By: Len DiCostanzo, SVP and Dean of Autotask Academy
I am just back from a few weeks on the road presenting at several partner events. I was energized not only from meeting lots of our customers in person, but seeing the energy in the community. Everyone in attendance had one thing in mind, and that is, how do I improve my business. Whether it was by getting into the latest technology to support their client’s business needs, understanding what the cloud is all about, or finding the right solution to help their own IT business run better, the search was on.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
How to Manage Expectations With Your Managed Services Contracts
By: Bob Godgart, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Visionary Officer
The time-tested formula for MSPs when creating service contracts is to set fixed monthly fees to ensure regular recurring revenue.
The time-tested formula for MSPs when creating service contracts is to set fixed monthly fees to ensure regular recurring revenue.
But that may not be the most profitable strategy, especially if you are not incorporating key business terms and conditions to clearly define the work scope, and then managing to those deliverables. And that approach can be a real crap shoot, unless you have a solid business management platform in place to help you analyze your performance against each and every contract so you can make adjustments as you go.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Build Solution Sets to Sell Products AND Services With Confidence
By: Len DiCostanzo, SVP and Dean of Autotask Academy
You may have started your IT company as an IT consultant, selling professional or technical services by the hour. Typically, you’ll let your clients buy products from another source, maybe even a source you recommend, because you feel that it’s just too hard to make money with all the competition and small margins.
Then you realize the downside to this strategy when you lose a client to a competitor who sells products, but then bolts on the associated servicing of those products in a one-stop transaction. Even loyal clients might not think they are violating your business relationship, feeling like they are simply buying from someone something you don’t offer.
You may have started your IT company as an IT consultant, selling professional or technical services by the hour. Typically, you’ll let your clients buy products from another source, maybe even a source you recommend, because you feel that it’s just too hard to make money with all the competition and small margins.
Then you realize the downside to this strategy when you lose a client to a competitor who sells products, but then bolts on the associated servicing of those products in a one-stop transaction. Even loyal clients might not think they are violating your business relationship, feeling like they are simply buying from someone something you don’t offer.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Going Vertical.
By: Bob Godgart, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Visionary Officer
I just got back from the terrific “Breakaway 2010” event put on by CompTIA, the leading computer industry association, and I was glad to see the big emphasis that was being placed on opportunities in the healthcare vertical market for IT solution professionals.
Healthcare has been a choice vertical for IT solution providers for a decade or more, due to the constantly and rapidly developing technology in the medical field – and the abundance of money spent in that industry. At CompTIA, much time was devoted to educating IT professionals about what it takes to get a piece of the health-care action, along with some useful tools to help insure success.
I just got back from the terrific “Breakaway 2010” event put on by CompTIA, the leading computer industry association, and I was glad to see the big emphasis that was being placed on opportunities in the healthcare vertical market for IT solution professionals.
Healthcare has been a choice vertical for IT solution providers for a decade or more, due to the constantly and rapidly developing technology in the medical field – and the abundance of money spent in that industry. At CompTIA, much time was devoted to educating IT professionals about what it takes to get a piece of the health-care action, along with some useful tools to help insure success.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Back To The Future For IT Product Sales
By: Len DiCostanzo, SVP and Dean of Autotask Academy
During my 20+ years as the founder and CEO of a successful IT solutions company, I saw first-hand the importance of evolving our business models to meet the needs and capabilities of our clients and our own companies. And, as I work with our customers and countless others in the channel now, I see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
During my 20+ years as the founder and CEO of a successful IT solutions company, I saw first-hand the importance of evolving our business models to meet the needs and capabilities of our clients and our own companies. And, as I work with our customers and countless others in the channel now, I see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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