The tech industry is renowned for expensive startup costs and never-ending elevator speeches. Kevin Lancaster is the Co-Founder of a company that’s changing the game, connecting service providers and vendors on a level playing field.

As the CEO and Co-Founder of Channel Program, Kevin has been named one of the Top 25 Software Sales Executives by The Software Report in 2021. He’s built channel programs that have generated more than $5 billion in revenue and is a leading authority on cyber security, technology innovation, startup acceleration, and channel program development. His passion for supporting the underdog, creating meaningful partnerships, and making space for diverse voices fuels his work at Channel Program.

Kevin has an unrelenting drive to revolutionize the IT channel by empowering and inspiring both vendors and IT service providers to focus on community-building, collaboration, and respectful communication–a formula he believes will lead to greater success and health for the channel as a whole, along with its thousands of partners. 

How personal branding contributes to MSP success

Kevin has two main recommendations for anyone looking to build a successful MSP. The first is to build a strong personal brand–post consistently online, share thought leadership content, and be transparent about what you’re doing and why. Both Kevin and his business partner have spent years building their brand and reputation in the industry.

The second recommendation is to take a sales class, especially if you’re an introvert or selling is outside your comfort zone. Get comfortable talking to customers and build relationships. These two skills work hand-in-hand, as creating a personal brand will also help you sell more effectively. 

Creating an open and accessible community

After working in the industry for years, Kevin realized that the largest vendors were pricing out emerging competitors. At trade shows, for example, the larger companies held a monopoly on keynote speeches and the best booth locations, while newer startups were relegated to the sidelines. 

Kevin and his business partner wanted to give those scrappy startups an opportunity for equal access. So they launched a virtual event, Channel Pitch, where every company received seven minutes to pitch to vendors, regardless of size. The event was a hit and Channel Program grew the platform it is today, where vendors and IT service providers can connect in an open and equal community.

Enjoy this episode with Channel Program CEO Kevin Lancaster…

Quotes

“There are a handful of large vendors out there that are private equity backed, publicly traded, and they have deep pockets. What I’d see at these industry events, is you’d go up and down the rows, and you could see that the big vendors had the pockets to keep out all these emerging vendors. And in my opinion, they were stymying the innovation that could occur within the channel. The small, scrappy startups had these great ideas and great platforms but they weren’t getting the visibility.”

“Where do we go from here? How do we build a recurring revenue business that provides value to both sides of the industry?”

“That’s what drives me: trying to solve these problems.”

“As we looked at this massive marketplace and all the challenges, we thought, how do you break it down to the common denominator? How do you make it just stupid simple? If I can explain it to my daughter who’s 14, then we’re onto something.”

“We couldn’t have done this if we hadn’t built strong personal brands. Yes, we had a great product…but really, people were buying us.”  

“Yes we want to build a business, but we want to build a business that provides value. When you can be open and honest about that, I think that stuff comes through. And I think people can tell the difference between the snake oil person versus the person who genuinely wants to help create change.”

“Creating a personal brand helps you sell more effectively.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Podcast Resources

Channel Program: https://channelprogram.com/ 

Connect with Kevin Lancaster on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinlancaster/ 

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