Best Practices for VARs and MSPs to Drive More Business with Suppliers

Defining the growth as a value-added reseller (VAR) or managed service provider (MSP) can be challenging, especially if you are in the dark about accelerating revenue while driving customer satisfaction.

The addition of artificial intelligence (AI) has thrown another monkey wrench into the mix, leaving channel partners of the VAR and MSP variety scratching their heads, pondering how to scale business by leveraging suppliers.

There are two vastly differing routes that VARs and MSPs can take that can either make their practice more well-run or slow it down — go deep with a few strategic suppliers or manage countless provider relationships.

Pedro Ledezma is vice president of sales at GHA Technologies. He says the answer to scaling your VAR/MSP practice is uncomplicated; all you have to do is join him at his upcoming session at this year's MSP Summit, Sept. 16-19, in Atlanta. You'll get his take along with an expert panel set to tackle the hefty subject.

"In this session, attendees will hear peer perspectives on how to run a more efficient MSP business by working with niche suppliers to minimize the number of relationships they and their customers need," Ledezma told Channel Futures. "It's something you can accomplish primarily through the services you provide, along with sourcing hardware, software, and cloud products in and outside of their stack from strategic providers to help land more clients."

We asked Ledezma some essential questions about his upcoming session to gain deeper insight into what VARs and MSPs might expect to hear.

Ledezma told us attendees should expect to learn everything from how to source technology partners that manage billing, to building key relationships with distributors and suppliers.

CF: Who should attend your session and why? 

PL: MSPs and IT consultants interested in maximizing their stack and offering that to their customers. Also, those wanting to know more about the benefit of partnering with VARs and suppliers to scale, earn additional income and make their work life easier.

GHA Technologies' Pedro Ledezma

CF: What are you hoping to address?

PL: Making partnering with vendors/suppliers more efficient and discovering opportunities within those relationships while minimizing invoicing, paperwork and headaches on returns and using the resources available to VARs, suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to maximize their stack for customers.

CF: Why is partnering and scaling with suppliers important? Why would someone in the channel want to do this?  

PL: To efficiently provide anything and everything technology-related that your customers need/want while having control of the process and maximizing your earning potential.

CF: Is there something you wish you'd known when you'd just started?  

PL: Partnering and earning referrals are the keys to success in sales, and so is asking the right questions to develop more opportunities.

If you are new to the VAR/MSP business, or even a seasoned professional looking to add more meat to your practice, this session could be of value to you —  one that might elevate your profit margins and lead to more satisfied customers and employees.