Empowering OPDs with a Strategy Champion

A successful partnership between Office Products Dealers (OPDs) and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) requires more than just a well-structured agreement and financial incentives. To ensure smooth implementation and adoption, OPDs need an internal advocate who can drive the transition, align sales teams, and foster collaboration between both parties. This key individual, known as the Strategy Champion, plays a critical role in ensuring the success of the OPD-MSP partnership by bridging the gap between traditional OPD operations and the integration of managed IT services in a way that benefits both parties without turning OPDs into IT service providers.

This chapter explores the importance of the Strategy Champion, their core responsibilities, and how they facilitate the adoption of MSP services within OPDs to create long-term success.

Why OPDs Need a Strategy Champion

The transition from a transactional product-based model to a service-oriented approach presents challenges, particularly for legacy sales teams that are accustomed to selling office supplies and print consumables. Without a dedicated leader to guide this shift, OPDs risk facing:

• Resistance from their Sales Teams: Salespeople may hesitate to embrace the introduction of additional resources to position the sale of IT services due to unfamiliarity or concerns about potential impact on their commission structures.
• Disjointed Customer Introductions: Without clear coordination, the introduction of MSP services may be inconsistent, leading to missed opportunities.
• Lack of Accountability: If no one is responsible for driving the MSP partnership, its success may be left to chance.
• Slow Adoption & Integration: The transition to introducing IT services requires training, strategy, and alignment with customer needs, all of which take time to implement effectively.

By appointing a Strategy Champion, OPDs ensure that there is a dedicated individual responsible for overcoming these obstacles, driving alignment, and ensuring the partnership is fully leveraged while maintaining the integrity of each partner’s core business model.

Core Responsibilities of the Strategy Champion

The Strategy Champion’s primary role is to serve as the liaison between the OPD, MSP, and the sales team, ensuring seamless execution of the partnership without positioning the OPD as an IT service provider. Their key responsibilities include:

1. Educating and Aligning Sales Teams

Sales teams accustomed to selling office supplies must shift towards a consultative sales approach that includes managed IT services. The Strategy Champion is responsible for:

• Providing Training: Conducting workshops and one-on-one coaching to help sales reps understand the value of introducing MSP services while ensuring they do not overstep into technical sales.
• Creating Sales Playbooks: Developing clear guidelines on when and how to refer MSP services to customers rather than attempting to sell them directly.
• Hosting Regular Strategy Meetings: Aligning sales and marketing efforts to reinforce the importance of MSP referrals as a value-added service rather than a core business shift.

2. Facilitating Customer Introductions to MSPs

A critical challenge in the OPD-MSP partnership is ensuring smooth customer introductions. The Strategy Champion plays a key role by:

• Identifying High-Potential Leads: Segmenting OPD customer bases to determine which businesses are the best candidates for MSP services.
• Standardizing Referral Processes: Establishing clear steps for OPD sales reps to introduce MSP services without disrupting existing customer relationships or positioning themselves as IT providers.
• Tracking Lead Progression: Ensuring warm leads are nurtured and properly followed up by MSP representatives, with OPDs receiving commissions on completed sales.

3. Overcoming Internal Resistance

One of the most challenging aspects of integrating MSP services into OPD sales is overcoming skepticism from sales teams. The Strategy Champion should:

• Address Concerns About Commissions: Work with leadership to create an incentive structure that fairly rewards OPD sales reps for MSP service referrals without requiring them to handle IT sales.
• Highlight Early Wins: Sharing success stories and case studies to demonstrate the tangible benefits of the partnership.
• Provide Continuous Support: Acting as a resource for sales reps, helping them navigate new objections and questions as they arise.

4. Driving Performance Tracking and Optimization

The Strategy Champion is also responsible for ensuring that the partnership is generating measurable value. This includes:

• Monitoring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Tracking metrics such as referral conversions, customer retention rates, and commission-based revenue growth from MSP services.
• Refining Sales Approaches: Analyzing data to determine which referral strategies work best and adjusting training accordingly.
• Providing Executive Reports: Delivering regular updates to OPD leadership on the success of the MSP partnership and identifying areas for improvement.

Qualities of an Effective Strategy Champion

To successfully drive the OPD-MSP partnership, the Strategy Champion must possess a unique blend of skills and experience. The ideal candidate should have:

• Strong Sales & Business Development Experience: Understanding the sales process is crucial for training teams and managing customer transitions.
• Excellent Communication Skills: The ability to align different stakeholders, from sales reps to MSP representatives to OPD leadership.
• Problem-Solving & Adaptability: The ability to address challenges as they arise and implement solutions that align with the company’s goals.
• A Strategic Mindset: The foresight to identify long-term opportunities for growth and process improvement.

Embedding the Strategy Champion into OPD Operations

For the Strategy Champion to be effective, OPDs must formally integrate this role into their business structure. This includes:

• Leadership Buy-In: Ensuring that OPD executives actively support the role and reinforce its importance.
• Clear Reporting Structure: Defining whether the Strategy Champion reports to sales leadership, executive management, or an independent cross-functional team.
• Dedicated Resources: Providing the necessary training tools, CRM access, and marketing support to help the Strategy Champion succeed.

Summary: A Catalyst for Partnership Success

The Strategy Champion is a critical component of the OPD-MSP partnership, serving as the driving force behind adoption, sales alignment, and customer integration. Their role is not to turn OPDs into MSPs but to facilitate the smooth introduction of MSP services to OPD customers in a way that benefits both parties. OPDs gain commissions and access to business intelligence that strengthens their market position, while MSPs secure new clients through a trusted referral channel.

By appointing a dedicated individual to manage this transition, OPDs can accelerate the adoption of MSP services, increase revenue, and position themselves as essential technology-enhanced partners in the evolving business landscape.

The next chapter will explore the long-term impact of this partnership, focusing on how OPDs can leverage this collaboration to enhance business valuation and future-proof their operations.

Related Reading:

Long-Term Gains: OPD-MSP Partnership: OPDs are boosting growth and stability by partnering with MSPs, shifting from transactional sales to recurring revenue and long-term client value.

Strategic OPD-MSP Partnerships for Growth: OPDs can boost retention and revenue by partnering with MSPs—leveraging IT services without becoming providers themselves. Here's how it works.