http://smbitpros.com a resource for managed service providers, msp's, and other small business IT professionals Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:58:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en One of the best and most well-known ways of finding new managed services business is through introductions and referrals. Most MSPs rely on these way too much, so I hesitate to even bring them up. However, it is still a great strategy, and one that is rarely used to its ... http://smbitpros.com/referral-programs-for-msps/ Though managed service providers deal with technology issues for clients, they are not technology companies. They are service companies. Therefore, the single most important asset you have as a MSP is your people. To make your people successful, you need to have a team structure in place that clearly delineates each ... http://smbitpros.com/structure-your-managed-services-team-for-success/ Attention managed service providers: One of the most damaging statements every made in the history of business is: "The customer is always right." Why is this one of the most damaging statements ever? Because too many people take that statement and expand it in their minds until they think that they have ... http://smbitpros.com/when-it-comes-to-the-managed-services-business-the-customer-isn%e2%80%99t-always-right/ Before you plan your lead generation and marketing/sales efforts, you really must understand the concept of Total Lifetime Value (TLV) of your managed services clients, otherwise you won’t know how much money you can spend to acquire a new client. The TLV calculation does exactly what its name implies; it tells ... http://smbitpros.com/total-lifetime-value-of-a-managed-services-customer/ Always remember that. This is a saying we use at Everon when building and running our managed services business, and it has served us very well. There are two realities in the managed services industry: You are in the PEOPLE business Just about everything you do for your clients is done by people Both of ... http://smbitpros.com/secret-to-managed-services-success-people-first-technology-second/ As all MSPs know, finding new managed services clients can be a challenging prospect so you want to hold on to the ones you have. Unfortunately, some MSPs risk losing their hard-won new clients by overlooking the importance of their first interactions with them. With a systematic “onboarding” process for your ... http://smbitpros.com/build-a-solid-foundation-with-new-managed-services-clients/ This is a very simple but incredibly important principle. We have a saying at Everon that if anything that uses electricity doesn’t work at a managed services client’s business, we want them to call us first. You have to create and implement processes that guarantee you will gain and hold ... http://smbitpros.com/gain-first-position-with-your-managed-services-clients/ I frequently talk to managed service provider owners who want to rush into flat fee offerings. Everon is using flat fee service offerings and I obviously believe in this approach but I also believe that they can kill your business if you’re not prepared. If you offer flat fee service offerings ... http://smbitpros.com/create-msp-service-delivery-processes-that-match-your-offerings/ I can’t believe it, but there are still service providers out there who haven’t made the conversion to managed services. Now, I’m not saying that everyone has to become an MSP, but there are many out there that have decided to but still haven’t gotten it done.  As Yoda said, “Do or ... http://smbitpros.com/commit-to-the-managed-service-business-model/ This is something that we see done wrong throughout the managed services industry. Most managed service providers are focused on increasing the utilization of their tech folks. If your tech team is focused on increasing their billable hours, they’re actually focused on sales. Whether you call it that or not, ... http://smbitpros.com/compensate-your-managed-services-service-team-on-service-not-sales/