MSP University Managed Services Blog

Selling the Cloud as a Managed Service

Join us for MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar
 
Please join us Thursday, November 19th @ 9am PST as I host MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar.

Topic: Selling the Cloud as a Managed Service
 
Solution providers have always been pioneers in taking advantage of the latest technologies and translating their expertise into profits. Small and medium business' demand for computing services has not changed in over a decade: they need reliable, cost effective and full-featured products that help them execute their business strategy. What has changed is the solution portfolio that is now available to everyone on demand.

Gone are the days of expensive internal network design, centralized security and working with dozens of vendors to provide necessary technology for business. Small and medium business customers are spending their money on mobility through their laptops and smartphones, providing the ability to do business anywhere, anytime. The term "cloud computing" has come to encompass computing capability without intense local configuration and software deployments. 

Cloud services present MSPs with an opportunity to extend their business model of delivering predictable service levels at a predictable cost by providing services and solutions without large capital investments for themselves or their clients. Technologies such as Hosted Exchange, SharePoint, Offsite Backups, Web Filtering and more provide enterprise level reliability and features far beyond company firewalls.

Our special guest for this timely Webcast is Vlad Mazek, CEO of Own Web Now Corp www.ownwebnow.com, a global provider of hosted solutions to the IT industry, who will share his special insights into the growing cloud computing movement and how you can take advantage of it.
 
Attend this valuable Webinar and learn to sell the cloud as a Managed Service!

Click here to register! 

 

About MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar Series
 
MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar Series is meant to inform.  The more you know about your industry, the products and services available to you and your clients, and how to market and sell those products and services, the greater your opportunities to increase your value to your clients, as well as your business success. 

About Erick Simpson

Vice President and CIO of MSP University, Erick is a recognized industry expert and IT and Managed Services author, speaker and trainer, and contributor to numerous industry publications and events. Author of "The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice - What Every SMB IT Service Provider Should Know..." the definitive book on Managed Services, and the follow-ups in MSP University's Managed Services Series "The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!", "The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER!" and "The Best NOC and Service Desk Operations BOOK EVER!". Erick has also co-authored the HTG Peer Groups publication "Peer Power - Powerful Ideas for Partners from Peers".
 
About Vlad Mazek
 
Vlad Mazek, MCSE, is an author, technology radio show host, Exchange MVP and CEO of Own Web Now Corp, creator of ExchangeDefender and Shockey Monkey, and which hosts thousands of SBS and Exchange Servers. Mr. Mazek is very active in the IT professional community and has over ten years of experience managing and developing secure communication networks and platforms. Through a network of thousands of partners, numerous international data centers, A popular blog site and a radio show, Mr. Mazek has a unique insight to the needs of both businesses and IT solution providers.

Join Me For HTG and ConnectWise Events This Week

This week marks the HTG All Q4 Peer Group Meeting, where all of the Heartland Technology Peer Groups will be descending in Orlando, FL to conduct group meetings, receive training and hear some major announcements  during the HTGALL lunch on Wednesday, per Arlin Sorensen, Founder and CEO of the HTG Peer Groups and Heartland Technology Solutions. I'll be speaking in the Senate Room on Wednesday, November 3rd at 1:45pm, and my session is titled 8 Areas Critical to Maximizing IT and Managed Services Practice Success. If you will be in attendance, stop by to say hello. Attendees are encouraged to Blog, Facebook and Tweet with #HTG during the event, to keep those interested that could not attend apprised vicariously of their thoughts, experiences and feedback. Click here for the Agenda.

Immediately following the HTG event, ConnectWise kicks off Partner Summit 09 and will be streaming Arnie Bellini's Keynote and all Main Stage Speaker Presentations live. Click here to watch. My session at the ConnectWise Partner Summit 09 will be delivered along with Mary McElwee from ConnectWise and Chris Chase from DTI on Thursday, November 5th at 1:45pm and is titled 4 Tips To Jumpstart Social Media For Your IT Business. We will be sharing ways that we use Social Media to improve our marketing results, brand and drive interest in our respective organizations, products and services. Click here for the Agenda. Tweet the Summit with #cwps. Stop by and say hello!

 

Pre-Order MSPU's New Book The Best NOC and Service Desk Operations BOOK EVER today!

 

 
Erick Simpson 
MSP University
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The Human Touch is Still Important

For services-based businesses in general, two circumstances have caused a reduction in the amount of in-person meetings cpncucted with clients.  First, many offerings; such as Managed Services, have moved to an online or remote delivery model.  Second, the down economy has forced businesses to cut back on expenses such as travel, affecting the frequency of on-site meetings for geographically-displaced clients. This is unfortunate because human-to-human contact is still extremely important in client-provider relationships.  Even the best audio and video conferencing solutions cannot replace the impact and effect of an on-site visit.

Know When to Go

How do you know when to venture out to client sites, and how often?  Part of the answer lies in knowing your client.  You should be able to tell which clients require more contact and which do not.  Suffice it to say that even if a client appears ‘fine’ during infrequent conferene calls, video conferences or in email communication, they might be considering other options for services that you provide, because they may incorrectly perceive that you do not value them as a client.  An annual visit is probably too infrequent and a monthly one might be too often.  Something in between is probably about right. For new Managed Services clients, a monthly visit during the first 90 days, bi-monthly visits for the next 90 days and quarterly visits thereafter is a good strategy. Remember to keep these visits at the strategic level and discuss not only what your team has accomplished since the last visit, but the benefits you are providing the client towards helping them reach their business goals through technology roadmapping.

Know What to Present

Gone are the days of proving value in your client relationships by of taking them all out to dinner and a few drinks.  That is acceptable from time to time, but your strategic sessions with your clients need to continue to reflect your value as you present solutions that increase your clients' efficiencies, reduce their overall costs, eliminate business pain and mitigate their risk - all which improve their profitability. And if your solutions can help them increase their sales as well, that is icing on the cake.

During these meetings steer discussion on expanding on your services and explain what you do and how you operate to make your clients' businesses benefit from it.  Provide some backroom stories about ways that you have helped clients in dire need and how they are doing at the present.  Then, if you do have new product and solution offerings, present those as well.  The goal is to maximize on the human touch during your strategic meetings while generating excitement.

Build Loyalty, Strengthen Relationships

Meeting with clients regularly builds loyalty to your company and services.  Everyone is quick to respond something breaks and needs to be fixed.  And that is important in salvaging a relationship that might be damaged.  But strategic on-site visits strengthen relationships that help weather those kinds of storms.

Go With Something in Hand

Take something with you that clients can physically hold when you leave.  These are always good reminders of your relationship.  Choose items that your clients will not perceive as corny or cheap - you should not shy away from investing in your clients for these leave-behinds - after all, they are investing in you, aren't they? One way to make these take on even more significance is to have a story to go with them, even if it is humorous and has no connection to doing business with them.  The impact comes when they look at the items and remember the story and your relationship.  Try it, it works.

Sure, on-site visits cost money, but they can mean the difference between keeping a client and watching them move over to a competitor and losing that revenue completely.  Which would you rather go experience?

 Pre-Order MSPU's New Book The Best NOC and Service Desk Operations BOOK EVER today!

 

 
Erick Simpson 
MSP University
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Join MSP University FREE for all things Managed Services

How To Promote Your Company Blog Off The Internet

If you are taking the time and making the effort to create and manage a company blog, it is just as imperative that you take all of the necessary steps to get that blog in front of the eyes of your target audience. Sure, you likely know about using the traditional places for promoting your blog, including social networking sites, but are you sure you are doing everything you can to promote that blog in the offline world as well?

Believe it or not, the offline efforts you make on behalf of your blog are just as important and can be just as effective as your online efforts. Here is a list of places you can use in the non-virtual world to get your blog noticed and prove yourself to be an authority in your chosen field or niche industry:

Print Publications

Newspapers and magazines are still a respected resource for information for many. In addition to adding your blog's URL to any advertisements you place, you can also work to create a relevant story on your blog and subsequently promote it to newspapers and industry magazines. Create a professional press release and email it with a link to your blog. Keep in mind that many newspapers also publish feature stories on their own website, which in turn gives readers a direct link to your blog. 

Conventions, Conferences and Industry Events

One of your goals with your blog should be to create a reputation as a reliable authority on information relevant to your target market. Attending conventions, seminars, and other business events allows you to promote your blog. Consider printing up several of the best articles posted on your blog to be used as handouts. Be sure to add your company logo and other contact information on these handouts. Also include your blog address on promotional giveaways such as pens, t-shirts, and brochures. 

Business Cards/Stationary

You can advertise your blog URL directly on your business card. As you continue to network person-to-person, you will easily be able to get your blog information and your name in front of the right people no matter where you are. Business cards are an easy and inexpensive way to promote all of the business services and resources that you offer to the public. 

Host a Seminar For Readers

If your blog has been able to establish a nicely sized local readership, you can set up a meeting for your readers to meet in person. By gauging the feedback you are getting from your readers on the blog, you can likely chose the right topics for discussion that would attract readers to participate in an in-person get together. It is an excellent way to gain respect and authority in a niche industry in your local area. This opens the door for opportunities with prospects you might not have been able to reach through other marketing means.

While social networking may be the newest big thing in the online world, it is still essential that you and your company representatives make a proactive attempt to meet people outside of the virtual world. Focus your efforts on all aspects of marketing when promoting your blog and your expertise. The offline business world and its traditional marketing strategies are still the most effective for many of us new to social media, even if your company leads a virtual existence. Learn to blend these two worlds to maximize your marketing efforts by leveraging them together in a complementary fashion.

Attend MSP University's next Boot Camp for FREE!

Erick Simpson 
MSP University
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Social Networking - Does It Replace Real Networking?

Are you a user of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other method of social networking for your business?  Does it add real value to your business relationships or is it a distraction?  Can you point to an instance where a contact on a social network helped you land new business, or provide better service? We certainly can.

Most businesses opened up their firewall so that employees could begin to use these social networking sites with the intent of encouraging the exchange of ideas and knowledge about the business.  But, is that communicated correctly to the employees?  Should there be an addendum to the Employee Handbook acceptable use policy that states the reasons for allowing employees to access these sites while at work?

Distractions Exist Everywhere 

We need to start at a common point that will help form the basis for a discussion about this issue:  distractions exist everywhere.  Those who are prone to, and are engulfed in distractions that prevent them from doing their jobs need to be reminded of the damage that this can cause to their productivity -  with the alternative being to show them the door.

A California university professor described the method that he uses to handle these distractions.  At first, he thought it was wise to instruct all of his students to turn off any form of electronic communication while class was in session.  After a period of time, he realized that he was cutting these students off from their world, and it was affecting their attention span in a negative way.  So he made a new rule:  use your devices in a responsible manner during the lectures or be forced to come to the front of the class and give a summary of what was just spoken.  Incredibly, he had not one student with a problem the rest of the year.

Networking with Purpose

It is no longer enough just to give an incoming employee an email address and a copy of your email policy.  There needs to be instruction offered that teaches how to use all forms of communications and the requirement to use them responsibly.  Guidelines need to be communicated as to what is and is not appropriate.  This is especially true for those who use social networking in the work place to foster business relationships which result in new business or excellent customer service.

But, it should not stop there.  This needs to be followed up with a proactive approach on how to use social networking to benefit the business.  Making these tools available and teaching how to use them for the advancement of the business is good for business.  Adding this to the already tried and true methods of interacting from a business standpoint provides avenues for contact that might not otherwise exist naturally.

The bottom line:  it is all about using tools that are at your disposal to create and cultivate relationships which go beyond “water cooler” discussions.  Social networking can have an impact that is positive and lasting for your business when used correctly.

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Erick Simpson 
MSP University
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Be Realistic About Cross-Referrals

As you build your business, you naturally explore different avenues of networking for new opportunities. One such source is the cross-referral. Cross-referrals are strategic agreements, whether formal or informal, between companies serving like markets to trade their clients’ contact information to the other for marketing their complimentary products or services.

For instance, web designers may build referral resources from freelance writers, marketing and branding companies or web developers and other businesses that do things that the designers don't, but offer complimentary services to their end-customers. Cross-referrals are a great way to use free, word of mouth advertising though referral agreements may not always be free. There will be some arrangements where a commission can be earned based on a prearranged percentage or a flat-rate referral fee; but many startups are happy to give free referrals in return for the same courtesy.

While these referral arrangements may seem like promotional gold, you cannot always rely on other companies to sell you to their customers. There may never be more than a passing comment made to the occasional client. If you are relying heavily on referrals from others, you need to make a change in your approach. While paid referral agreements may offer more of an incentive, it is your responsibility to provide your referral sources with adequate materials to help them promote your business.

Some ideas include:

• Professional-looking brochures and business cards that contain your website, contact information, and a blurb about your services or products
• If the situation warrants, you can regularly provide referral sources with discount offers and coupons they can pass along to their own clients that are exclusive to referral clients or customers
• Promotional items such as pens and magnets that can be passed along to others

Say Thanks
When the referrals do begin to come in, make sure your cross-referring business partners know how much you appreciate them. Courtesy thank you notes are crucial after referrals made bring you business. Keep a stack of personalized thank you cards to drop in the mail after a referral pans out. You may consider a small gift basket of cookies or snacks to say thanks from time to time. A nice lunch meeting can also help reinforce your gratitude for the referral assistance.

Referrals Aren't For Everyone
Don't expect everyone to be open to engaging in free referrals. You can quickly become tiresome to others if you are constantly asking for help in getting business. You should have a strong marketing system in place, so that you aren’t relying exclusively on referrals for new business, making any referral that comes in icing on the cake. It is good practice to touch base with your cross-referring sources to keep them up to date on what is new with your business. Remember - it's a two way street, and you should be working as hard to make referrals to your cross-referring business partners as you expect them to in exchange. The more often you make referrals, the more likely the favor will be returned.

Don't Forget Your Clients
One of your biggest resources for referrals may not be from other businesses. In fact, it is your clients’ praise that will warrant consistent word of mouth advertising for you. This is one of the reasons that excellent customer service is vital to your referral success. Clients who have consistently had a good experience with your company will be more than willing to spread the word to others who are in need of your product or service. While there is no obligation to reward these acts, you might provide something in return for their advertising on your behalf. The better you take care of the clients you already have, the more likely you are to expand your client base. For those clients who are particularly good to you, a token of appreciation like a gift basked of cookies or treats sometimes goes a longer way than a discount on a service or a referral commission, and it humanizes the relationship between you beyond a business one..

Referrals can be a great source of business for you, especially when you are just getting started. You cannot expect everyone to cooperate, but you certainly cannot be a wallflower when approaching the situation. Be direct but flexible - and always offer to return the favor.

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Erick Simpson
MSP University
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How To Handle Negative Publicity Gracefully

  Whether you are just starting out or you've been in business for some time, dealing with bad press can be an emotional roller coaster. With so much emphasis on your business getting the word out about your products and services and building on positive feedback from your strategic business partners and clients, it can be quite a surprise to find yourself instead at the receiving end of bad press.

There are times when strategic business partners or clients may not only be disagreeable about how you do business, but be downright mean and malicious about it. Spreading rumors or bad-mouthing your company can quickly get out of control if the source has connections. It may feel natural to want to come out swinging against the naysayer - but that reaction too is bad for business. You'll only be compounding the problem. Instead you need to get your facts straight and present your retort after much consideration and level-headed thought.

Here are some tips to help keep your cool and combat bad press:

• Find out exactly what is being passed around. Check out blogs, internet news, forums, and even the human grapevine. Have an understanding of what people are saying before making any decisions. Resist the temptation to start typing back in defense of yourself and your company when doing research. You will end up doing more harm than good and feeling worse about the situation in the long run.
• Take a time out. Depending on the level of bad press or bad mouthing your company is getting, you need to back off and take a few days to think about the situation clearly. Likely you and your staff will be riled up and ready to fight. In order to really handle the bad press, you need to be cool, calm, and collected. Take your time and prepare yourself to handle the situation with grace.
• Sit down without distraction and consider your possible responses to bad press. If the rumors are confined to a particular website or blog, think about your rebuttal in the same format. If the bad press is in the news and other mediums, consider a bigger plan. Write out five messages you can send out to the press and internet resources. Include information you want known in a concise manner. Remain positive and resist bad-mouthing any individual or company. You may also want to speak to key people in your industry and ask them to help you put your message out there. If warranted, by speaking out, you will be able to prove credibility in that you have nothing to hide.
• Carefully review all aspects of the situation to determine if a formal response is the correct action. Sometimes; based upon factors such as the source of the bad press and the source's perception among your colleagues in the industry, a response by your company may be the wrong approach. By responding in some instances, you may be unwittingly fueling a situation that will naturally dissipate on its own. The last thing you want to do is lower your company's perception with others by dignifying bad press with a response, especially if it is obvious to the recipients that it has been circulated maliciously.

There will be times when your bad press comes in the form of customer feedback. It can be easy to dismiss a handful of negative comments, but it would be more effective if you considered all the feedback you receive and what you can do to improve the situation. You may be biased or self-centered enough to think all your business is perfect. That thinking won't increase your business or help reverse negative images people may have of your company. You have got to listen actively to provide the best for your clients.

If you are just starting out in business, this may not be quite as important a lesson as others for you to learn now. But there may be times in the future when your business might take some negative hits in publicity. In order to be prepared to deal with this possibility, make sure you have a firm understanding of your company mission and values when just starting out - and stick to them. It can be very easy for an unfocused company to deteriorate in light of negativity.

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Erick Simpson
MSP University
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MSP University helps Solution Providers succeed...period.

5 Mistakes To Avoid In Your Press Releases

Crafting and distributing an effective release is a good way to publicize your business, your upcoming events and your notable achievements. A press release is not something that can simply be thrown together, but must be thought through, written, and proofed carefully. Good press releases can get picked up by a number of news outlets, so you want to create something that is not only representative of your company but also something that will catch people's attention.

All too often, those who are creating press releases on their own without the assistance of a professional writer make the same mistakes that take away from the focus of the release, and may even fail to get notice from online news resources and blogs.

Here is a list of 5 common moves that often fail when creating and distributing press releases:

DON'T:

Fail To Make Your Release Newsworthy
A press release is designed to inform the press about something newsworthy going on with your company. Why else would readers and online news resources be interested? If you are designing press releases around the fact that you added a picture or a new blog post to your website, you are bound to go unnoticed and your release will fail to be circulated online. Create a buzz about something of interest – a new contract, a trip to a trade show, a guest speaker spot, a strategic business partnership.

Run Off At the Mouth
Your press release should be concise, well titled, and able to grab the attention of the people you are sending it to within the first few sentences. Include relevant information and don't send two pages worth of jabber that no one wants to or has time to read. Make your point and make it quick.

Email Blindly
If you are emailing your press release to individual media persons, make sure you are messaging the right person, otherwise the wrong contact in the media will likely consider your information as junk mail and therefore not even give it a second glance. Don't be lazy about your research. Find relevant people and relevant places to send your press release.

Attach Your Release
When you are sending out the press release, consider that not all people will have the same software you do. No matter how universal you think your writing software is, there will be some that do not use what you are using. Instead, copy and paste the information, including your contact information, in the body of the email. If individuals want more information, you can email it to them specifically after they have requested it. Also, consider that many individuals will not wish to open attachments for fear of computer viruses, and because some simply do not have time to open all the attachments they receive.  This rule also goes for any other information you'd like to use, such as brochures or videos. Again, if someone wants every bit of information you have on your company, they'll ask you for it directly.

Send Releases Every Day
While it can be good practice to keep your name in the news, it can also cause problems when you overload your email distribution lists with incessant, daily emails. Try and space them out – maybe once a month to keep interest, but also maintain a professional appearance to your company and its news. Keep your releases to a minimum and remember to only include relevant information.


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Erick Simpson
MSP University
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MSP University helps Solution Providers succeed...period.

What is Web 2.0 and What Can it Do For Your Business?

The “old” internet started about 15 years ago.  People would create a website that described their business services, address and contact information and put it online.  The information on those websites didn't change much, so visitors would go to the website two or three times – realize they already knew the information that was on it, and go someplace else.

The “new internet”, often referred to as Web 2.0, uses websites like living, breathing communities.  They're constantly changing and growing with new content, new people and new information.  People continue to visit these websites because they've always got something new to learn or experience.    Web 2.0 offers user-generated content on demand.  It gives people what they want instantly. 

This is the future of the internet and it's up to you to see how your business fits into it. 

What Can Web 2.0 Do For Your Business?

All businesses have a place in Web 2.0 – there is a targeted community for every industry and in every niche.    You can use Web 2.0 to accomplish the following:

• Global Branding:  social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, as well as the interactive features of blogs and forums allow you to grow your brand.  You can establish your name, your expertise, and position yourself as an authority in a certain market and build credibility in your prospects' minds. 
• Connect With Your Prospective Clients:  when you're delivering up to date information across the various Web 2.0 platforms, you're delivering value to your prospective clients first.  They begin to trust you and seek you out online when they have questions or need your services.
• Mass Communication and Increased Exposure:  anyone can leverage the reach of Web 2.0 to create global marketing platforms without an advertising budget.  Web 2.0 has the tendency to create viral marketing – videos posted to Youtube can show up across thousands of other websites in a matter of hours.  Your messages are online and working for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and all of your communications should be pointing back to your website and bringing targeted prospects to you.

It used to be that marketers were “king”, and could effectively convince people to buy their products or use their services.  Today, consumers are far more educated and aware of the techniques marketers use – and are therefore more resistant to these older methods of advertising.  Consumers are in control now, but a savvy business owner and marketer will realize that understanding what people are thinking and saying about your brand is useful to connecting with your prospects – and influencing sales.

Click here to learn more marketing and sales techniques to increase your profitability during difficult economic times in The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!

Attend MSP University's next Boot Camp for FREE!

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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MSP University helps Solution Providers succeed...period.

How to Use Social Media as a Marketing Strategy in 3 Steps

Since the beginning of time, word of mouth has always been the most powerful and effective form of advertising.  It was used long before we had television, radio or internet, and is still used despite all of our technology advancements.  Social media is a marketing strategy that essentially increases your word of mouth advertising – with the goal of encouraging other people who have worked with your business to help promote the services and products you offer.  Social media allows us to build relationships through various online communities where people gather to communicate and connect.  The relationships you create help establish trust among the community, and trust in turn results in the ability to sell a product or service indirectly.  Connections on social media communities will also generate traffic to your business website.

Here are 3 steps to using Social Media as a Marketing Strategy:

STEP ONE – a large part of any social media marketing evolves around the use of a blog.  Your blog is like the center of your marketing wheel, with other methods radiating outwards from the blog as the wheel's spokes.  Your blog is not only a place where your prospective clients can come for information, but it should also become a place where people can interact with one another through your blog comments.  Encourage people to leave comments on the blog by asking questions in your blog posts.

You'll use the sidebar space on your blog to link to your social media profiles, or to display feeds from them.  Most social media sites offer widgets that allow you to quickly paste the code into the blog.  You should also link to the blog from your main business website, from each of your social media profiles, in your email signature, from your newsletter (online or offline), whenever you post to forums and message boards, and when you leave comments on other blogs and websites.

STEP TWO – if you aren't already a member of some of the most popular social media sites, sign up and create profiles for your business so you can interact with others.  Some of the more popular social media communities for businesses include LinkedIn.com, Twitter.com, and Facebook.com.  Begin interacting with others, but don't consider it a marketing task – just sort of “mingle” online like you would at a party and participate in conversations.  Help people connect with others who share interests or can offer valuable information to someone else.  In the process, you will build genuine relationships and trust with your online contacts. 

The best results will be gained from people who use social media consistently.  You can't do one hour of social media tasks and forget about it for a month and expect to get results.  You'll need about an hour of time set aside to work with social media a few times per week.

STEP THREE – After a few weeks of activity on various social media sites, take time to analyze your results.  Take a look at where your traffic and profits are coming from.  If one of the social media sites aren't offering any results, you can consider spending more time on it to see if you can improve your results – or dropping it to focus your time on the platforms that are working for you.

Click here to learn more effective, low-cost marketing techniques to increase your profitability in The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!

...and Attend MSP University's next Boot Camp for FREE!

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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MSP University helps Solution Providers succeed...period.