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Matt Koenig Shares Winning MSP Event Strategies for New IT Channel Vendors

Trade shows eat a huge chunk of a new vendor's marketing budget, and most of them get it wrong in the same handful of ways. This episode kicks off WIN's Fall 2026 relaunch with Matt Koenig, the channel sales veteran who built a 45-person team at RapidFire Tools, spent years as VP of Sales at Nodeware, and just launched his own practice, White Tiger Consulting.

Matt and Carrie get into what a brand-new IT channel vendor actually needs before committing sponsorship dollars: which shows are for branding versus lead generation, what belongs on a banner nobody's going to read anyway, how to build a $50,000 first-year event budget, why swag is either worth doing well or not worth doing, and how to avoid showing up with your booth stuck in customs.

Read more on the Fox & Crow Group website here.

In this episode:

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Welcome Back to WIN
00:00:43 Catching Up Before ChannelCon
00:00:59 Launching White Tiger Consulting
00:03:01 What Vendors Can Expect From White Tiger
00:05:15 Where New Vendors Should Start
00:06:32 Event Logistics and Shipping Timelines
00:10:00 Getting Ready to Commit Sponsorship Dollars
00:12:32 Bare-Bones Budget: Booth Basics and Banners
00:14:26 Crafting Your Talk Track and Slides
00:15:21 Stage Presence and Public Speaking Lessons
00:17:02 Building a Marketing Budget and Picking Shows
00:18:20 Working the Show Floor Between Booth Time
00:20:23 Off-Site Dinners and Vendor Politics
00:20:55 Swag Strategy That Actually Works
00:23:50 Attracting Booth Traffic Without Swag
00:24:43 Wrapping Up and Where to Find White Tiger

Matt is offering a free 30-minute consultation to vendors and MSPs, no strings attached. Learn more at White Tiger Consulting.

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of the WIN Podcast, host Carrie Richardson sits down with Jennifer Roy to unpack how vendors can successfully connect with enterprise-grade managed service providers. Roy shares insights from her leadership at Nucleus Networks, a multi-location MSP within the Lyra Technology Group family, and breaks down how her team prepares for events like Pax8 Beyond.

Roy discusses what catches her attention at vendor booths, how her team prioritizes discovery calls, and why follow-up matters more than flash. She emphasizes the importance of being informed, respectful of time zones, and strategically aligned with an MSP’s operational goals. 

Vendors who come prepared—and stay professional—are the ones who make it onto her calendar.

If you're an IT channel vendor trying to land a meaningful partnership with a large MSP, or a new MSP owner wondering how operationally mature MSP owners prioritize their time at industry conferences, this episode is packed with unfiltered guidance from someone who receives hundreds of outreach attempts per quarter—and still takes the time to coach the channel on how to do it better.

Read the article inspired by the podcast on the Fox & Crow Group blog here.

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

If you're heading to Pax8 Beyond—or any major MSP channel event—this episode is your tactical prep guide.

Channel legend Len DiCostanzo joins host Carrie Richardson to share strategic insights from his 40+ years in the IT channel, including leadership roles at Autotask, Kaseya, and Datto. Now leading the coaching and consulting practice at MSP Toolkit, Len helps vendors and MSPs alike improve their partner programs and sales performance—and in this conversation, he breaks down what it really takes to make an event worth the investment.

You’ll learn:

• The top mistakes vendors make when exhibiting at trade shows
• What to do instead of hiding behind your booth table
• How to evaluate your event ROI—and what metrics actually matter
• Why relationships, not branding, drive long-term value
• Tips for making every handshake, hallway chat, and happy hour count

Whether you're a first-time sponsor or a seasoned exhibitor, this episode delivers real-world advice to help you turn event spend into sales results.

Find Fox & Crow Group at booth 929 at Pax 8 Beyond.  

Read the blog post inspired by the interview here.

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

Rex Frank on the Process-Powered MSP: Why Heroics Aren’t a Strategy

In this episode, Carrie Richardson sits down with Rex Frank, VP of PAX8 Academy, to unpack the real reasons most MSPs stall out. 

From the dangers of hero culture to the strategic misuse of vCIOs, Rex shares decades of insight on what separates mature MSPs from the rest. He doesn’t pull punches—and he doesn’t believe talent alone is enough. If you're tired of duct-taping your business together with hustle, this conversation is your roadmap to building a resilient, scalable MSP.

Topics Covered:

• Why “doing it all yourself” is holding your MSP back
• How to reposition the vCIO role for long-term client impact
• The one thing your org chart says about your growth ceiling
• Why PAX8 Academy is reengineering the MSP maturity model

Find Rex Frank onsite at Pax8 Beyond! 

Read the article inspired by this interview on the Fox and Crow Group blog.

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

Join channel veteran Nick Wolf as he shares MSP event engagement strategies with Carrie Richardson from Fox & Crow Group.

Learn how Nick's career progressed from sales intern at Datto (Nick was employee 17 at Datto...) through to his current role with Cork.  

Nick shares his pre-event process, his on-site tips and his follow-up expertise.

At 32, Nick is already a channel veteran, having spent ten years with Datto, then another 2 years with Scout Security prior to their exit.  Now Nick is bringing his expertise to a whole new category of MSP solutions: cyber-warranty.

Don't miss this one!

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

Winning Through Strategic Partnerships with Eric Roach of Dropsuite

In this episode of the WIN Podcast, host Carrie Richardson sits down with Eric Roach, SVP of Global Sales and Marketing at Dropsuite, to explore how strategic partnerships can supercharge growth.

With PAX8 Beyond on the horizon, Eric shares how Dropsuite leverages major events not just for exposure—but for creating deep, scalable engagement with MSP partners.

You’ll learn how Dropsuite transforms post-event reflections into proactive planning, how they equip their teams for meaningful conversations on the show floor, and why true alignment with vendor partners starts long before the booth setup.

Whether you’re prepping for your next event or evaluating your vendor ecosystem, this conversation will help you make your next move intentionally—and strategically.

Learn more about strategic vendor partnerships in this Fox & Crow Group article.

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

Winning MSP Event Planning with Alec Stanners

 In this episode, we dive deep into what it really takes to plan MSP events that create community, drive real ROI, and elevate vendor relationships beyond the trade show table. 

Featuring Alec Stanners, VP of Business Development at Bvoip and a core leader behind the MSP Initiative and MSP Block Party, we explore how grassroots strategy, thoughtful sponsor integration, and movement-based design can turn a basic gathering into a channel-defining experience.  

With a discussion around Pax8 Beyond’s intentional structure to the anatomy of a successful block party, this conversation is packed with tactical insight for event organizers, vendors, and anyone serious about building meaningful moments in the managed services space. 

Read more about this interview on the Fox & Crow blog here:  

foxcrowgroup.com/insights/how-to-plan-msp-events-that-actually-work

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.

Send us Fan Mail

From Booths to Buy-In: Aaron Peterik’s Playbook for Winning Pax8 Beyond

Episode Description:

 What separates a vendor with a busy booth from one that builds a sales pipeline? Aaron Peterik, Director of Channel at Zero Networks and former Pax8 insider, joins us to share real-world strategies for dominating Pax8 Beyond. From microsegmentation to sales team alignment, Peterik unpacks what actually works for MSP vendors trying to stand out, connect authentically, and convert leads into long-term revenue. If you’re planning to exhibit—or just want to sharpen your MSP sales game—don’t miss this one.

Topics covered:

• Microsegmentation and Zero Trust: What MSPs need now
• Booth KPIs that drive revenue—not just scans
• How to prep your team two weeks before the event
• Why MSPs ignore your pitch (and how to fix it)
• The surprising value of hotel-lobby conversations

🎧 Listen now. Show up better. Sell smarter.

Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?

They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.

Learn more at:

Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution 

Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors

Fox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses

 
Book time with Carrie here!

Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.