http://smbitpros.com a resource for managed service providers and other small business IT professionals Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:25:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Everon does quite  bit of marketing to try to keep our managed services sales engine running at a high speed.  We use internet marketing tools to market on the internet, we do direct mail, we hold events, we speak for associations - we try to do it all, and we ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/29/can-one-email-add-20k-in-sales-overnight-yes-heres-how/ As more of the big dogs come into the market, it will get interesting for independent service providers to decide who (if) they want to align with. I've heard more and more people saying that Dell's channel progam is a wolf in sheep's clothing.  I don't know enough about the details ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/28/dell-vs-gateway-both-are-offering-managed-services-now/ As with all the metrics I have been talking about over the last week it is not just the act of tracking metrics that is important it is the interpretation and the use of the information that is critical. If you track metrics and you are not educating your people on ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/25/key-sales-metrics-to-track/ I've been taking things a lot slower than normal over the last couple of weeks.  Here's why: I got kicked in the leg in a soccer game. My leg puffed up to about three times the normal size and they kept me in the hospital for two surgeries. Anyone who knows ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/23/the-benefits-of-down-time/ and you should, too. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about anything that would undermine the integrity of my marriage. I'm talking about the love that I have for people that are focused on being their best personally and professionally. You see, I purchased Robin's Technology Marketing Toolkit (Full ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/22/ive-fallen-in-love-with-robin-robins/ You should put together an easy to read dashboard that is updated regularly to monitor the financial health of your business. Try not to over complicate the dashboard, a simple spread sheet that is updated daily will do. You should include baseline and goal targets in your scorecard so that ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/18/key-financhail-metrics-you-should-monitor/ It is important to think about the metrics we measure as they directly drive the behavior of our teams. In general you want balancing metrics such as customer satisfaction and gross revenue. Either of these metrics alone could cause an imbalance in your teams focus the same way only driving ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/16/key-service-metrics-you-should-measure/ If you are not you should be as a managed service provider. As Obama makes clearer the system / program requirements for Doctors to move to EMR systems it open a huge opportunity for Managed Service Providers. Essentially we already know that each doctor can receive thousands of dollars from ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/06/02/are-you-watching-the-health-care-stimulus-bill/ I'm a big fan of Mark Fitzgerald, a Sandler Sales Trainer based in Tampa, Florida.  I first met him at one of the Connectwise Summits and was mesmerized by his command of the strategies, tactics, and philosophies of sales.  I read his newsletter; you should to (I'm not sure how ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/05/31/mark-fitzgerald-keepin-it-real-about-slow-managed-services-sales/ The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has some good stuff in it for small businesses. You should take advantage of it in your marketing messages to your clients: The ARRA extends the 50% bonus depreciation created in 2008 until the end of 2009.  This means that businesses making capital ... http://smbitpros.com/2009/05/27/good-marketing-info-from-arra/