Navigating Through Crisis: A Modern Approach for MSPs

Picture this: your key client’s company is thrust into a crisis, their systems are down, and the media is swarming like bees to honey. As a Managed Services Provider (MSP), ensuring business continuity in tumultuous times is not just a goal; it’s a commitment. Whether you’re addressing a local hiccup or an international debacle, the … Continued

8 Tips to Unlocking Success with a Partner Advisory Council

We are often asked by vendors about the value of a Partner Advisory Council (PAC). In this dynamic landscape of modern business, where collaboration is often touted as the key to success, we believe a well-run PAC can be a game-changer in shaping the partner relationship. In this article, we will explore the concept of … Continued

Why Partner Management Needs To Change

In the conventional partner-vendor engagement model, partnerships are measured and graded primarily based on revenue generated and certification level attained. This results in a tiered hierarchy, such as Gold, Silver, and Bronze. However, emerging technologies like Cloud and XaaS have shifted the dynamics of the partner-customer-vendor relationship. The largest partners may not always be the … Continued

Subscription Selling Is More Than A Monthly Bill

The move by many businesses across many different industries to engage with their customers on a subscription or recurring revenue basis, rather than perpetual, has had a profound effect on the overall customer sales engagement model, not just the billing model of monthly subscriptions. In this article we look at the differences between the traditional … Continued

6 Tips for Managing Small-Medium Partners

We were asked recently by a client to create a channel management training program specifically focused on how to engage with and manage a territory of partners that were selling to Small Medium Businesses (SMB). Most of these partners were SMBs themselves so we use the term Small Medium Partner (SMP) as they have different … Continued

Reassessing Sales Incentives for MRR

We’ve recently worked with a number of companies who needed help redesigning their sales incentive programs to drive sales of Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) through XaaS, Cloud and Managed Services, rather than traditional CapEx IT. While there may not be a single perfect incentive model for all organisations, there are certainly some valuable lessons you … Continued

Channel Compensation Systems – You Get What You Reward

Recently we worked with two vendors to update their channel strategy to be more MSP focused. One of the biggest hurdles was to re-align the internal and external compensation systems to support the channel partners. The old adage “you get what you pay for” was certainly true, and without change, the new channel strategy was … Continued

Implications of the Ansoff Matrix on Channel Strategy

In last month’s article – Not Everybody Wants to Grow – we made a brief reference to the Ansoff Growth Matrix. In this month’s article, we explore this model further, and its implications for your channel strategy. Igor Ansoff was born in Russia in 1918, but is largely considered to be the father of strategic … Continued

Are Your Business Partners PSYCO?

Usually a Vendor’s primary focus is revenue growth. Channel partners however tend to be primarily focused on measures such as profit and cash flow. These differences are important considerations for vendors and partners alike when considering a partnership strategy. While all businesses are looking to ensure they are profitable, this simple “rule of thumb” business … Continued

Positive Outcomes From COVID-19

Over the last few months there has been much written about the impact COVID-19 is having on employment, business, social activities, sport, etc… most of it negative. This month I wanted to share some thoughts and examples of how the pandemic has had positive effects on the ICT industry and the people that work within … Continued