Up Next
2022 Big Trends & Predictions for the Channel
Thursday, January 27 | 12:00pm ET | 5:00pm GMT
What big-picture trends are set to have a major impact on the IT channel this year? And how are forward-thinking MSPs positioning themselves to take advantage?
Get out of the weeds and start thinking long-term opportunities by joining us for a special MSP Live Chat with channel expert and Forrester Principal Analyst Jay McBain.
We'll be diving deep into some of Jay's hottest takes, including:
- How shifts in client demographics — and the way they prefer to buy services — are set to affect MSPs
- MSPs' place in the world where 76% of SMB owners think their current business model will be unrecognizable in 5 years
- Who's set to be the biggest resell winners and losers from radical changes in marketplaces
- What new type of trusted advisor your clients will need you to be moving forward
- And more
Don't miss the chance to join the conversation!
Previous Chats
Miss a chat? Grab bonus materials and watch it on-demand.
January 13, 2022
2022 Resolutions + 4 Sales-Free Ways to Boost Your Valuation
We’re looking down the barrel of another challenging year — how should you be adapting your plans to grow your business without burning yourself or your team out?
The top MSPs are heading into 2022 with a focused strategy and clear objectives. But even the best-laid plans can come up short if you’re not actively adjusting for blindspots and things simply beyond your control. Watch our first MSP Live Chat of the new year, where Chris Ryne from Growth Achievement Partners walks through how to implement a more achievable, resilient growth plan for 2022.
Watch the full recording to learn:
- 4 ways to improve and add value to your business that DON’T involve sales
- Actionable tips for de-risking your business
- How to get out of your own way as an MSP owner
- Understanding the current state of MSP M&A and where trends are headed
- How to calculate how much your MSP business may be worth
You can also grab practical tools and resources you need to create a 2022 plan you can actually stick to by checking out the materials below.
December 16, 2021
IT Festivus
See how we rang in "a Festivus for the Admins of Us"
This season, we teamed up with OITVOIP, Lifecycle Insights, Gradient MSP, and Valiant Technology to celebrate the most magical holiday of all — the one where IT pros finally got the chance to air their IT-related grievances, boast about their feats of IT strength, AND win some extremely cool prizes.
All in the company of some of our favorite experts and peers.
What's the deal with IT Festivus?
- We closed out the year with a can't-miss, one-of-a-kind gathering of kindred spirits
- We laughed and cringed while sharing big wins and complaints re: working in IT in 2021
- We gave out prizes for "best grievance," "best feat of IT strength," "best holiday sweater," and more
- PLUS, we subjected our guest panel to trying some truly disgusting jelly beans
Materials
December 2, 2021
Automation, Chatbots, and the New Customer Experience
As an MSP, your availability to your customers and prospects is one of your top competitive advantages. So, how do you scale it?
Today's customers don't just want to communicate with you on your terms. They want you to be reachable the very moment that they need you, via the tools and apps they're already using.
In this MSP Live Chat, ChatStyle.ai founder Chris Dix joined us to discuss how forward-thinking IT providers are reacting to this demand by leveraging chatbots and automation to provide "real-time" messaging and support — without compromising their standards for customer experience.
Watch the recording to hear hot takes on the following and more:
- Right and wrong ways to utilize chatbots
- How to use automation to get faster responses from customers
- Where customers draw the line between feeling helped and feeling duped
- What it means to take an "omnichannel" approach to support
- What specific parts of support and sales workflows can best be automated with bots
- How much MSPs should be adapting their own workflows to meet their customers where they are
Materials
November 18, 2021
Microsoft 365 Management and Security in 2022
What big moves can we expect from Microsoft in 2022? And how are savvy MSPs planning ahead?
Price hikes. Name changes. New offerings. Oh my. Keeping up with Microsoft is a full-time job these days. Luckily, we've got experts dropping by our next MSP Live Chat to help keep everyone in the loop.
Join us, CyberDrain's Kelvin Tegelaar, and others as we dive into the latest big announcements from Microsoft and talk modern approaches to M365 multi-tenant management and security.
Bonus: Kelvin will also be giving us a guided tour of his new project: CIPP, an open-source solution for M365 administration that you can check out here.
Materials
November 4, 2021
Creating a Strategic Growth Plan for 2022
Have big ambitions for 2022? What about a formalized plan for getting your MSP to where you want it to go?
For many MSPs, the past two years have been a heady mix of a) unprecedented challenges; and b) furious growth. What's separated the fastest growing shops from the rest? The majority have put themselves in the position to be more proactive and strategic than the competition.
To help you do the same, we're teaming up with Gradient MSP founder and channel veteran Colin Knox to talk strategic planning frameworks and share how to set your sights on the right targets and grow your MSP in 2022!
Don't miss your chance to:
- Hear Colin's approach to strategic planning that propelled his MSP to millions in ARR
- Grab a strategic planning template for establishing your own 2022 core objectives and KPIs
- Learn how to establish the right sales and marketing goals — and draft an action plan for hitting them
- Hear from your peers re: what hiring, operations, and sales initiatives they're planning for 2022
Materials
October 14, 2021
MSP M&A: What Buyers Are Looking For
Don't miss your chance to hear MSP-focused investors share their buying criteria and answer a host of fantastic questions from the audience.
Whether you're contemplating an exit in two years or 10, knowing exactly what buyers are looking for can help you plan ahead and calibrate toward getting the best valuation possible. Better yet, even if an exit isn't on your mind at all, simply knowing this criteria can provide you with a blueprint for building a better, more profitable business.
This was a wonderfully candid discussion with MSP Corp co-founder Ravi Ramharak and CTO David Papp. We came away with a firm grasp of the following and more:
- The two primary types of buyers for MSPs
- What those buyers DO and DON'T want to see, including what tools they want to see in your tech stack
- What the buying process looks like
- The top factors that affect valuation
- Macro trends in MSP M&A, including heightened security scrutiny
- Top-performer benchmarks in terms of margins, staffing ratio, and more
Materials
September 30, 2021
Selling Cybersecurity: Killer Do’s and Don’ts
Just in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, check out this expert-lead discussion on how you can cut through the all noise out there, better-position your offerings, elevate your customers' security postures, and increase your revenue.
Jennifer Bleam, owner of MSP Sales Revolution, and Sean Lardo, VP of Partner Development at OITVoIP, share a host of frameworks and tactics to help you with each stage of the sales process, from packaging and prospecting to closing the deal. And just as important, they’ll also be highlighting what NOT to do and the biggest mistakes they see made.
As a bonus, we also provide free resources and ideas you can swipe to take advantage of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. See below for links.
Materials
September 16, 2021
Finding and Hiring the Best Techs
Are hiring changes holding back your MSP's growth?
If so, you're not alone. Many IT businesses are having trouble filling open positions amid a tight labor market. Not to mention facing new competition from large MSPs who have ramped up hiring remote techs from smaller, more affordable markets.
Want to know how you can win this latest war for top talent and snag the right hires? Watch this takeaway-packed discussion with channel recruiting and hiring experts John Davenjay CEO of Bowman Willams and Mark Elliott CRO at The 20 MSP.
In this lively chat we cover the following and more:
- The latest MSP hiring and salary stats that show the effects of the pandemic
- How to expand your tech talent search outside of your local area
- What hiring methods have worked best during the remote work era
- How to identify worker skills beyond the classic resume or CV
- Who can help you manage hiring if you’re a smaller IT shop
Materials
September 2, 2021
Winning Competitive MSP Deals: Strategy & Tactics
How many times have you sunk time into scoping out a prospect only to find out you’ve been underbid?
Losing out in competitive deals can be painful. Almost as painful as getting stuck with deals that are unprofitable because you got squeezed into lowering your price. How can you avoid both of these scenarios and walk away on top?
We’ll be sharing practical tips you can use to steal the advantage away from low-priced competitors and win more prospects on your terms.
Learn actionable takeaways on:
- How to find out as soon as possible if a deal is competitive
- How to beat competitors to the punch by establishing the buying & competitive criteria in your favor
- What “landmine” questions to set for competitors
- Whether to hand over your proposal or charge for it
- How to avoid a race to the bottom on price
- And more
Materials
August 19, 2021
Gone Phishing: Latest Lures + Selling Security Awareness Training
Phishing attacks remain one of the most dangerous and prevalent types of cybercrime facing organizations around the world. How are you protecting your clients as campaigns evolve?
Take a dive in the deep end with phishing prevention and security awareness training experts from Breach Secure Now and Cofense. You'll see real examples of the latest (extremely clever) phishing lures and tactics, plus actionable real-world advice on how best to sell security awareness training and incorporate it into your stack.
Don't miss the chance to reel in some fantastic info and resources, including:
- Real-world phishing examples and stats you can share with your clients
- Tips on how to protect your own business and employees
- Pricing and packaging advice for selling security awareness training
- How to — and how NOT to — run phishing simulations effectively
Materials
RMM 
Patch Management 
Backup 
Ticketing 
Documentation 
Endpoint Security 
Remote Access 
