Channel Voice

Topics discussed – The value of a legal background in managed services business leadership, merger and acquisition strategy and law, change management among personnel, salespersons' egos, transparency and altruism in the IT channel.

An unlikely path to managed services, sleepwalking in the Air Force, why peer groups matter, surviving tornadoes (literally), keeping reliable peers, building a financial cushion, KPIs, business performance benchmarking, the discomfort of accountability and transparency, and more.

From farmer to IT advisor, the birth of a peer group, the evolution of HTG, the definition of legacy, what legacy means to MSPs versus individuals, the unfair stigma around “lifestyle” service businesses, intentionality and the importance of a “why statement,” habits that make business and personal legacy real.

The glamour of the MSP industry, the beginnings of the Technology Marketing Toolkit, whether or not it's hard to fly a rocket ship, inspiring leaders, the power of industry knowledge, the channel’s cyber security services opportunity, big box IT threats.

Building personal brands and professional legacies; overcoming hardship and developing grit; religious cults and faith healing; Zig Ziglar; learning and mastering sales; quitting excuses; accepting responsibility and making good choices.

Why this isn't yesterday's RSPA; Elevating the brand; New education initiatives and programming; Payment security and QIR standards; RetailNOW 2018.

The birth of Service Leadership, Inc.; measuring MSP financial performance; the chronic undervaluation of IT service offerings; raising rates in a savvy way; stepping up sales; the rapaciousness of the storage unit rental business; the specialization and verticalization of managed services; where the channel goes from here.