In Episode 3 of our podcast series My First Million, we discover how Huey and Tito Huynh turned their passion for innovation and a value-driven culture into a thriving million-dollar MSP. Here’s just some of what you’ll learn about their sales strategies, leadership principles, and tips for building a successful IT business.
A Love Of Innovation—And Early Challenges
Innovation has always been the thing pushing Huey forward, when it comes to growing his business. “How do I get out and help others achieve?” says the president of Overland Park, Kansas-based Business Data Services. “You create things that can make money and can help others.”
Being part of a large company earlier in his career frustrated Huey; the business stopped innovating in order to focus on growth and profits. “I decided for myself that I needed to create a company that can foster innovation, can go out and help others and make money at the same time.” That’s how Business Data Services got its start. Now, the MSP’s biggest challenge is staying faithful to their roots—making room for innovation and creativity, while continuing to grow past their first million.
But before hitting a million in revenue, one of Huey’s biggest challenges was sales. As an introvert, he had a tough time putting himself out there in order to make a sale. “I figured out real quick that any hour I can earn, I have to spend at least one hour, if not two, outside of the technical world,” Huey explains. “That was the biggest challenge I had to overcome: go out, meet others, get my name and the company out there, and let people know what I can help them with.”
Cut The Jargon
Tito joined the business eight years ago as the marketing specialist and today serves as vice president. One of the first things he pinpointed was “the point of transition between tech and sales. That’s a struggle,” he explains. “That’s where I come in. [You have] to come in with fresh eyes and look at things without the technical background. In some ways, it makes it easier on one end, since you don’t have that technical bias in the way.”
Tito, who acts as account manager and sales manager, still sometimes takes the role of “translator.” However, the MSP pushes their technicians to avoid jargon when speaking to customers, so it’s less common of a problem. “We always tell our guys to speak in plain English. Don’t use jargon, don’t use abbreviations,” Tito says.
But even with these standards in place, business owners don’t always understand what the techs are telling them. Tito describes a common misunderstanding—clients not understanding that technicians asking about their spam filter aren’t trying to sell them something. That’s where Tito comes in and explains it in a way they’ll understand—as the first layer of email protection. It also helps to explain the result; in this case, that the spam filter will minimize the phishing emails coming in, meaning that the client’s team won’t have to be as on edge about malicious emails.
Crafting A Culture Grounded In Core Values
The first step Business Data Services took toward establishing a quality company culture was creating their core values. Some of their core values include integrity and customer service above all else (in that, if you can’t provide a service to your customer, someone else will).
The MSP does everything in accordance with their core values, from hiring to firing. “We hire based on those core values,” Huey says. “It doesn’t matter how good of a technician [a potential new hire] is, if they don’t fit our core values—the things that are important to us as a company. If they don’t fit that mold, we aren’t going to hire them. We fire people based on that as well; if they grow away from the core values once they’re on board, we could fire people based on the core values as well.”
This is key to building a quality company culture. “If everybody believes in the same thing and is striving for the same goal, if they all have the same integrity and customer service mindset, if they all believe in the same thing, then the boat will go in the same direction,” Huey says.
Moving forward, Business Data Services will continue to grow while living by their core values and mission of fostering innovation. For more expert advice, including financial insights and tips on lead generation, tune into the full episode here. Missed our last podcast? Learn about Todd Clark’s champion mindset and success tips here.
