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The ultimate do-it-now guide to getting started in Managed Services. Now includes chapters on Cloud Services, bundling, and more. Whether you're a NEW Computer Consultant or an experienced technician making the move to managed services, this is the perfect book for you! The book includes step-by-step instructions for creating service offerings, reformulating your business, creating service agreements, and more! Downloadable content includes forms, checklists, and spreadsheets you can customize for your business. The #1 selling book on managed services! Now with ten new chapters, this is the ultimate guide to building a successful managed service business.
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Managed Services in A Month Build a Successful, Modern Computer Consulting Business in 30 Days 3rd Edition Karl W. Palachuk Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc. Sacramento, CA www.greatlittlebook.com Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc. Sacramento, CA Managed Services in a Month – Build a Successful, Modern Computer Consulting Business in 30 Days – 3rd Ed. by Karl W. Palachuk Copyright © 2008, 2013, 2018 by Karl W. Palachuk All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. www.greatlittlebook.com ISBN # 978-1-942115-47-2 Managed Services in a Month Build a Succesful, Modern Computer Consulting Business in 30 Days 3rd Edition Karl W. Palachuk Table of Contents Preface to the Third Edition ........................................................... 6 I. Computer Consulting in the 21st Century ............................... 12 1. What’s Different About Technology Consulting Today? ..... 12 2. The Latest Servers and Options (circa 2017) .......................... 22 3. Cloud Computing in the Small Business Space ..................... 29 II. The Managed Service Model ..................................................... 39 4. New Consulting Business vs. Existing Business .................... 39 5. Managed Services in a Month .................................................. 44 6. Break/Fix and Hybrid Models .................................................. 51 7. Managed Services and Cloud Services ................................... 60 III. Getting Started .......................................................................... 65 8. Start Making A Plan ................................................................... 65 9. Starting Fresh with No Clients to Convert ............................. 78 10. Per User vs. Per Device Pricing .............................................. 88 11. Create A Three-Tiered Pricing Structure ............................. 98 IV. Backup and Other Add-On Offerings ..................................... 109 12. Building a Catalog of Services ............................................... 109 13. BDR and Backup ..................................................................... 124 14. VOIP, Signage, Security, and More ........................................ 131 www.smallbizthoughts.com V. Putting Your (New) Business Together ................................... 137 15. Weed Your Client Garden and Finish The Plan ................ 137 16. Write a Service Agreement; Have It Reviewed .................. 147 17. Print Up Your New Pricing Plan ......................................... 153 18. Overcoming Objections ....................................................... 158 19. Desktops and Managed Service Revisited ......................... 166 VI. Creating a Cloud Service Offering ......................................... 172 20. The Cloud Service Five-Pack .............................................. 172 21. Building a Bundle that Works ............................................. 183 22. Killer Combo: Managed Services and Cloud Services ..... 1