{"id":13471,"date":"2015-07-07T08:48:10","date_gmt":"2015-07-07T15:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=13471"},"modified":"2016-09-15T09:48:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T16:48:35","slug":"fear-of-managed-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/managed-services\/2015\/07\/fear-of-managed-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Fear of Managed Services"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13472\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/vincent-price.jpg\" alt=\"vincent price\" width=\"287\" height=\"176\" \/>The main feature in the July issue of ENX is \u201c<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/enx-features\/2015\/06\/managed-services-made-easy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Managed Services Made Easy<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d That piece examines how to get started in Managed Services and whether or not buying an IT company is the easy answer. I also asked the experts I interviewed for that story to identify the biggest fears standing in the way of dealers considering Managed Services. Whether you\u2019re already offering Managed Services or still thinking about it, you might be able to identify with some of these fears.<\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest fears a dealer or reseller has about moving into Managed Services is that by doing so they\u2019re walking away from their core business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2019If I\u2019m going head strong towards Managed Services the rest of my business will collapse,\u2019\u201d says Charles Lamb, president &amp; CEO Mps&amp;it Sales Consulting.<\/p>\n<p>He recommends building a plan from where you are today with your business to move beyond that fear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not ignoring what got you here so far,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have to build the fact that you must secure and maintain that business during the transition. People are afraid the bottom will fall out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-13471 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/managed-services\/2015\/06\/managed-services-made-easy\/attachment\/david-pohlman-2x3\/'><img width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/David-Pohlman-2x3-e1437150455422-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-13316\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-13316'>\n\t\t\t\tDavid Pohlman\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/managed-services\/2015\/06\/managed-services-made-easy\/attachment\/charles-lamb-headshot\/'><img width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/charles-Lamb-headshot-e1435072018303-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-13315\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-13315'>\n\t\t\t\tCharles Lamb\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/printer-tech-tip\/2014\/09\/hp-color-laserjet-cp5525-printer-series-blank-black-or-no-display-on-control-panel\/attachment\/corporate-headshots-for-dave-sobel-of-dave-sobel-4\/'><img width=\"80\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Sobel_Dave_sm-120x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-7471\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-7471'>\n\t\t\t\tDave Sobel\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/managed-services\/2015\/07\/fear-of-managed-services\/attachment\/bsiedentopf_headshot-2\/'><img width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/BSiedentopf_headshot-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-13525\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-13525'>\n\t\t\t\tBritt Siedentopf\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/managed-services\/2015\/06\/managed-services-made-easy\/attachment\/swensondean-120030f\/'><img width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/SwensonDean-120030F-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-13313\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-13313'>\n\t\t\t\tDean Swenson\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>\u201cOne of the biggest fears is \u201cAm I going to invest a lot of money and not have a ROI,\u2019\u201d adds David Pohlman, Office of the President\/COO, GreatAmerica Financial Services Corp. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to get into this business in a material way without an initial investment that\u2019s close to a million to a million and a half dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His recommendation to overcoming that fear is education. \u201cIt will reduce a little bit of the fear [because] you\u2019ll know what good looks like and how to navigate down that path more effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Britt Siedentopf, managed services manager, Leapfrog Managed Services by Muratec, also sees the upfront financial investment as a common concern.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey better understand that this is a capital investment,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019ve got to have the money in the bank to invest because if they don\u2019t the rest of their business could suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of it is \u2018I don\u2019t know how to sell it,\u2019 which is why we spend time [with them] on how to position the offering and how to bring it to market,\u201d states Dave Sobel, Director of Partner Community at Logic Now.<\/p>\n<p>Logic Now, for example, makes sure the service or services are complimentary to their current offerings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of times when they start out they find it\u2019s easier to sell Managed Services to new customers rather than their existing ones because their existing ones are kind of happy with the service they\u2019ve got,\u201d maintains Sobel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur initial fear was can we do it and do a great job,\u201d recalls Dean Swenson, president of The Swenson Group, a dealership that now offers Managed Services. \u201cThat transpired to if we go after our current customers who we have great relationships with and a great history with and we do copiers and printers well but screw up on IT we could lose our customers? Those are real world concerns we had when we got into this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Swenson Group overcame those fears with the help of their hardware vendor, Konica Minolta and the All Covered program, and today are a shining example of a dealership successfully offering Managed Services.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the thing. No matter what the fear, there\u2019s plenty of resources throughout the industry to help dealers overcome those initial fears and maybe even achieve a modicum or more of success with Managed Services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The main feature in the July issue of ENX is \u201cManaged Services Made Easy.\u201d That piece examines how to get started in Managed Services and whether or not buying an IT company is the easy answer. I also asked the experts I interviewed for that story to identify the biggest fears standing in the way of dealers considering Managed Services. Whether you\u2019re already offering Managed Services or still thinking about it, you might be able to identify with some of these fears. One of the biggest fears a dealer or reseller has about moving into Managed Services is that by doing so they\u2019re walking away from their core business. \u201c\u2019If I\u2019m going head strong towards Managed Services the rest of my business will collapse,\u2019\u201d says Charles Lamb, president &amp; CEO Mps&amp;it Sales Consulting. He recommends building a plan from where you are today with your business to move beyond that fear. \u201cIt\u2019s not ignoring what got you here so far,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have to build the fact that you must secure and maintain that business during the transition. People are afraid the bottom will fall out.\u201d \u201cOne of the biggest fears is \u201cAm I going to invest a lot of money and not have a ROI,\u2019\u201d adds David Pohlman, Office of the President\/COO, GreatAmerica Financial Services Corp. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to get into this business in a material way without an initial investment that\u2019s close to a million to a million and a half dollars.\u201d His recommendation to overcoming that fear is education. \u201cIt will reduce a little bit of the fear [because] you\u2019ll know what good looks like and how to navigate down that path more effectively.\u201d Britt Siedentopf, managed services manager, Leapfrog Managed Services by Muratec, also sees the upfront financial investment as a common concern. \u201cThey better understand that this is a capital investment,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019ve got to have the money in the bank to invest because if they don\u2019t the rest of their business could suffer.\u201d \u201cA lot of it is \u2018I don\u2019t know how to sell it,\u2019 which is why we spend time [with them] on how to position the offering and how to bring it to market,\u201d states Dave Sobel, Director of Partner Community at Logic Now. Logic Now, for example, makes sure the service or services are complimentary to their current offerings. \u201cA lot of times when they start out they find it\u2019s easier to sell Managed Services to new customers rather than their existing ones because their existing ones are kind of happy with the service they\u2019ve got,\u201d maintains Sobel. \u201cOur initial fear was can we do it and do a great job,\u201d recalls Dean Swenson, president of The Swenson Group, a dealership that now offers Managed Services. \u201cThat transpired to if we go after our current customers who we have great relationships with and a great history with and we do copiers and printers well but screw up on IT we could lose our customers? Those are real world concerns we had when we got into this.\u201d The Swenson Group overcame those fears with the help of their hardware vendor, Konica Minolta and the All Covered program, and today are a shining example of a dealership successfully offering Managed Services. That\u2019s the thing. No matter what the fear, there\u2019s plenty of resources throughout the industry to help dealers overcome those initial fears and maybe even achieve a modicum or more of success with Managed Services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[237,1638],"tags":[104,2308,1800,583,1805,1247,1008,2309,2312,2311,2411,2310,262,1011],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13471"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13471"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13526,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13471\/revisions\/13526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}