Community Events

With recession chatter growing louder, how should MSPs be shifting their tactics to lower their risk, jump on new opportunities, and thrive?

Find out by watching a special live discussion with some of our favorite past guests including OITVOIP CEO Ray Orsini, LifeCycle Insights co-founder Alex Farling, and returning co-host, TitanHQ Channel Chief Tom Watson.

We’ll be providing practical, real-world tips on the following and more:

• Quick wins to help you improve cash flow, reduce expenses, and ensure that you’re in solid financial shape
• The most important conversations you should be having with your clients right now
• The best types of prospects to be targeting (or avoiding) right now
• Clutch retention incentives and upsell opportunities to keep revenue pouring in

Materials

• Resources doc

Experience our epic 1-day virtual event on-demand!

With eight sessions packed full of real-world security tactics and practical takeaways, you’ll hear leading practitioners and experts cover the following and more:

• Realistic takes on best practices, and what to do when “basics” are anything but
• Tips for fighting alert fatigue, misconfigurations, and burnout
• Zero-day patching and endpoint hardening workshops
• Tactics for securely managing legacy software and systems
• Demystifying incident response planning and cyber insurance

Materials

• Grab over 20 free resources — no form or registration required

As the world opens back up, are you missing in-person sales and networking opportunities that growth-focused MSPs are jumping on?

View this recording of a special live chat discussion with growth and revenue expert Adam Slutskin, the channel veteran behind wildly successful worldwide sales and marketing strategies at Liongard, ConnectWise, and others.

George Bardissi, bvoip CEO & founder as well as lead organizer of the Channel Strong Tour also joined the live chat. If you’ve seen the Channel Strong Tour on social media in the past two years you know he’s someone that knows a thing or two about successful in-person sales and marketing events.

Check out the recording to hear us cover the following and more:

• What aspects of selling are prime for shifting back to in-person
• What aspects aren’t (and may never be again)
• The biggest opportunities available to MSPs right now for differentiation and growth
• Ideas for revenue-generating in-person events that pack the most ROI
• Tips for shaking off the rust and reestablishing an optimized sales cadence

Materials

• Resources Doc

Can you do what you advise your clients and spot a phishing attempt when you see one?

Can you do what you advise your clients and spot a phishing attempt when you see one? Watch this “April Phools” edition of our MSP Live Chats series with special guest Connor Swalm, CEO of Phin Security, who showcased the latest tricks and tactics attackers are using to get victims on the hook. Don’t miss OITVOIP CEO Ray Orsini, Lifecycle Insights’ Alex Farling, and the rest of our panel as they played a high-stakes game of “spot the phish” on the LIVE event.

Check out the recording to hear us cover the following and more:

• The latest cyber insurance requirements re: phishing and security awareness training
• Right and wrong ways to do phishing simulations that can have clients either singing your praises or looking to take their business elsewhere
• Examples of effective training materials and tips for making training a compelling and profitable part of your services

Materials

• Resources doc

See what you missed during our special St. Patrick’s Day edition of MSP Live Chats! 

It’s your chance to hear candid conversations about the biggest risks facing MSP owners today — including which risky bets on growth you should avoid AND which to take!

Watch the replay with special guests Tom Lawrence (Lawrence Technology Services) and Georg Dauterman (Valiant Technology) to hear our takes on:

• The biggest risks you need to actively manage for (including security risks as well as specific scenarios like losing your biggest customer, employee burnout, etc.)

• Risks you absolutely SHOULD take as an owner when you’re starting out and growing — and how to be smart about it

• The most important early bets to make that can pay off huge for you down the line

• Stories of how your fellow MSPs overcame the worst strokes of bad luck — and how you can, too

• How to make your own “luck” with the right prep and help

Materials

• Resources doc

Your customers’ expectations and demands around IT are changing. 

Want to learn how you can better align your work with their evolving business goals and priorities? And ensure that you don’t just win new customers, but that you win them for life? 

Watch our MSP Live Chat with Lifecycle Insights CEO Marnie Stockman. Not only is she an expert in MSP customer success, she literally wrote the book on it.

You’ll walk away knowing the following and more:

• What best-in-class customer success actually looks like for MSPs, and where those practices fit alongside customer support and account management
• How to transform ad-hoc customer success efforts into repeatable, scalable processes 
• What metrics to track to measure customer success
• How to avoid being blindsided by churn by learning how to spot and address early warning signs faster
• Practical ways customer success efforts can take your sales and marketing to the next level

Materials

• Resources doc
• Marnie’s book Literally the Book on Customer Success for MSPs
• Our Customer Scorecard template (PDF)

Watch the recording of our celebration of everything you love about IT.

We served up Valentines to everyone’s favorite free open-source tools and scripts PLUS shared stories of exceptional support that made users feel the love and show it back.

• Hear what free, open-source tools your peers are using, loving, and can’t live without 
• See examples of above-and-beyond support and creative extra touches that make users feel the warm and fuzzies 
• Learn how to turn ad hoc user appreciation into hard data you can use to prove value and ROI 
• See who won our awesome prizes

Resources

• See the “Top 10 Most-Loved Open Source Tools” list (from our survey results) + bonus “honorable mentions” cited by our panelists & audience
• Download your own “IT Helpdesk Fortune Teller”
• Read Elizabeth Copeland’s fantastic article on providing better support experiences: “Walking the Line: Technology and Empathy”
• See the full slide deck with the best “thank-you’s” from end users and more

CyberDrain CTF bonus session resources

• Check out our bonus session all about the CyberDrain CTF competition, which officially starts on Monday, Feb 28 (there’s still time to register & compete to win sweet prizes  )
• We also highlighted quite a few great technical blogs that share scripts and more:
  • Kelvin Tegelaar’s CyberDrain blog
  • Mikey O’Toole’s homotechsual.dev
  • Gavin Stone’s Gavsto.com
  • Luke Whitelock’s MSPP

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 watching this special MSP Live Chat with channel expert and Forrester Principal Analyst Jay McBain.

Hear some of Jay’s hottest takes on the following and more:

• 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

Materials

• Resources doc

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

Resources

• Resources doc + link to your own MSP appraisal calculator

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

• Chat resources doc

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

• Chat resources doc
• CIPP GitHub

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

• Chat resources doc
• Strategic planning template

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

• Chat resources doc

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

• Chat resources doc

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

• Chat resources doc
• Bowman Williams Survey: 2021 Salary & Hiring Trends

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

• Chat resources doc
• Downloadable MSP Sales Process Guide and Checklists

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.

• 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

• Chat resources doc

So much has changed during the past 18 months. How has it affected MSP pricing?

Watch this recording to hear from your peers as we discuss recent pricing trends and a host of practical questions, including:

• Whether shifts in WFH demands and changes to the security landscape are driving costs up or down.
• How high of a per-seat price is actually reasonable.
• What “best practices” are becoming outdated, and which are holding firm.
• And more.

Materials

• Chat resources doc
• Tom Watson’s updated MSP Pricing Calculator
• Blog post walkthrough explaining how to use the calculator

How prepared are you to react to a nightmare scenario? Get “ransomware ready” with actionable tips from the pros. 

Recent events have provided yet another important reminder that it’s not enough to focus on preventing ransomware — we all need to have a solid response plan in place, too. 

Watch this recording to hear from your peers on how they’re drafting and adapting their response plans in the wake of the Kaseya incident, and what else they’re doing to become more resilient. We’ll also be joined by incident response experts from TrustedSec, m3 Networks, and ID Cyber Solutions. They’ll be providing us with first-hand insight into what IR actually entails, and the key things that separate companies that recover quickly and successfully from those that don’t. 

Don’t miss practical discussion on the following and more:

• 12 ways to prep that you can start today  
• Building blocks of a good IR plan
• Key roles and responsibilities
• How to communicate with clients (with real-life examples)

Materials

• Chat resources doc
• Mark Lamb’s free Incident Response Plan template (Word doc download)
• Free Ransomware Response Planning Checklist (PDF)

Do you know what your MSA actually says? Are you confident it covers you in all the ways it should?

If the answer’s no, you’re definitely not alone. But now’s your chance to change that watching the replay of our MSP Live Chat with special guest Eric Tilds.

Eric has 22 years of experience serving as in-house counsel for IT services companies, including his previous role as general counsel and Chief Risk Officer for Logicalis, a $1.5B global MSP. And during that time he has absolutely seen it all. Eric was kind and generous enough to stop by to take on all of our audience’s questions related to MSAs and risk management, and delivered can’t-miss advice on the following:

• The most important elements of a strong MSA, along with key do’s and don’ts
• The differences between an MSA and SOWs (and why they should be separate)
• Critical ways MSPs can ensure they’re in a defensible position in the event of a security breach
• How and why you need to align your MSA with your SLAs from 3rd-party vendors
• Examples of terms and conditions that can even improve your cash flow

Materials

• Chat resources doc

As an MSP owner elevating your digital marketing presence can be a costly and time-consuming endeavor – but what if we told you there are some free things you can do today to start bringing in leads new qualified leads online.

In this MSP Live Chat, Ayan Adam, Founder of CX Atelier, an MSP Marketing Growth Agency will show you how to leverage your digital footprint to get an uninterrupted flow of qualified leads.

Watch the recap to learn:

• How to leverage your Google My Business listing to get leads (optimizing your listing, showing up at the top of the Google Map pack, outsmarting the competition)
• How to optimize your website to get organic traffic (structure, content strategy, SEO)
• How to attract the right leads and get them to convert

Materials

• Chat resources doc

Is ramping up the fear factor and pushing worst-case scenarios the only way to sell security? Or are there better approaches?

By popular demand, we devoted this MSP Live Chat to talking all about cybersecurity sales messaging. See experts from Blackpoint Cyber and Karl Bickmore, CEO of Snap Tech IT dive into the following and more:

• What a modern security offering looks like
• How to position your services and sell clients on their value
• Why using education, sincerity, and pragmatism as positive motivators beats relying on fear, uncertainty, and doubt
• Highlighting risks and new threats without being sensational
• Leveraging cybersecurity frameworks in your positioning
• How to have conversations around raising your rates

Check out the full recording now!

Don’t miss your chance to hear game-changing advice from an MSP great.

To say Karl Palachuk has played a role in the growth of managed services would be a massive understatement. His books and trainings have influenced thousands of IT business owners and helped them successfully make the leap from break-fix to more scalable and profitable operations. Our own Channel Chief Advisor Tom Watson credits Karl for setting him on the right path to growing and selling his business.

And he stopped by MSP Live Chat to answer all questions!

Watch the recording to see Karl give his takes on everything from pricing and packaging to hiring to the key things he’d do differently if he was starting out now.

Materials

• Chat resources doc

• J.P. Roe, Your Sales Energy
• Kevin Clune, MSP Growth Hacks
• James Hatzell, Director of Marketing at Skout Cybersecurity

We also revealed some extremely valuable shortcuts you can use to make the task of creating content far more efficient and repeatable.

Materials

• Chat resources doc including our big list of marketing tools plus additional tips
• The content library of free templates from Your Sales Energy (registration required)
• List of even more free / low-cost marketing tools from MSP Growth Hacks
• Weekly MSP sales and marketing resources from Skout Cybersecurity

Are you making the right impression on your video calls? Want to seriously level-up your quality?

Then you don’t want to miss this chat! We were joined by four huge names who make some of the best-looking videos in the channel, and they shared exactly what they use in their home studios.

• Georg Dauterman, President of Valiant Technology (see their Live Streams)
• Heather Harlos, Global Marketing Manager at Bitdefender (see her Beyond Awesome series)
• Wes Spencer, CISO at Perch Security (see him on The CyberCall)
• Ray Orsini, CEO at OITVOIP (see his Technical Deficit series)

Of course, upgrading your call quality is just the first step. We also be shared sales tips you can use to quickly establish a personal connection and boost your close rates.

Materials

• Chat resources doc (with each of the guests’ equipment lists plus additional tips and tools)

Everyone says their differentiator is customer service, but what truly sets the best-of-the-best apart?

Keeping clients happy and under contract is always important, but in this market it’s more critical than ever. Join us as we team up with LifeCycle Insights founder Alex Farling and m3 Networks Technical Director Mark Lamb as we discuss the following and more:

• Top causes of client churn and ways to preempt them
• How Mark and his team were able to achieve an average 99% CSAT score
• How to exceed client expectations without over-extending yourself or losing profitability
• Keys to improving service delivery and killer mistakes to avoid
• How to leverage customer satisfaction into more concrete referral and up-sell opportunities

Materials

• Chat resources doc (with list of books, tools, and videos to help with improving customer satisfaction)

It’s not you. It’s definitely them. 

At some point, everyone has had that client. The one who you honestly can’t stand dealing with; who sucks up way too much support time; whose name is synonymous with heart palpitations and burnt profits.

Or maybe you’ve had a few.

In this special “anti-Valentine’s Day” MSP Live Chat we gave audience members the chance to share their best (worst) client break-up stories, and hear advice from other MSP owners on the following and more:

• Why that terrible client you keep tolerating may be costing you more than you think
• How to know when a bad client relationship isn’t salvageable
• What to say to end things on good terms (or at least not awful terms)
• Red flags that can tip you off to trouble clients before you sign them
• How to show clients you do like the love

Materials

• Chat resources doc (with list of client deal-breakers; links to break-up scripts, one MSP’s in-depth story, and more)
• Client Scorecard template (PDF download)

Elevate your security and your clients’ peace of mind.

We invited the MSP community back for our second annual MSP Security Summit, a one-day virtual event geared toward helping everyone in the channel improve their defenses, adapt their businesses, and thrive.

After 2020, does it feel like you and your team are running on empty?

We’re kicking off our 2021 MSP Live Chats with a special rallying call. This industry isn’t exactly known for prioritizing self-care, but if you want to grow professionally and perform at a higher level in 2021 then it needs to be the year you start taking time for you.

Join us and Gozynta COO Heather Johnson as we discuss:

• Warning signs you or team members might be on the verge of crashing
• Tactics for building short, energizing pauses into your day
• Processes that can improve your productivity and your health (both mental and physical)
• Ideas for how owners can create a culture of personal development and better self-care

Materials

• Chat Agenda (with links to a ton of self-care resources)
• 5-minute self-care exercises from Heather + Gozynta’s terrific Self-Care Guide for MSPs

Grab a seat by the virtual fire and join us for a look back at the people and tools that got us through a year like no other.

It’s a special holiday MSP Live Chat! We’re inviting some of our favorite guests from previous episodes back on to talk about their most important lessons learned and key recommendations for starting 2021 right. We’ll also be subjecting them to feats of strength AND giving away some truly fantastic gifts, so be sure to join and make your Thursday merry and bright!

• Key 2020 takeaways from OIT’s Ray Orsini, LifeCycle Insights’ Alex Farling, and more
• The tools that MSPs were most grateful to have this year
• Virtual “Yankee Swap” with cool gifts going to lucky attendees
• Predictions and what to focus on to get a jump-start on 2021

What sets you apart as an MSP? What makes you uniquely “you” – and why should clients choose that over the competition?

Watch the replay of one of our most active and popular Live Chats yet. We were joined by Matthew F. Fox, Creative Director at Valiant Technology, and learned in detail how his company has managed to differentiate itself in one of the most competitive markets in the country. 

Don’t miss: 

• How to define your positioning and core messaging + turn them into competitive advantages
• Concrete examples of how Matthew and Valiant have leveraged their brand to win deals and retain customers
• Live analysis and reviews of real MSP websites

Every MSP has a brand. The only question is who defined it. Find inspiration and get a jump-start on elevating your own winning brand by watching the replay!

Materials

• Chat Agenda (with links to websites we reviewed plus a TON of free design tools)
• Tearing Down the Best MSP Websites of 2019 (previous blog post mentioned during the chat)

Are you leaving money on the table?

This year more than any other, MSPs are facing pressures to be flexible with clients and adjust to economic uncertainty. But the line between being customer friendly and doing yourself a disservice can get blurry in a hurry, and all too often MSPs find themselves giving away too much.

Join us and MSP growth expert Chris Wiser as we dive into the trends he’s seen this year and the key things that have separated those MSPs that have been booming from those who aren’t.

Here are just a few of the topics we’ll be diving into:

• How are successful MSPs removing barriers to entry and lowering up-front costs to sign more clients?
• What’s the consensus on free assessments?
• What are the biggest bad habits that MSPs need to break?
• When are specific costs actually okay to eat?
• How can you shift client focus away from cost and onto value and risk?
• And more…

Materials

• Chat Agenda (with links to free resources)