Thursday, August 27, 2020

Next Roundtable: The Power of Asking the Right Questions

Over at the Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community, we have a special get-together we call the SBT Roundtable. In September, our topic will be: The Power of Asking the Right Questions. This is a members-only event.

Our guests are two genius-level life coaches: Debbie Leoni and Jenifer Novak Landers. They are recognized as a couple of the elite life coaches in the U.S. But wait - that's not all. They are both entrepreneurs and published authors. 

Here's the twist: This discussion is NOT about life coaching. I want to talk to these women about their super power - asking the right questions. A lot of the training life coaches focuses on finding the right questions. Questions help us get to the root of issues. But they can also be used to encourage people to look at problems from a different perspective.

Our goal, of course, is to bring a unique perspective to your business. Sometimes, you need to just stop working-working-working and think about your business. Please register now and join us . . .


September 23rd

9:00 AM Pacific / Noon Eastern

Members will find the link inside the community here.


About Debbie Leoni

"Fearless"

PCC, Master Coach, Speaker and Author

As an entrepreneur and dreamer, Debbie Leoni has always been influenced and intrigued by the human psyche and what it takes to succeed. Debbie’s passion for success led her to become a small business owner in her early 30’s and since then she’s become an international coach and speaker, assisting hundreds of small business owners. Debbie supports her clients to unleash their power by recalibrating their mindset towards high performance and an enhanced ability to accelerate personal growth resulting in success.

Links:

www.debbieleoni.com 

www.facebook.com/beingfearlesscoaching


About Jenifer Novak Landers


"Fully Expressed" 

Coach and Publisher

Jenifer is a professional coach specializing in entrepreneur coaching and the creative process. She is certified through JFK University and established her business, Fully Expressed Potential in 2005 to help professionals with business and personal growth.  As a speaker and workshop leader, she brings 20 years’ experience as a business owner to inspire a thriving entrepreneur lifestyle. Jenifer is the author of Fully Expressed Living, The Guided Meditation Coloring Book. As an award-winning illustrator for children’s books, Jenifer established a publishing company to support authors to realize their dreams. 

Visit her websites:  

www.fullyexpressedpotential.com

www.fullyinspiredpublishing.com   


-- -- --

Previous SMB Roundtables:

- John Armato - Creativity and Finding Your Authentic Voice

https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/member_content/sbt-roundtable-creativity-and-finding-your-authentic-voice

(Members only)


- Ryan Morris and Manuel Palachuk - Agile Methodology in IT Service Delivery

https://www.smallbizthoughts.org/member_content/sbt-roundtable-agile-methodology-in-it-consulting

(Members only)


:-)


Friday, August 21, 2020

Have You Seen My Blog Roll Recently?

 One of the odd things about modern technology is that many people don't read my blog on my blog. Huh?

Well, blogs have become a bit like podcasts. You put up an RSS feed (such as http://feeds2.feedburner.com/SmallBizThoughtsByKarlPalachuk) and anyone can re-broadcast your blog in real time as it happens. 

So, some people read my blog on the ChannelPro Network site. Some on Blogorama. And so forth. An RSS feed is, after all, really simple syndication. And that means it's also really easy for me to create a list of my favorite blogs.

If you want to read the things I try to keep up on, a good place to start is my Blog Roll. First, go to my actual blog - https://blog.smallbizthoughts.com. On the right side, you'll see my blog roll. Here's a picture from yesterday.

I change this from time to time, but it's pretty consistent. I had some blogs listed here for years, but they slowly evolved. 

If a blog goes silent for a few months, I put it on the watch list (or maybe the don't-watch list). Eventually, I feel obligated to remove blogs that are no longer active.

Note: If you have suggestions, I am happy to consider adding your favorite blog to this list (even if it's yours). Just note that those who disappear will disappear. 


So, who's on the list?

Well, some folks are active more than once a day. 

On the top of that list is ChannelE2E. My old friend Joe Panettieri does a pretty good job of writing something every day. Yes, a lot of is is rah-rah stuff for whoever bought advertising. But that's the game. There's a lot of good news there as well.

Of course I cover my own stuff, including the SBT Technology Community, the SMB Community Podcast, The Killing IT Podcast, and my Relax Focus Succeed blog.

Hey, it's my list, right? :-)

Other great news, commentary, and information sites include Jay McBain's Forrester blog, the ChannelPro Network blog, and Richard Tubb's Tubblog.

Note: Good vendor blogs are included when appropriate. If you have a vendor blog you can't live without, I'm happy to consider it. Let me know. A link is always appreciated.

Another category is thought-leader stuff. On one hand, this includes technical information. Net Sciences, Robert Crane, and Amy Babinchak are on the top of that list. One the other hand is business related info. Killing IT, Erick Simpson, and Manuel Palachuk top that list.

The intention here is literally to give you a starting place when you don't know where to start. If you were getting in this business today, I think you would do well to read each blog on this list. I do.


Not on the list.

Two kinds of blogs have been removed over the years. I think Susan Bradley's was listed here for more than ten years. But she started blogging on another site, more commercial in nature. And, to be honest, my primary focus is on the business side, not the tech side. So we eventually dropped it.

Other, similar contributors have moved outside my primary focus.

Saddest of all, I would say, is Microsoft. We used to list the SBS blog. But, of course, that product died in the last recession. The Exchange blog was awesome for a long time. Eventually, even Microsoft stopped posting to that blog. And when the Windows Server blog went fives months without a post, we dropped it.

One reason I blog: So I don't have to drop myself from the list. :-)


-- -- --

Note to vendors: If you want to buy yourself onto this list, pick a number with five zeros after it and send me an email.

:-)


Thursday, August 20, 2020

Survey Results: Designing Conferences So Women Feel Welcome

 I just finished reading a report from Ensono entitled

Speak Up 2020

Redesigning tech Conferences with Women in Mind

See https://www.ensono.com/resources/speak-2020-redesigning-tech-conferences-women-mind.


The report, released two days ago, is based on two primary collections of data: An audit of eighteen major tech conferences from around the world (See the list Here), including a review of speaker data for three years; and a survey of five hundred women from the U.S. and U.K. who attended a tech conference in the previous twelve months. In all, the conferences surveyed had a total of more than one million attendees.

Note: These data were compiled before the pandemic, and before most in-person conferences were shut down for 2020. 

-- -- --

A handful of key findings stand out. I would be very interested in hearing responses from women in the SMB IT community about their experiences. Put comments below - or on your own blog, and point me there.

The big points where conferences are getting things wrong, according to the report, are:

  • Discrimination - both on the basis of sex and race. 62% of female keynote speakers said they have experienced discrimination at tech conferences. 

  • Facilities - for speakers. Speaking environments are often set up for men "by default." For for example, tall bar stools on the stage are not a good choice for women in skirts. Microphones that pin to a man's blazer may not work well on a dress. 

  • Facilities - for attendees. A lack of mothers' rooms and even restrooms can make it more challenging for some women to attend.


These things - and others - can make women feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. One thing that can go a long way to helping "next year" is to include questions in the conference evaluations regarding experiences about discrimination, harassment, and facilities.

It's obviously good that more women are on stage at presenters and panelists, but we also need to make sure the female attendees have a good experience and will come back to the conference in the future. And, we have to acknowledge that we're all in this together. If someone feels uncomfortable and unwelcome at one, or two, or three conferences, they may choose to just stop going to conferences. That's not good for our industry.

The report had some good suggestions for conference organizers, and for companies sending women to these events. One obvious tip is to complete the feedback loop. Companies can ask attendees about the conference, and pass that feedback on to the conference organizers. 

As a checklist nerd, I wrote a big comment in the margin: A checklist would be good.

I have worked with many conferences and conference organizers. It is my impression that women are very well represented among the conference organizers. In addition to picking the facilities, they have great input on the furniture that's used, the AV equipment, and other facilities.

Some improvements need (eventually) to come from the facility managers. Clearly, the conference organizers could do much to publish rules of conduct and make it easy to report problems. 

I sat on the CompTIA executive committee for Advancing Women in IT last year, and I sit on the EC for Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity this year. So, I've had a lot of conversations about this topic over the last few years. 

Our industry has a great imbalance that needs to be addressed. As events get smaller, the percentage of female attendees decreases significantly. In many ways, this reflects the participation of women in our industry nationally and globally.

If we want to improve the balance, one big step is to make women feel welcome and comfortable at our events. And this includes making gender enough of a "non-issue" that the big take-away is about education and getting value from the event. 

And on a personal note, I would add that this is not a "women's" problem. This is an industry issue. It won't be solved with women talking to each other about what's wrong. Everyone needs to be in the conversation, including the men who attend the conferences.

-- -- --

Thanks to Ensono for doing this research and publishing the results. As always, I welcome your feedback.

:-)


Saturday, August 15, 2020

SBT Roundtable: Creativity and Finding Your Authentic Voice

Let’s have another SBT Roundtable! A great chance to work ON your business, and think about things from a different perspective.


August 19th – 9 AM Pacific

Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community Members:

Find out more and register here.

This is a 100% members-only event!


-- -- -- 


This SBT Roundtable features John Armato, Senior Partner and Creative Strategist, FleishmanHillard public relations and marketing agency. John will talk to us about Creativity and Finding Your Authentic Voice.

One of his most popular sessions for corporate executives is what he calls the North Star Narrative – a series of exercises design to help companies their mission, and how to communicate it to their clients and the rest of the world.

As you can imagine, most of the last six months has been around appropriate messaging and marketing during the global pandemic and subsequent recession. We’ll be talking about creativity in your company branding and answering all your questions.

The format is very informal. There are no slides, no presentations, and no “canned” material you can find somewhere else. We pick a topic that we think you should know about, and then proceed to explore how this applies to your business today.

About John Armato

Senior Vice President and Senior Partner

Creative Strategist

FleishmanHillard Sacramento


With a career spanning nearly 200 clients, John Armato is known as a creative thinker, insightful facilitator, and trusted advisor.

He started his career as a freelance writer and graphic designer before becoming Director of Community Relations at Avila University in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1996 he joined FleishmanHillard, where his clients have ranged from the University of Oregon to the country of Egypt, and have included Amazon, Fitbit, Gallo Winery, Hallmark, H&R Block, P&G, and Subway.

After eight years in Kansas City, John joined FleishmanHillard’s New York office as co-chair of the firm’s global Brand Marketing practice and led the development of a point of view on succeeding in today’s marketplace. The resulting “Marketplace Mandates” have appeared in an American Brands Council’s book and on Forbes.com. Now based in Sacramento, John primarily serves as a special projects writer and facilitator of workshops and brainstorms designed to generate ideas and brand insights, identify reputational vulnerabilities and opportunities, and develop strategic plans and organizational narratives.

John has conducted hundreds of media trainings for spokespeople ranging from Olympic athletes, farmers, and artists to physicians, lawyers, and corporate executives, and for interviews ranging from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to local newspapers. As a “go-to” writer for unique and demanding projects, John has worked in nearly every form, writing press materials and ads, brand manifestos, organizational narratives, digital content, white papers, style guides, corporate histories, magazine articles, essays, and even song lyrics and a coloring book. He was the first “outsider” in Hallmark’s history to write its corporate brochure. He has ghost-written keynote speeches and provided presentation coaching for executives with the American Marketing Association, Dunkin’ Brands, GoPro, and others.

John presents frequently on creativity and communications and is a popular keynote speaker for clients, colleges and conferences. He has entertained and inspired audiences of entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, association members and Fortune 500 professionals in venues ranging from showrooms in Vegas and boardrooms in Manhattan to castles in Paris and cruise ships at sea, earning a reputation as “one of the most accomplished presenters in his field.”

With nearly 35 years in communications and a lifetime of creative pursuits, John brings an eclectic perspective to his work, which has been recognized with dozens of awards. He earned part of his college tuition performing as a magician and has been a jazz drummer his entire adult life, playing clubs and concerts from New York City to Napa Valley. Alongside noted writers and thinkers such as Patti Smith, David McCullough, and Tom Kelley, John is a contributor to a book of essays titled “Holding Dear” published by Levenger Press in 2013.

-- -- -- 

Small Biz Thoughts Technology Community Members:

Find out more and register here.

:-)

Friday, August 14, 2020

XChange 2020 Virtual Event August 20th

I got a note from my friends over at XChange about their new XChange+ event for 2020. It's next week. Online, of course, and free.

Please Register Now 



As them mention on the Channel Company blog:

The Channel Company is debuting a “reimagined” event model for solution providers with its XChange+ conference next week, which will include in-person events around the U.S. followed by a day of virtual sessions.

XChange+ 2020 will kick off with 11 regional events across the country, attended by 12 to 15 solution provider professionals at each. The limited attendance is part of protecting the health and safety of all participants and is just one of the many precautions being taken, according to executives at The Channel Company, which is the parent company of CRN.

The regional events are set for Aug. 18 and 19, with a virtual experience to follow on Aug. 20 that’s free for solution providers.

The Channel Company normally holds its in-person XChange conference in August. But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, “we needed to reimagine our events business,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company.


Here are a few highlights:

Keynote: 

The Silent Language Of Leaders

Linda Clemons, CEO, Sisterpreneur & Body Language Expert


Perspectives: The Five Stages Of Recovery—An Insider’s View Of Today’s IT Buyer

Joseph Pucciarelli, Group VP and IT Executive Advisor, IDC  Mary Wyderski, CIO, Network Services Company  Brad Schneider, Director of IT, Employer Advantage


Reimagined, Adapting To An Uncertain Future 

Justin Gilbert, Senior Director of Channel Marketing, Zix


Keynote: 

Time Utilization: Time, Money, Energy--The Power Of Your Resources, Michele Thornton Ghee, Media Mogul, Entrepreneur, Author & People Champion


Closing Keynote: 

Peer Perspectives, Robert DeMarzo, SVP, Event Content and Strategy, The Channel Company  

Luis Alvarez, President & CEO, Alvarez Technology Group, Inc.  

Dawn Sizer, CEO, 3rd Element Consulting  

George Pashardis, RVP Sales, ePlus Technology, Inc


:-)

Thursday, August 13, 2020

"Diversity" Isn't Just for the Enterprise!

Join the CompTIA Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity!




I am very pleased to serve on the CompTIA Executive Council for Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity. The goal of this organization is to find ways to increase diversity in the IT community, and a big part of that is through education. To those ends, we have a number of resources to help you grow your tech business by leveraging diversity. 

Join CompTIA’s Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity Community to access our resources and network with like-minded professionals. Click here: https://bit.ly/3fbwK4L

We also have a LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3709918/ - Join us there!

The primary community page is here: https://www.comptia.org/membership/communities-and-councils/advancing-tech-talent-and-diversity-community


Get Involved

Join this collaborative group as we work together to develop an inclusive workforce culture capable of filling the pipeline for today’s and tomorrow’s technology careers.

The community offers our members and organizations in the business of technology a competitive advantage by equipping the 21st century workforce with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the tech industry and providing employers with proven diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies for business growth and culture transformation.

If you're already a CompTIA member, all you have to do is click the "join" button to become part of this Community. If you're not a member, I encourage you to join us. 


Now, about Diversity . . .

Many small businesses ignore the issue of diversity. After all, it's a "big" issue and we only have a few employees. What can we do? Here's the key question we try to address: "Where do I start?” Well, we've got a guide for that!

More and more, research shows that diversity increases profit for businesses of all sizes. So, it's worth keeping in mind. You can enjoy the same benefits as larger companies, provided that you truly commit to your plan.

Among the resources you'll find on our site is the Guide to Hiring in Information Technology. This is a great place to start figuring out how to encourage diverse applicants. With more than half a million IT jobs open in just the U.S. at any point in the year, the tech industry struggles to find enough skilled workers for its open positions. 

More often than not, tech companies simple hire talent away from each other. We encourage you to also consider looking for new talent to bring into the industry. In the "2020 Recession," we may have some temporary relief finding good talent to hire. But that won't last long. No matter what the economy is doing, you can always find new talent among those who are not yet inside the community.

In the big picture, we're trying to broaden the conversation and get more people considering more diverse hiring practices. It literally begins by discussing it. 

Join the discussion today. You can start by simply taking a pledge to consider diversity in hiring. More information here: https://bit.ly/3fbwK4L

:-)


Wednesday, August 12, 2020

The ASCII Group Announces ‘MSP Connect Live’ Virtual Events this Fall

Got this note from my friends over as The ASCII Group . . . 

-- -- -- 


The ASCII Group Announces ‘MSP Connect Live’ Virtual Events this Fall


Bethesda, Maryland – August 12, 2020 – The ASCII Group, a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, MSSPs, VARs and solution providers, will host a series of two-day virtual business building events. MSP Connect Live will provide Managed Service Providers with interactive sessions to learn best practices, network with fellow IT business owners, find new revenue streams, and stay current with industry trends. The virtual event series will replace the live ASCII IT Success Summits previously scheduled for 2020.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The ASCII Group has shifted its IT Success Summits from an in-person event to a full online platform. This real-time, dynamic virtual learning event will take place this fall, covering 6 regional areas including NY/NJ, New England, Southeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southwest. 

“ASCII has been bringing the channel together for over 20 years via our Success Summits, and while we would love to meet in person, we consider the safety of our participants a priority,” said Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group. “MSP Connect Live will offer a new opportunity for our community to learn from each while enlisting prominent industry and nationally recognized speakers in discussing technology and service opportunities for the SMB market.”

MSP Connect Live includes:

- 10+ sessions including MSP peer education and industry speakers

- Organized table networking activities in small groups

- Virtual exhibit hall and vendor partner booths

- Downloadable content

- Prizes and giveaways to attendees

MSP Connect Live will also feature two prominent keynote speakers as an additional bonus to event attendees. Frank Abagnale’s transformation from one of the world’s most notorious con men to an international cybersecurity expert trusted by the FBI has been mythologized in film and literature. Audiences will learn how he became a hero to hundreds of public and private sector organizations for his indispensable counsel on safeguarding and combating cyber-fraud. Roger Dooley is a popular Forbes contributor. He will discuss how friction is a multi-trillion-dollar problem and how to spot it, eliminate it, and use it to your advantage.

“I LOVED the platform and the ability to network so easily with other attendees, table mates and vendors. The ASCII event was the first event I’ve attended where I actually felt like I was back in the community connecting with people, instead of just being talked at,” said Kim Nielsen, Founder & CEO, Computer Technologies, Inc. and member of The ASCII Group since 1999.

MSP Connect Live is designed for Managed Service Providers and is targeted towards those looking to increase revenue and enhance their current business model. 

MSPs and solution providers interested in attending the events can visit www.mspconnectlive.com. For more information, follow ASCII on Twitter @asciigroup and #MSPCONNECTLIVE.


About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, MSSPs, VARs and solution providers. The Group has over 1,300 members located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and membership encompasses everyone from credentialed MSPs serving the SMB community to multi-location solution providers with a national and international reach. Founded in 1984, ASCII provides services to members including leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, marketing assistance, extensive peer interaction and more.  ASCII works with a vibrant ecosystem of leading and major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com. 


-30-


:-)


Tuesday, August 04, 2020

New Class! The Absolutely Unbreakable Rules of Service Delivery - Starts August 11th

The Absolutely Unbreakable Rules of Service Delivery

Taught by Karl W. Palachuk

New Offering:

The Absolutely Unbreakable Rules of Service Delivery
- Five Tuesdays - August 11th - September 8th

- All classes start a 9:00 AM Pacific

- Includes the brand new book The Absolutely Unbreakable Rules of Service Delivery in PDF format


This course covers the most important "rules" you need to follow to create a massively successful IT Consulting business. Based on Karl's 20+ years experience running successful businesses - and helping others do the same.

How can you guarantee that your company delivers great service, has a great culture, and still manages to stay profitable? You need to follow certain “Unbreakable Rules” for success. Best-selling business author and coach Karl W. Palachuk draws on more than twenty years of owning and running service-based businesses to present the rules his companies live by.

These rules will help you align your personal and professional goals while creating “standard operating procedures” to automate successful habits. Notice that “The customer is always right” is not on the list. Why? Because everyone knows that’s not true. Customers are frequently wrong, or would make bad decisions if we didn’t help them to make good decisions.



Palachuk doesn’t waste your time giving lip service to worn out platitudes. Instead, this book is focused on building a great, successful business in the 21st Century. And since the rules are absolutely unbreakable, they will stand the test of time and the changing business environment.

In addition to his unbreakable rules, Palachuk gives advice on identifying your own unbreakable rules. Branding, he says, is everything you do in your company: The way you hire, the way you greet customers, the way you document processes, the way you invoice, how you handle difficult conversations, and much more. Your business is a reflection of your beliefs and values. It should be built with intention, not something that “just happened.”

Some of these rules help you make money. Some of them keep your work standards high. Some build culture. All of them help your employees and client to understand the culture that embedded in your brand. This book will help you identify and codify the core elements of your success. It will also help you build the definitive list of absolutely unbreakable rules that will guide your business going forward.

You will learn

General Rules:
• Prioritize Everything
• Do not be interrupt-driven
• Slow down, get more done
• Know what you know
• The competition is irrelevant
• We only work with people we like

Rules for Client Management
• Define your ideal client - and go get them
• Don't have both sides of the conversation
• You’re not responsible for every lost dog that shows up on your doorstep
• We can't care more about the client's business than they do
• Every client is on a service agreement
• Evaluate your pricing once a year

Rules for Managing Employees
• Hire an administrative assistant!
• Have a formal, detailed hiring process
• Hire Slow; Fire Fast
• Culture is built from the top down
• You can't control people, but you can control your processes

Rules for Billing and Finance
• Control billing and cash flow
• Get prepaid for everything you can
• All after-hours labor is billable
• It is not our responsibility to save the client’s money
• You don’t need to pick up every nickel you find
• If a client has a past-due balance, their service is cut off

Rules for Service Tickets
• Track ALL time inside your business
• All work is done on a service ticket
• Every ticket is massaged every time it’s touched
• Every job has a scope
• Document absolute everything

. . . and MORE!

-- -- -- 

Delivered by Karl W. Palachuk, blogger and author of the very popular "SOP Friday" posts at http://blog.smallbizthoughts.com.

Includes five weeks of webinars with related handouts, assignments, and "office hours" with the instructor. All classes are recorded for download.

This course is intended for business owners and managers. It is particularly useful for the Service Manager or Operations Manager.

Only $299
Register Now

A Few Details . . .

  • Each course will be five one-hour webinars
  • There will be handouts and "homework" assignments
  • If you wish to receive feedback on your assignments, there will be instructor office hours
  • Class webinars will be recorded and made available to paid attendees only
  • All calls start at 9:00 AM Pacific Time
:-)

Monday, August 03, 2020

Marketing with Paul . . . A great, different perspective

This is a different kind of blog post for me. I create podcasts at SMBCommunityPodcast.com and at KillingIT.smallbizthoughts.com, as well at blogs on those sites and another at RelaxFocusSucceed.com. I only mention all that to make this point: I almost never write on one platform about what I'm doing on the other platforms. If you think about it, the whole network of connections is complicated enough! I *do* list all my activities in my weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to with the "Newsletter" link in the menu above.

Paul Green
So, this is a different kind of post. Here's why.

I interviewed Paul Green over on the SMB Community Podcast last week. Check that out.

It really struck me that Paul has a different perspective on several things. First, right up front, he mentions how amazing the Managed Services business model is. Think about it:

- We have massive recurring revenue
and
- We keep clients for ten, fifteen, or twenty years

Stop and think about that. It's really amazing, and very rare among any industries. 

BUT, he says, this makes MSPs lazy at marketing! After all, if you don't market today, or this week, you won't feel much pain. If you're in the break/fix world, you have to hustle all the time or there won't be any revenue next week. As an MSP, you business will eventually go down hill, but there's nothing "immediate" about it.

Obviously, it's better all around if you DO market.

Furthermore, Paul says, you don't have to be better at marketing that everyone in your area. You only have to be better than the two or three (or one) other companies that are paying attention to marketing right now.

All of that territory is covered in the first four minutes of the podcast!

Please do yourself a favor and go listen to that podcast. It will definitely be a good use of your time. Listen to the SMB Community Podcast Now.

You may also be interested in Paul's book: Updating Servers Doesn't Grow Your Business. You can find that for free on his web site:


I put in my email and got the PDF right away.

. . . 

Feedback welcome.

:-)

Saturday, August 01, 2020

New Webinar: A Deep Dive into Strategic Bundling!

Last week, I presented The Value of Strategic Bundling along with Justin Gilbert from Zix | AppRiver. That was part one of a two-part series.



The New Webinar is: A Deep Dive into Strategic Bundling!


August 13th, 2020 
8 AM Pacific / 10 AM Central / 11 AM Eastern


-- -- --

Creating Bundles - Part Two: Deep Dive


By now, you know that bundles are magic. Last time, we talked about bundles generally, and how a good bundle will help you make a lot more sales. 

In this webinar, I walk through the key elements of building bundles that sell. This includes selecting core services, addressing client needs, and maximizing profit. Building bundles is a lot more complicated than simply adding a name to the services you’ve always sold. 

In the era of ransomware and compliance, your bundles need to address the core challenges of your clients as well as your business. 

We'll look at (among other things):

- Where do you start?

- Building the Core Bundle - for all clients

- Building the "Platinum" Bundle

- Adding Security or Vertical-Specific Bundles

- How to present your bundles so they are 100% customer focused

I've written many books for IT service providers, and several of them discuss the bundles we've created over the years. Now I'm teaming up with Zix / AppRiver to present this concept in a webinar and answer your questions live.

Join Join Justin Gilbert (Sr. Director Channel Marketing, Zix | AppRiver) and me for this deep dive into the do’s and don’ts of building bundles to meet the modern challenges of IT consulting.


-- -- -- 





Free, of course.


-- -- -- 


Webinar One was: The Value of Strategic Bundling

The recording for that webinar is here:

and the slides in PDF format are here:


:-)