ChannelTrends: A Thankful Community

Thanksgiving serves as a great reminder of all the things we should be grateful for in our personal and professional lives, and it’s especially true in the IT field. Some of the world’s greatest minds contribute their knowledge and energy to our industry, creating the products and services that solution providers can combine with their own ingenuity to support a variety of business clients.

The IT channel is a collaborative community, requiring a number of people, processes and passion to accomplish the collective goals of MSPs, VARs, consultants, vendors, distributors and related professionals. A number of individuals and organizations fill multiple roles in that ecosystem, but all work for a common goal—creating better systems and processes for businesses of all sizes. While revenue is a key part of the equation, when technology companies meet their primary objective, the other part comes easier.

Of course, long-term success requires each company to develop a solid business plan, and then to execute it. There are no shortcuts to profitability, but solution providers can be thankful that others are willing to share best practices and tales of caution to help them succeed. In general, the channel is a sharing community, with a number of ways to foster discussion and provide education.

Industry Education

It’s not luck that creates the industry-specific educational resources that are available in the IT channel, but the hard work of hundreds (if not thousands) of highly-qualified professionals who give their time to develop them. From vendor and distributor programs to classes from CompTIA and other organizations, each quality training session requires a significant amount of effort—before it’s even conducted! Many of these resources are offered to members or channel partners at no cost or as part of their annual dues, allowing solution providers to use the capital for business expansion or to improve their profitability.

While other industries offer training and education, few have to balance the complexities that exist in the IT channel. The advanced technologies offered by each company means that their employees must go through extensive and continual training to maintain their proficiencies. The skill set requirements often change as quickly as the applications and equipment they sell and support, so finding employees with the right certifications (and keeping them current) can be a challenge.

In addition to the technology, the business operations of a channel organization often benefit from the availability of extensive educational and training resources. In general, the owners and founders of solution provider businesses s are primarily tech guys, not accountants or MBA grads. Of course there are exceptions, but most small VARs and MSPs learn as they build, but seek classes and educational resources that can help them improve their sales, marketing and basic business skills.

College courses can be expensive and the time requirements are often problematic, so channel-specific online classes are a great alternative, especially if they are free. CompTIA even offers a number of solution provider practice building courses each year, as well as more advanced sessions for business owners. These live channel training sessions cover everything from legal IT services to unified communications, giving attendees the information they need to compete in new markets and tech fields. Those who take part in these education opportunities are often extremely grateful for the advantages it provides them and their businesses.

Business Improvement Tools

No two solution provider businesses are the same, varying in the portfolios they offer, the types of clients they support, and a myriad of other differences. But at their core, some key fundamentals remain the same. The basic processes of hiring, creating contracts, generating leads, and accounting are fairly consistent among organizations. These types of templates, designed especially for IT channel organizations, can be extremely useful to an overwhelmed and/or inexperienced entrepreneur.

CompTIA offers a number of these business resources and tools, and a number of vendors and distributors provide similar offerings for their partners. Rather than reinvent the wheel, it’s always easier to adopt the materials and processes that have been proven and vetted by professionals. That saves time and money that can be better used elsewhere in the business. That’s another big reason to be thankful your company is a part of the channel.



Networking

The concept of community was in full display when the pilgrims first gathered with their Native American friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. While the relations between the two parties may not have always been amiable, when they say down and “broke bread” it opened the lines of communication and forged new relationships.

There are a number of venues where members of the channel can gather for similar discussions, where introductions can lead to new friendships and the opportunity to create future business opportunities. Industry events may be large with a comprehensive list of activities and discussions. CompTIA Breakaway, Autotask Community Live, IT Nation and the Tigerpaw User Conference, and a number of other conferences hosted by distributors and vendors are included in that category.

Of course, there are a number of similar networking opportunities in the channel, such as CompTIA Community meetings and regional events hosted by ASCII and MSP University. The agendas of some of these events may be more focused on specific technologies or markets, but they still create the opportunity to interact with other technology professional and share ideas and best practices.

There are truly an endless number of reasons to be a member of the IT channel community, and thankful for all the opportunities it presents.

Brian Sherman is founder of Tech Success Communications, specializing in editorial content and consulting for the IT channel. His previous roles include chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and industry alliances director with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@techsuccesscommunications.com.