Posts made by GlennBarley

@Breffni-Potter Sorry, where are you pulling that link from?

@Breffni-Potter Actually, when you click on the sample it takes you to the full testimonial.

@Breffni-Potter So if you scroll down you'll see a sample testimonial from Greystone Technology Group. We have our full customer testimonials on a different page. You think it would be more beneficial to link directly to those full testimonials? Or even include the full testimonial on the product page?

@Dashrender Have you created a business page on Facebook? This might be better for what you're trying to do.

@Breffni-Potter Right. It sounds like successful sales people do the most to not seem like sales people. Instead, try to connect on a personal level and actually HEAR what the potential client has to say.

@tonyshowoff Better than Boston? No such thing.

@tonyshowoff Where are you?

@Reid-Cooper Yup! We just moved a few streets over, but about 17 floors up! The view of Boston from the 31st floor is amazing. Can't stop looking at the city.

@scottalanmiller Where are you, Scott?

We just moved into a new office in Boston. THIS is our view!

Lets see yours!

@Breffni-Potter How important are data sheets and other forms of collateral to your selling process? If you could have one piece of content to utilize during the selling process, what would that look like?

@Breffni-Potter I understand. You want to hear the praise of Continuum OFF of our website. We'd love to hear that as well. I'll share these sentiments with Mary who sits 3 feet away from me

@Breffni-Potter Happy to have a conversation. Apologies that you didn't get a reply to your previous post. You should have one soon.

@RojoLoco I figured the "Self Promotion" thread might be the place to share the content that we're publishing on our blog. Many of the posts that we have shared have spurred great conversation. For example...

http://mangolassi.it/topic/7946/10-things-i-hate-about-end-users
http://mangolassi.it/topic/7685/the-worst-passwords-you-could-possibly-use-are
http://mangolassi.it/topic/7637/who-to-connect-with-and-how-to-manage-multiple-networks-on-social-media

Happy to have a conversation.

Original Blog at: MSP Blog

Have you expanded your products and services offering and are now wondering which pricing strategies to employ? Let's say, for instance, that you've added backup and disaster recovery (BDR) to your line card. Adding BDR is an easy and quick way to start out, and it’s also one of the most widely adopted and required services offered by today’s MSPs. Aside from the actual add-on, you have to know how to price your newly enhanced technology stack so that it generates high margins on an ongoing basis. Consider these points:

1. Types of Pricing Packages

Before you do anything else – even the physical work of the add-on – you need to map out your business strategy. What are you looking to offer, and what are the main goals to be achieved? Do you want to drive additional revenue with existing customers? Simply fulfill current client needs? Attract new clients? Whatever your needs, it’s best to narrow down your managed IT services pricing strategy.

“Tiered Cake" or “Tiered Pricing" Model: This is the most commonly used strategy, and it’s been proven to work. It’s about the Gold, Silver and Bronze levels of services. Many MSPs have found this approach successful, especially when starting out.
À La Carte Model: If you are not looking to offer the full menu of services, you can take the à la carte approach — pick and choose what you want to serve to a specific client.
Per User/Per Device: While these are two different beasts, they are often lumped together because of the way they are priced. Per user is actually one of the fastest-growing models available, as more MSPs just want to offer a flat-rate service where the client is billed the same amount each month.

2. Choosing a Pricing Package

Look first internally at your staff, cost and tools. Figure what the total cost of delivery will be, before anything else. Are you adding business continuity to your technology stack? Think about how much BDR will cost in total, including staffing, equipment and time. Be honest with your staff – and yourself – about where you stand and what you can deliver before making any promises to customers on price. While you want to keep your customers happy, and attract new ones, you also want to ensure that pricing makes sense for your business as well. Issue a service level agreement (SLA) that ends up being unattainable, and you risk losing clients and harming your reputation in the long run. So, it’s important to ensure that you are realistic about pricing from the beginning.

As mentioned earlier, the tiered approach is the most popular in the IT channel space as those rates are usually tied to the service-level rate. Many MSPs begin there because it’s the safest path, and it often makes the most sense based on client needs and budget.

If you are looking to stray from tradition, consider the price-per-user/device model. This is becoming more widely adopted and is known loosely as “selling the cake and not using the ingredients," a term coined by managed services trainer Gary Pica of TruMethods. While we have seen this within the MSP community, it’s best used only once you understand your client’s environment as well as your back-end cost structure. Once that’s in place, the service will be easier to position and sell. With this model, there is also room for flexibility. For instance, if a client adds two staff members, you simply add two per-user charges. If they reduce by two, you simply cut your pricing commensurately.

À la carte pricing can be a foot in the door for MSPs; however, because this strategy tends to be very low margin, you have to be exact. I don’t typically recommend this method unless your sales process is fully defined, and you know how you are going to upsell that client in the future. If you don’t have those items in place, especially when offering a single solution like BDR, it’s a lower perceived value. While it may be a great way to start out, you are not going to stay in that position very long if an MSP competitor were to approach your client offering one of the other packages we discussed, like per user/device and/or the tiered approach.

3. Ensuring Seamless Product Integration

Whatever pricing package you choose, it should fit into your existing model so clients fully understand what they are paying for and the ROI they are receiving. This also helps with cross-selling/upselling in the future, once you decide to offer additional products, for instance, beyond BDR. Look at the big picture, and find out what you can deliver — pick a package that’s profitable for you and will also drive home revenue. The value is in the delivery, and at the end of the day, the pricing model you use will be the one that works best for you and will consistently show up-front value to your clients.

The bottom line is that pricing is critical to the success of your value proposition and longevity with your clients. The key is making sure that you take all areas of your business into consideration so that you choose the pricing package that is best for you and your clients in both the short- and long-term.

The preceding was adapted from Mike's Channel Partners guest blog post.

@scottalanmiller Yes! That made our "honorable mention" list. We took a malware twist and titled it. "You've Got Mail... Don't Open It!"

@hubtechagain Definitely still a good option for one man shops. I'll link you to our product page - http://www.continuum.net/solutions/rmm-software/noc

And if you're interested in more info, you can contact one of our account executives - 866-223-7394

There's nothing quite like flipping through the channels and coming across your favorite romantic comedy. You know the plot, you know all the jokes, but you just can't help but committing the next two and a half hours to taking it in once more. We decided to take our favorite "Rom Coms" and add a little bit of an IT twist for our MSP readers.

The original versions of these flicks are classics, but a little change can be good. Check out our list of the top five romantic comedies with an IT twist!

5) 10 Things I Hate About End Users

As we just heard from the MSP community, there are more than a few things to hate about end users. Still, our MSP partners are used to the same type of happy ending that you'll find in this classic Rom Com.

4) A NOC to Remember

A Network Operations Center (NOC) with 650+ technicians and 24x7x365 service and support is tough to forget, don't you think?

3) How to Lose a Tech in 10 Days

If you have a skilled technician that you're able to keep on staff, count your lucky stars. Holding on to good talent is tough, so when you've netted yourself a good one, make sure you're treating them right and keeping them happy!

See the rest of the list!

Original Post: MSP Blog

Have you considered changing your managed IT services business model to cut and smooth labor expenses, thereby growing profit margins? If you have, you've likely thought about the advantages of working with a Network Operations Center (NOC), a team of highly certified technicians and engineers that you pay a monthly fixed cost for. This all sounds good, right? Unfortunately, not everyone at your company may be as easily sold. Your technicians may feel threatened that they'll be let go and replaced with this new team of experts. How do you get past this? Luckily, I've talked to many partners who've been able to with remarkable success!
Contrary to popular belief, opting to leverage an outsourced NOC does not mean you have to replace your current L1/L2 staff. Sure, it helps eliminate the need to backfill positions lost to high employee turnover, but just as many partners use our domestic Help Desk as a compliment to - not substitute for - our NOC, so too do they use our NOC as an extension of their current IT support staff.

But how can you convince your technician team that this is the best decision for everyone at your company?

Give them more responsibility! Show them that you value their work, and invest in their continued success at your MSP practice. Some of our most successful partners have repurposed their technicians into "NOC managers," which gives them the opportunity to have their team work on more revenue generating tasks and projects. Let's take a look at some of the benefits of adopting this approach...

1. Their work will take on greater meaning

As partners have described, when technicians accept this extra responsibility, they no longer have to manage tickets or machines. Instead, they manage the highly trained and certified team of 650+ NOC technicians available 24x7x365. What does that look like? When tickets are received, they'll determine which ones are handed off to the NOC and assign who's responsible for the work. Managing personnel is quite a step up within the company, and your technicians will feel like they have greater control over a potentially scary business model shift. They're not expendable; it's not just happening without their say. Instead, repurposing their talents in this way demonstrates that you trust them enough to put the success of your plan in their hands.

2. They'll appreciate your interest in their career trajectory

Adding "NOC Manager" or "Solutions Engineer" to their resume is a career-defining move, which will open up new doors and make technicians more attractive job applicants in the future. There's a big difference between being a leader and being a manager. Leaders empower and enable employees to grow their skillsets. The talent on your team is not disposable, and if you think it is, you're not thinking about long-term growth. Chances are, your technicians want to challenge themselves with new opportunities to continue building their careers. By providing them the avenue by which to do this, you'll earn their loyalty and help them become a more strategic employee for your MSP business.

3. They'll have a better quality of life

When you ask most technicians about a work life balance, they respond with a laugh. That term is just not a part of their vocabulary. Explain to them that with a NOC, however, they can reclaim their nights and weekends. That means they can enjoy more of their time with family and even watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones LIVE! If they were on the fence about buying into an outsourced NOC model before, tempting them with more free time may be just enough to secure their vote. Think about when the bulk of your tickets pile up. Often for our own partners, most disruptions occur after business hours. They need 24x7x365 technical support, but they don't want their team to have to work the graveyard shift. Not only is this not sustainable financially, it leads to tech burnout, low productivity and eventually, churn. Instead, some of our most successful partners set up NOC managers to receive all tickets during business hours, but then have the NOC automatically complete work on weekends and from 6 pm to 8 am the next day.

Keep Reading!

Original Post: MSP Blog

Have you ever Googled your own name? What about your current (or former) address? Have you ever tried to find something you wrote 10 years ago? Twenty years ago? Can you find a picture of your own face on the Internet?

If you’ve been on the Internet long enough to remember the “Information Superhighway,” the odds are that you can answer in the affirmative to one or more of these answers. And while it can be unsettling to find your personal information “out there,” it may be even more unsettling to consider the idea that you created more data—far off on a database, somewhere—just by searching for these things!

Now, consider all the usernames, passwords, PINs and secure accounts that you have created. It’s easy to think that, over time, the number of these active accounts could easily end up totaling in the hundreds. What becomes of them as they age? What becomes of them as you age? As the Internet escapes its early years and matures in unexpected and unforeseen ways and the proliferation of cloud-based applications and storage takes hold in consumer and enterprise sectors, the end-user license agreements, privacy policies, and digital rights ownership of personal data becomes a labyrinth far too complex to navigate in its entirety. Think about it: how is MySpace today storing its user data from 2005? Will that data still be around when Millennials hit retirement age?

This is an emerging and relatively new field of study for those of us in IT and in legislation as well. Data privacy policies in years past and today pay little regard to what happens to users as they age and pass away. It may be a little morbid, but it’s an important concept that MSPs may be facing in an increasing amount as more computer-fluent generations begin to age. When users die, what happens to the personal information that exists out there? How do families and loved ones begin to sift through and make sense of the usernames, passwords, devices and accounts that the departed had access to? While a case from Canada has shed more light on the subject, it can mean more than an Apple ID; it could mean the difference between families accessing important legal documents, financial accounts and more.

Increasingly, the lines demarcating what is personal and public information is being blurred as the digital environments make up more and more of an individual’s life, and how this information is managed over the duration of users’ lives is beginning to take hold. In the absence of specific legal precedents, MSPs are able to apply their expertise to set specific user policies, maintain proper backup and disaster recovery (BDR) environments and assist with data retention policies that not only benefit the current user, but provide access to legacy data if that need arises. Anticipating client needs such as these may be what sets an MSP apart from their competition.