IT channel firms looking for new sources of revenue should look first to current customers, a panel of channel executives said Tuesday at ChannelCon.
“Present your customers with a complete picture of what you can do for them,” advised, Amy Hodge, director with ConnectWise.
Hodge said something as simple as an illustration showing all the technology touch points in a customer’s operations is a great way to start the discussion. It’s an easy way to show a customer where your firm currently provides services to the customer; and opens the door for you to present a complete picture of additional services you can provide.
Sean Poston, director, product development, Collabrance, encouraged attendees to make thorough evaluation is its “technology, stack; your unique catalog of services that address customer needs.” This includes hardware, applications, security, data protection, communication and support services.
Each of the speakers agreed that listening to and understanding a customer’s business goals is critical to expanding your engagement with them.
“Have regular established communications with your customers and listen to your customers,” said Mark DiGregorio, vice president, sales, Tolt Solutions.
Another way to win more business with a current customer is to “exceed expectations with your current work,” he added.
Yet another option for boosting revenue is to expand a practice into new areas, such as managed print services, digital signage or physical security.
While all customers are potential candidates for managed print services offering, Ron Alphin, director, shared services, Distribution Management, advised focusing first on paper intensive vertical markets, such as legal services, financial services, insurance and retail.
“Talk to C-level executives because they are more likely to understand and think about the bigger picture,” he added.
The physical security market will surpass $50 billion this year. Yet only about 7 percent of companies servicing this market are IT solution providers, ConnectWise’s Hodge said. Video surveillance is a fast growing market, as in video backup.
Digital signage is another area to explore because “there’s a tremendous amount of revenue stream available you,” said Cary Goldman, vice president, sales, VS Networks.
Digital signage doesn’t simply mean affixing a display screen to a wall, Goldman noted. There are business opportunities in consulting, architecture, content development, deployment, support and analytics.
“Identify the roles you can successfully fulfill and find a provider who will help you fill the gaps,” Goldman said.
Steven Ostrowski is CompTIA’s director of corporate communications.
