We ’ ve invested in marketing and expanded our sales team . Before , I didn ’ t recognize the value of spending money on marketing . Now , we ’ re looking for marketing opportunities . There isn ’ t a week that goes by where we don ’ t have at least one direct mail campaign going out . Sometimes , we do two a week , plus weekly emails , monthly newsletters , and postcards . Don ’ t have the mindset that “ I can ’ t afford to hire somebody , or I can ’ t afford to invest in marketing , or I can ’ t afford to invest in a salesperson .” At this point , how can we NOT afford to do it ? It ’ s a huge business opportunity for us .
( Note : The Shorrs pay college interns to do marketing tasks , which helps their budget .)
What Kicked Your Growth Into High Gear ? We watched the numbers , set goals , then moved forward . In 2016 , we weren ’ t tracking anything ; we were trying to go out and do our very best every month , every year , with limited success . Our growth wasn ’ t what Lisa and I wanted . That simple tactic of tracking everything and setting SMART goals around those numbers made a huge difference .
What Would You Say Was The Single Secret To Your Success This Past Year ?
Perseverance ! And having a growth mindset .
What Was The Biggest Challenge You Had To Overcome This Past Year ?
We ’ ve had a lot of ups and downs due to churn we haven ’ t traditionally had . We had several law firms where the partners retired and closed the law firm , including our biggest client . We just kept plugging away at our campaigns . We had things in the pipeline , which is important because those are opportunities we work on for well over a year , sometimes as long as three or four years . With our marketing engines revving , it ’ s brought us new accounts , and we ’ ve been able to replace that income and keep moving forward .
Name A Partner Or Tool That Has Helped You Along The Way And How It Helped You .
Lisa Shorr Received A Much Deserved High-Five From TV ’ s ‘ Shark ’ Millionaire Investor Robert Herjavec At The RocketCyber Event After Telling Him Their Gross Revenue Has DOUBLED Since They Last Met In 2018 !
We ’ re excited about our new partnership with RocketCyber . It filled a huge gap because security is key to protecting our clients . We don ’ t run three shifts , which means we didn ’ t have people constantly looking at things overnight . RocketCyber enables us to pull all our security tools together into one place so we can monitor what ’ s going on . There ’ s a 24 / 7 SOC , so if there is an emergency or an alert for something we need to know about , people are watching on the other end who can help us . Now , we can go to one portal to update our firewalls , Office 365 , workstations , and servers ; RocketCyber is full of great stuff . It makes it easier for us to be proactive regarding security because hackers aren ’ t going to attack when it ’ s convenient for you . They will strike overnight , on the weekend , or during holidays . With RocketCyber , somebody is always watching . As MSPs , you make a lot of promises like “ We ’ re going to protect you , you ’ re going to be safe ,” and RocketCyber helps us back up that claim .
Who Would You Say Is The Business Leader Whose Techniques Or Leadership Style You Most Emulate , Follow , Or Are Influenced By ?
Robin Robins . She has perseverance to the nth degree . She has a drive unlike many others and a focus on growing businesses . She ’ s transformed our business . We ’ ve more than doubled our business since we met her . She ’ s allowed me to grow a second business , Shorr Success , an image consulting and branding company , because I could take the foundation and strategy she gave us and apply it .
What Book Would You Recommend MSPs Or SMBs Trying To Grow Their Business Should Read ?
“ The E-Myth ” by Michael Gerber . It discusses the power of getting outside your business to build and grow it .
“ Fish !” by Stephen Lundin , Harry Paul , and John Christensen . We give this book to every new employee .
“ The Pumpkin Plan ” by Mike Michalowicz . It teaches you to focus on the accounts that will be the best fit and profitable for you .
In Closing , Any Specific Advice Or Words Of Wisdom You Would Give To Other MSPs Looking To Grow Or Build A Successful Exit For Their Business ?
If you ’ re looking to sell or merge , knowing your numbers will be a critical component , so get those in order . Also , you must be laser-focused on growth , and that means NOT working in the business , so if you are an engineer or working technically , you need to get out of that and focus on sales , marketing , and running the company , and that will pay big dividends . n
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2 • MSPSuccessMagazine . com | 19