https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Sales & Marketing


How to Sell Customers on the Cloud’s Business Advantages

  • Written by Justin Crotty 1
  • June 2, 2010
The surest way for solution providers to sell cloud computing to SMB customers is to talk about the technology’s business advantages throughout the sale cycle. It’s not just a starting point for the conversation.  If presented correctly, these benefits combined with your services will be what ultimately seals the deal.

The surest way for solution providers to sell cloud computing to SMB customers is to talk about the technology’s business advantages throughout the sale cycle. It’s not just a starting point for the conversation.  If presented correctly, these benefits combined with your services will be what ultimately seals the deal.

As the architect for translating cloud computing into business advantages for customers, MSPs and solution providers are in the unique position of operating as the fractional CIO for many of their SMB clients. Part of that job is showing these organizations how to use cloud computing and other technology solutions to their fullest benefit.

After all, from a business perspective, what we’re really talking about with the cloud is how the technology can improve a customer’s business, drive down costs and increase productivity and network performance. There aren’t too many SMBs around that won’t buy off on that value proposition.

Of course, it’s not enough just to talk about the business advantages of the cloud, you must also reassure your customers that the cloud services you provide are secure and supported by a reliable enterprise-level infrastructure from partners such as Ingram Micro Seismic, Amazon, Microsoft’s Windows Azure and others.

Once all your cards are on the table, again you must reiterate how cloud computing technology translates into real business advantages. Discuss how benefits such as faster deployment, more flexibility, lower cost of doing business and, perhaps most importantly, access to applications and data from anywhere at any time—not only make life easier, but also give your clients a leg up over the competition.

It’s this ability to successfully articulate the benefits of the cloud computing that will accelerate adoption and bring the technology mainstream.

Remember, the value that MSPs and VARs command is not the technology the technology you sell, but the services and expertise you apply to that technology to meet the needs of your customers and drive meaningful business results.

Ingram Micro Seismic Justin Crotty 2010_3To hear more about the business benefits and applications of cloud computing, be sure to check out our inaugural Cloud Summit June 7 in Dallas, Texas, which will be immediately followed by our annual Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference June 8-9.

Justin Crotty is Vice President Services North America at Ingram Micro, Inc. He oversees Ingram Micro Seismic. Monthly guest blog entries such as this one are part of MSPmentor’s annual Platinum sponsorship. Find all of Crotty’s blog entries here.

Tags: Agents Cloud Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Cloud Sales & Marketing

Most Recent


  • Zero Trust World Feature 2023
    Zero Trust World: ThreatLocker Hopes MSPs Get 'Smarter' About Fighting Attacks
    Zero Trust World is about deep diving into the threat landscape and knowing your enemies.
  • Rob Rae
    Pax8 Lands Well-Known Channel Leader, Influencer Rob Rae
    The former senior VP of business development at Datto has a new title at a new company.
  • money
    AppDirect Buys TBI, Vows to Protect Partner Relationships
    In the meantime, dozens of layoffs have already taken place at TBI, with many occurring earlier this week.
  • Unemployed person
    Splunk Layoffs to Impact 4% of Company's Global Workforce
    "I don’t take that lightly," Splunk's CEO said of the decision to reduce headcount.

3 comments

  1. Avatar Sam Gutmann June 3, 2010 @ 3:46 pm
    Reply

    Hi Justin—-good post. It’s critical to their business model that solution providers are able to position and market their cloud offerings properly.

    Though reliability is key, I don’t agree that a bigger SaaS company is always better. Remember that both Google Apps and Amazon have had outages. I would recommend that any MSP do their due diligence and research the reliability and reputation of a company—-no matter its size-—before partnering.

  2. Avatar Joe Panettieri June 4, 2010 @ 12:01 am
    Reply

    Sam: Your point is well taken. During a conversation with Kaseya’s CEO this week, he mentioned to me that Kaseya is switching it’s SaaS platform from Amazon Web Services to Rackspace (Surely smaller than Amazon) because of some SLA issues.

    In terms of outages it seems like nobody is immune to going dark right now. Small but strategic email security and Exchange hosting providers have had outages in recent weeks; and we all know about the Amazon and Microsoft SaaS outages over the past year or so.

    Seems to me we’re all still learning who to deal with. In my own experience, we moved off of a small service provider to Rackspace’s cloud in November and December 2009. So far, so good.
    -jp

  3. Avatar Justin Crotty June 4, 2010 @ 4:34 pm
    Reply

    Hi Sam – I totally agree. I am not suggesting there are not other providers with high quality service and solid SLA’s. Due diligence is the only course for any company looking at potential providers, regarldess of the size of the potential provider.

    Justin

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Unified communications
    Microsoft Now No. 2 in UCaaS, Only Chasing RingCentral
  • Refresh Icon
    SnapLogic Partners Get Program Revamp with New Focus on Specializations
  • Drive revenue
    Proofpoint Protect: Rising Vendor, Partner Revenues Amid COVID-19
  • Growth plan
    N-able Empower Day 1: How to Grow Your Business

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

May 1, 2023 - May 4, 2023

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Galleries

View all

Zero Trust World: ThreatLocker Hopes MSPs Get ‘Smarter’ About Fighting Attacks

February 1, 2023

Black History Is American History, Say Project 21 Members

February 1, 2023

Pax8 Lands Well-Known Channel Leader, Influencer Rob Rae

February 1, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

How to Break Through the Growth Ceiling

February 1, 2023

5 Things to Look for in a UC Partner

January 31, 2023

The Benefits of Hiring an Investment Bank

January 30, 2023

Webinars

View all

Next-Generation MSP Platform: The Building Blocks for Your Business

February 15, 2023

How To Boost Your Business With White-Label UCaaS

February 28, 2023

Security Secrets of the MSP 501: How to Be a Cyber Leader in 2023

December 15, 2022
  • 1

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 117: Cato Networks, Video Killed the Podcast Stars

Retired Astronaut Capt. Scott Kelly Previews His CP Expo Keynote

December 21, 2022

Fusion Connect Eyes Future with Intrado UC, Managed Network Customers

September 23, 2022

RingCentral Focused on Hybrid Work, Microsoft Teams, Other Integrations

September 23, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Day 1 of #ZTW23: @ThreatLocker hopes attendees walk away smarter about #zero trust and cybersecurity.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 2, 2023
ChannelFutures

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them dlvr.it/ShpCHp https://t.co/Av6eJmYnnF

February 1, 2023
ChannelFutures

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022 dlvr.it/ShpBhh https://t.co/KhiTCSoGRH

February 1, 2023
ChannelFutures

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success dlvr.it/Shp8lc https://t.co/SdMhek3KCk

February 1, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@splunk is laying off 325 employees, or 4% of its global workforce. The layoffs will take place mostly among emplo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 1, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@TDSYNNEXUK and MSSP @wearechorus to offer new managed security service to UK partners. dlvr.it/Shnd7n https://t.co/B0TZroBadL

February 1, 2023
ChannelFutures

RT @ChannelEurope: Learn from the UK's top experts in the channel this summer at #ChannelEurope, part of @LDNTechWeek! Happening at etc.ven…

February 1, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@RobTRae sits down for a 1:1 on his new gig at @Pax8 and reflects on his 9+ years at #Datto.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 1, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X