Arlin Sorensen is the VP of Ecosystem Evangelism at ConnectWise and has been involved in the industry for almost 40 years. He’s passionate about supporting modern MSPs to grow and scale their business.
He ran a VAR (value added reseller) MSP for 27 years, which he sold in 2012, and recently sold his ag-tech business which focuses on delivering precision technology to farmers. He also founded HTG peer groups, now IT Nation Evolve.
An Interview With Arlin Sorensen
What Makes ConnectWise Different
The big differentiator for Arlin is community – The IT Nation. From the beginning of the company, founder Arnie Bellini wanted to engage with its users. Arlin says: It’s grown over the years to become a big part of people’s success over the years.
“And that’s the business area I’m part of today. I’m proud to be part of it because it’s different to anything else in the industry. Others have tried to build a community, but ours is unique.
“It’s built specifically for MSPs and we provide a lot of content to members. For me and my colleagues, we start every day wondering how to help partners be successful via The IT Nation. And that’s what makes it an asset.”
How Modern MSPs Should Manage Remote Teams
First of all, just because people aren’t in the same room doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be managed with intention. For modern MSPs with remote staff, the priority is to train their managers.
Because that’s a particular skill and most of us don’t have the experience of doing so. “MSPs spend thousands on technical training for their teams, but people skills are more important. Your employees need to interact well with clients and with each other. That’s how they are effective in their roles.
“Read up on how to effectively manager remote teams. Because there are people being successful with it. But remember it’s a different mindset and requires more interaction than traditional management.”
How Modern MSPs Can Get More Comfortable with Sales
Sales, like anything, is a skill, Arlin says. “At ConnectWise, we invest deeply in this. So, we have a ‘growth kit’, which is a sales learning tool. It helps partners learn the skills required to be effective as a salesperson.
“But one of the biggest problems is that MSPs dislike the idea of sales, don’t put in a lot of effort and fail. That’s when they decide to hire a salesperson. But the problem is that they’re not set up for success. They don’t know what to say to prospects or how to attract leads.
“As technical people, we don’t really understand the process of sales. We make it up on the fly because we’ve done it for so long. And that means that the business owners do a disservice to their salespeople.”
The Benefits and Risks of Automation
Arlin believes that RPA (Robotic Process Automation) will allow MSPs to automate menial, repetitive tasks. “Over time, it will become fairly effective. Many of the things we do regularly will be automated.
“But it won’t replace humans; it’s more of an assist tool. So the key will be in identifying those repetitive tasks to free people up on the more important work. However, automation, and especially AI, comes with risks. For instance, if data isn’t protected and managed, that’s a problem.
“I’m encouraging people to learn how to assess their data to manage it so it’s not vulnerable to AI. Because AI will deliver us a new kind of security risk which has the potential to cause destruction if we aren’t educated on how to control it.”
The Biggest Mistake Modern MSPs Consistently Make
The biggest mistake that Arlin sees MSP owners make is that they don’t plan. “I don’t mean for next week or next month. People don’t plan for how to transition out of their business. They don’t make their business sellable.
“So if I could change one thing about our industry, it would be to make a mindset shift in MSP owners. It’s their job to create business value. Because nobody else will do that for them. They have to take responsibility, and do it sooner rather than later.
“I’ve seen too many people sell up and get a job because they don’t have enough money to live on. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of ways to create value, but you have to be intentional.”
Why The IT Nation is Broadening its View on TSP
ConnectWise want to broaden how we think of TSP – the solutions provider market. “It’s broader than just managed services. We think of it in terms of office equipment sellers. Or audiovisual dealers or resellers, or even printers.
“Because we’re all trying to do the same things. We want recurring revenue and to work on projects. So we want The IT Nation to expand and grow. It might surprise you, but office equipment suppliers have been doing recurring revenue on a managed services model for longer than we have.
“And I think we can learn a lot from them. They often have mature sales departments which can give us ideas and inspiration for modern MSPs. We want to learn from one another and grow together.”
How to Connect With Arlin Sorensen
- ConnectWise
- Follow ConnectWise on LinkedIn
- Like ConnectWise on Facebook
- Follow ConnectWise on Twitter
- Connect With Arlin on LinkedIn
- Email Arlin
How to Connect With Me
- Subscribe to TubbTalk RSS feed
- Subscribe, rate and review TubbTalk on iTunes
- Subscribe and rate TubbTalk on Spotify
- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
- Follow @tubblog on Twitter
Mentioned in This Episode
- TubbTalk interview with Arlin Sorensen: Why Discipline and Planning are Vital to Success in Business and in Life
- PSA platform: ConnectWise Manage
- MSP peer group: The IT Nation
- Book: Bob Berg: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
- AI assistant: Microsoft Copilot
- Author and marketer: Mark Schaefer
- TubbTalk interview with Dan Scott: How to Grow Your Business in an MSP Community Like IT Nation
- MSP membership for growth: ConnectWise Evolve
- Peer group: S2S Groups
- ConnectWise CEO: Arnie Bellini
- Business expert: Karl Palachuk
- Leadership conference: Global Leadership Summit
- Arlin’s daily email on Scripture
You Might Also be Interested in
- Podcast interview with Arnie Bellini: How ConnectWise Helps MSPs Run More Efficient Businesses
- Why Consistent Content Marketing is Key for MSP Sales Success
- Considering the Challenges and Opportunities of Hybrid Working for MSPs
Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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