4 Reasons Networking is Important for Your MSP
BY IT GLUE | January 29, 2019
How much effort do you put towards networking? Whether it’s attending a conference or joining a peer group, networking is an integral part of growing your business. When you start setting aside time for meaningful in-person interactions, the backbone of networking itself, you never know what kind of opportunities will surface. Let’s dive into just a few of those opportunities that make networking so important for your MSP.
1) Opportunity to gain exposure
Get your name out there. This is a big part of what networking is all about. Meeting people, making connections, and getting the word out about your MSP. No matter how excellent your sales and marketing strategies are, you also need a strategy for networking. Networking in your local business community gives you a chance to tell your story to any number of potential clients.
2) Meet other MSPs, share pain points and solutions
In our 2019 predictions, we commented on the rise of peer groups and their importance for MSPs. Peer groups stand as an excellent way for MSPs to interact, share their pain points, and share their solutions. Striking up a conversation that leads to a, “wow, you experience that too?” can sometimes end with invaluable strategies for moving forward. Your peers are one of the most important resources for you to learn about what works, what doesn’t, and how to overcome the challenges that all MSPs face.
3) Keeping up with trends
Going to a conference or joining a peer group is an awesome way to check out what’s trending in the industry, and make sure you’re hitting the mark in your own MSP. Sure, Google can answer this to some extent. And there are enough 2019 predictions floating around to give you an idea of what the trends are, but having the in-person conversations are an entirely different ballgame.
4) Learn more about specific products
This is one of the reasons Reddit blows up about why you should not attend conferences. People want to avoid the sales pitches. While that should never be the basis of an entire conference by any means, done correctly you can have an excellent opportunity to learn about a wide range of different products, in person.
This is what vendor pavilions are made for. They’re the perfect place for you to check out awesome new tech, and find out if there’s anything you can go away with to improve your business. Maybe there’s a product you’re already using and would love to dive deeper into it, or perhaps there’s something you’ve never even thought of before that could drastically help your business. Whatever it is, you’ll have the opportunity to chat with the experts and come away with more knowledge than you could have by shooting out several emails. Plus, you can take advantage of some free swag. Who can say no to that?
As we gear up for our annual user event in September, we’re taking all of this into consideration. We’re making sure to create the environment you need for not just a stellar event experience, but also an incredible opportunity to network with other attendees, sponsors, and speakers. Our goal is that you can leave GlueX ready to not just improve your MSP, but transform it.
IT Glue™ is a proven, best practices-driven IT documentation platform packed with features designed to help you maximize the efficiency, transparency and consistency of your team. With so much of your business productivity lost each day in search of vital information, let IT Glue secure this information and start Freeing Minds™.
