For all of our MSPSN members using Level Platforms, we have uploaded two new monitoring templates to the Downloads section:

   MSPSN Windows Workstation Template    for monitoring Windows XP and 2000 clients.

   MSPSN Trend C/S/M Template     for monitoring Trend's Client/Server/Messaging for SMB.

Also, the MSPSN LPI Monitoring Overview PDF document has been removed from the individual zipped downloads and added as a separate download - primarily to make it easeir to manage revisions to that document.

Let’s face it; we’d all rather crawl naked through a field of broken glass and lemon juice than make cold calls. But the fact of the matter is you can’t sell without contacts. If you are serious about getting new customers you are going to have to make those contacts some how. The fastest and most cost effective way to do it is to make some cold calls. If you took an hour a day and made just 15-20 calls in that hour everyday, you could very soon be landing one new customer a week, or more.

I have posted a Selling guide that goes into cold calls in great detail, as well as a guide for hiring and compensating a cold caller.

As many of you know, we are using Level Platforms' Managed Workplace to monitor our clients' networks.  During our MobilizeSMB tour this past year, we received a large number of requests for more information regarding what we monitor, and what we alert on.  The good news is that MSPSN members will soon be able to download the monitoring templates we use, as well as documentation explaning the contents of each template and why we chose to include what we did.

But for everyone else, I wanted to give a high-level insight into my thinking when I started monitoring client systems.  First and foremost - keep it simple!  It is very easy to get overwhelmed with the number and variety of items you can monitor.  When I started monitoring with LPI almost 3 years ago, there weren't any monitoring templates available - so I started setting up my mo ...

Mobilize SMB launched our Services Network (MSPSN) Portal this week. MSPSN is our response after talking to hundreds of SMB MSP Solution Providers this year during our Mobilize Tour who are looking for a place to collaborate with others who are serious about building their SMB MSP businesses. So, we’ve launched a portal that will allow us all to tap into the power that has yet to be unleashed within our SMB Community by bringing us all together and providing the infrastructure from which we can learn, colla ...