(Part 2) Top products from r/msp
We found 26 product mentions on r/msp. We ranked the 164 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
22. Build a Business, Not a Job!
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Used Book in Good Condition
23. Package, Price, Profit: The Essential Guide to Packaging and Pricing Your MSP Plans
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
25. Healthcare Information Security and Privacy
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 1
27. Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Business Plus
28. Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
ISBN13: 9780470182024Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
29. ZCXBHD 50kgg High Precision Digital Shipping And Postal Scale Large Platform Scale With USB Cable And Extendable Cord - Black
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
★ SPECIFICATIONS & Capacity Readability: 50kg\2gPlatform Scale Dimensions: 203 x 203 x 38.5mm, with Extra Large ABS Heavy Duty Metal Platform★ Power supply: Operates On 2 AA Batteries or AC power, Auto Shut-Off Function(Without battery)★User Friendly: Extended Control Board for Over-Size Boxes...
30. How to Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors : Winning Every Sale at Full Price, Rate, or Fee
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
31. Time Management for System Administrators: Stop Working Late and Start Working Smart
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 1
O Reilly Media
32. Infinite Scale: The ultimate guide to growth for Managed Service Providers
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
33. Be Our Guest (Revised and Updated Edition): Perfecting the Art of Customer Service (A Disney Institute Book)
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
Be Our Guest Perfecting the Art of Customer Service Disney Institute Book A
34. The Partnership Charter: How To Start Out Right With Your New Business Partnership (or Fix The One You're In)
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
Used Book in Good Condition
35. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
36. The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
37. Service Agreements for SMB Consultants - A Quick Start Guide for Managed Services
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
38. How to Create a Powerful Network in 90 Days!
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
I realized a few years into my business that:
-I was not able to grow the business because it seemed I was always dealing with emergencies.
-I was not able to fix things right first time because there was another emergency
-I was spending lots of my time doing entry-level tasks
-I was getting older and my marriage was suffering because I was doing 100% of everything in the business.
-I was not performing preventative maintenance because I was swamped with "real work" to do.
I was 40 - still crawling around under desks, still doing 100% of the work, on call 24/7, not able to go after better business and not expanding margin. I was EXACTLY what I swore I'd never become.
Here's what I did:
I started by documenting and defining several easy-to-replicate procedures - software installation/update, new PC setup, disk usage clearing, backup troubleshooting, You should have ticketing, admin, and billing systems that work reasonably well. It can help to track your time accurately in a PSA tool so you have some idea how much time these tasks take.
I hired a good, trustworthy local kid with interest but no experience in IT. Started him part time "we'll try this for 30 days and see if it's a good fit - either of us can walk away with no hard feelings if it's not working out" - on some CompTIA training videos and working through the documentation I had made up. At first he was doing a lot of software installs, new PC setup, and very basic troubleshooting. Kind of like a doctor/resident relationship, I would explain my process and talk through every step I was taking and why...and I'd ask him to talk through his through process when fixing issues and guide him to the way I'd do it.
I also grabbed many of Karl Palachuk's SOP guides as a foundation, and the Best IT Service Delivery Book Ever by Simpson for him to go through.
He picked it up very quickly, and started spending some time fixing our automation and integrations - making us both far more effective. He started working with our backup vendor on fixing backup alerts, then patch management, etc.
A couple years later, he's had a couple raises, we're looking at hiring another 1-2 techs this year and an office admin. Cash flow is better, I've been able to land bigger clients than I could as a Single Point of Failure consultant.
Took a vacation last year for the first time in forever. The business continued to operate.
It hasn't been painless, but it's been pretty smooth and a great opportunity for both of us - I get part of my life back, he now has a career doing work he enjoys, and I have time for some of the higher-level work, like security architecture discussions with our bigger clients, and determining our path for more security consulting work.
What would I do differently?
I would have started sooner. I would have hired this guy back when I was working with Continuum and taught him to manage our interactions with their NOC. I would have had more processes documented and emphasized his role in maintaining and expanding those docs.
I did try working with a couple outsourced helpdesks but my clients wanted me or someone directly under my supervision - the outsourced helpdesks had too many exceptions and limitations for us to go forward.
I highly recommend David Finkel's "Build a Business, Not a Job"
https://www.amazon.com/Build-Business-Not-David-Finkel/dp/1450709842
and Chris Ducker's "Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business" - most of his concepts also work with an outsourced NOC, SOC, or helpdesk.
https://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Freedom-Become-Productive-Business/dp/1939529743/ref=sr_1_5_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519146561&sr=1-5&keywords=virtual+assistant
Hello
James here.
Please feel free to reach out via our website chat, call or contact form and we will be happy to send you everything you need to research us including pricing and how it all works.
Benchmark 365 offers a month to month service with L1/2/3 support, dispatch and 24x7 services for MSPs. Our partners save between 50-70% of labor costs working with us and are able to provide their customers with consistent round the clock services.
You might be interested in this MSPs very recent and very thorough review of Benchmark 365’s service.
If you’re still considering whether offshoring is right for you I discuss options and ways to go about it in this new book: Infinite Scale
Cheers,
JV
> sforming from break-fix to monthly contracts. How do you price the monthly contracts, what do clients get? 2) I'd like to scale employee-wise. Meaning, I'd like to have a number of techs working along-side me. How do they get paid, as a salary?
I'm currently reading it, almost finished, like 30 pages only left but when I started reading it, I quickly bought also the The E-Myth (revisited edition) from Micheal Gerber. You should definitively read it too. I'm a tech on the break/fix model since the last 9 years and in the next months I will switch to a MSP model. Other quick recommandation if you need help/inspiration to create your service agreement, buy also the Service Agreements for SMB Consultants, from the same author of Managed Service in a month. Definitively worth the money and time to read it.
Great! I would recommend starting with The EMyth Revisited and Fanatical Prospecting. Both books are great to give you some good tools to start out with and put you in the right mindset to succeed. I like Managed Services in a Month as well, but realistically if you've worked in the industry at established MSPs, there's not a lot groundbreaking there. It's a good re-affirmation, though.
The Divide by Matt Taibbi - it's super infuriating and super interesting, doesn't play favorites to either party, just policies that are choking society ad contributing to making the richest richer!
https://www.amazon.com/Divide-American-Injustice-Age-Wealth/dp/081299342X
I used this for Foundations: https://www.amazon.com/ITIL-Foundation-Exam-Study-Guide/dp/1119942756
Read it once, spend an hour tops on the included flashcards, then passed handily. The test itself is 70% just knowing the vocab and a few of the common workflows.
The book is a good reference manual afterward, it's pretty well written and describes ITIL principles well.
Only one title of overlap, nice.
Out of your list, where would you start? Have you read any other in our original list?
Built to Sell, John Warrillow
The Automatic Customer, John Warrillow
How to Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors, Lawrence Steinmetz
Start With Why, Simon Sinek
Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek
The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber
Selling the Invisible, Harry Beckwith
What Clients Love, Harry Beckwith
Question Based Selling, Tom Freese
READ THIS BOOK - it took me from knocking on doors and getting rejected to actually finding clients. If you can’t afford it, PM me and I’ll send you a copy.
How to Create a Powerful Network in 90 Days! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989419509/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HsvuDb7XGCXYR
Most cities have many non-BNI leads groups. BNI is a racket and way too big of a commitment for a micro MSP. Start networking right away. Pal around local chamber events, get to know some people, and ask around. Do some googling and make some calls. Set up some coffee talks with members of the groups you find even if their IT slot is full. Visit every leads group you can to get a feel for them. Eventually you’ll find a good group. Once you find one, you’ll replace your current income very quickly and then you’ll be in a position to ask for fair compensation.
I'm currently studying for an HCISPP certificate and have found the following to be a pretty good guide to all things healthcare security related (not only HIPAA):
https://www.amazon.com/Healthcare-Information-Security-Privacy-All/dp/0071831797
It's an older book but this one is still got some great tips:
https://www.amazon.ca/Time-Management-System-Administrators-Working/dp/0596007833
Something like this?
Seems like a weird question for /r/msp /s
I have a partner and our firm is stronger and my life is better for it. There is another person who cares as much as the other, both day to day and when one of us is on vacation. It also helps with the "hiring a salesperson" problem that every MSP faces at some point.
I believe we are the in minority with a successful partnership, most of the stories I hear are about failure and bad relationships. I would try to avoid a financial only partner, not worth giving up equity just for money.
A partnership is a relationship, there will be highs and lows and you won't always agree. ALL partnerships end, plan and discuss and write down how that should and can happen. Highly recommend this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Partnership-Charter-Start-Right-Business/dp/0738208981
Nigel Moore's new book is a good read for figuring out how to price and package plans:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0648656403/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470182024/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_7?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Little red book of sales -- I don't actually like the guy, but it's the sales mindset you need
Traction
Phoenix project for process identification.
Learn about sales and business management. There's a whole skillset you're missing. You might be a great engineer, but no one gives a damn unless you can make sales and know how to run a business and manage customer relations. Unless you can be proactive on scalability, you're just an outsourced "IT guy".
Pretty sure he's talking about The War of Art.
​
https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626
The Foundation Bible of starting an MSP: Managed Services in a Month by Karl Palachuk Amazon Link
I'll also throw a vote in for Traction as a general business book.
And my personal people/team management bible that I bring into every company I work with: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Amazon Link
I'm late to the game, but just saw your question. This book helped me out a lot with managing objections during the sales process. https://www.amazon.com/SPIN-Selling-Neil-Rackham/dp/0070511136