In Scope: The IT Services Podcast: Recent Episodes
ScopeStack
Are you looking to increase services revenue? Join ScopeStack CEO Jon Scott as he talks to IT industry leaders to get their insights. These experts from the top MSPs and VARs will share their actionable tips and tactics to help you optimize your presales process.
In this episode of the podcast, Jon Scott, CEO of ScopeStack, sits down with Josh Moree, a senior executive coach at Pax8, to delve into the world of project scoping and management best practices. Throughout their conversation, they explore the fundamental aspects of scoping, such as the project charter, scope statement, and work breakdown structure. Josh emphasizes the importance of creating a work breakdown structure after establishing the charter and scope statement, and underscores the benefits of templatizing these documents to ensure consistency across projects.
With a keen eye on the financial implications of poor scoping, Josh highlights how overlooking crucial elements of the work can lead to cost overruns. He advises investing time upfront to scope projects properly, rather than having to redo work down the line. Both Jon and Josh concur that templatizing documents benefits the entire organization by presenting a unified approach.
The conversation also touches on how effective scoping enhances project managers' ability to schedule and budget accurately. Josh suggests involving engineers in the creation of templates to ensure their understanding and alignment with expectations. Additionally, the podcast explores the use of a statement of work as a means of communicating the scope to clients, distinguishing it from a proposal or quote.
Throughout the episode, Josh imparts practical tips, such as starting scoping even if it is not perfect, assigning accountability, and embracing a willingness to acknowledge flaws and improve over time. He invites listeners to connect with him through Pac State Academy to delve further into operational best practices.
Gain more insights and valuable tips when you listen to the full episode!
Ariel Davenport, a Lead Architect from Centre Technologies, shares insights on how businesses can effectively communicate the value and cost of different resources to their clients, showcasing the quality and effectiveness of their services. Jacob and Ariel discuss the role of networks, the challenges faced by rookie solutions architects, project delivery strategies, and the significance of Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) in maintaining strong customer relationships. Listen to the newest episode of In Scope to explore the power of transparency in the world of professional services, and how it can shape the future of the industry.
MSPs need a community too, and that's exactly what led Kyle Spooner to MSPGeek—a community for....MSP geeks. Kyle is the Chief Executive of MSPGeek Con—the gathering that MSPGeek Inc. puts on—and is the Director of Operations at IntelliComp Technologies. With an extensive career as an MSP, Kyle knows a thing or two about the mind of an MSP. From Australia to Germany and back to the United States, Kyle is passionate about solving MSP problems through community. Sit down with Jon and Kyle as they walk through the intricacies of this MSP community, why it's necessary, and where it's going on the newest episode of In Scope.
Melissa Korzun noticed inefficiencies all around TeleTracking's scoping process despite having the best integration platforms. So, she decided to press on those pain points and do what she does best—solve problems. ScopeStack was the answer. Shortly after a quick overhaul of all of TeleTracking's data and services provided they implemented the platform into their tech stack. And, like any good product, they found other ways to boost efficiency with ScopeStack. Listen to Melissa explain the creative solutions TeleTracking implemented into their scoping and work flow process on the newest episode of In Scope.
John Scott and Jacob Martin form a dream team hosting duo on this episode of In Scope with Nick Wolf, Director of Partner Acquisition at Evo Security. Nick has an extensive background in the MSP space—similar to that of our VP of Marketing, Jacob Martin. Together, they're breaking down the hot topic of cybersecurity and why multi-factor authentication is soaring in today's industry. Join John, Jacob, and Nick on the newest episode of In Scope and learn why MFA's are now the prerequisite to any cybersecurity insurance claim you'll need to make.
This is a real-world example of how ScopeStack can impact your MSP in the same way as ConnectWise. Lex Indigo, Project Coordinator for Greystone Technology, has seen firsthand how the presales process looks with and without ScopeStack—and they know which one they prefer. Today they talk to ScopeStack CEO Jon Scott about the implementation of ScopeStack and how the platform actually helped Greystone Technology rethink their own processes. Listen to the newest episode of In Scope today!
Most businesses look to scale, but COVID forced the IT industry into a position where scaling became necessary. Jeremy Ryder is an Enterprise Architect Project Manager for Network Solutions, Inc. and over the past decade he's been able to observe the shift of selling services instead of products. Hear how Jeremy was able to successfully transition into the new wave of IT services and what he recommends to VARs in this episode of In Scope.
MSP roles are changing from commodity-based services to knowledge-based ones. After sensing this shift in the IT business sector, Logically adapted. CEO of Logically, Josh Skeens saw the importance of MSP expertise and paired it with the growing demand for cyber-security. Hear how Logically fostered growth from within to equip their people—and business—to make the transition from MSP to MSSP on the newest episode of In Scope.
Jason Barbee is a Solutions Architect at C-Spire who was looking for a platform that would enhance operational processes. But as someone who solved issues in the MSP space, he wasn't your typical software critic—he was an expert. Find out what made ScopeStack fit the bill for C-Spire, and listen as he and Jon nerd out over all the software, operational, and integrating problems MSPs find themselves faced with.
This is a real-world example of how ScopeStack can impact your MSP in the same way as ConnectWise. Lex Indigo, Project Coordinator for Greystone Technology, has seen firsthand how the presales process looks with and without ScopeStack—and they know which one they prefer. Today they talk to ScopeStack CEO Jon Scott about the implementation of ScopeStack and how the platform actually helped Greystone Technology rethink their own processes. Listen to the newest episode of In Scope today!
What's the best way to scale a business? Jacob Martin is back for another episode of In Scope to share how MSPs can successfully scale. Jacob's experience in leadership roles has taught him a lot, and he's eager to share that with others. The three G's are key to growing a business that is smart and strategic. Listen to In Scope and learn about them!
Jacob Martin recently became the VP of Sales and Marketing for ScopeStack. As a former employee at an MSP, he's brought and seen a new perspective to selling services. Jon and Jacob sit down to discuss the importance of having a solid product paired with a rock-solid foundation. Hear how ScopeStack is expanding its team, and what that means for its services.
Jonathan Philipsen, EVP of Cloud Strategy at Thrive, has been in the MSP space for a while now, and he's noticing a shift. Work-from-anywhere businesses put a strain on employee retention and increased the need for cybersecurity services. ChatGPT is sweeping across the industry and forcing the question: are employees still necessary? Jon and Jonathan leave no stone unturned in this episode to discuss advantageous moves for MSPs, the moral dilemma of AI, and the many routes you can take with multi-cloud environments.
VARs and the distribution process have changed a lot over the past 20 years. When Cisco used to dominate the industry, it was easier to be an expert in the field. Now there are all kinds of systems available, so many companies decided to outsource. But service objectives remained the same: how do we solve this problem? Jon goes screen-to-screen with the VP of Solution Development at Telamon, Greg Richey, to discuss the impact of Digital Transformation, striking the balance between expertise and outsourcing, and scaling your ecosystem.
The services industry is not immune from evolution. As we try to provide more and more value for clients while growing our own teams, it means the definition of "services" is always changing. Heck, it's changed a ton even since 2020 with the rise of packaged offerings and an emphasis on recurring revenue. We had Chris Ward, Vice President at DEft, talk us through what he thinks the future of services looks like. Check it out!
Todd Kane has spent the last decade helping MSPs and VARs deliver higher value to their clients while bringing their turnover down and skyrocketing their team morale. He talks Jon through the science of selling services while managing a team that performs at a high level. This episode is a great resource for anyone in a management level role at an MSP or VAR looking to sharpen their approach.
Back by popular demand: the Director of Academy at Pax8, James Davis, returns to In Scope to discuss the Digital Transformation of scoping. Not only has this changed the way presales folks and engineers do their job—it's upended all aspects of I.T. work. Join Jon and James as they break down the trend of transformational projects, the questions you should be asking your clients, and how they adapted their businesses to grow during this innovative time.
James Davis is the Director of Academy at Pax8, a global leader in cloud solutions. He joins Jon from Down Under to talk about arguably the most critical business function of any MSP or VAR (and something Jon knows quite well): scoping. They dive into all the inefficiencies of improper scoping and really quick fixes. They also share a few examples of just how significant an inefficient scoping process can be. Tune in to rethink the way you scope!
Dennis Manfra is the VP of Technical Services at IE, and he's joining Jon to talk pricing. We know, it's not the sexiest topic, but that doesn't mean it's not incredibly important. Dennis and Jon talk through two approaches to pricing: T&M and Fixed pricing. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but they also send a message to your client and your team. Learn more about these approaches and when each one is best to use!
How do you make the handoff from presales to post-sales? Jesse White of Katalyst explains why this is a critical question and how to handle it.
Steven Madick knows a thing or two about the presales process. He's been in this world for years, building and managing wildly success teams for a number of service providers. He talks with Jon about what makes managing presales teams so difficult, and how you can overcome those obstacles. Terms like awareness and understanding are great to say, but how can you actually execute them? And can you turn your vision into action? Dive into this episode to find the answers!
MJ Patent is the CEO and co-founder of Alveo, a go-to-market services company specializing in the IT channel. They've worked with tons of IT companies, leading them on a journey to scalability and sustainability. She and Jon talk about the importance of organizational collaboration and buy-in, especially during the launch days. They also walk through several hypothetical scenarios to shed some light on how to break down the walls within a company's silos to get on the path to long-term financial health. Trust us—you don't want to miss this one!
Efficient and thoughtful processes are critical to the success of any MSP. No one knows those processes better than Brook Lee of Eureka Process, who leads MSPs to financial success by flipping them inside out and ironing out their internal structures. She tells Jon the most common mistakes she sees MSPs make in the marketplace. Surprise—the biggest goofs happen during the scoping process. Tune in to hear why.
What's the best service to offer a client? Jon Scott and Jacob Martin, COO of Unified Network Group Inc., sit down to discuss the importance of mastering a service. Businesses can't possibly master every aspect of their service, but leveraging third parties who have mastered a particular service can make your offerings more valuable. To stop overextending yourself, hear how Jacob mastered the art of sourcing third-party businesses for clients.
Efficiency is key when it comes to IT problems and solutions, so it's important to go to the source of productivity—the people. Jon and Greg are for the people, i.e. their employees, on this episode of In Scope as they dive into creating the most ideal virtual office for their staff. Listen for insights and tips on how to create a better workplace environment.
Looking to streamline your processes? Join Jon and Brandon as they discuss how to use presales tools to increase efficiency. Measuring the success of a presales tool is more than just data points, as Brandon says, "some tools are just better than others." In this episode of In Scope, learn how two CEOs assess the skills of their employees to make a better, more efficient business environment.
Shay and Jon walk through growth within a business—from the moment the epiphany hits, to how to get ahead of the curve. Different practices work for different businesses, but understanding the marketplace and competitors will set a business up for success. Start thinking about long-term progress and listen to the latest episode of In Scope and gain some leverage!
Jon and Shay have been working with MSPs for a long time—long enough to know that the most critical piece of a successful IT Services company is creating maximum value for clients. That feeds into recurring revenue, an MSP's absolute best friend. Shay and Jon share stories of how they assessed their own revenue and drew insights to move their business forward. Tune in to discover how to make your company's cashflow more efficient!
Kenny Taylor is the Manager of Systems Engineering at Cisco. He shares with Jon his secret to leading a successful sales team, dropping some serious gems along the way. At the heart of everything: strong relationships that never stop growing. He gives some advice for managers out there looking to better improve their connections with their existing business. Tune in for some great tips!
How important is culture to your presales team? Jesse White of Katalyst explains why culture matters and how to build a great culture with your team.
SEs (or whatever you call your presales team members) are a key piece of your business. That's a no-brainer. They're also a significant investment and as such, they require a ton of support and direction in order to perform at their best. Steven Madick joins us to talk about the fundamentals of presales and how leaders can enable this very critical team to go out and serve clients best. Check it out!
Nicko Roussos is the VP of Cisco Operations and Digital Transformation at TD SYNNEX. He's been in this game for a while and has helped Jon out with his rise, too. His wealth of knowledge in this industry is so vast, and we're so excited for him to join the show today to share some of that knowledge with us! This episode covers a lot of really important topics, from selling and serving clients to building a strong MSP. Nicko also gives us his version of our industry's future—and it's probably not what you're expecting! Tune in to hear it all.
Looking to grow a young services company? Take some advice from someone who's built several services companies to remarkable heights and value. Scott Millwood joins us again on In Scope to share what he's learned from his decades of experience in scaling companies. There are so many things to get right on this journey—recruitment, client acquisition, internal processes—and they're all pretty tough. Listen to this episode to get a solid plan in place for your scaling plans.
The efficiency of your sales process directly affects how your company brings in money, point blank. Although each customer has a different need, there are still plenty of similarities in their purchasing processes. And many of those similarities just add a whole lot of time until they give you the coveted signature. We grabbed Scott Millwood, successful tech salesman, to walk us through the ways sales teams can get their customers closer to agreeing a sale in less time. An efficient sales process means more cash—we can all agree that's a good goal to aim for.
The typical 18-day presales turnaround window is insane, to be frank. There are way too many boxes for the presales team to check off their list before they can actually present a solution to their client. That's a nearly 3-week process, and it puts a ton of weight on everyone in the process. We brought in Henry Egan, Sales Manager at SHI, to tell us how we can make this process even easier. An easy presales process means less time, which means more money. Find out how you can streamline this process!
The services industry is not immune from evolution. As we try to provide more and more value for clients while growing our own teams, it means the definition of "services" is always changing. Heck, it's changed a ton even since 2020 with the rise of packaged offerings and an emphasis on recurring revenue. We had Chris Ward, Vice President at DEft, talk us through what he thinks the future of services looks like. Check it out!
Efficient and thoughtful processes are critical to success for any MSP. No one knows those processes better than Brook Lee of Eureka Process, who leads MSPs to financial success by flipping them inside out and ironing out their internal structures. She tells Jon the most common mistakes she sees MSPs make in the marketplace. Surprise—the biggest goofs happen during the scoping process. Tune in to hear why.
Kenny Taylor is the Manager of Systems Engineering at Cisco. He shares with Jon his secret to leading a successful sales team, dropping some serious gems along the way. At the heart of everything: strong relationships that never stop growing. He gives some advice for managers out there looking to better improve their connections with their existing business. Tune in for some great tips!
Todd Kane has spent the last decade helping MSPs and VARs deliver higher value to their clients while bringing their turnover down and skyrocketing their team morale. He talks Jon through the science of selling services while managing a team that performs at a high level. This episode is a great resource for anyone in a management level role at an MSP or VAR looking to sharpen their approach.
Dennis Manfra is the VP of Technical Services at IE, and he's joining Jon to talk pricing. We know, it's not the sexiest topic, but that doesn't mean it's not incredibly important. Dennis and Jon talk through two approaches to pricing: T&M and Fixed pricing. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but they also send a message to your client and your team. Learn more about these approaches and when each one is best to use!
Steven Madick knows a thing or two about the presales process. He's been in this world for years, building and managing wildly success teams for a number of service providers. He talks with Jon about what makes managing presales teams so difficult, and how you can overcome those obstacles. Terms like awareness and understanding are great to say, but how can you actually execute them? And can you turn your vision into action? Dive into this episode to find the answers!
An ineffecient presales process bleeds money, plain and simple. And if your company isn't profitable, you're going to struggle to keep your doors open. It doesn't matter how good your solutions are—if your presales process isn't ironed out, your profits will suffer. Skip Tappen from the ScopeStack team talks Jon through how to identfy an inefficient presales team, and what changes service providers can make to revive their profits.
How do you make the handoff from presales to post-sales? Jesse White of Katalyst explains why this is a critical question and how to handle it.
How important is culture to your presales team? Jesse White of Katalyst explains why culture matters and how to build a great culture with your team.
Are you looking to increase services revenue? Join ScopeStack CEO Jon Scott as he talks to IT industry leaders to get their insights. These experts from the top MSPs and VARs will share their actionable tips and tactics to help you optimize your presales process.