When clients stop seeing you as strategic, you start becoming… replaceable.
That’s the risk every vCIO faces when the conversation stays stuck in tickets, updates, and costs. Yes, those are important, but they’re not enough. If you’re not painting a bigger, bolder picture of what IT could do for their business, you’re not creating excitement about the future.
And when there’s no vision? You slowly become just another vendor.
“The only way to make your present better is by making your future bigger.”
– Dan Sullivan.
This quote resonates with me, and if you haven’t already read 10x Is Easier Than 2x, I highly recommend it. It’s an awesome book that applies to so many areas of our lives, including what we should be doing as vCIOs.
If you want your clients to feel excited, engaged, and invested, they need to believe in a bigger future, one you’re actively helping them build.
A future where:
- Risks are reduced
- Productivity is elevated
- Costs are optimized
If your client doesn’t feel inspired about what’s ahead, and your only value is “keeping the lights on,” why wouldn’t they start shopping around?
The second you stop being a strategic guide, you become a commodity. And once that happens, all that separates you from the next MSP is a slightly lower monthly fee.
But if you’re constantly pulling your clients forward by helping them think bigger, move faster, and plan smarter, you’re not an IT supplier. You’re a strategic partner!
Simon is the President of S3 Technologies, a leading Canadian MSP he co-founded in 2003. He built and scaled the vCIO team which eventually lead to him co-founding Propel Your MSP in 2018 to help MSPs with their vCIO services.
