Yes, the cloud world is heating up. And an even more resounding yes to the marketing world heating up - even more? And for the cloud-focused IT Solutions Provider it's a double whammy!! How the hell is a cloud-focused IT Solutions Provider going to execute on this new world of marketing (let's call it marketing 2.0 for the heck of it) required to add great recurring revenue cloud business?

Four plus years ago (and reposted 9 months ago) CSBexcellence posted a blog discussing the evolution of the IT channel titled "The Cloud Solutions Provider aka Cloud Revenue Producer has Arrived". When originally posted way back when, we predicted that the next-gen partner - called the CSP or CSB or Modern MSP or whatever name you like would start ruling the channel world and the IT Channel Revolution had begun. This is the world of cloud-first partners truly capitalizing on cloud and building a high value business - and all cloud vendors and distis would heppy campers. Hmmmm.............

I took a call from a friend of mine earlier today while I was staring at my laptop noodling through my next blog topic. He described some email campaigns he was doing for his traditional VAR/MSP business that were getting terrible results.

He went on to describe it this way,

A traditional local/regional VAR trying to scale their new RMM (Remote Management and Monitoring) MSP business by finding net-new customers. First, stop the presses!!! A good old traditional VAR starting an RMM MSP business now??? Hello, cloud!!!

I've been quite involved in the Microsoft CSP program including creating business plans for CSBexcelllence's clients to become a Microsoft CSP. A couple observations (maybe call them predictions) I made going back 2+ years ago,

1. A vast percentage of Indirect CSPs will first emerge outside of North America - that has been true to date. As I look at the latest map/list of Indirect CSPs, rough count I see approximately 11% are represented in North America - 89% outside North America. To be honest - no shocker to me at all - as a matter of fact just a few weeks ago I recently posted this blog -  "Are North America Channel Partners Going to Get into the Cloud?"

As much as we are all talking about the impact that cloud, subscription based consumption etc will leave many channel partners in the dust....I believe it's the new world of sales and marketing via the buyers journey that will be the real culprit.............

Time and time and time again, talking to, and working with ITSPs of all types (VAR, MSP, CSP, SI etc) and sizes I hear "ok, I'm ready to sell cloud - let's go!". Really?

Admittedly I'm a pretty big fan of Simon Sinek and his "golden circle and why" concept. What he basically says is "all companies can articulate what they do and how they do it (their value prop) but very few can articulate why they do it". He goes on to say "people don't buy what you do or how you do it, they buy why they do it" Hmmmmmm......

Have you ever watched the TV show “Restaurant Impossible” with chef Robert Irvine? I’m addicted to it. Robert is a world famous chef and restaurateur. The show goes like this: He helps restaurants around the US that are struggling and the story of these restaurants is always the same - “things were great for a while but now we are in serious trouble”. In comes Robert and his staff and he attacks the problem in these 4 areas always:

Yet another blog that has rattling around in my head. The Modern MSP must think like a SaaS ISV? – but Modern MSPs are almost never SaaS ISVs!!!

I’ve been thinking of writing this blog now for a while, but wondering “am I going to ruffle any feathers?”, well maybe I’m in the feather ruffling mood today.

There is an ongoing debate happening among cloud pundits, vendors and channels partners about "who is going to own (survive?) providing high value and high margin cloud solutions to businesses". Will it be legacy partners (VARs, MSPs, Telecom Agents etc) or Born in the Cloud CSPs or companies like accounting firms that have a very close relationship with the Business Managers at their clients (remember Business Managers are the new tech buyers). We'll see. One thing I do know is the newly appointed CSP will need to sell tasty high value and high margin meals aka business outcomes focused cloud solutions

Follow my logic here,

A close friend of mine, Bob, is a chef/partner at a very successful small chain of three fairly high end restaurants. He has been is the restaurant business his entire career. For years now I've sat at the bar of one of his restaurants chatting about the similarities of his business and today's technology/cloud business. Here's one of the big similarities,

To keep his business viable and grow it every day Bob must deliver "delicious, high value and high margin" meals to his customers on a consistent basis. To do this Bob needs to,