Video: Why Trust Grows Business And Listening Builds Partnerships

to be fair a lot of things were transactional before covid and it has been really interesting that people that have left the the MSP side and have gone either to the vendor side or to a Consulting side or or whatever they're still like oh we were an MSP X number of years ago before covid and you know the only thing I can think of as an owner right now is like dude things have changed like so drastically since you have left the market you are no longer relevant in our world hey Channel insiders I'm your host Katie boso and welcome back for part two of this channel Insider partner POV interview with Don caer CEO of third Element Make sure you head to Channel insider.com right now if you haven't already caught up on part one today in part two Don talks about the length that she and third element are going to to meet new customer needs and what this says about the power of trust Plus Don Nam drops the vendors that she says are doing a great job listening to partner needs since the pandemic turned the industry upside down when I initially met with you Don you said that a lot of your customers this year are asking for more Consulting Services over MSP services so to speak yeah what does that say to you and just kind of explain that a little bit more to me and what that means for your business and the greater Market kind of trends that you're seeing everything in our business runs in Cycles we've all seen it over and over and over again on repeat which is kind of funny like oh let's all go to the cloud nope let's all come back oh let's go to the cloud again so I think we we've seen that for a million different things and when we first started this business like I said we were a Consulting Group we were Consulting on certain things you know blah blah blah blah blah and it's coming back around to that again which is really interesting and we're seeing it more in the larger clients than we are in the small small business kind of thing like they still need some Consulting work but like larger ones they'll come back and say hey like we want to acquire a business what are the that we need to really look at in that particular thing and then you know you have that conversation when you're looking at your assets what does that look like so you're you're acting as that VCI or VC so whatever you want to call it in your particular organization so you have that level of things we have um we actually have other divisions opening up inside of our company which has been really interesting this year so we're bringing a full physical side of security cameras control that kind of thing is coming online people are coming to us for video work which I was I was shocked right who what does that look like right I I was like so any anyway we we got into a couple of clients and and they were like hey we have this particular event going on how do you feel about doing you know the big screens oh yeah that's no problem we can order those in they're like how about video what about PR what does that look like because we really like working with you guys we're like H all right so we're bringing up a Marketing Group so it's it's that conversation that has happened so often on repeat that we're like obviously there's a market for this it's going to be slow for us but we're going to open the divisions we're going to fulfill what the clients are asking for and like I said the larger clients it's a no-brainer because the the money is there the opportunity is there so we're going to become a Consulting Group again as well as you know an MSP that's so interesting to me because what it says just right off the bat listening to it is that the trust is there and they would rather stay and put their money into somebody they trust rather than going to what they could be marketed to as a established business that has been in that specific space but if you don't know them you don't want to work with them 100% And The the larger the organizations are and what we found is there's a there's a very specific clientele that we've been working with that that just they have multiple businesses they're running multiple businesses they don't want to deal with the time effort and energy that it would take to find that multiple group Type Thing Once they have that trusted partner then it's we are all in we're all doing this together and this group this group this group this group all does business together and all of those people keep doing business as we meet new people it's really a weird strange world but it's it's working out very well it's interesting the the whole video side of it I'm still reeling from that because obviously that's that's what I do on a day-to-day what we're doing right now I had no idea that that was going to be a thing but it's it's everything from hey we're having this big event it's all fancy it's like a Gala thing will you you know get somebody to film it do blah blah blah like yeah okay no problem yeah and then it allows you to also be able to create relations whether you're bringing them inside or you're you're going outside to trusted uh Partners as well and that's where partnership comes down to for me I feel like we're changing the directions in which we're partnering it's not just about that solution provider to vendor partnership anymore partnership means so much more than just that particular definition you're going across you're even partnering with your customers that's what it is now too so it went from to be fair a lot of things were transactional before Co and it has been really interesting the people that have left the the MSP side and have gone either to the vendor side or to a Consulting side or or whatever they're still like oh we were an MSP X number of years ago before covid and you know the only thing I can think of as an owner right now is like dude things have changed like so drastically since you have left the market you are no longer relevant in our world like business Acumen that's one thing but the actual like how to do what we do has changed dramatically again it was very transactional previously yes we still had customer relationships and things like that but it was hey we need a thing you know vars were still a big deal back before covid and you could still be an MSP and a VAR at the same time it doesn't work that way anymore people are looking for a very different relationship it is not transactional it is very relationship based it is very partner driven and there has to be a reason to stay with that partner that goes beyond oh well we just provide a service for you well that's great anybody can provide a service absolutely I mean how do you protect your peace then in a world like that Don do you have to figure out where the boundaries are drawn and how to say no because I I worry that there could be risk of even overextending yourself as% 100% we're in the midst of hiring a whole bunch of people right now which is a scary proposition I haven't had an EA for a while so we're rehiring an EA we're hiring more account managers into the organization and it's a lot of a lot of moving parts right now it's the first time I've had real fear for a while cuz it feels like everything's a little shaky going on but it's just because it's a lot of change all at once and a lot of moving parts so it feels like I'm constantly juggling things like as a business owner you juggle things all day long it's just kind of you know what you're doing but this is like juggling three people's worth of things all the time and so you're you're looking for tools you're looking for the right people you're looking for different relationships that are out there even with the the vendors that we've had previously just a different world and making those connections is is just a little bit different and it's a little bit deeper it's a little bit stronger it's a lot easier to go to market with that type of thing so and you know you're just looking for people that show up the same way that you do quite frankly and give the same experience that you do because everything is coming down to experience right now and if you're not giving a really great client experience they're just going to go find somebody else that will a really good piece of advice there Don I appreciate that and moving on from from there I I want to get back into the kind of the partner relationships that I was talking about earlier and how that cross partnership has really changing the way we all do business and Define partnership first of all you mentioned being in a postco world and the way that vendors are catering to you with knowledge of being an MSP I feel that since 2019 and I go back to 2019 as the Before Time so since 2019 through the pandemic into now I have noticed msps are really stepping up to form communities you yourself are inside of so many including Tech degenerates that is a community that is completely partner-driven that is one that came to be saying like this is what we want we do want to work with vendors who have advice for us but we want to be able to say this is what we're looking for from our Viewpoint how do you feel vendors are responding to that sort of community shift where we're seeing the msps go no we are absolutely not going to deal with some of the things that you're saying we have to we want this how do you feel that they're responding to that since before the pandemic is there a change that you've noticed are they catering to you better so it's been interesting there's been some of the larger ones that are not changing and I think I think they're feeling some of that and then there's some of the larger ones um I'm going to call out Lenovo for this they have been phenomenal actually from the MSP side of things big shout out to Joe he has put together a really good partner program for msps through Lenovo has done a phenomenal job doing it and really wants that relationship with the msps to understand how it is we do business why we're doing business with Lenovo and how they can help us do it better that's what we're looking for and then the support that comes along behind that of hey I need XYZ do you have that particular thing some of them do some of them don't and if they don't some of them will make it for you another one I'm going to call out is threat Locker they have done a really great job with responding to some of the things that the partners have asked for and one thing was something super simple like how does your product fulfill the CIS controls can you give us a KB that actually outlines it with some statements that tell us what it's doing in those particular things they did it did the same thing with axient can you do this for us and they're like hey we don't have anything right now but let me come back and get you something and they did it took them about you know a week and a half to do it but it was quick partner turnaround and phenomenal so there's there are some folks that are really going I'm going to call it above not necessarily Beyond but they're going above what the other ones are doing and I think that's super important to recognize and also kind of focus in on and then there are some partners that have just been phenomenal the whole way through so in FEMA cyber security phenomenal people truly just good humans to work with really have a great understanding of their product they make sure that their Partners have a good understanding of the product you need support they're there for you you need materials they're there for you and they do it proactively so I think there's there's some great shoutouts to be had in the vendor world and like I said and then there's some other folks that are just like well you're just going to have to put up with whatever it is we've got thought well I'm just going to move on to somebody else is really what it boils down to you're not providing a partnership you're not innovating with your product I'm paying way too much for something that's not being innovated on and there are other people out in the market see you I'm out you mentioned you the partners that are going above but what would be beyond for you even if it's not happening right now how would you define beyond what does that action look like so I'm going to call out blackpoint for this one of the things that I had sat down with some of their leadership team a couple years ago and said you know what people aren't educated us our vendors aren't educating us on the business side of things right they actually put together something called blackpoint University there's how to read your financials there's business Acumen pieces in there now it's it's on the lower side and it's is really for people that really don't know business very well or you know struggle with certain things but it's in there it's put together pretty darn well they did a good job with it so there are vendors that are going Beyond and actually teaching you how to run a business I mean we're all business owners there's no reason why a vendor can't say hey we can teach you how to read your financials we can teach you how to do this particular thing or you know what we have this phenomenal hiring practice let us teach you how to do that but they don't why exactly and it goes back to what you're saying where you see the customers wanting a One-Stop shop I feel that vendors need to take a cue from that and understand how to help you run a better business because if you're running a Better Business you're able to take on more clients and you're able to sell and manage more product for those V it's it's a no-brainer to me that's how I feel about it like explain this this is a self-fulfilling thing help you're you know I love talking to you about this Don because I I feel that in the industry you're somebody who people can go to to ask for advice so in this case if we have somebody who is maybe transferring from a break fix and finally stepping into the MSP world or maybe they're an MSP who wants to be able to step up with their compliance regulations and what they offer in cyber security just any growth pattern what would you recommend to them to do is there a group they can join right away is there something that they can get certified for what's a first step on their maturity journey I mean 100% find a community find a community of of your people I mean I'm going to recommend the tech degenerates 100% but and and to be you know one of the co-founders so I kind of you know kind of G to go to that one first but there are phenomenal communities out there of like-minded people that you can find so first thing is find your people right find your tribe they're out there just little quick story back in was it 2017 I think we had never even been to a conference like in the channel nothing had no idea any of this even existed so it's only been you know less than 10 years that we've been in the channel doing what it is that we're doing but the amount of people that are out here that really truly are cheerleading for you want you to succeed are way more than you think not everyone is your competition it's more like coopertition like we want to be Cooperative we want to help you if I can come alongside and I'm doing something that you don't I am more than happy to wear your shirt for you do that thing for you and make sure that you succeed there's no reason for me not to we both win in this scenario you keep your client everyone walks away happy and some of those shirts are so comfy so I just want to shout out to threat Locker for the comfiest shirts that I've ever gotten so thank you guys really fantastic advice they're Dawn and I'm so appreciative of it I would also like to make sure that I'm doing my due diligence as a woman in this space to ask you if there are women out there who are looking at you and they're not seeing too many people that look like them females that look like them in that CEO position in that leadership position what would you recommend to them to be able to keep growing so that they can be like you one day don't don't be like me there are better people to to be like um the best thing I can tell you is the same thing I said before right find a community start there and there are great ones out there um ASI has its own women's group inside of ASI so I think that's a really important one to find crn actually has women in the channel that's out there that's one that you can join I think there are some great supportive groups out there whether they be on Facebook LinkedIn whatever that is but when you're out at a conference drop your guard a little bit and go make friends like just walk up to another woman and say hey this is me this is who I am this is where I'm from what do you do tell me a little bit about you and make a new friend because they're going to lead you probably to other people that are going to be your friends and then all of a sudden you have you know five or six people that are like you in some fashion you may see eye to eye you may not so you may need to widen that Circle a little bit over and over and over again until you find the right folks but there's been plenty of conferences that I've been to that I I literally just walked up to someone and was like hey you look like me so why aren't we friends you know that kind of thing and to be fair anytime you're going to an IT conference uh usually for women we have to stand in line in the bathroom we don't in this case so we have like the quickest trips to the bathroom ever which is the most ridiculous but you've been to these conferences I know you know so you can get in you can get out you have some extra time and when you're seeing other women you know floating around in the same areas talk to them no one's going to bite do that first like I said make some friends um make some friends in the industry uh and once you have that I mean there's plenty of people that I have you know the occasional glass of wine at night with and you know stuff like that and people I can call and they're phenomenal women out there phenomenal that have really great businesses that you can learn so much from but we're not geared I think to put ourselves out there the same way that some of the other folks are that's a learned behavior for a lot of us I'm an extroverted introvert if you will so it it's something you turn on and you can turn it right back off again so it's it's harder to get yourself out there it's harder to do that so if you're if you're struggling with that you're not the only one by all means like imposter syndrome is a real thing don't think that it's not everybody is experiencing it in some way shape or form so yeah just get out there find your people and make some friends and honestly at at these conferences I want everybody to know if you see me and you're like how do I start a conversation ask me what I'm wearing that I thrifted or come up and tell me what you're wearing that you thrifted because that you want a conversation starter I will be so happy to tell you about my $5.99 top that somebody else wore before me yes I'll be the first one Don this has been absolutely amazing and I I before we go I I want to make sure I also ask you when you think about success at your company at third element is there a story that you like to hang your hat on to say like this is what I Define my company by this is the banner moment for me am I creating new jobs am I making my people happy are people advancing in their careers I think that's the success story that you always want to tell right and and it comes back to we are nothing without our people we're nothing without our clients so it has to be that you know people are happy in their jobs they're successful in their jobs and we're continually creating new I say jobs but it's really a career because we've had people that have been with us for 20 years so it's a career for them like are they successful can we make them successful or help them be successful cuz we're not making them they're they're doing it on their own that's that's them it just takes you know it just takes a few extra ingredients and people shine you put a little salt something and it gets that much better so much better yeah exactly I also want to make sure shout out third element how can we get in touch with you yeah absolutely so third element.com will get you there um just to make it super easy I'm on LinkedIn I'm pretty darn visible and I think I'm actually the only dawnzer on LinkedIn I think right that's crazy so again you don't want to be me so the podcast is Rebel Executives if you want to hit that one and then we have a new one launching uh probably before the end of the year called it for weed so it'll be all about the the marijuana business and it yeah I am going to be your first subscriber for sure I'm very excited for you Don cizer from third element thank you so much for your time today thank you thanks so much to Don for joining me and thank you for watching or listening check out all episodes of Channel Insider partner poov on Channel insider.com or watch on youtube.com/ Channel inssider newws and Trends you can also check us out as a podcast on your favorite podcast listening platform don't forget to like subscribe and follow to never miss an episode once again I'm your host Katie boso and I'll see you next time n

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