‘What’s important about the channel is it’s a community. …This is where you have an opportunity to learn from your peers. All that knowledge is just sitting right here that can help you with some challenge you’re having,’ says Corey Kirkendoll, president and CEO of 5K Technical Services.

When it’s time for an MSP to expand its technology stack and take it to customers, communication with vendors, customers and peers significantly simplifies the process.

That’s the key message from a panel of MSPs organized by Infima Security, an Orlando, Fla.-based provider of security awareness training.

The MSPs told an audience of their peers at this week’s XChange 2024 conference in San Antonio that a conference like XChange is a good place to add to their technology stack, as long as the MSP prepares in advance.

XChange is hosted by CRN parent The Channel Company.

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Coming to a conference can be like going to the grocery store when hungry in that MSPs will find more stuff than they need, said Corey Kirkendoll, president and CEO of 5K Technical Services, a Plano, Texas-based MSP.

“I tell everybody that before you come to the show, you should be looking at who’s sponsoring the show, who’s exhibiting at the show, who’s going to be your vendor, and make sure that you have a purpose to go and talk to who you need to fill up your stack,” Kirkendoll said. “If you don’t know what’s in your stack or what you need, or how it’s laid out or where it comes from, you may end up purchasing one or two or three of the same thing or something just like something you already have. So understand what you have and be very specific about who you want to spend your time with and what you’re looking for to fill up any gaps.”

MSPs need to understand what they need and don’t need ahead of time, said Atul Bhagat, president and CEO of Base Solutions, a Vienna, Va.-based MSP.

“Get an idea of things that maybe aren’t up to snuff anymore,” Bhagat said. “Your stack may have technology that’s falling off. Really focus on those technologies that are going to build your stack up and make it stronger.”

Adam Rodriguez, co-owner of Opelika, Ala.-based Computer Network Management, sais forming relationships with vendors is crucial.

“There will be things here that you are looking for,” Rodriguez said. “Talk to your peers, the people in the room with you. Go out and see if the vendor people are compatible.”

MSPs that already have a full stack of tools should spend time talking to peers about what tools they’re using and how they’re using them and what could be improved, Kirkendoll said.

“What’s important about the channel is it’s a community,” he said. “Back in the day when I first started in 2006, it was more like, you sit in a room like this and everybody would be sitting here, but they wouldn’t talk or do anything with each other. Now you can see it’s a lot more open. This is where you have an opportunity to learn from your peers. All that knowledge is just sitting right here that can help you with some challenge you’re having.”

Those peer interactions are important for MSPs, Bhagat said.

“Absolutely, you want to get that knowledge from your peers and really get an idea of what they’re using and how they’re using it and get their strategies,” he said. “But I also use those interactions to further foster the personal relationships I’ve built with other MSPs and with a lot of the vendors and representatives that are here. Those are relationships that go beyond just buying products. They’re invested in you, and you’re invested in them. It should be a mutual give and take.”

There are a ton of products out there, many of which do the same thing, Bhagat said. For that reason, building vendor relationships means working with the vendors that are truly looking out for MSPs and their growth, Bhagat said.

“Everyone can sit there and want to sign a deal, and that’s great,” he said. “But are you really focused on what my growth is, what I’m trying to do as a business? Are you asking me questions about my business or are you just worried about the numbers?”

MSPs should avoid “set it and forget it” when it comes to relationships, Kirkendoll said.

“You may have something that works for you, and you might not talk to your salesperson,” he said. “So I make it a point to ask for monthly meetings with my vendors. I want to have a call with them. I want my team to be there. I want to know if there’s anything new about their program that I need to utilize. And they want to know about my company and what’s new with my company.”

Having strong vendor relationships means MSPs don’t learn about new products and services the same time everyone else does, Rodriguez said.

“You want to be kind of ahead of the game so they can help you sell and move forward,” he said. “Most of these vendors have an advisory board or some type of partner board that helps drive where they’re going. … So if you haven’t had that conversation with them, say, ‘Hey, is it possible that I can participate or hear some of those calls?’ Because that’s going to give you insight into where your vendor is going before the MSP down the street or around the corner.”

When it comes to implementing new technologies, especially in a rip-and-replace scenario, the relationship an MSP has with its customers is key to success, Rodriguez said.

“I try to be that trusted adviser,” he said. So if I’m doing a rip-and-replace, I try to say, ‘OK, I’m going to take this application, put it to the side, and I’m just going to put this one here.’ So no cost for my customer. I try to do that. Sometimes you can’t. But when it is something that you know they have to have, and you have that relationship, go to the CTO, CFO, or CIO, and say, ‘Hey, you know this is new. You’re in danger. We’ve got to buy this.’”

Bhagat said his company has quarterly meetings with every customer to discuss new trends and changes on the way.

“When we’re adding stuff to a stack, we have those meetings where we have those conversations,” he said. “And as far as rip-and-replace versus adding something, it’s really just a time thing to figure it out. And lean on your vendors to help with that communication. They have a ton of experience with this. They obviously have other clients who’ve done it. They will show you how to have those conversations, obviously worded in your own way.”

The panel really showed the value of creating a relationship with vendors, said Steve Meek, CEO of The Fulcrum Group, a Fort Worth, Texas-based MSP.

“It’s more than just purchasing products and taking them home,” Meek said. “There are opportunities to work with them on marketing and on better implementations. Sometimes we’re very transactional, and once we buy, we move on to the next thing. But maintaining that relationship provides a lot of value that we could be missing out on if we’re not engaged with our vendors in some sort of regular rhythm.”

A good vendor partner will ask MSPs a lot of questions, Meek said.

“A lot of vendors are so busy promoting their product, they don’t ask, ‘Hey, what else can we do?’ he said. “Our best vendors are asking a lot of questions, looking for a lot of feedback, and actually acting on some of that.”

(Photo at top, from l. to r.: Kelcye Blankenship-Lackland, director of channel development for Infima Cybersecurity; Adam Rodriguez, co-owner of Computer Network Management; Atul Bhagat, president and CEO of Base Solutions; Corey Kirkendoll, president and CEO of 5K Technical Services; and Zach Carter, director of sales for Infima Cybersecurity.)