Stop Burning Out for Nothing

There is nothing more complicated than getting a bunch of people into a room, from different parts of an organization, to brainstorm and achieve consensus on a sales and marketing strategy. It's just hard work. Ian Richardson did just that - in record time. Ian facilitated our discussions, challenged our assumptions, and consolidated our messaging. The end result is the framework we needed to revise our tactical plans. There are lots of consultants out there, but if you are focused on building your partner network specifically IT services who are moving from a traditional 'break / fix' model to a Managed Service model - you will want to talk to Richardson&Richardson. Thanks Ian!

I would not hesitate to refer anyone in the MSP world to Carrie. I reached out to Carrie inquiring about Appointment Setting and Sales Consulting. Although she could have very easily guided us into an engagement we are not yet ready for, she gave very honestly feedback and recommended we start with Business Strategy, then potentially circle back when Appointment Setting and Consulting will be much more beneficial to our business.

Carrie is one of the best people to know in the Managed Services Provider channel. While she is a great provider of marketing and lead generation services, her real value comes from her knowledge of the business and the connections maintains. Carrie has made several great introductions for me over the years that we have worked together. Whenever I have a question about a channel vendor, media opportunity, or one my own ideas, I count on Carrie to tell me what she thinks.

I've had the pleasure of working with Carrie for the past 10 years at both OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco) and Huntress. The thing I appreciate most about Carrie is her willingness to tell it like it is. I've worked with many firms and consultants over the years who are afraid to rock the boat and sugarcoat things in an attempt to maintain the status quo and continue receiving a monthly check. I can think of several moments over the last 10 years where Carrie has hit me with some hard to hear but real feedback. She's been a true partner and I appreciate everything she and her team has done for us over the years!

I have been looking to Carrie as one of the most insightful people in our space since I met her while I was launching my business. I have found her insight and recommendations to be particularly impactful and part of the reason my company found initial traction. There are few people in the space I trust more than her.

Carrie provided us massive value from our discussions. Highly recommend her for consulting in your business. In a very short time she was able to diagnose and resolve systemic issues within our organization.

The M&A educational webinar "MSP Exit" series that Ian and Carrie launched, curated, and led over the last five months has been tremendously impactful - first as a way to inform participants (as potential sellers) on the myriad of acquisition considerations as well as do's & don'ts to be mindful of when embarking on the path, and second as a way for a buyer like my company to offer a perspective on what is important to us (and how that may be the same, or different, from others in the MSP market) - and hopefully bring a little positive name recognition to my company. The whole effort to bring education and awareness was the chief goal and I'm so pleased to have worked with Richardson & Richardson on this initiative. Thank you!

We were struggling to stay focused and consistent on our strategic goals until Ian got us on track with the StratOp system. Ian is passionate about the work he does, he's highly gifted in the art and science of strategic planning with business teams, owners, and stakeholders. I've never experienced as much alignment with my partners as we have now. Thank you Ian!

Easy to talk to and follow, Ian has an impressive ability to take an idea and break it down into meaningfully actionable steps. Ian's skill in seeing the whole picture of a problem or process and alchemizing it into steps that are comprehensive and yet consumable is rare and special. I am grateful for the many times he has helped walk me through a situation and come out with a proper plan on the other side. My life is better with Ian's clearheaded insight and vision, and I absolutely recommend him if you are looking for someone to help you get out of the weeds and to see the whole world beyond.

Top notch organization and people! Can't recommend them enough.

Really great team, with a clear passion for business processes and development.

Disciplined approach to strategy and alignment of tactics. Business owners can leverage Ian's strengths.

We have worked with Richardson & Richardson for 18 months. Our work with them has had a direct result on our firm's ability to achieve our strategic objectives

Ian delivers a great learning experience. It has really helped our team grow, and move closer to our goals.

Ian has been a thought leader in this area for years. His experience, his knowledge, and his dedication to his clients set him above his peers.

Ian and Carrie have left an amazing impression on me. Their business acumen is solid, advice is friendly yet direct, and experience is deep. I’ve worked with them on business strategy and biz dev (cold calling still works people). I’d recommend them to anyone, ESPECIALLY my peeps in the IT and MSP communities. 👏🏻

We could not be more grateful to Richardson & Richardson Consulting. What a world of difference working with them has made for us. Efficient and friendly. Ian is the best consultant we’ve ever had. Would recommend to everyone!

Have worked with Ian for nearly 15 years across a variety of projects and initiatives - highly recommend partnering with him and his team to help your business reach new heights.

Ian and Carrie have unique backgrounds that complement each other and make them a formidable business consulting team that can positively impact your business. My company initially partnered with the Richardson & Richardson team to facilitate the StratOp process. As a StratOp facilitator, Ian brings a wealth of experience and expertise and relates well with a room of diverse personalities. He is a natural leader and teacher able to guide others effectively through a successful engagement.

Ian at Richardson & Richardson Consulting brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a unique perspective on what it takes to build a successful organization from its infancy all the way to sale. Ian provides tremendous value through the StratOp process by facilitating the discovery of the core factors that will drive the success of an organization. Ian has the rare ability to really listen to what's important, and then create an action plan that's specifically tailored to you. If you have lofty goals but aren't sure what to do, I would absolutely recommend Ian to be the person to lead you there.

Ian brings his unique perspectives and skills to create a meaningful and purpose-driven experience for the business strategic planning process. From the first fifteen minutes of working with Ian, it was clear that he was the right fit for us.

I had the pleasure of working with Ian, who facilitated our StratOp meetings with exceptional skill and insight. Ian quickly gained the respect of our team and was able to provide top-notch guidance and advice tailored to our specific needs. Ian's MSP experience, combined with his wealth of knowledge and expertise in strategy, process, and execution is truly unparalleled, making him an invaluable asset to any team. I highly recommend Ian to any company looking for a skilled and insightful partner who will understand their unique challenges and have the tools to set them up for consistent success.

We didn't include Carrie Lynn Richardson's help in the press releases when Cisco acquired us (OpenDNS) in a $635M all-cash deal in 2015 (when that was a huuuuuuuge number for a clean money deal.) Let me be speak loudly now: Her guidance and the services she arranged for us are responsible for a large part of that acquisition. If you're not prioritizing a conversation with her, you're doing your business a disservice.

I will always be a fan of what Carrie Lynn Richardson and Ian Richardson have built for our space. Over the years in various channel leadership roles I've had the opportunity to work with them on various projects and their experience, knowledge, and expertise in sales, marketing, and the MSP buyer's journey have created killer outcomes. If you get a chance to take part in something they are doing...jump on it.

If you haven't had the pleasure of working with Carrie you should absolutely work with her on your next campaign. She was critical to our early success at Dropsuite and is one of the main reasons we are who we are today!!! Brilliant is an understatement!

So, here's a different take. If you're looking to do a comfortable same old style of process, stayaway from Carrie.

Carrie did an amazing job of helping our ministry work with prison inmates in setting up a call center inside a prison. Her insight and mentoring was spot on and greatly appreciated.

"Ian and his team have a depth of knowledge that is not only impressive but presented in a manner that is immediately applicable. The consulting provided has improved our sale process in many areas. We were struggling with our discovery process. With their advice, we were able to tighten up what information we were asking for, gain more information from cagey decision makers in a friendly manner, and engage leads in truly interactive discovery meetings. It allowed US to qualify THEM much more effectively."

"Ian is process focused. You can just tell that's how his mind works. I remember jumping on the original call with him discussing our vertical specific marketing process for his Thursday Process webinars. I just answered questions. By the end of it, Ian had mapped out a beautiful flow chart which was basically identical to our internal SOP! I highly recommend having a conversation with Ian. He's a straight shooter and down to Earth. Very easy to talk to. You never feel like he's trying to get anything out of you. He's genuinely trying to help and that's rare and appreciated."

"Absolutely loved the programme we ran with Ian as it provided insights into the missing link for us in our customer profiling and approach to the market. Would highly recommend doing a session with Ian if you want to understand any issues in your sales cycle and how to improve your ROI for your sales team."

Ian brings a wealth of value and wisdom to those who work around him. His experience in running a Managed Service Provider gives him a great understanding of how businesses run, including their documented and undocumented processes. Spending time with Ian to work through your business operations, marketing, sales and other functions is well worth the investment. His conciseness and clarity makes it easy to communicate with stakeholders and obtain maximum value.

“Carrie has assisted the Channel Futures team for the last two years in promoting our annual MSP 501 ranking list. Carrie doesn’t only have a vast network of channel contacts. She has a personal relationship with them, built and carefully cultivated from her years in this space. People trust Carrie (as they should), and therefore open the emails she sends and pick up the phone when she calls. Both years we contracted with Carrie to help us spread the 501 word among channel partners, she was an invaluable asset. Her efforts put us over our applicant goal, and we credit her work with way more than a few submissions. Carrie is easy and fun to work with, always ready with a friendly hello and quick-wit banter. She responds to emails almost immediately, and never lost her patience when I acted like a typical client and asked her for updated metrics every 12 seconds, even on the weekends. I recommend Carrie with no reservations, and am looking forward to a continued relationship that’s both fun and productive—it’s hard to beat that!”

"We could not be happier with Carrie’s consulting services. Carrie seamlessly integrated into our team, assessed the situation and started acting proactively in our interest almost immediately. She knew what needed to be done at the stage we were at better than we did and started executing successfully on day one. It was like instantly having another partner at the helm, and her input and the feedback she was able to gather rapidly absolutely guided our path early on. I can say that without a doubt we would not have the success we have had without their guidance. I felt like if she had left after the first day of our engagement, we would have gotten our monies worth. In the time since, Carrie has continued to advocate for us, make connections and send ideas our way. In 20 years of business, hiring Carrie was one of the best decisions we have ever made, and one we would and will make again."

“The content was great and it helped build my confidence in prospecting by telephone. Carrie’s years of experience and her professional and personal take on prospecting is what adds value not found anywhere else. What you learn will help set you apart from your standard cold caller. Great work Carrie and thanks for sharing!”

“As an owner of an MSP I found Carrie’s style of teaching and knowledge very refreshing. I learned a ton of information that will help my business succeed and a renewed appreciation for the telephone again. She challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and pick up the phone with a purpose. I would highly recommend anyone wanting to get more qualified meetings to take this course or look into working with Carrie one-on-one to get you on the right track.”

“Carrie’s unique no B.S. approach to get you started building relationships with your prospects is refreshing. The process, tools and tips allow for those with call anxiety to deal with it right away!”

“WOW! You are really great at what you do. Your content was really helpful because a lot of it can be applied to sales “touches” that are not just cold calling. Thank you for including us – I am learning a lot!”

“We recently had one of our new sales consultants attend Carrie’s prospecting training program. The course was quite comprehensive and was very beneficial for him. Before working with Carrie, we had noticed our sales consultant had picked up some bad habits over the years and was way too rushed in his sales approach. He was also starting to get frustrated and was at risk of burning out or simply leaving. Carrie’s training sessions helped him calm down, ask smart questions, and simply listen to the customer. Since the completion of these sessions, his sales performance has noticeably increased and he’s a much more effective team member. We would highly recommend working with Carrie to any MSP business owner or MSP sales professional who is looking to improve their own skills or the skills of their team. It was an excellent investment that paid for itself immediately.”

“There are a lot of sales courses out there that teach salespeople ‘how to sell’. I think too many of them drop the ball conveying the importance of the salesperson’s mindset. Many of us would rather get a root canal than make a sales call, and many of us would also rather get a root canal than take a sales call. Both of those are an issue of mindset. Carrie taught us to change that mindset. I make better calls now, and the interaction is less forced. Additionally, I take calls in a better manner now as I learn what works for me as a prospective client and what fails when tried by the salesperson calling. I highly recommend working with Carrie even if you don’t plan on being the salesperson making calls.”