Latest Articles

81. Expand Your IT Business On A Tight Budget. Here's How.
    9/17/2012

    Last week I was at ScanSource's annual partner conference. As opposed to previous years when the value-added distributor had separate events for each of its different business units, this year marked the company's 20th anniversary, calling for an "all divisions" celebration and educational event.

82. The Surprising Truth About Your Customers' Big Data Plans
    9/14/2012

    If there's been one trend that's really come on strong over the past month, it's been big data. At last month's CompTIA Breakaway event, it was one of the four big trends talked about, and more recently at ScanSource's partner conference, which I attended this week, it was also one of the main topics talked about. As trade publications and the blogsphere continue to explode with big data coverage, be sure you don't make the mistake of confusing coverage repetition with immediate sales opportunities. Like a good sales lead, you'll need to nurture this opportunity for a while before you see any payoff. Here are some revealing facts I learned yesterday on this topic,which came from two online surveys CompTIA conducted in July of this year. Check out my three-minute video to learn about the surprising truth about your customers' big data plans.

83. 4 Technology Trends Smart VARs Are Cashing In On
    9/11/2012

    I recently attended ScanSource’s Partner conference in Greenville, SC. The value-added distributor celebrated its 20th anniversary. During the morning keynote session, Mike Baur, CEO, identified and Greg Dixon, CTO, expanded on four trends that are disrupting the IT channel:

84. Does Your POS Line Card Pass This Test?
    9/10/2012

    If you're struggling to remain relevant in today's changing world of retail IT, it's probably time to take a look at the lineup of solutions you're offering. No longer is it adequate to simply sell a POS hardware bundle. Based on conversations I've had with successful profitable VARs and industry experts whose opinions I trust, here are the offerings that tomorrow's successful retail IT VAR provides. In no particular order:

85. Shorten Your Hardware And Software Evaluation Processes Once And For All
    9/7/2012

    Every year Business Solutions conducts a survey soliciting feedback from our readers on the topics they like reading about in our publication -- as well as the topics they don't like. This year's survey led to some surprising revelations, which are playing a key role in our 2013 editorial planning, which is already well underway. One thing you won't see as much of next year in the magazine are industry perspectives, which are basically a one-page trend analysis from one company. The feedback we received indicated you find more value when three or four vendors are weighing in on a topic compared with hearing from just one vendor. One new type of editorial that will be taking its place, however is [insert drum roll here] product reviews. Yes, you heard right.

86. 8 Killer Resources For Your Managed Services Practice
    9/6/2012

    I've been doing a lot of blogging lately on the benefits and challenges of selling managed services. A lot of what I share comes from talking with managed services providers and getting their insights about what works and what doesn't. You can learn from their successes as well as their mistakes. Just in case you missed some of these posts, here's a roundup of the most recent 8:

87. Is Your Hybrid Managed Services Business Model Aggravating Your Customers?
    9/5/2012

    As I've been talking with networking, storage, and managed services vendors and MSPs about trends they're seeing in the channel and getting feedback on Business Solutions' editorial coverage plans for 2013, I've noticed a common theme emerging to my question: "What are the top challenges MSPs are wrestling with?" Everyone I've spoken with is talking about the hybrid business model that's resulting from break-fix companies trying to make the transition to a recurring revenue business model.

88. 4 Managed Services Mistakes You Can't Afford To Make
    9/4/2012

    One of the biggest challenges managed services providers face is coming up with the right pricing for their services. We've talked about the pitfalls of underselling your managed services (see "Do You Make This Common MSP Sales Mistake?"), but during my recent conversation with Bob Lawson, product director at GFI Software, he shared some additional mistakes -- 4 to be specific -- that any MSP would be wise to avoid. Here they are: 

89. How A $20 Million MSP Redefined "Total Solutions Provider"
    8/31/2012

    In today's video blog, I share the key takeways from my recent interview with Jim Steinlage, president of IT solutions provider and MSP Choice Solutions.

90. Who Else Wants A $750,000 Sale?
    8/30/2012

    If you're a VAR focused on retail IT solutions, you should be including IP cameras in your product set. If you're not, you're missing a huge opportunity.