Managed Services in a Month

The Complete Guide to Successful IT Consulting
3rd Edition -- Over 300 pages with ten new chapters. Now includes information on integrating cloud services into your managed service offering.
by Karl W. Palachuk
The Best selling book on Managed Services

For IT Service Providers who want:

Paperback | Ebook | Audio | Kindle + Downloadable handouts and templates

"Hey Karl! I just signed my first MSP client. $3100 / mo. I've been break/fix for 10 years now. I'm hoping to migrate all of my clients within the next 3 months! Your book was our Bible (my business partner and I). Thank you so much for the amazing material!"
- Tony Mercer
Customer
5/5

Build a Successful IT Services Business in 30 Days!

The ultimate do-it-now guide to getting started in Managed Services.

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, reformulat-ing your business, creating service agreements, and more!

Should You Become a Computer Consultant?

It’s not too late! YOU can get into Managed Services — in a month.

All you need is a little guidance and how-to instruction. As Karl says, lots of people have done this and you can, too.

Even if you decide not to become an MSP (managed service provider), this book is full of great advice about taking stock of your business, “weeding your client garden,” adjusting your prices, and other best practices for the SMB Consultant.

This book is guaranteed to improve your business. Thousands of people have taken the challenge and become MSPs in a month — and so can you!

THIS BOOK IS GUARANTEED TO IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS

Don't just take our word for it..

Hear from a few successful IT Business owners that utilized Managed Services in a Month to support their success.

Table of Contents

See what’s inside Managed Services in a Month.

Section 1

Computer Consulting in the 21st Century

1. What’s Different About Technology Consulting Today?
2. The Latest Servers and Options (circa 2017)
3.Cloud Computing in the Small Business Space  
Section 2

The Managed Service Model

4. New Consulting Business vs. Existing Business
5. Managed Services in a Month
6. Break/Fix and Hybrid Models
7. Managed Services and Cloud Services

Section 3

Getting Started

8. Start Making A Plan
9. Starting Fresh with No Clients to Convert
10. Per User vs. Per Device Pricing
11. Create A Three-Tiered Pricing Structure

Section 4

Backup and Other Add-On Offerings

12. Building a Catalog of Services
13. BDR and Backup
14. VOIP, Signage, Security, and More

Section 5

Putting Your (New) Business Together

15. Weed Your Client Garden and Finish The Plan
16. Write a Service Agreement; Have It Reviewed
17. Print Up Your New Pricing Plan
18. Overcoming Objections
19. Desktops and Managed Service Revisited

Section 6

Creating a Cloud Service Offering

20. The Cloud Service Five-Pack
21. Building a Bundle that Works
22. Killer Combo: Managed Services and Cloud Services

Section 7

Executing the Plan

23. Client Sit-Downs
24. The Meeting
25. After the Sale

Section 7

Running Your New MSP Business

23. Client Sit-Downs
24. The Meeting
25. After the Sale

Section 8

Running Your New MSP Business

26. The Right Tools for the Job
27. Final Thoughts: Managed Services in a Month
28. Key Points to Remember for Profit
29. One Final Note: Self-Interest Properly Understood

Extras

Resources, Appendices, etc.

The new edition is loaded with information that’s useful for any new computer consultant or new technology consultant. Whether you are a new consultant interested in managed services, or an experience IT Pro who want to switch to managed services, this is the book for you!

Downloads

Associated Handouts

Most books by Karl come with downloads that are immediately customizable and usable by you. Handouts generally include Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets, PDFs and more.

Hear from more IT Businesses, just like yours

"Get off your butt and get this book. I have listened to the audiobook 3 times.

Karl takes the difficult task of getting started in managed services (successfully) and breaks it down into clear concise steps that ANYONE can follow.

Yes there is a lot of work but you should definitely buy the rest of Karl's books, Network Documentation Workbook, Network Migration Workbook and the Service Agreement book."
D. Pelletier
"Managed Services in a Month is an easy read, giving practical guidance on how to convert an existing break-fix business into a managed services one.

Karl walks you through a series of exercises to build, package, sell, and convert customers. His down-to-earth style of writing is like having a consultant working personally with you.

This is a great first step to getting into Managed Services."
David P. Sobel
Evolve Technologies / Microsoft MVP
"This book is filled with great tips and a lot of spot on strategy.

It is really all about doing the kind of business you want and eliminating the ups and downs. Karl's step by step approach will get you there, and quickly."
Karl Bickmore
Phoenix, AZ
"I read this book in conjunction with "Service Agreements for SMB Consultants." Until recently I had only done "break-fix" work. I needed a guide to to help me get clearer on what I was offering and how to present it to the client. The material in this book helped me do just that. It contains invaluable advice on deciding what to offer, and how to communicate it to the client in a way that will increase the chances that the outcome will be successful. The information is broken down in a way that is very manageable, rather than overwhelming.

I was a little nervous about the undertaking of putting together a package to present to a prospective client. It felt much more manageable and doable with this book as a guide. After my first sit-down with a prospective managed service client, the client commented on the quality of the presentation. They signed a contract a week later. Of course your mileage may vary, but I feel the help I got from this book was invaluable in steering me in the right direction."
Roberta Piket
Brooklyn, NY
"First of all, a word about the author, Karl Palachuk, here is a business man who has transferred his years of experience in the computer consulting field into VERY topical books on the subject.

He is success oriented, and that is communicated in his titles by not concentrating only on the minutia we tend to immerse in (technology), but into the "lessons learned" and business systems that transform a business.

You will do well by following the advice of Karl not only in this book, but his other titles -- particularly, in complement to this book, "Service Agreements for SMB Consultants." My own company's service agreement was completed after purchasing that book. . .

1 of 2
Chris Adragna
Orlando, FL
Now, in regard to this title, the focus here is not simply on the technology. The focus is on building a business system that is not only repeatable, but also profitable, minimizing the effort it takes to deliver service. The benefit is not all for the service provider, though. Benefits are equally delivered to the client/customer.

Purchase this book, and do so with Karl's "Service Agreements for SMB Consultants" and you'll have enough of an education to transform your I.T. support business."

2 of 2
Chris Adragna
Orlando, FL
"Money well spent. I keep referring back to this book, it is very hands-on and applicable to the real world.

So many other books are written by obviously very intelligent and successful people, but 50% of it applies to my business, and the other 50% is interesting but just doesn't fit my organization. While reading Karl's book, I get the feeling that he's been where I have been, and can help me move forward and improve my business.

I read a lot of technical material but Karl's stuff is very process oriented, which is where I need the most help!"
Daniel Mundy
Adelaide, Australia
"Thanks for the great book. It has really been helpful. We have spent the last year getting our tools up to speed, phone systems in place and a number of other things we didn't have or added.

We were in the finalization of things when we found your book. So we took a few steps backward and it has been really helpful."
Tim Nyberg

TAKE THE CLASS | IT Service Provider University

Managed Services in a Month: Applying the Book

Whether you’re a new “Computer Consultant” or an experienced Managed Service Provider, you need to create successful processes that will propel your company forward. Nothing is more critical to making profit than having the right processes and procedures in place!

This course is designed to walk you through the process outlined in the book. AND your registration includes a free copy of the book in e-format.

About Karl

Karl W. Palachuk has been an IT Consultant since 1995 and is one of the pioneers of the managed services business model. He is the author of 19 books, most of which are also available as audio books.

He is the host of the SMB Community Podcast and maintains four blogs, including Small Biz Thoughts and Relax Focus Succeed. Karl has owned several small businesses, including two very successful Managed Service companies in Sacramento, CA.

He received his first Microsoft certification in 1995 and his first MCSE in 1999. He was an active, hands-on Systems Engineer until January of 2017.

Karl has been a featured speaker at conferences and seminars over the last ten years. He is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with a Bachelor’s Degree from Gonzaga University and a Master’s Degree from The University of Michigan. He is also a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, and is an original member of Microsoft’s Small Business Specialist Advisory Panel.

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