MSP Business School

    Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Name: Jeff Farris LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfarris  Company: https://cloudradial.com  Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylemetathinq/ Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-rogers-07415251/ Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ About The Guest(s): Jeff Ferriss is the founder of CloudRadial, a platform that helps MSPs manage their clients at scale and improve client relationships. With over 40 years of experience in the MSP industry, Jeff has witnessed the evolution of the industry and understands the challenges and opportunities that come with it. Summary: Jeff Ferriss discusses the changing landscape of the MSP industry and the need for MSPs to adapt and evolve. He emphasizes the importance of building strong client relationships and delivering outcomes that go beyond technical support. Jeff also introduces CloudRadial, a platform that helps MSPs manage their clients and improve collaboration through a client portal. He highlights the role of AI and analytics in the future of the industry and the need for MSPs to stay ahead of their clients' needs. Key Takeaways: The MSP industry is constantly evolving, and MSPs need to adapt to new technologies and client expectations. Building strong client relationships and delivering outcomes are essential for the success of MSPs. CloudRadial provides a client portal that allows MSPs to improve collaboration and transparency with their clients. AI and analytics will play a significant role in the future of the MSP industry, and MSPs need to stay ahead of their clients' needs.  

About The Guest(s): Jen Bleam is the founder of MSP Sales Revolution and the author of "Simplified Security Sales for MSPs." With a deep background in marketing and sales, Jen helps MSPs develop effective sales systems and marketing frameworks to accelerate their growth. Jennifer Bleam's LinkedIn  Summary: Jen Bleam, founder of MSP Sales Revolution, shares her journey into the world of MSP and how she helps MSPs overcome their sales and marketing challenges. She emphasizes the importance of troubleshooting skills in sales and highlights the need for a sales system and marketing framework to achieve growth. Jen also discusses the upcoming MSP Transformation Machine event, where MSP leaders can learn how to reach the $5 million mark in their businesses. Key Takeaways: Troubleshooting skills can be applied to sales and marketing to identify and solve challenges. A sales system and marketing framework are essential for MSPs to achieve growth. The close of a sales call should be a natural culmination of a good conversation. The MSP Transformation Machine event helps MSP leaders reach the $5 million mark in their businesses.

About The Guest(s): Andrea Barrow: Andrea is a senior ecosystem marketing manager at ConnectWise. She has been working in the MSP space since 2010 and is responsible for managing the Invent program. Louie Cocchiola: Louie is a senior ecosystem marketing manager at ConnectWise. He has been working in the MSP space since 2010 and is responsible for raising awareness of the ConnectWise ecosystem. Sean Lardo: Sean is an economy evangelist at ConnectWise. He has been working with MSPs and vendors in the industry for many years and is responsible for managing the Pitch It program. Summary: In this episode of MSP Business School, Brian Doyle, Tim McNeil, and Rob Rogers are joined by Andrea Barrow, Louie Cocchia, and Sean Lardo from ConnectWise. They discuss the Pitch It program and the Invent program, both of which aim to support and promote innovative vendors in the MSP space. The Pitch It program is a shark tank-like competition that helps vendors gain exposure and funding, while the Invent program focuses on technical integration and marketing visibility. The guests share their experiences and the benefits of participating in these programs. Key Takeaways: The Pitch It program is a competition that helps innovative vendors gain exposure and funding in the MSP space. The Invent program focuses on technical integration and marketing visibility for vendors in the ConnectWise ecosystem. Certification and security reviews are important aspects of the Invent program to ensure the quality and security of integrations. The ConnectWise marketplace is a platform where MSPs can discover and browse integrations that meet their business needs. Certified integrations have a higher page view advantage in the marketplace, making them more attractive to MSPs. Quotes: "The Pitch It program is a shark tank-like competition to find the best innovators in the MSP space." - Sean Lardo "The Invent program focuses on technical integration and marketing visibility for vendors in the ConnectWise ecosystem." - Louie Cocchiola

About The Guest(s): Brian Doyle: Former MSP and co-host of MSP Business School. Tim McNeil: Co-host of MSP Business School. Summary: Brian Doyle and Tim McNeil discuss strategies for MSPs to maximize sales during the final two weeks of the year. They emphasize the importance of capitalizing on the budget spending season and offer tips for closing deals and engaging with key clients. They also recommend using this time to plan for the upcoming year, including analyzing customer needs and identifying opportunities for growth. Additionally, they discuss the current market conditions and the need for creativity in sales approaches. Key Takeaways: The final two weeks of the year are a prime time for MSPs to close deals and secure project commitments from clients who need to spend their budgets before year-end. Engaging with key clients during the holiday season by taking them to lunch or giving small gifts can help build relationships and set the stage for future sales. Conducting a business canvas analysis of clients can reveal opportunities for providing additional value and optimizing their operations. Sales cycles may be longer during this time due to market uncertainties, but once clients commit, they are highly engaged and ready to move forward. MSPs should be creative in their sales approaches, offering flexible payment options or tiered pricing to accommodate clients' needs without compromising MRR. Quotes: "This is the time to go get that low hanging fruit. Close up those hardware deals." - Brian Doyle "Get out in front of those key clients or the ones that are ready to be risen up and make sure you're making some personal connections." - Brian Doyle "Don't touch your MRR. And even if you do touch your MRR, don't reduce it, just spread it differently." - Tim McNeil https://mspbusinessschool.com SponsorsvCIOToolbox OSR Manage Sales MaturIT

In this episode, we discuss how you can set yourself up for long-term success in your job by taking small steps today.  The team discusses tactics to look at the next 5 days and determine which tasks will push the needle short-term and how to integrate long-term initiatives to ensure success in the future. Check us out at  MSP Business School website Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Jake Carroll https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-carroll-3855977/ OSR Manage https://osrmanage.com/ Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylemetathinq/ Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-rogers-07415251/ Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage: https://osrmanage.com 00:30:00 Robb kicks off today's podcast with a warm introduction to our special guest, setting the stage for the insightful conversation ahead. As we dive into the world of co-management, Robb sheds light on the unique challenges that come with it. 00:03:49 Sharing his own experiences, Jake chimes in with valuable thoughts and practical insights on overcoming hurdles. Robb also shares his personal strategy for effective co-management with IT professionals. 00:07:10 Jake stresses the significance of understanding people's preferences, aspirations, and capabilities. Unpacking the crucial concepts of capacity and capability gaps, he highlights the need to identify these gaps, ensuring clarity about roles and responsibilities. 00:10:33 Jake emphasizes that ‘story telling” is a key. He emphasizes that knowing the challenges your prospects face and demonstrating how you can bridge those gaps, coupled with compelling storytelling, is a recipe for success. Naturally, he goes on to share some tried-and-true tips. 00:14:08 Talking about business risks Jake enlightens us on potential pitfalls that could lead to failure. He places importance on discussing risk mitigation and high profitability with both IT professionals and business owners alike, advocating for a proactive approach to success.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Name: Carrie Lyn Richardson https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrielynnrichardson/ Company: Croocial https://www.linkedin.com/company/croocial/ Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylemetathinq/ Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-rogers-07415251/ Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage: https://osrmanage.com 0:1:41 Carrie kicks off the podcast by talking about how she and Robb first met. She also talks about herself, her work experience, and how she started working in the MSP industry. 00:4:59 Carrie describes her company, Croocial. She tells the story of how the company began, talks about the tough times and the good times it had during the pandemic, and explains why she decided to start making podcasts. 00:13:35 Robb asks Carrie about the MSP makeover. Carrie explains in detail what it is, how it's making a difference in the community, and talks about its significant impact on vendors. 00:17:10 Carrie outlines the qualifications required for the MSP makeover. She gives a detailed overview, talks about what vendors will do, shares the topics they'll cover, and explains how to succeed in this new project. 00:20:00 Robb raises the question about the pre-preparations leading up to the podcast recording. Carrie shares insights into the meticulous groundwork essential for crafting engaging and impactful podcast episodes.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Name: Dan Adams https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielericadams/ Company:  Up-Skill.com Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylemetathinq/ Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-rogers-07415251/ Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage: https://osrmanage.com 00:1:25 Dan starts by talking about his work history in the industry. He shares about the different jobs he's had in well-known companies. He talks about the important changes he's seen happen in the tech industry during his time working. 00:3:30 Brian talks about Dan's book, "The Tech Nerds Guide to Career Success," explaining what it's mainly about and how it helps people with their jobs. He also talks about the forum Dan is running, where important people in the tech industry can talk about and solve difficult problems they face. 00:5:50 Dan looks really closely at the main problems that Managed Service Providers (MSPs) often face. He talks about the mistakes they might make that could hurt their businesses. Dan gives clear examples to explain these problems and then suggests practical ways to fix them. He says how important it is for MSPs to be professional, good at technical stuff, and have good people skills because these things really affect how successful they can be in the industry. 00:15:08 Tim starts talking about how important it is to have good ways of doing things and making plans to make a business successful. Dan says that the most important thing for making progress is people being ready to change and learn new things. He explains that it's really important for everyone in a company to think in a similar way and be open to new ideas, saying that being ready for change is key to doing well. 00:18:12 Dan talks about how being a good leader and taking responsibility are really important in a company. He says it's crucial to tell employees exactly what's expected of them. Dan explains the difference between just being the boss and taking real responsibility. He says it's really important for everyone to have the same goals and understand what's expected so that the work can go smoothly and the team can work well together. 00:21:28 Dan elaborates on a prevalent misconception within tech companies regarding hiring practices. He addresses the fallacy that solely assembling a proficient tech team guarantees a company's success. Dan goes further into this idea, explaining that there are many other important things a company needs to do to be successful besides having a skilled tech team. He talks about all the different parts that are needed for a company to do well, not just having good tech people.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoyl... Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-roge... Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage: https://osrmanage.com 1:09 Robb starts the podcast enthusiastically as he mentions that both companies, OSR and vCIOToolbox, are attendees for IT Nation.  4:40 Robb commends Brian for his improved 30-second pitch and expresses pride in his progress in delivering a concise message. Brian then discusses the challenges of crafting a 30-second pitch and how he improved through the PitchIT program. 6:11 Brian talks about his journey from avoiding self-promotion to becoming more comfortable with it. They discuss the benefits of receiving constructive criticism and the importance of embracing it to grow. 12:43 They discuss the impact of PitchIT and how it has helped them refine their pitches and brand messages. 15:02 The hosts encourage listeners to attend the PitchIT competition at IT Nation and witness vendors' well-crafted 30-second pitches. 19:44 Brian delivers a short and concise pitch for vCIOToolbox and asks for the audience's support in the competition.

Show Website: https://mspbusinessschool.com/ Guest Name: Ian Y. Garrett https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianygarrett/ Company: https://www.phalanx.io/ Hosts Brian Doyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandoylemetathinq/ Robb Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-rogers-07415251/ Tim McNeil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmcneil3/ Sponsors vCIOToolbox: https://vciotoolbox.com OSR Manage: https://osrmanage.com Ian Y. Garrett is the CEO and co-founder of Phalanx, and was formally a US Army Cyber officer as well as a data scientist in the defense sector.  He combines his operational knowledge with his PhD research to bring unique insights to the intersection of artificial intelligence & cybersecurity. 1:49 Ian Garrett, our guest today, takes a moment to introduce himself and give us a peek into his journey into the industry. Ian also talks about data loss prevention solutions, offering us his professional insights and thoughts on these products. 9:24 Ian highlights the prevalence of AI automation tools in the data loss prevention landscape. He sheds light on the dual-edged sword these tools represent, as they empower both defenders and attackers. This discussion underscores the significance of incorporating automation into your defense and security strategies, emphasizing that relying solely on human efforts is akin to starting a losing battle. 13:00 Tim raises a pivotal question about integrating AI effectively. Ian advocates for a focus on automation over AI, pointing out that sometimes, it's the automation itself that holds the key, without the need for AI complexity. He strongly emphasizes the importance of reducing or eliminating human involvement within the system as a critical step to mitigate or prevent data loss. 18:00 BBrian discusses the nuances of risks and de-risking and turns to Ian to explore his approach model, particularly for those individuals who may not be well-versed or deeply invested in the nuances of AI.