---

Client portal implementation is a critical process that can enhance IT insights and improve the overall client experience. With careful planning, it can offer personalized views, provide high-value marketing collateral through lead gen, and even incorporate mock budgets for added benefits.

Last episode we talked about "What is wrong with the MSP industry, that we don't treat people like people" which we will hit hard on next week.

There are two types of people that we run into in the business world: the people that are easy to talk to and have a conversation with, and the people that you can legitimately form a connection and relate with. The latter offer real, genuine interactions. These interactions typically won’t add much to the conversation in terms of business opportunities, but they’re a chance for the participating individuals to be real and not so robotic. It humanizes the conversation.

When the client doesn’t know you, you’re just a faceless technician to them. It’s easier to be unforgiving when a mistake is made. However, when you share that you’re someone who likes to play board games, has four kids, enjoys traveling and camping, etc., you become a real person to that client. You will have created a relationship with them that matters, and they will think about your connection any time you interact together. The faceless person can be replaced, but the genuine person is far more difficult to let go of.

Last week, we discussed the issue of clients who are seemingly always avoiding their meetings with you. This week, George Miller is joining us again as we get further into the topic and share solutions for MSPs to have better meetings with their clients.

To ensure you’re going to have a great meeting with your client, the one thing you really need to prioritize is knowing the person that is going to be sitting across the table from you. What’s important to them? What are their key initiatives?

Last week, we introduced the concept of “wasting words” and discussed the ways that people are being wasteful with their language. This week, author Sean Mahar joins us again to address how people can have better conversations and stop wasting their words.

You’ve explained the idea of wasting words to your employees, but how do you actually change their mindset about conversations? It can be difficult to adjust your conversation tactics so that you are talking with people rather than at people. Instead of talking at people, try to accomplish something with your conversation. This is your opportunity to make a difference.

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NHRRDl
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3AyHCUd


Over the years, there has been a lot of dumb technology. It’s hard to keep track of all the ideas that seemed great at first but ended up being a nightmare. Here are a few pieces of technology that just didn’t make the cut.

Autodialers: an electronic device that automatically dials phone numbers. Once the call has been answered, the autodialer either plays a recorded message or connects the call to a live person. There were great intentions behind this invention, but autodialers aren’t people’s favorite piece of technology.

Virtual Boy: a tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Basically, these 3D goggles were the 90s version of virtual reality but the technology was not ready for this advancement quite yet.

Microsoft Bob: an attempt at a digital assistant, this software was intended to provide a more user-friendly interface for Windows computers. It was discontinued shortly after because it was very clunky and cheesy.

Clippy: a paperclip office assistant character that was created by Microsoft. The main issue with Clippy was the technology was not fast enough to load in a timely manner, making the entire screen freeze and work come to a halt.

Digital Pets: an online pet you could feed, play with and take care of — this technology made doing real chores impossible due to the time commitment to caring for fake pets.

The main point is, there is a lot of technology and some of it works and some does not. The difference between good tech and interesting tech is the implementation and the audience.

If you have new technology, make sure people are ready for this technology and make it work with the already existing tech. If you solve problems instead of adding to them, new technology will be seamlessly added to people’s lives easier.

On this interview Rich Anderson (Imagine IT) and Adam Walter (Virtual C) talk about leveraging Microsoft 365 for business discussions, differentiation and as a platform for growth.

Rich Anderson has been successfully validating the opportunities behind Microsoft 365 discovery processes and cloud services. Adam has built a remarkable audit process for turning productivity issues into projects.

Branden Baker, President of Integration Technologies from Hawaii is a modern Tom Selleck. He shares a story about the transformation of his IT sales approach.

His team had not been able to close any managed services provider deals for more than a year. But he got involved in the virtual CIO conversation and after only a few weeks he landed his first monster six-figure deal. 

Implementing vCIO services can be a challenge. New ways of thinking, new lines of services, pricing and packaging, and service delivery all abound. Rich Anderson, CEO of Imagine IT has been working on this for a couple of months now. I asked him about his experiences, challenges, solutions and results. If you are thinking on implementing Virtual CIO services, or if you have been working on that already, let’s pick his brain. He’ a smart guy and explains everything very clearly with tons of hints and tips. Enjoy!