MSP University Managed Services Blog

Only 8 Seats Left For Our I.T. Service Delivery Boot Camp...

You've been asking for it, and we are now ready to accept registrations for our first Service Delivery Boot Camp of 2009 in Tampa, Florida on Thursday April 30th and Friday May 1st, 2009...
 
There are only 8 spots left out of 24 to this intense I.T. and Managed Services Service Delivery Boot Camp - this is a firm number, and registrations will only be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.  
 
 

Click here to register now for this one-of-a-kind IT Boot Camp

What would it mean to your business if you could increase not only resource utilization, but realization by increasing dispatch and service delivery efficiencies, cutting unnecessary costs, raising your service rates and improving overall hardware, project and service profitability - all while delivering increased value to your clients?
 
If you're like most of our partners, you have already invested in technical staff and tools to deliver services to your clients, and would like to learn best practices to maximize their use in the most profitable manner possible.
 
Get the most out of your human resource and service delivery tool investments - register to attend this groundbreaking boot camp now!
 
Join us on Thursday April 30th and Friday May 1st, 2009 in Tampa, Florida at the ConnectWise Learning Center, where I will personally instruct and consult with you as you learn through participative direct presentation and work with forms and templates to improve every area of your IT Service Delivery business unit.
 
This is an MSP University Boot Camp - you do not have to be a ConnectWise Partner to attend. 
 

Based upon MSP University's successful technical service delivery methodologies, our comprehensive boot camps provide attendees the knowledge they need to increase utilization, raise efficiencies, improve client satisfaction and become more profitable.

Give us 2 days, and we'll give you the tools and techniques to transform your IT service delivery process into an effective, repeatable revenue generator.
 
Our IT Service Delivery Boot Camps:

• Teach standardized, best practices-based project and problem management processes and procedures that can immediately increase your efficiencies along with customer satisfaction
• Provide an overview of Professional Services Automation, Remote Monitoring and Management and Remote Control tool requirements, functionality and interaction to maximize your resources and scale your services profitably
• Dive deep into best practices for SLA management and service request prioritization, escalation and management to increase your effectiveness and client satisfaction
• Discuss the pros and cons of utilizing 3rd-party service desks and how to manage and integrate them successfully into your service delivery offering
• Cover HR tools such as DISC Behavioral Profiles and Personal Talent Skills Inventories to hire the right technical resources the first time
• Uncover effective techniques to properly conduct interviews, the right questions to ask and how to put together a performance-based incentive plan and offer letter for qualified technical candidates
• Explore best practices for overall Service Management improvement and success

This Boot Camp is recommended for: Owners, Technical Managers, Professional Services, NOC and Service Desk Personnel

Your Instructor: Erick Simpson

Vice President and CIO of Intelligent Enterprise, a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner, and MSP University (www.mspu.us), 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!" and "The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER!", Erick has also co-authored the HTG publication "Peer Power - Powerful Ideas for Partners from Peers".

Erick's prior experience includes includes overseeing the design, development and implementation of Enterprise-level Help Desks and Call Centers for Fortune 1000 organizations.

The investment required to attend this incredible 2-day business-changing event is only $1,995 per attendee. 
 
Your return on this investment in your business should be immediate!
 
Remember - there are only 8 spots left for this IT Service Delivery Boot Camp in April, and we expect these last few spots to fill up almost immediately, so act now to register!

There is simply no other IT Solutions and Managed Services-focused training of this type anywhere! 
 
Click here to register now for this one-of-a-kind IT Boot Camp

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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Help Your Clients' Business Function After Interruption With Managed Business Continuity Services

All businesses are vulnerable to disruption, and the inability to operate technology can bring  business operations to a standstill. This isn't limited to major environmental disasters like hurricanes, fires or floods.  Lack of email service, Internet, a down server, or the inability to access critical information from a certain location can all jeopardize the normal operation of a business.  Providing business continuity solutions to businesses is a critical managed service your clients recognize the need for.

You can provide business continuity as a managed service to help businesses function after interruption, including:

• Data storage, both on and off site
• Uninterrupted access to email and phone services
• A process to handle business tasks from multiple locations, including remotely located workers and a way to access from a separate location if the primary location is unavailable
• Immediate access to critical information even during disaster

Challenges of Managed Business Continuity Services

Business continuity solutions must identify cost effective recovery plans that allow a business to continue operating regardless of the “disaster”. No matter what the cause of interruption, your continuity plan must be able to keep a business operational, which is not an easy task.

From a very high level, you'll need to consider or create at a minumum:

• A secondary work site, in case the primary location is not available (or a way to work remotely)
• Selection, installation and maintenance of data backup processes to ensure there is a complete off-site replication of all critical data
• Selection, installation and maintenance of hardware needed at a secondary site
• Selection, installation and maintenance of software applications at a secondary site
• Creation of a crisis management plan
• Processes to ensure the safety and confidentiality of business data even during disaster, to comply with federal and state regulations regarding storage of data

Promote Business Continuity to Clients As Part of a Complete Managed Services Plan

Business owners will continue to seek out ways to reduce their operational costs in 2009.  Outsourcing the IT requirements of their operations is more cost effective over maintaining their own internal staff.  Having a plan in place to keep a business operational through all types of disruptions helps an MSP mitigate client risk and deliver higher cost savings to clients, for both preventative maintenance and disaster recovery services.

If you are a Premium MSP University Member and would like to learn more, please view the following Webcasts and their supporting documents on our Courses page at www.mspu.us:

• ABS039 Business Continuity Plan Training
• ABS040 Presenting the Business Continuity Plan PowerPoint Presentation to the Client
• ABS041 Presenting the Business Continuity Proposal to the Client

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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Managed Services Success in any Economic Climate

You'll note an increase in the number of blogs and articles (including MSP University's) pointing out good managed service business strategies for poor economies.  Many offer good tips, but why not focus on long term success strategies you can implement and benefit from in any economic climate?

Focus on New Vertical Market Clients

Regardless of the current state of the economy, all businesses lose clients.  This is why experts recommend a continuous marketing strategy, even when you have all of the work you can handle.  Focusing on vertical markets, and selecting the right vertical, will provide higher levels of success for you than targeting industries that are considered “immune” to the effects of a recession.

Focus on Growing Markets

Providing managed services and solutions to alleviate the problems of growth market industries will accelerate your success.  Solutions for improved security that meet regulations, data storage and recovery to ensure business continuity even when faced with disaster, and virtualization to help a business do more with less are all areas that are predicted to grow during the next five years.

Focus on Technology-Strategic and Technology-Dependent Clients

Technology-Strategic clients see their that see their technology expenses as investments in their organizations that provide them a competitive advantage in their markets, and Technology-Dependent clients may not be quite as strategic in their view of technology, but are forced to invest in technology because their businesses are so dependent upon it.

Not only are these types of clients more immune to economic factors, they are also more open to building a business partnership with you as a Trusted Advisor, allowing you to move away from the “reactive IT resource” bucket, and proving value beyond your IT skills to their organizations. Clients that fall outside of these 2 groups may be so cost-conscious that they do not make good Managed Services clients, but rather break-fix customers…

Keep a Close Eye on Your Cash Flow and Profit Margins

Every time you offer a free service with the purchase of equipment or hardware, you run the risk of putting your company in a negative cash position.  Maximize your profit margins on services just as you would products to reduce the risk.

Most clients will prefer a monthly billing arrangement.  Try to accommodate but take the necessary steps to improve your own business cash flow.  How long does it take your clients to pay their invoices?  If you aren't tracking this issue carefully, you could find your business in trouble.  If clients are falling behind with their payments, offer a payment plan that is more suitable to their needs – receiving smaller amounts of cash on a regular basis is better than waiting two months for the full payment to come in, and builds deep loyalty between your clients and yourself. Reflecting the willingness to "tough it out together" as true business partners will continue to prove your value as a trusted business advisor to your clients that may find themselves suddenly in a pinch.

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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AT THE FIRST CONNECTWISE SOUTHWEST USER GROUP MEETING

I'm here at the very first ConnectWise Southwest User Group Meeting with Rafael Sanguily, MSP University's Director of Business Development soaking in a bit of Arnie Bellini.

With what looks to be about 60+ attendees, Arnie is holding court in an open forum style, taking questions and comments and focusing on topics on the fly and pulling slides out of decks to address the issue at hand. This happens to be my favorite style of training, and I recently conducted 2 days of training in this manner at the HTG Conference a couple of weeks ago.

Gregg Blundell noticed me blogging after I came in (late) and texted me that Arnie's slide deck is available in the ConnectWise forums for the Southwest Region.

With April Lazenga facilitating, Jeff Adzima from NetCIO and I will be leading the User Group discussions here at the Radisson LAX tomorrow, and we'll be focusing on increasing service delivery revenues during the recession, the power of partnering, hiring sales and technical staff, and using the ConnectWise Network to grow your business.

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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Small Business IT Radio...

Small Business IT Radio is a Internet based web cast designed to provide valuable business information for Small Business IT Professionals.  Are you a listener?

Their recent show featured author and speaker David Meerman Scott, who is a marketing and sales expert and PR guru from the Boston, MA area.  David and Stuart Crawford discuss the new rules of PR in today's world and covered what IT Professionals and Small Business Owners need to focus on to allow their business to get in front of new business opportunities, keep in touch with your local community, inform your clients on what you are doing and how to do this while balancing everything else in your business life.

Listen to a recording of the show by clicking this URL - Small Business IT Radio.

David has a number of great free ebooks available on his website, click here for more information and to download.

Erick Simpson
MSP University
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MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar this Tuesday

Please join me this Tuesday, February 10th @ 9am PST as I host MSP University's State of the Industry Webinar.

Topic: The Effect of Social Networking on Service Providers and Managed Services Tools and Processes

This Webinar will focus on defining Social Networking, its tremendous growth and transformation as a serious business tool for service providers over the last 12 months, and how it is being integrated into Managed Services tools and processes. Our special guest will be Bob Vogel, Chief Marketing Officer, Autotask Corporation.

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 Intelligent Enterprise, a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner, and 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!" and "The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER!", Erick has also co-authored the HTG publication "Peer Power - Powerful Ideas for Partners from Peers".

About Bob Vogel 
 
As Autotask's Chief Marketing Officer, Bob Vogel is responsible for creation and execution of the company's strategic marketing initiatives, evolving the Autotask brand, creating awareness in target markets, and instituting lead-generation activities to drive the company's sales.

Click here to register! 

Erick Simpson
MSP University
Subscribe to my blog here 
Join MSP University FREE for all things Managed Services

Boot Camps Boost Your MSP Quotient

Our media partners at ChannelPro have printed a write-up on our I.T. Solutions and Managed Services Sales & Marketing Boot Camps:

Boot Camps Boost Your MSP Quotient

If you're serious about growing your existing managed services business, the upcoming MSP University boot camp might be exactly what you need to jump-start the process.

The IT Solutions and Managed Services Sales and Marketing Boot Camp, as it is more formally known, focuses on helping you shorten your sales cycles, improve your closing ratios, and increase the total value of your sales. Also covered are the strategic details involved in creating proposals, providing ROI analysis, and developing service-level agreements. Sessions in the three-day camp include general presentations, live and multimedia training, as well as role-playing scenarios in which you go on mock sales calls and practice client presentations.

But the camp is not for the faint of heart. Prior to attending you are required to read three books related to the material covered in the sessions; take an online quiz about each book; complete a DISC behavioral profile that classifies four aspects of behavior by testing your preferences in word associations; and answer a series of questions to determine your Sales Skills Index, which analyzes your understanding of the strategies required to be successful in sales. At the conclusion of the boot camp you will also be tested on the material presented, so pack a pen and paper and be prepared to take notes.

The boot camp will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Santa Ana, Calif., February 25 to 27. To learn more, check out MSP University's Managed Services Blog.

 - Cecilia Galvin

 

Read the entire article here.

 

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

What Changes Is Microsoft Planning To Their SBSC Partner Program?

Our good friend Mark Crall, President of Charlotte TechCareTeam and Microsoft SBSC PAL, will join Deborah  Vosler, Microsoft's Senior Partner Development Manager for Microsoft's 5W/50 Webcast covering changes to their SBSC Partner Program.

Here are the details:

Event Title : 5W/50 Series - New Generation Certifications: Program Overview & Certification Resources Available for the SBSC Community

Learn why Microsoft developed the New Generation of Certification, as well as what certification exams and resources are currently available for Microsoft partners, including the SBSC community. Find out more about the value of certification, including how it can benefit your business. Register here Presenters: Deborah Vosler - Senior Partner Development Manager,  US Partner Skills Development, Microsoft Deborah Vosler has over 10 years of experience in marketing and IT. She spent three years in product development & marketing with a company she founded; and most of the last 8 years in Management Consulting with a primary focus in Marketing (strategic planning and product launches),  Business Process Reengineering, and IT,  with clients such as Microsoft, Boeing, T-Mobile and Expedia. Deborah joined Microsoft in March 2008 and is responsible for strategy and implementation of marketing certifications to US Partners. Mark Crall - President of Tech Care Team, Inc., Microsoft SBSC Partner Area Lead (PAL) Mark Crall is the founder and CEO of Tech Care Team, Inc., a managed IT services provider in Charlotte, North Carolina, which focuses on small and midsize businesses. Crall is the founder of the Charlotte Small Business Server Group and a subject matter expert for Microsoft Partner Talent and Development, helping to produce exam and certification content for Windows Small Business Server and Windows Essential Business Server. Driven by his passion for technology and affinity for small-business owners, Crall works with Microsoft marketing, product, and partner teams as a U.S. Small Business Specialist Community Advisory Group member and a PAL. He aims to help shape the direction of the Small Business Specialist Community program and to help Microsoft better understand the unique needs of Small Business Specialist Community members.

Location	Online		Event ID:	259611
Dates & Times:	Monday, February 09, 2009 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM  Pacific Time (US & Canada)		Duration:	1  Hour
Role:	Exec/Owner		Level:	100 - Introductory
Format:	Web Seminars (Live)

Register here