How to Keep Up with the MSP Community as a Vendor | EP 030

Welcome to Gone Phishing, a show diving into the cybersecurity threats that surround our highly connected lives. Every human is different. Every person has unique vulnerabilities that expose them to potentially successful social engineering. On this show, we'll discuss human vulnerability and how it relates to unique individuals.

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Podcast Guests:

• ​Connor Swalm, CEO of Phin Security (host)
• ​Raymond Orsini, CEO of OIT and EMSP Media Network

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The Importance of Community in the MSP Industry

Connor Swalm: A concept that was brand new to me when I started in this industry was how important community is to MSPs, and how important it needs to be for the vendors and partners they work with, and even, to an extent, to their clients. What separates the bad from the good, the out-of-touch from the in-touch vendors in regards to their concept of community and how they treat it?

Raymond Orsini: Community is everything. My LinkedIn profile even says "champion for MSPs," because the community is what allows that to happen. It increases transparency. Some vendors see community as just another marketing channel, but the companies that come in from day one and really mean to be part of the community and serve the communities first, serving their companies second, are the ones that thrive. Vendors that work that way grow. I've seen vendors that started huge on community, and that was a giant part of why I went with their software product. As years progressed, some became less involved, and their view in the community changed significantly. But when they reinvigorated their focus on the community, it improved their standing versus competitors. You don't have to be the best; you just have to be in the conversation.

If you're in the conversation, people are more likely to be understanding and forgiving if you make mistakes. Vendors that are transparent in those communities and don't just look at it as PR, but genuinely engage, have better interaction, better client adoption, and better spread across the MSP base.

Why Has the MSP Industry Evolved This Way?

Raymond Orsini: There's a stereotype of IT people being introverts, but the MSP world has evolved to understand that we can be alone, but also together. Being in these communities—whether in-person at conferences or online in forums or real-time chats—MSPs value interacting with others so they don't feel alone. Community allows that; your friends are there whenever you need them. That's been a huge benefit for MSPs, more so than many other communities.

Connor Swalm: The relationship most MSPs have with their clients is very intimate. If a small business is getting all their IT, infrastructure, and security services through one relationship, they're entrusting their current and future business to that provider. The seriousness of that relationship is mirrored in how MSPs treat their vendors. If this is how much my client trusts me, this is how much I need to trust the tools I'm using to serve them.

Raymond Orsini: The liability has gone up significantly for MSPs. Due diligence is hard with vendors because not everyone is transparent or willing to answer questions. But vendors that are active in the community are usually the ones having those conversations and providing value.

Common Missteps for Vendors in Community

Raymond Orsini: One of my favorite sayings: you have two ears and one mouth for a reason—listen twice as much as you talk. Most people wouldn't walk into a room and just start talking; they'd listen and take the temperature. With online communities, it's easy to just join and start pitching, but that's not effective. You have to establish a relationship first. If you just walk in and start talking, you're not going to be successful. Walk in, listen, and genuinely try to be part of the conversation. It's not about you; it's about everybody.

Connor Swalm: People buy from people they like. If the community likes a vendor, you're fighting an uphill battle if you're not also there and liked. Also, it's nearly impossible to track the ROI of your investment in community. There are nearly free ways to get involved, but it takes time—sometimes a year or two—to build relationships. That's just how making friends works.

Raymond Orsini: If you're not there and well-liked, someone else is, and that's probably who people will end up working with.

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Connor Swalm: Thanks so much for joining me today, Ray. Community is not only incredibly important for MSPs, it needs to be important for vendors as well. If you're not there and well-liked, someone else is, and that's probably who people will end up working with because people buy from people they like.

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Thanks for tuning in to Gone Phishing. If you want to find out more about high-quality security awareness training campaigns and how to launch them in ways that actually engage employees to change their habits, check out Phin Security at phinsec.io.