The Business Solutions Network

Imagine merging your small managed services practice with a larger VAR business and being faced with the prospect of having 45 customers who are used to paying for IT solutions and services only when something breaks. That’s the situation Jason Brunt, CEO of e3 Technical Solutions, found himself in after joining forces with Rick Carpenter, owner of break-fix IT service company Beyond Development, last year.

A successful MSP and VAR merger leads to a projected 100% revenue growth this year.

In a recent blog, I talked about some of the common pitfalls VARs and MSPs run into with PSA (professional service automation) tools. One of the biggest pitfalls identified was “Using 10% of the application.” I recently spoke with Kory Lindersmith and Lonnie Ladwig, cofounders of Dakota Retail Technologies, two guys who can closely identify with this pitfall.

An MSSP’s (managed security services provider’s) ability to quickly assess and implement a PCI-compliant security solution was critical to winning a 4,500-location security implementation with a retailer.

With so many BDR (backup and disaster recovery) solutions to choose from, it’s important that IT service providers understand the key selection and selling points between business- and consumer-grade options.

At its lowest point, this VAR invested in managed services technologies and business process automation and now enjoys year-over-year double-digit growth with monthly recurring revenue.

Following three years of unprecedented growth, this systems integrator’s foresight to become more strategic and increase employee development and customer service proved to be a smart move.

This MSP’s hosted Exchange win with an international engineering firm illustrates how consultative selling evens out the competitive landscape.