RSPA Trusted Advisor

In Episode 64 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy interviews Rohan Mani, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Shift4, about lucrative growth strategies for retail IT VARs. Among the topics they tackle are achieving trusted advisor status in a chosen niche, adding new products and services, outspending the competition on marketing, and ramping up an outbound salesforce. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for retail IT resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

In Episode 63 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy talks with Mike Canevaro, Senior Vice President at ISV Fobi, about how retail IT solution providers can embrace – and generate recurring revenue from – analytics, AI, and IoT. Roddy and Canevaro also discuss how Fobi will use its technology as the official Health and Safety Technology Provider for RSPA Inspire 2022. Fobi will help RSPA provide vaccination and COVID testing verification for the event (follow this link for more details). RSPA Inspire, the retail IT channel’s premiere leadership conference, is scheduled for Jan. 23-26 at the Wyndham Grand resort in Clearwater Beach, FL. Mornings include breakfast followed by executive-focused educational presentations, group workshops, and panel discussions. Afternoons and evenings feature world-class networking through elite excursions away from the resort and relaxing events at the resort. For more information on Inspire, follow this link: www.gorspa.org/inspire “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for retail IT resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org.

In Episode 62 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy talks with labor technology experts Audrey Hogan of ISV TimeForge and Barb Trushenski and Jeff Zimmerman of VAR North Country Business Products about how VARs are helping merchants solve their labor crisis. They discuss their joint report on grocery labor market trends, how to best start a labor tech conversation with a merchant, and which technologies are helping merchants improve their labor situation. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

Episode 61 of “The Trusted Advisor” features the wildly popular “Battle of the Channel Stars” format, an industry-focused conversation in a fun and competitive framework. The RSPA’s Jim Roddy talks with Steve Silberman of VAR MPI POS and Stacy Carrillo of North American Bancard about the six key skills every channel leader needs: Sales/business development Customer service Troubleshooting Teamwork Lifelong learner Servant leadership “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

In Episode 60 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy connects with Jeff Brown, host of the world-renowned Read To Lead podcast and co-author of the new book Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. Brown discusses which practices will encourage your team to read more, effective tactics for sustaining that development, where to find the books your team will want to read, and more. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

In Episode 59 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA Legal Counsel Atty. Jill Miller talks with the RSPA’s Jim Roddy about compliance best practices for VARs and ISVs. Miller discusses common SMB compliance blind spots, steps solution providers should take to ensure they are compliant with the latest regulations, and more. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. Included in EXCELerate are these courses: Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discrimination for Supervisors For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

In Episode 58 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy connects with John Bachanov, CEO of cannabis ISV Appspensary, and Oscar Alvidrez, Business Development Manager for Custom America, about selling technology to cannabis dispensaries. They discuss key differences between selling to dispensaries vs. traditional retailers, the best contact sources, how to earn a first meeting with the dispensary decision maker, and where the cannabis channel is heading. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. Included in EXCELerate are courses on: Entering the Cannabis Vertical – Where Should VARs Start? 7 Elements of a Successful Cannabis VAR Mistakes VARs Can’t Afford to Make in the Cannabis Market and more For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

In Episode 57 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy sits down with Fredrik Carlegren, Vice President of Global Marketing for Toshiba, and Blake Gillum, General Manager of VAR/ISV hybrid DCR POS Solutions, to discuss self-service trends and how solution providers should adapt. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. Included in EXCELerate are courses on: Retooling for Revitalization in Restaurants and Retail The Blurring of the Lines Between Stores and DCs Simplify and Streamline Payment Acceptance and more For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

Episode 56 of “The Trusted Advisor” features 2021 RSPA W2W Leaders of the Year Nell Alverson, the Director of Channel Marketing at ScanSource, and Breanna Brown, Global Marketing Manager for APG. Alverson, Brown, and the RSPA’s Jim Roddy discuss opportunities and challenges for women in today’s channel, actions both men and women can take to avoid bias and promote inclusion, and changes the retail IT industry should embrace to accelerate progress. “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org. If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. Included in EXCELerate are courses on: Mentoring Leadership development Self-development and more For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.

In Episode 55 of “The Trusted Advisor,” the RSPA’s Jim Roddy sits down with Mark Shelhart, the Director of Digital Forensics and Incident Response at Foregenix, and RSPA Security Advisor Nathan Sweaney to discuss security trends in the retail IT channel and what VARs and ISVs should expect in 2022.   “The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for point of sale resellers and software developers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org.   If you liked this episode of the pod, you’ll love courses offered through RSPA Academy EXCELerate, the next generation of education for the retail IT channel. This online system offers continuous learning, training, and development opportunities anytime, anywhere, from any device. Included in EXCELerate are courses on: Malware and ransomware Passwords Email phishing Zero Trust and more For more information on RSPA Academy EXCELerate, visit learn.GoRSPA.org.