The IT Experts Podcast

Stuart began our conversation by acknowledging a familiar scenario. Many MSPs feel like superheroes, swooping in to save clients who reach out to them directly. Yet, he highlights the need to evaluate the cost of these 'rescue missions', both in terms of time and potential revenue lost. You could be unknowingly spending substantial chunks of your day on £10 or £100 tasks, while your attention should be focused on high-value £1000 tasks that significantly contribute to your business's growth and profitability.

So, how do you rectify this situation? Stuart offers practical, actionable advice: set up auto-responses for emails and voicemails directing clients and suppliers to the appropriate teams, thereby managing their expectations. Crucially, he emphasises the need to make yourself less accessible to avoid unnecessary disruptions that can eat into your day.

But, managing client interactions is just part of the equation. Stuart underlines the importance of conducting a time audit. By understanding where and how you're spending your time and distinguishing between £10, £100, and £1000 tasks, you can get a holistic view of your workday. Once you have this awareness, you're in a prime position to delegate the lower-value tasks, freeing up your time for higher-value strategic undertakings.

Additionally, Stuart recommends training your clients and staff to interact with the right teams, not just you. Establishing and reinforcing these boundaries is crucial in ensuring you spend your time most productively. Stuart guarantees that with these strategies, you're likely to uncover an extra day or even two in your week to focus on developing and expanding your business.

In this episode, we also had an exciting announcement for our listeners. As part of the Ask Stuart series, we're actively seeking questions from you. If there's a pressing MSP-related question on your mind, we invite you to submit it via the link in the show notes. You have the option to remain anonymous, and we will answer your queries in future episodes, providing tailored advice to assist in your MSP journey.

Towards the end of the discussion, we highlighted one of our valuable resources: the Create More Time formula. Stuart explained that this potent formula, developed over years of experience, is designed to help you create more time in both your professional and personal life. It is a brief, straightforward read that, when adopted, can revolutionally change how you manage your time, boosting productivity and job satisfaction.

This enriching episode of the 'Ask Stuart' series provided a wealth of insights from Stuart, serving as a guide to optimising your time management strategies as an MSP. We are eagerly looking forward to continuing this series, answering your questions, and sharing actionable advice to help you drive your MSP business to new heights.

Submit your questions HERE

Download the Create More Time Formula PDF HERE

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

You can also connect with Stuart and see what he is up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Stuart answers this question by sharing five key points. First up - the importance of knowing your numbers. Understanding your financial position is crucial in any business endeavour and becomes the foundation of your business decisions.

Secondly, Stuart highlights the need to allocate our time effectively. As entrepreneurs, it is not uncommon to get caught up in tasks that are not of high value to our business. But Stuart emphasises that the choice is in our hands, and if we wish to do nothing, we must accept that nothing will happen.

Our third conversation point centres on involving the team in the business journey. Stuart makes it clear that people naturally desire to collaborate and contribute to the success of the organisation. By involving our team in the strategic decisions and direction of the business, we allow them to understand their role in the bigger picture, helping to foster greater team commitment and engagement.

Stuart's fourth tip revolved around the notion of not being an "island". He stresses the importance of learning from others and allowing ourselves to be inspired by their stories and experiences. With resources like Google, ChatGPT, Tech Tribe, Paul Green, and Richard Tubb, there are a multitude of learning opportunities within the industry.

Finally, Stuart discusses the importance of testing and measuring progress. He recommends identifying clear metrics of success and regularly checking in on these to ensure progress is being made. Furthermore, Stuart suggests finding an accountability buddy to keep you on track with your goals.

We wrapped up the episode with Stuart summarising the key steps in starting the growth journey for your MSP. He touches on recognising the fear that can come with inaction, understanding your numbers, spending your time wisely, involving your team, and measuring success with an accountability partner.

This was a powerful conversation, already so much value for the first episode, and we are looking forward to diving deeper into these topics in future episodes of the Ask Stuart series.

Submit your questions HERE

Download the Create More Time Formula PDF HERE

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

You can also connect with Stuart and see what he is up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

We first discuss the importance of client education, emphasizing consistent communication, regular newsletters, and informative emails. Utilising resources like exclaimer at the bottom of your email signature can significantly aid this continuous education process. When clients remember your advice or can refer back to past communication, you're enhancing your relationship with them and positioning your MSP as a trusted resource.

Stuart highlights the importance of planning and preparing for client meetings. Sending an agenda beforehand, focusing on business issues rather than technical ones, and leaving a memorable impression are all crucial aspects of a successful meeting. Simple gestures like bringing cakes or company merchandise can forge a deeper bond with the client, as well as improve understanding of what's happening on the ground.

The conversation during the meeting should follow a framework or an agenda, beginning with building a rapport and then gradually transitioning to business matters. It's crucial to remember personal details about your clients and ask about their business's current events. Being aware of broader contextual headlines, like inflation, government decisions, or vendor activity, will also provide context and relevance to your conversation.

Discussing your client's business developments, growth plans, or mergers will show your genuine interest in their operation and can potentially lead to a discussion about opportunities and risks from a technological standpoint. Being able to provide insights on upcoming technologies, such as AI, and suggest improvements for their systems will showcase your strategic value.

Stuart also notes the importance of a well-structured, automated follow-up process. Whether it's ticketing for meeting planning, project quotation, invoicing, or even customer satisfaction feedback, all these actions should be logged in the system for everyone in the business to track effectively.

Wrapping up, Stuart and I discuss the impact of this process on MSPs. By implementing this approach, MSPs can increase their clients' value, hold meaningful conversations about financial commitments without causing discomfort, and ultimately ensure long-term relationships with their clients. The end goal is to make your MSP indispensable to your client's business, reducing the risk of becoming irrelevant and potentially losing revenue.

We wrap up the episode with a reminder that these processes, while they might seem daunting at first, can start simply. Even if you don't have automation in place, a checklist and consistent follow-through will go a long way. The ultimate aim is to retain your clients, grow your business, and consistently deliver value.

Now, time to finally look binge-listen all three-parts and transform your client relationships from supplier to partner.

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

You can also connect with Stuart and see what he is up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Welcome to the second part of The Secret to Building a Pipeline of Profit, a three-part series focussing on the fundamentals of Account Management, designed to help you maximise the opportunity with your existing clients.

In this episode, Stuart shared his insights into why it's important to strategise first, and then implement tactics. The first step involves stopping and thinking about what you currently have, and where you want to go with your client base. The right strategy underpins how you nurture the key relationships that form the bedrock of your business. Working on this aspect is not just working in your business, but on it, and this strategic approach can pay back multiple times in creating a process that others can operate effectively.

Stuart shared an example about one of his clients. Despite running a well-structured business with robust systems and excellent client relationships, the profitability was not reflecting the effort. On Stuart's advice, the client started analysing his own numbers, and was shocked to find nearly £185,000 worth of untapped business opportunities within his existing client base. The key here was the realisation that his clients' needs were evolving, and by having the right strategic conversations, he could seize these opportunities and generate additional revenue.

These changes allowed him to invest deeply in the right people, amplifying the capacity of his business. While the net profit didn't change dramatically in the short term, it was used to make the business scalable, allowing him to reap rewards later. When asked what was holding him back at the start of the process, the client admitted it was himself. But once he had a quantifiable understanding of the opportunities in his business, he was able to leverage his great relationships and seize these opportunities more effectively.

Understanding your client base, analysing your categories, and getting your standards in place can change how you feel about the future of your business. The additional revenue and profit that effective Account Management can bring about can give you the confidence to invest in new resources, staff, or even explore growth opportunities like acquisitions.

As we conclude this episode, we leave you with the thought that the fear of failure often holds us back. When you start seeing consistent cash flow, strengthened business, and have the ability to invest easily in new resources, you realise that the future holds more opportunities than risks.

In our next and final episode in this series, we'll share more details and specific tactics that you can apply to maximise the profitability of your MSP. If you're interested in evaluating your capacity to scale, take the MSP Mastery quiz linked in the show notes. It's a quick four-minute exercise that will help you understand what to focus on right now.

Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to catching up with you in the final part of the series next week.

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

You can also connect with Stuart and see what he is up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

In this episode, Stuart highlights a crucial aspect: that the most challenging part of this process isn't necessarily the strategic application but overcoming self-imposed obstacles. This episode emphasises the concept of "getting out of your own way." Stuart explains how this key move can make a substantial difference, not only in the realm of account management but in various areas of running a successful MSP business. With newfound confidence and better conversations, MSP owners start unlocking their business potential.

In line with this, Stuart notes that these extra earnings don't instantly change net profits, as the funds are usually reinvested in expansion strategies like hiring more staff or investing in additional premises. However, these are crucial steps in solidifying a business' infrastructure, setting the stage for future scaling.

We also take a look at what business owners need to initiate their journey towards self-improvement and optimised client interaction. Stuart points out that it all begins with an in-depth analysis of your existing client base. It's about understanding what your clients are currently buying or not buying from you, and then finding ways to steer the conversation in a more beneficial direction.

The gap between what your clients are currently buying and what they should be buying is also a critical consideration, as it directly impacts the optimisation of security, efficiency, and effectiveness in their use of technology. However, Stuart notes that many MSPs struggle in this area because they don't understand their numbers or have difficulty pulling information from their PSA.

In conclusion, Stuart paints an optimistic picture of the potential that lies ahead for MSPs who understand and employ these principles. By becoming valuable partners rather than mere suppliers to their clients, MSPs can not only tap into a hidden profit pipeline, but they also build a moat around their businesses, protecting long-term profitability and client relationships.

We hope you enjoyed this episode!

Listen to this episode with Paul Croker on why you need a VCIO in your MSP: EP101 – Why Do I Need VCIO as a Service in My MSP with Paul Croker & Ian Luckett

The MSP Mastery Quiz is designed to help identify the right ingredients to scale your MSP, provides personalised reports and guidance on the next steps in your MSP journey. Take the quiz HERE.

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

You can also connect with Stuart and see what he is up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Phylip emphasises the need for MSPs to prioritise customer retention over acquisition. He highlights that nurturing existing relationships through regular reviews and strategic planning can help differentiate an MSP business in an increasingly automated market. Not only does this strengthens the bonds with the current clientele, but it also ensures that existing customers are adequately serviced and not overlooked amidst efforts to attract new ones.

We also discuss the invaluable lessons and opportunities within MSPs' existing client bases. Despite the attraction of new leads and expanding clientele, there's often untapped potential within existing relationships. Thus, reinforcing the principle of retention before acquisition, a topic that our upcoming mini-series on account management will explore soon.

As we shift the conversation towards what's on the horizon for Pax8, Phylip shares a sneak peek into some exciting upcoming announcements. Pax8 is constantly enhancing their offerings. With an ecosystem designed to streamline how MSPs buy, manage, provision and analyse cloud services, Pax8 is undoubtedly making waves in the technology market.

In this episode, we reflect not only on the IT channel's present state but also on its future. We delve into both the strategic and operational aspects of running a successful MSP business in today's digital era and the importance of aligning with forward-thinking companies like Pax8.

If you enjoyed this insightful conversation, we recommend revisiting episodes 94 and 97, where Phyl and I share our unique life experiences and the stories behind our ventures into the tech industry.

In this episode, we get a glimpse into the future of technology. It's a conversation filled with insightful predictions, strategic advice, and a behind-the-scenes look at one of the leading tech companies.

Listen to these episodes and learn more about both Phylip and Ian's journey to the IT channel: EP094 – Responding to A Life-Changing Event with Phylip Morgan & Ian Luckett EP097 – Being Open, Honest, and Real with Ian Luckett & Phylip Morgan

Connect with Phylip Morgan on his LinkedIn by clicking HERE

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up with Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

By regaining focus and momentum, MSPs can build a business that works for them. So here are our top 3 tips:

1. Communicate and Check-In with Your Team

1. Revisit Financial and Business Targets

1. Create Weekly Outcomes

Tune in as we dissect these tips in a quick, short, sharp blast, to help you regain your focus and momentum this year.

Don't forget to listen to Episode 100 - How to Align Your Team So You Can Step Back from Operations with Stuart Warwick & Ian Luckett

Take the MSP Mastery Quiz right HERE

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up With Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Andrew shares a real example of how MSP Easy Tools was able to identify a breach within an MSPs system, who was trialling their software. Initially, the client thought it was a system error but upon closer inspection, it was revealed that cybercriminals had infiltrated the MSPs platform for over 90 days, unnoticed, posing a threat to all their clients. Andrew elaborates on how his company swiftly helped the client to secure their system and protect all their tenants, as well as sharing some of the core principles that can help MSPs reduce cyber risk both in their own business, as well as ideas on how to protect their clients better. A single cyber security breach can result in considerable financial and reputational damage...can you afford to take that risk?

For those who want to connect with Andrew, you can reach him via email at [email protected] or visit the MSP Easy Tools website for more information about their services.

Towards the end of the episode, Andrew reveals a special offer for our listeners. You can download a free version of their security report from the MSP Easy Tools website. This free report can provide a snapshot of your system's security status.

We encourage all our listeners to take up Andrew's offer and assess the security of their own systems.

Join us next time for more expert insights and valuable conversations!

For more information, visit MSP Easy Tools HERE

You can also reach out to Andrew through [email protected]

Download Andrew's Free Security Report right HERE

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking HERE

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up With Confidence, then click HERE

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Kicking off the episode, Dean explains why working with an agency who understands your industry is key and Humnize's focus on working with MSPs. We discuss the changes in the tech space and how it has affected recruitment and working dynamics.

Dean and I then talk about the importance of having the right people in the business, the challenges faced by MSPs in rushing to fill positions and overlooking red flags in the recruitment process. Both of us agreed that there is a need for a well-defined onboarding and induction process for new hires once you've identified the right candidates

Then we discussed the importance of employer brand and presenting an attractive online image to attract candidates. Showcasing your company's mission and values is just as important as including specifics about the job role and benefits package. We also shared a few examples of how MSPs can invest in their office environment to create an appealing workplace, and some ideas of how to succeed in recruiting the right people like offering soft-benefits, having a compelling job description, , how to conduct effective interviews, and creating a personal connection with candidates.

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Listen to Episode 115 of the IT Experts Podcast about How to Retain Your People with Ian Luckett

Take the MSP Mastery Quiz right HERE

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking here – linkedin.com/in/ianluckett

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up With Confidence, then click here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/738967166458742/

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

First off, we introduced you to the powerful platforms that you can make use of to further supercharge your MSP marketing. We also discussed the importance of platform selection and messaging, understanding analytics and content resonance and how to avoid common marketing pitfalls.

Then we take you through the customer journey; from social media platforms to your website and how email and CRM systems play their role in the whole process. We also talk about how to understand your email CRM metrics, email lists, content planning and creation strategies, and how to make the most of your blog content.

Finally, we talk about events and their importance in your MSP marketing toolkit. We take you through the power of direct message campaigns and the benefits of niche targeting.

Of course, this whole process and this three-episode mini-series would not be effective and "perfect" if you do not know how to supercharge your results, so we discuss this as we wrap up.

We hope you enjoyed this mini-series, and we suggest you listen to it as many times as you need to soak and absorb all the content this show offers.

Watch our Sales and Marketing Masterclass Webinar recording right HERE

Listen to Part 1: The Perfect Process

Listen to Part 2: Magic Messaging

Connect with me on LinkedIn and see what I'm up to by clicking here – linkedin.com/in/ianluckett

To join our amazing Facebook Group of over 300 MSPs where we are helping you Scale Up With Confidence, then click here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/738967166458742/

Until next time, look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!