E N T E R E B O O K

P R O V E N P L A Y S T O W I N A N D G R O W Y O U R B U S I N E S S

T I P S T O B U I L D I N G A S U C C E S S F U L B U S I N E S S

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Draft the right players

P E O P L E W A N T T O W O R K W I T H , A N D B U Y F R O M , P E O P L E T H E Y L I K E A N D T R U S T

The golden rule “happy associates, happy customers” rings true—especially in the IT services industry. Hiring the right technical and business talent is a success factor no one contests, but many forget that your associates’ soft skills – the personable attributes – are often what make or break a culture and differentiate the customer experience.

After all, MSPs are in the relationship business. Your technical expertise is expected. Your company’s social skills or “emotional IQ” is what can really move the needle. You can always train for technical, but good interpersonal skills come naturally to some and are learned early in life for others.

Look for people with a willingness to do right by the customer and the company. Drafting the right players will make attracting the right customers all the easier.

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S E T G O A L S T H A T Y O U R T E A M B E L I E V E S T H E Y C A N R E A C H

Competition is around every corner and, in order to win, MSPs must set goals higher and get the team’s buy-in early and often. The most successful listen and learn from their customers, their partners, their peers, and their associates.

Set the goals higher

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Being a great MSP is a team sport. Establish an ecosystem built on:

Set goals, not only for sales, but also for the company as well as each department and every individual. Make “the win” important to the person and the profession, and always tie it back to the customer.

Exceptional customer service stems from motivated associates who recognize that the customer is the one who makes their check worth cash. Ensure the team appreciates the customer’s role in the

company’s success and keeps them at the top of organizational chart.

S E T T H E G O A L S H I G H E R

S T R O N G R E L A T I O N S H I P S

E X C E P T I O N A L R E S U L T S

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Celebrate the wins, learn from the losses

F O C U S O N I M P O R T A N T M O M E N T S T O G E T B I G G E R O P P O R T U N I T I E S

When growing an MSP business, it is easy to miss the moment and move on to the next.

Take the time to shine the spotlight on success whenever possible. Even the smallest of wins and simplest of losses can inspire bigger opportunities. The company culture is the foundation on which the customer experience builds.

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Doing both fosters transparency and builds trust, which leads to more discussion and collaborative business decisions. It also works to ensure the team won’t make the same mistake twice and gives

them a forum to establish best practices.

Some MSPs take the practice to the point of documenting the deal – win or loss – as part of a guide so they can share with others in the company. Process is extremely important to the success of an MSP.

A win/loss deal review could uncover a way to save the business or win the account. It could also spark new plays for next time and unearth new business leads.

C E L E B R A T E T H E W I N S , L E A R N F R O M T H E L O S S E S

S T U D I E S S H O WC E L E B R A T I N G T H E

W I N S A N D L E A R N I N G F R O M L O S S E S M A K E

T H E T E A M B E T T E R A N D T H E B U S I N E S S

S T R O N G E R

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F O C U S O N I M P O R T A N T M O M E N T S T O G E T B I G G E R O P P O R T U N I T I E S

Special teams or designated hitters are the norm in professional sports and a best practice within many growing MSPs.

As the saying goes, “the best defense is a great offense.” Owning the entire IT cupboard of every client is the ideal, but maintaining a team that can do it all is a luxury many MSPs can’t afford. The alternative? Alliances.

Hire special teams

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By teaming with a peer, a distributor, or a vendor, MSPs can get to “yes” for their customers and keep the competition out. It’s a simple idea that many MSPs don’t execute to their full advantage.

In order to build the business, MSPs must build the bench. There is no need to hire someone full-time when an expert at bat or specific engineer to deploy is all that’s needed.

Once these players are in place, ensure the team knows what the company is capable of delivering - from consulting to services to solutions. What they don’t know hurts the business and is a disservice to the customer.

H I R E S P E C I A L T E A M S

I D E N T I F Y T H E G A P S

A N D F I N D T H E E X P E R T S N E E D E D

T O F I L L T H E M

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Remember, it’s all about the fans

A S S O C I A T E S A N D C U S T O M E R S S H O U L D B E A N M S P ’ S B I G G E S T F A N B A S E Use the website, the collateral, and the media to share the excitement and success stemming from the relationships and results earned. Don’t hesitate to ask for the endorsement or encourage the promotion of people who are making the business thrive.

Be the best in the business and work to build a customer community that will wear the logo with pride. Know the vision and share in the success.

Remember, raving fans are the biggest and best fans an MSP can create and continue to earn.

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M S P R U N B O O K :

B U S I N E S S -B U I L D I N G

W H I T E P A P E R S :

M S P S A L E S + M A R K E T I N G

D I G I T A L B I N D E R S :

Set a higher standard by taking advantage of and contributing to the collective knowledge and experiences of hundreds of technicians and MSPs throughout the world captured with the SolarWinds MSP Runbook.

Keeping associates and customers happy requires deliberate focus and execution. For well over a decade we’ve been enabling channel partners with the technology and documented business resources to become the world’s leading MSPs.

One of the biggest benefits to working with SolarWinds® MSP is our relentless and growing focus on automation, data intelligence, and process. We want to make your world more actionable and your business more profitable.

Here are just a few of the many resources and technologies available to you:

Our library is full of business-focused whitepapers ranging from marketing and sales best practices to details around how to leverage reports and capitalize on key market trends.

Filled with professional-grade presentations, flysheets, templates, and other tools designed to market and sell specific SolarWinds MSP products and common MSP services, these free resources can be used

on their own or integrated into existing marketing materials, saving you time and money.

H O W W E C A N H E L P

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N - C E N T R A L :

M S P A N Y W H E R E :

M S P M A N A G E R :

The IT channel’s #1 MSP and RMM service automation platform. With N-central® you can automatically detect and onboard customer devices, install antivirus and patches, configure backup, and automate all maintenance without any previous programming experience. Best of all, N-central will automatically generate informative, company branded business and technical reports for you, your team, and your customers.

A SaaS-based platform allowing you to easily and securely beam in and provide your customers IT support and system monitoring and management from any location.

A feature-rich, cloud-based service management software proven to help MSPs support customers and run an effective IT service business without needing a dedicated technician to keep it running.

Say goodbye to expensive PSA tools and hello to MSP Manager.

H O W W E C A N H E L P

About SolarWinds® MSP

SolarWinds MSP empowers MSPs of every size and scale worldwide to create highly efficient and profitable businesses that drive a measurable competitive advantage. Integrated solutions including automation, security, and network and service management—both on-premises and in the cloud, backed by actionable data insights, help MSPs get the job done easier and faster. SolarWinds MSP helps MSPs focus on what matters most—meeting their SLAs and creating a profitable business.

solarwindsmsp.com

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