I’ve been a part of a conversation about the importance (or lack of importance) of certifications in the MSP industry. See the posts at MSPMentor here.
It’s a very important issue, as managed service providers need to look for every edge possible to be successful in competitive sales situations, and they don’t typically have the funds or time to go for every certification available.
So what really matters to clients? I’m sure the responses will vary based on all kinds of factors, but I’ve found that the following are the key variables that clients really focus on when determining which MSP to work with:
- Perceived understanding of and ability to manage the specific needs of the client
- Reputation in general and with reference clients
- SLA’s/proof of service performance
- Contract terms
- Price
- Business background - size of team, years in business, where it is located
The order above isn’t necessarily from most important to least important; that changes for each client.
So does a certification make sense? Does it have an impact? The only situations that I see it potentially having an impact on sales are the following:
- You are an infrastructure-based service provider (hosting, SaaS, etc.) and the clients you are selling to are looking for enterprise-level commitments in terms of uptime, redundancy, etc. A certification about how you have built your infrastructure and how you manage it could provide a feeling of safety for the client.
- You are focused on selling a specific brand and/or product; a certification would demonstrate your expertise.
- You are a small managed service provider that is just getting started; having a certification could reduce some of the sense of risk the client may have about working with a rookie in the marketplace.
Otherwise, I don’t imagine certifications are all that valuable.
That doesn’t mean that training isn’t important. Josh and I have actually considered putting together a training program to serve those looking to succeed as MSPs - we really believe in the value of continuing education. But does getting a certification at the end of the course make a difference in your sales volume? I guess time will tell.
MRC
