Check out this months newsletter!
IT CHANNEL INSIDER July/August 2022 | Volume 10
IT Channel Newsflash! Candid Comments From TMT Boot Camp Sponsors
TMT’s Spokesperson Of The Year Recipient David Javaheri Shares His Winning Recipe For Adding $1,384,486 In Revenue And Almost $1M In Profit In Just One Year! Page 10
Page 3
How To Stand Out In A World Of Fake ‘Experts’
Stephen Spiegel, Founder - Crewhu
Page 6
Crewhu’s EASY Solution That Is Helping MSPs Increase Client AND Employee Retention Page 4
Letter From The Editor
3 IT Channel Newsflash 4 Crewhu’s EASY Solution INSIDE THIS ISSUE 5 Upcoming Channel Events 6 How To Stand Out In A World Of Fake ‘Experts’ 8 Clever Ideas For Booth Display 9 IT Channel Insider – As Seen In MSP Success Magazine 10 TMT’s Spokesperson Of The Year Recipient That Is Helping MSPs Increase Client AND Employee Retention
It blows my mind to think we are halfway through 2022! When our team met in Q4 of 2021 to set our goals for the following year, July 2022 seemed VERY far away. It gives new meaning to the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” While we knew our goals would be challenging to achieve, we were confi - dent we had the right team to do it. When I reflect on how we literally CRUSHED the goals we set in 2022, I remember being extra proud of that accomplishment, even though we had to restart other goals to realign with new obstacles we had faced. None of it would have been possible if we didn’t have the incredible team and culture in our company. In our feature article on Stephen Spiegel, founder of Crewhu, he emphasizes the importance of culture and having the right employees in place who can make a difference in your business. Stephen started out creating his product for his own company. He needed to fix a problem: high turnover. He created a tool to help engage his employees to see where there were issues and how to reward those who were doing a good job. He talks about treating employ - ees right and how doing that creates great things. When you have a stronger culture, your customer service increases and you develop a stronger reputation with not only your clients but also your employees. Once Stephen got into the hands of a few MSPs, he sat down with those customers and listened and learned about their business and how his product could help. He retooled Cre - whu specifically for the MSP market. Big Red Media is dedicated to the success of our clients, but we are also dedi- cated to our team. Without our team, the success would suffer. And everyone has a vital importance to the success of our division.
Tonya Gentry Chief Sales Officer, Big Red Media- A TMT Company
David Javaheri Shares His Winning Recipe For Adding $1,384,486 In Revenue And Almost $1M In Profit In Just One Year!
Stephen Spiegel, Founder Of Crewhu And Gold Sponsor At The Q1 Producers Club Meeting, Captivated A Packed Audience While Presenting On Main Stage
2
Big Red Media | A TMT Company
waiting on new client photo IT CHANNEL
NEWSFLASH
Candid Comments From TMT Boot Camp Sponsors
Boot Camp is an amazing event to really get the word out about any new and upcoming things we're doing. We LOVE sponsoring Boot Camp for so many reasons! For one, you have ample booth time to be able to chat with partners and prospects throughout the week. It’s also the best way to get the word out about any new and upcoming things we're doing. Connection is the No.1 reason we sponsor this event. There is always a huge group
Robins' MSPs are a step above the rest of the industry. The value we get having conversations with people who are really focused on growing their business shows us everything we need to know about how to build our deliverable to help them be successful MSPs, and their commitment to growing their business as opposed to just existing is amazing. That's why we keep coming back to the TMT Boot Camp every year. Make sure you have your ducks in a row before you show up here.
of attendees with a ton of content. There are countless reasons why you should be sponsoring this event. I highly recommend it.
These MSPs are special, so be ready, show up, and expect great results. Ted Roller, CEO — GetChanneled
Nicole Faletra, Director of Channel Events — Pax8
Whenever Robin has a show, the MSPs will come. One of the things I love most about these events is that the vendors have so many opportunities to engage with MSPs throughout the three-day event; it isn't just a very limited amount of time at the booth. We really have opportunities for conversations all day and in the evening, and you really get to build relationships, not just quick casual conversations as people are walking by. The other great thing about Robin's team is that there are lots of different ways to engage. So, it isn't necessarily just sponsoring a show and standing at a booth, which you absolutely should do. But there's a wide variety of other opportunities, whether it's special workshops or different publications you can be a part of beyond just the in-person events. The more you put in, the more you get out, and the more the MSPs get to know you as a vendor and really get to build that relationship
The MSPs you're going to deal with at Boot Camp are all looking for tools that will help them grow. The MSPs we deal with at this event are just so passionate about what they do, and we really love speaking to them. They are extremely engaged and really interested in what we have to offer them. They are also very focused on what
they need to do to make their MSP grow and be successful and interested in becoming the best they can be.
with you. And it makes it a lot easier to have those conversations, bring them on board as a partner, and really move the relationships forward for you.
Nicole LaDue, Account Manager — Blackpoint Cyber
Natasha Boyko, Senior Director, Partner Programs – Nerdio
www.BigRedMedia.com
3
To Learn More About Sponsoring The IT Sales And Marketing Boot Camp, Go To: www.BigRedMedia.com/events
IT Channel Rock Star Crewhu’s EASY Solution That Is Helping MSPs Increase Client AND Employee Retention
In 2015, Stephen Spiegel, founder of Crewhu, didn’t even know what an MSP was. Today, Crewhu is the only employee rec- ognition and customer satisfaction platform built specifically for MSPs. Crewhu increases job satisfaction and rewards your
One of the MSPs submitted Crewhu in Gary Pica’s Best Idea Contest, and it won. After speaking with Pica’s peer groups, Spiegel signed up a couple of dozen new MSP clients. “I got some advice from the MSPs about what events to attend and met a bunch of sponsors,” Spiegel said. “I retooled Crewhu to the MSP market, relaunched in January 2016, and haven’t looked back since.” One company he was directed to was Technology Marketing Toolkit, which he partnered with in 2019.
“I go to all the Technology Marketing Toolkit shows to listen to Robin Robins and let my team man the booth,” Spiegel said. “I like to hear what Robin and other thought leaders have to say about the industry so I understand what's going on in the industry and can pivot with the industry trends.” After hearing Robin’s industry updates, Spiegel realized that for MSPs to be competitive in today's market, their online reputation was extremely important. He created a way for Crewhu clients to collect feedback and ask their advocates for reviews. Also, because a lot of partners use Technology Marketing Toolkit’s MAP division to run their marketing, Crewhu created a partnership and integration with Keap, which he launched at the 2022 Technology Marketing Toolkit Boot Camp. “We use the Keap
employees for a job well done
to create an environment of teamwork and appreci- ation that im- proves retention for both customers and employees.
Hands down, Crewhu has become a key tool here at Vector Choice with our employees as well as our clients. "Since implementing Crewhu’s employee recognition and customer satisfaction plat- form in August 2019, we have been using it consistently for Ticket Surveys and NPS scores with our clients, and our employees use it internally to give Crewhu Bucks to each other for going above and beyond. We also launched their gamification program by connecting it to IT Glue to track how many documents are created/updated, then award Crewhu Bucks to the employee with the most changes per week. "In addition, we have it posted to our Staff Teams channel where every time someone submits a survey or gives Crewhu Bucks internally, it posts for everyone to see. One of the most gratifying features is the op- portunity to share our core values with our clients and how our staff awards each other for meeting or exceeding one or more of our five core values. It has been amazing how Crewhu has become part of the Vector Choice culture." —Will Nobles, Founder/CEO Vector Choice Technology Solutions
Stephen Spiegel started Crewhu after experiencing a high turnover in his Cold Stone Creamery business. “I needed help to engage my employees,”
Spiegel said. “I wanted to see which managers were doing the right things and see which managers needed help. I went to the market looking for a solution and couldn't find one, so we developed one.” What he ended up with is Crewhu, an extremely easy way to capture customer service data and automatically recognize your employees when they do the right thing. When they aren’t delivering the right behavior, Crewhu gives you the data you need to train them to improve those areas. “When you treat the employee right, a lot of great things will happen,” Spiegel said. “That’s where the magic happens. Your culture gets stronger. Your customer service gets better. And you can identify the employees who don’t fit your organization, causing the culture to erode.” While originally created for the franchise and food service industries in mind, he discovered there were a lot of similarities with the MSP industry because of the frontline help and customer interaction techs give. “In 2015, MSPs started to sign up organically,” Spiegel said. “So, I called them up to learn more about their business.”
4
Big Red Media | A TMT Company
integration to send out surveys and create workflows to get more Google reviews, more testimonials, and more referrals to help grow MSP businesses,” Spiegel explained. As the MSP rapidly expands and brings out more competition, Spiegel also realized it’s more difficult to stand out. “Competition is bringing a lot of acquisition into this space,” he said. “Now, MSPs need to compete with larger providers with bigger marketing budgets and more resources.” "A culture of extra- ordinary customer ser- vice will differentiate you from the rest of the pack, not your tech stack." So, how do you compete when you’re a small- to mid- sized MSP? “It’s all about your reputation and what we call your badass raving fans, which will help you differentiate,” Spiegel said. “We recognize and reward the employees for doing things that will help them improve the company’s reputation. A culture of extraordinary customer service will differentiate you from the rest of the pack, not your tech stack. You can have this great tech stack, but all the MSPs around you ultimately have a tech stack that's the same or similar to yours. One thing competitors can't duplicate easily is your culture, your processes, and your team.” Crewhu makes it super easy for customers to give feedback and the MSPs to collect data by integrating with the tools and platforms MSPs use such as Autotask, Connectwise, Kaseya, and Microsoft Teams. Crewhu goes one step further by automatically celebrating the employees who are delivering great service. The MSP can see which employees are delivering the best customer service and coach the ones who need a bit more help to increase that service level. “Recognizing and rewarding employees keeps the team focused on what the company thinks is important,” Spiegel said. “We’ve found that companies with strong cultures far outperform those other companies with weaker cultures, even if those companies with weaker cultures have a better technology stack.” Crewhu is helping MSPs retain employees, too. “This is a tough industry,” Spiegel said. “If you are a tech on the frontline, you’re hearing things are going wrong. It's not fun and you’re getting beat up. With Crewhu, employees get recognized for the work they are doing, and they start to feel appreciated. MSPs tell me this helps save their best techs from leaving.” When it comes to your growth and success, one of the most important things is your team. Make it easy to create a strong culture and recognize your team daily. “Celebrating the small wins is what it’s all about,” Spiegel said. “By doing things consistently, you create change and good habits that build a terrific culture to differentiate yourself.” To find out more, visit Crewhu.com.
Upcoming Channel Events 2 0 2 2
IT Marketing Roadshow
ITMarketingRoadshow.com
Aug. 30-31 · Philadelphia, PA Sept. 07-08 · Chicago, IL Sept. 29-30 · Boston, MA Oct. 06-07 · Orlando, FL Oct. 20-21 · Houston, TX Nov. 02-03 · Las Vegas, NV
Producers Club Meetings Oct. 13-14 · High Point, NC TMTProducersClub.com
ITNation Connect Nov. 09-11 · Orlando, FL ConnectWise.com/theitnation/connect-na
DattoCON
Sept. 11-13 · Washington, D.C.
DattoCON.com
BigBig Conference 2022 Sept. 22-24 · Fort Lauderdale, Florida
TaylorBusinessGroup.com/BigBIG
CompTIA ChannelCon
Aug. 02-04 · Chicago, Illinois Connect.Comptia.org/channelcon
GlueX 2022
Oct. 10-12 · Miami, Florida
Gluex.co
For a complete list of channel events, visit MSPSuccessMagazine.com/channel-events.
www.BigRedMedia.com
5
From the Desk of Robin Robins
How To Stand Out In A World Of Fake ‘Experts’
T he other day, a marketing publication featured an article titled “What To Do If Your Email’s Been Hacked.” These “experts” said that if your day was “disrupted” when you discovered you had infected all of your clients and friends with a virus due to them receiving an email from you, you should “be proactive and send another email to apologize to anyone who might have received a bogus message from you.” They went on to say that “big-dog providers like Google and Yahoo know about it and will get rid of it on their end.” I can sense your underwear tightening up. Another very well-known and in-demand cybersecurity “expert” with a New York Times bestselling book, a TED Talk speaker with additional keynote engagements lined up at $50,000 a pop, and with corporate clients paying BIG bucks for his advice, actually recommended that people turn off their computers at night to cut down on the chance of getting a virus by 50%. He DIDN’T advise them to install a firewall, spam filter, backup, etc. Just turn it off. At night. When the bad guys come out. Fake experts like this abound and screw everything up for legitimate experts offering sound advice. Some of these charlatans are relatively harmless, causing no more damage than separating fools from a little bit of their money. Some, however, are downright dangerous with the advice they dole out, like Kevin Trudeau, author of the book “Natural Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You To Know About,” who is cooling his jets in prison for fraud after telling people there are natural cures for serious illnesses, including cancer and diabetes, that the government is deliberately hiding from the public. Before the Federal Trade Commission got
involved, he made MILLIONS of dollars promoting his various books and information products by infomercial. Another well- known sales trainer, at his peak, was living in squalor, broke, and barely able to make ends meet, but he promoted himself as a wealthy and highly successful sales pro who could get a check out of a rock. Another marketing “guru” I know who frequently posted pictures of his San Diego home overlooking the beach was, in fact, only renting the house … and making nowhere near the money he was portraying to his audience. Another in this industry, serving MSPs, is promoting outrageously fake numbers, claiming he’s generating hundreds of “leads” for his clients, when in truth, the numbers are nowhere near that — he counts hits to his website and clicks in an email as “leads.” Total crap. So, what are you to do about all of this?
For starters, beware the wizards of the world who promote themselves as experts. More specifically, be careful about WANTING to believe what they are peddling is true. One of the reasons a Kevin Trudeau CAN get rich is because a big group of people
6
Big Red Media | A TMT Company
WANT to believe “secrets” are being kept from them by the government, the rich, big corporations, etc. The “Natural Cures” book wasn’t the only one he did; he cut-and-pasted the same “What THEY Don’t Want You To Know” formula for getting out of debt, weight loss, getting rich (free money THEY don’t want you to know about), anti-aging cures, and more. The formula was a tried-and-true one: Create an enemy and convince people it’s NOT THEIR FAULT they are broke, fat, miserable, in debt up to their eyeballs, and unhealthy. They are in the situations they’re in because of “secrets” being kept from them by a privileged few. Sprinkle in a little easy-button porn with a big scoop of
I’ve said it multiple times: IF you ARE the “Bad Date,” don’t send the letter out but make certain you immediately fix your shortcomings. I’ve made sure to NEVER falsify any numbers, testimonials, case studies, or facts provided. YOU SHOULDN’T EITHER. I’ve been brutally transparent, sharing real numbers, real challenges I’ve had in my business, mistakes I’ve made, and honest advice based on what I actually do, not what’s popular or easy. Despite what others may think, we don’t hide negative reviews and comments about us on our own Vendor Directory. This is why I don’t hide from clients asking tough questions about the “why” behind what we do, the results we’ve gotten, and our methodology. I openly admit to an 11% refund rate and routinely talk about the negative of our programs, which is that we aren’t going to come to your office and do it for you. I never hide the fact that the Toolkit is HARD WORK. That most people never get beyond the surface to implement anything and, therefore, get NO RESULTS. That’s not a product flaw, by the way, but a truth about human behavior I cannot change or fix, but it’s one that has to be said. If you have a fraud in your own backyard distracting clients and causing you to lose business, my advice is to pay them no attention. Eventually, all frauds are found out — you just might not know about it because they don’t promote THAT. Focus on delivering excellence and transparent communication and you’ll win out every single time.
curiosity, and voilà, you’ve got a product that will sell like hotcakes. Everyone WANTS to work a four-hour workweek, work out seven minutes a day, eat their way to weight loss, and manage people in a minute or less (see the opening rant). That’s why these programs sell. But if you want real, sustainable results, you must be smarter than that.
Eventually, all frauds are found out — you just might not know about it because they don’t promote THAT.
Second, go to great extremes to be honest and totally transparent in every conversation, every marketing campaign, and every communication to the public with clients and everyone you deal with. A few years ago, I had a very interesting dinner with Mike Rowe, star of “Dirty Jobs,” the night
before he spoke to our audience at Boot Camp. I asked him what he did to garner such a huge fan base. Without hesitating, he said total honesty and transparency were key. So many people are done with being deceived by the news, politicians, big corporations, “reality” TV, and the like that they are HUNGRY for truth. He said people are not just aware of BS, they are LOOKING for it, watching your every move, trying to figure out the hoax, assuming you ARE scamming them, and trying to see a chink in the armor to point to and scream, “Aha!”
Founder And CEO, Technology Marketing Toolkit, Inc.
www.BigRedMedia.com
7
8
Big Red Media | A TMT Company
As Seen In MSP SUCCESS Magazine
As Phishing Evolves, So Does the Need for Prevention Strategies Phishing is, and will continue to be, the cybercriminal’s
How Husband-And-Wife Mechanical Engineers Became One Of New Orleans’ Most Successful IT Services Firms What would make Rene and Michele Miller, co-founders of Ener Systems, LLC, leave their successful careers in the automotive industry as mechanical engineers solving productivity issues with cool, computerized robots to start their own IT business?
favorite mode of attack. The reason is because it’s very simple to dupe even the smartest person with a cunning email designed to wreak havoc on an organization. Approximately 97% of employees across multiple industries cannot recognize a sophisticated phishing email. It creates tremendous risk
“I always knew I couldn’t work for someone long term because I had a knack for speaking my mind,” Rene says. “And one Thanksgiving night, that’s where I found myself.” At the time, Rene was working remotely; he drove 200 miles from Mississippi, back to his home in New Orleans, to spend the holiday
for companies and adds pressure on MSPs to keep them safe. Unfortunately, phishing is here to stay, and the bad guys are only getting better at it. To Read The Full Article, Go To: MSPSuccessMagazine.com/Phishing Understanding The VALUE Of Leads Here’s an interesting “tidbit” that (candidly) surprised me and
with his family. Thanksgiving night, Rene’s boss called and told him that manufacturing hadn’t made its quota, and he would have to return to work the very next morning. To Read The Full Article, Go To: MSPSuccessMagazine.com/ReneMichelle 3 Ways To Get FREE Leads From LinkedIn I have a love/hate relationship
my sales team — 58% of the new customers we brought in last year were not what we consider “sweet spot” prospects. Specifically, they could not be identified as a “sweet spot” prospect initially. We had to retarget them,
with LinkedIn. It has amazing data and targeting options, especially for B2B marketing. But their ad platform, in general, stinks and
use email follow-up and good old-fashioned online investigation and Google search to find out who they were, then append that data and continue to email, mail, and call to follow up to develop their interest and get them to provide more details on who they were (many initially use Gmail or similar when they opt in). There’s a HUGE money lesson in this. To Read The Full Article, Go To: MSPSuccessMagazine.com/ValueOfLeads
tends to be pretty expensive. But … they have things like message ads and conversation ads, which are really cool and work surprisingly well. All this baggage, though, is probably a conversation that’s better left between my marketing therapist and me. Today, I’m going to show you three ways to get FREE business from LinkedIn. To Read The Full Article, Go To: MSPSuccessMagazine.com/FreeLeads
www.BigRedMedia.com
9
TMT's Spokesperson Of The Year Recipient Shares His Winning Recipe For Adding $1,384,486 In Revenue And Almost $1M In Profit In Just One Year! David Javaheri
David Javaheri, CEO - Direct IT
F rom 2010 to 2019, David Javaheri did everything he could think of to break $2 million. But for almost an entire decade, he was stuck at that revenue. Once he discovered Robin Robins and began brainstorming with five of Robin’s Better Your Best Winners each week, his mindset changed. David spent the first month of 2020 preparing for a bombardment of marketing. He hired several new employees, including an admin, a marketing manager, an inside salesperson, and three appointment setters. Next, he bought 14,000 contacts, implemented Turbo Dial, and purchased a CRM tool. Most importantly, he immediately delegated 90% of his managerial responsibilities on the tech side and joined his sales department full time. After adding 40 new clients, $150K in new monthly recurring revenue, and $969K in profits in just one year to win Technology Marketing Toolkit’s Better Your Best competition, David realized ANYONE can duplicate these results. Simply follow his nine- ingredient recipe for success:
Ingredient 6: Create a list for your target market. These become the prospects where you send your marketing.
Ingredient 7: Hire a telemarketer who will make at least 100 calls a day.
Ingredient 8: Establish yourself as your company’s salesperson.
Ingredient 9: Utilize social media conduits. Never forget that the first and most important ingredient is TIME. Without this single ingredient, the end result is failure. David began to devote serious time to improving every aspect of his business. That’s how his team mailed out over 60,000 letters and postcards last year. That’s how his team made over 60,000 follow-up phone calls. And that’s how he stood on stage with five Better Your Best Finalists and was chosen as Technology Marketing Toolkit’s Spokesperson of the Year and rode off in a new Aston Martin!
Ingredient 1: Devote serious time to your business without delegating.
Ingredient 2: Hire an appointment setter, get a CRM solution, start doing marketing, etc.
Ingredient 3: Surround yourself with peers who will hold you accountable while providing the ideas, strategies, and resources to achieve success.
Ingredient 4: Use a top-notch CRM tool, preferably one that tracks and automates your marketing.
Better Your Best Winner And TMT's New Spokesperson Of The Year, David Javaheri, Ready To Sit In The Driver's Seat Of His Brand-New Aston Martin!
Ingredient 5: Find a resource to help fast-track your CRM implementation.
10
Big Red Media | A TMT Company
Highlights From A Few IT Channel Giants Presentations During CYBER DEMO DAY!
John Deninno, Manager, Sales Engineering Managed XDR, Barracuda
Brett Jaffe, VP Revenue, audIT
Jeffrey Wheat, Field CTO, Lumu
Shane Cooper, Manager, Channel Sales at Webroot
is
CEOs
Chris Keith, VP Sales and Marketing, Zorus
www.BigRedMedia.com
11
MORE Than Just Great Events!
You Probably Aren’t Using Big Red Media To Your FULL Advantage! Here's What You Might Be Missing...
Over 16,000 highly qualified leads generated for vendors by Big Red Media through non-events in the past 12 months. 1. Qualified Lead Generation MSP Lead Generation As A Service
2. Partner Enablement Big Red Virtual
3. Brand Awareness
High Traffic Branding Opportunities
From engaging webinars to full-day virtual events, the Big Red Virtual platform gives your attendees a best-in-class experience.
MSP Success Magazine Member Dashboard Guest blog posts Weekly e-newsletter And MUCH more!
Partners@BigRedMedia.com To Gain Access To The Most Market-Driven IT Services CEOs, Email Us At
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator