TruNorth Dynamics CEO To MSPs: Strategic Vendor Partnerships Can Help Grow Your Business

‘When you refer clients to another company, their experience reflects on you,’ says Ole Gjerde, TruNorth Dynamics CEO. ‘Ensure that the companies you choose to partner with are reputable and reliable.’

MSPs should seek out strategic partnership opportunities rather than trying to cover every possible service area to grow their business, according to Ole Gjerde, CEO of TruNorth Dynamics.

“Consider what business applications might complement your offerings,” Gjerde said, pointing out that services like Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and HubSpot can help meet customer needs without overwhelming MSPs. “You don’t have to do everything. Just be the one-stop shop for your clients.”

Gjerde, who spoke at CRN parent The Channel Company’s XChange NexGen conference in Houston this week, said harnessing those vendor partnerships can land more business with end customers.

If a client is asking about a particular service the MSP may not have, saying “no” could lead that client to seek out other companies.

“You want to guide that process,” he said. “Your clients may not know what they need, but you do. Your clients need more than you might be offering. If you can say ‘yes’ to more of their requests, you’ll not only retain their business but also expand your service portfolio.”

[Related: MSP Exec To Peers: ‘You Need To Know What Data To Protect Now And In The Future’]

And the importance of research and due diligence when forming partnerships is also crucial. “When you refer clients to another company, their experience reflects on you,” he said. “Ensure that the companies you choose to partner with are reputable and reliable. It’s about providing comprehensive support without stretching your resources too thin. If a client needs cabling or a new ERP system, having a trusted partner allows you to offer those solutions seamlessly.”

MSPs are all busy, he said, so it’s important to lean on those partnerships to implement and manage those opportunities.

Gjerde gave a call to action for MSPs to start exploring partnership options that align with their business goals.

“Don’t wait for clients to ask about additional services. Proactively seek out opportunities,” he said. “Partnerships aren’t just about business growth, they’re about enhancing the client experience and being a reliable resource in a rapidly changing tech landscape.”

Reagen Roney, chief experience officer at Sterling, Va.-based Solvere One IT, said he regularly looks to his vendor partners for expertise in certain areas.

“What I love about TruNorth is they are really the experts in providing dynamic solutions and helping our clients who typically are already in the Microsoft ecosystem,” he told CRN. “It’s about finding partnerships who offer something that’s customizable to [clients], and TruNorth is amazing for that.”