in your renewal decision. Can you be at risk?
Robb and Tim share a real-life case study of a client who ran into the exact issue described above. The client had been a long-term relationship of the MSP, but primarily in a break-fix fashion. The relationship to date had been primarily reactive. Also, client had added a Level 1 tech making this an even more difficult renewal.
The MSP walked into the renewal finding out that the client that “who loved them“:
* Had been educated to the concept of Managed Services by a competing vendor who provided a proposal.
* The proposal was much lower than his existing fees.
* The other partner liked his model and price.
Tim and Robb then share how the customer worked the deal, and the good, bad, and ugly of th…
Jun 25, 2020
How TSP's can stay engaged with their clients
Today's conversation focuses on client engagement, especially when things are slow in the relationship and things are working and we have moved to cruise control.
Brian kicks this one off with a discussion around relationship building and how it is critical to not neglect the relationship or take it for granted. So, how can we start this conversation when we don't have much to say? It's all about ice breakers and asking questions about the clients business. This conversation needs to go beyond the point of contact and you need to engage with all key stakeholders in the process.
We discuss how there are always changes going in the client environment. Personnel changes, customer wins, budget changes. These forces can change the client view on our relationship and we need to stay in front of our client so we can see opportunities and problems that may be coming.
We can do this through live touch points, CSAT or NPS surveys and gain information we can use. The challenge is most Account…
Jun 18, 2020
Breaking Down the Sales Prospecting Process
Today's we break down the prospecting process, how to get organized, focused, and targeted in your plan.
Robb kicks off the conversation with the concept of the Dream 250, a process OSR Manage and their sales teams live by. This process helps you get laser focused and find those valued relationships each sales rep requires.
Tim discusses tactics to get to those target prospects. We dive into a multi-channel approach to sales prospecting and using cold-calls as intelligence gathering. It's not easy to get to your best prospects and the process helps you make each step a valuable exercise on the way to engaging your target.
We then engage on how to qualify MSP clients so prospecting time is not wasted on low value targets. We discuss the information you need to obtain and when to cut a prospect loose.
We also address the common sales gripe, "the leads are no good and I don't have enough". The truth is not the leads, but your approach and mindset will really dictate success. Most reps…
Jun 11, 2020
How Does Your Management Style Change with a Remote Workforce?
With more an more staff working from home and many businesses looking at making that move permanent for their staff, we look at the impact on manage those teams and steps to take to keep everyone productive.
Sponsored by vCIOToolbox and OSRManage
Today's episode focuses on a trend that been growing steadily over the last decade, the remote office workforce. The work from home model has had steady year over year growth for quite some time, but the recent pandemic event made it a necessity.
Companies are now looking at the overall pro's and con's of this workforce model and many are putting in place plans to not bring many of their employees back into the office. Ultimately, for some businesses this offers the opportunity for reduced operating costs through eliminating rents.
We kick off the discussion with Robb discussing the OSR Manage approach to virtual management and how they are leveraging teams to get the team on the same page.
Tim follows with talk around needing to increase…
Jun 4, 2020
Should I Focus on a Specific Vertical
Going Vertical! Sounds like we may be talking with skater or snowboarders, but the vertical we will be speaking about today is singular focus on one industry. Many MSP's have adopted the vertical approach, and quite a few with huge success as we can see in the ChannelE2E's Annual Top 100 Vertical MSP report.
But the big question is can a vertical focus be right for my MSP, and is the risk associated with a single industry to big a risk to put all your eggs in one basket?
Robb kicks us off with his opinion and we quickly learn that he is not a fan of the vertical approach. The risk in his perspective of an industry going dry or facing an economic downturn is too big an impact for many MSP's to survive. This is being shown here in the pandemic as you see MSP's that singularly serve the hospitality and entertainment venues seeing big channels.
Brian brings a discussion of not a complete vertical focus, but implementing "pocket verticals" and taking success you may have had as an early…
May 28, 2020
We Are Going Farming
In this episode we dig deep into the role of the MSP Inside Sales Representative.
Robb starts the discussion with some of the key responsibilities of the farmer rep and discusses their involvement in deal registration and renewals, proposal generation and customer service.
Brian discusses how MSP clients can be the 'gift that keeps on giving" and how it is crucial to keep close to your client and the account manager function needs to support the account and understand the client drivers and obstacles and communicate that internally.
The role of vCIO drives the farming process. In building a roadmap we are better able to illustrate a long term plan. This allows for better client budgeting and shorter sales cycles if executed properly.
We then dive into key activities around communication, cadence, and duties. this includes staying informed on client and propsect news. They keep tabs on press releases, annuncements, and events to keep the entires team aware of current events.
The fa…
May 21, 2020
MSP Sales Models that Work
In this episode we MSP Sales models that can be leveraged beyond the owner led sales model. We discuss how to get started and the steps you need to take to set yourself up for long-term customer acquisition success.
Tim starts the discussion in outlining owner led sales. This is the most common way most MSP's get started. Robb expands on the owner-led sales model generally starts with the 'friends and family" referral approach and how that doesn't scale. We discuss the realities of this model and why it often doesn't scale.
The discussion then moves into sales tactics and how the money is in the follow up. This starts in the prospecting phase and moves through each step in the sales cycle for MSP's. When this becomes a larger problem this can be an indicator that it is time to expand the sales team.
Robb talks about getting focus and really driving opporunity by building your 'Dream 250". Many MSP's do not focus on clients that are similar to the companies that they have had success…
May 14, 2020
Social Media Strategy with Jason Moss
In this episode we have a special guest filling in for Robb and Tim. Jason Moss, Director of Marketing at Allied Communications, shares with us the tips and tactics he has employed to grow the Allied following by nearly 600% in seven months on the job.
We begin with a discussion on strategy and the approach model Jason leverages when creating content for the team and when he is posting directly. We talk about the first step is to engage. Early in a social media strategy, commenting and engaging is often more important that posting in raising brad awareness and demonstrating thought leadership.
Jason then dives into how you can train many social media algorithms on the content you prefer and the contacts you want to see most often.
Jason then dives into how you can train many social media algorithms on the content you prefer and the contacts you want to see most often.
We talk content creation and how to find ways to engage people without "post fatigue". As we move through the COVID…
May 7, 2020
Driving Value and Revenue through effective Account Management
In this episode we discuss the role of the MSP Account Manager. A great account manager can maximize the lifetime value of the relationship and ensure that the relationship sticks long-term
Brian outlines the strategic account management process he employed while running his MSP. Key points are understanding the key initiatives and obstacles that a client is facing and making recommendations to contribute to solving each.
We also identify the key difference between the Key Account Manager (KAM) and the Technical Account Manager (TAM). Key drivers for each role depends on the size on personnel of the MSP. We also discuss how these resources can "stealth sell".
Tim discusses how to leverage the DISC profile for assessing resources and determining how to assess success in each role. Robb discusses the communication style that can be leveraged within the DISC profile.
We dive into QBR's as an account management tool. We discuss the frequency of Business Reviews and that should drive th…
Apr 30, 2020
How to Build Amazing MSP Sales Teams
In this episode we discuss our the various sales approaches in use at MSP’s and MSSP’s today. These include owner-led, inside/outside sales team, and hybrid sales models. Robb discusses the realistic expectations for bringing on your first sales person and what support a new MSP Sales Rep will require.
We then discuss how to transition from a word of mouth and refer sales organization and move into a true prospecting led sales engine. Robb dives into how one of the biggest things that OSR Manage teaches owners making their first sales hire is patience.
We also identify one of the easiest things to fix in your sales team, improving follow up and staying in touch and driving sales through a pleasantly persistent approach to sales.
MSP’s also need to understand and develop sales metrics. If you don’t have a measurable plan your sales hire will fail. Develop your process before making that first hire.
We close the meeting with how to interview and hire those resources and tacti…
Apr 30, 2020
Back to Work in the New Normal
We have hit the peak of the COVID crisis and our conversation focuses on what MSP’s can do to prepare to head back to work in the “New Normal”.
Brian speaks of the importance of the VCIO role as small to mid-sized businesses get back to work. VCIO’s can help with helping the SMB’s catalog WFH lessons learned and gaps they may have experienced in deploying a WFH workforce. More importantly, helping our clients build a new strategy as the restrictions on this crisis starts to relax.
We start to look at the cyber security issues experienced during the crisis. These include the impact of layoffs of remote workforce, Zoombombing, and staff security awareness. We then start mapping out solutions to these common issues.
Robb discusses how too many Account Managers and vCIO’s only look at the past and the present and not enough are helping shape the technology plan for the future.
Tim sparks a discussion about how all team members need to step up and help contribute wherever ne…
Apr 30, 2020
What can Sales Managers do to Keep Staff Sharp
The Dean's discuss the global condition of MSP sales teams during the COVID-19 crisis. Are they laying off staff? If not, what tasks are sales team taking as companies assess post-COVID damage.
We discuss what steps sales managers can take to keep their sales team engaged during this slow period and ready to execute when life returns to the "new normal".
Robb speaks about some of the tactics he is seeing MSP's use during this crisis. He notes that is is a great time to both show empathy and gather business intelligence from your clients and it is helping build a stronger relationship.
We discuss how many MSP's are not taking steps to accelerate sales when the crisis is over and too many are choosing sales people as the resources to cut to reduce payroll. This also will create a buyers market for many MSP's post-crisis.
A surprising trend is by shifting the conversation to empathy with our clients, sales rep time on call is increasing as their clients are more open to discuss their…
Apr 30, 2020
Economic Stimulus
In this episode we discuss our experiences in filing for the economic stimulus packages.
We also talk about how to manage our remote teams as we work from home. We highlight tools that can be used and some of the interesting things we need to adapt to in WFH.
Finally, we talk about how to keep your sales teams motivated and engaged as we work through this period of crisis. Tim discusses about teaching his team to lead with empathy. He has found this approach is opening doors and allowing the sales team to log discovery calls that may convert to sales when the country reopens.
We close with a discussion of how to engage with your existing clients and build better relationships through learning lessons learned and how to help our teams sharpen their skills during this period of downtime.
Note: This was recorded prior to the exhaustion of funds and program reopening.