Fox & Crow Group is taking aim at one of the channel’s biggest challenges: partner selection. The company recently launched Instinct, an AI-driven platform designed to help vendors zero in on the MSPs most likely to deliver results.
Using a dataset spanning more than a decade and 5 million outbound sales calls, Instinct analyzes MSP maturity, marketing effectiveness and territory strength. The goal is to help vendors avoid wasted effort and focus on high-potential partners.
In truth, the IT channel is a complex place, full of businesses that are adjacent but not the same as traditional MSPs. What looks like a competitor might instead be a security-only MSSP, a value-added reseller (VAR), an AI-focused consultant, a break-fix shop or a CXO-style technology advisory business. Each model is different, but these businesses may still offer recurring IT services.
Another complicating factor is varying levels of maturity. Although two IT businesses in a community or region are direct competitors, one may be significantly more sophisticated than another. Maturity can include factors like website design and SEO, as well as social media and community presence.
Why Partner Selection Is So Difficult in the Channel
The IT channel’s complexity makes it difficult for vendors to identify and engage the right managed services providers.
Carrie Richardson
“Not all MSPs are the right fit for a channel vendor,” said Carrie Richardson, co-founder of Fox & Crow Group. If an IT business hasn’t reached the right maturity level or has a wildly different business model, vendor time and dollars likely are better spent elsewhere.
Instinct aims to address that gap. The platform applies proprietary scoring to classify MSPs, evaluate marketing maturity and assess territory strength. It then identifies which partners are most likely to execute vendor programs successfully.
This can help manufacturers, distributors and SaaS vendors improve targeting and reduce wasted effort. The platform also gives MSPs visibility into how they stack up against peers in the market.
However, MSPs need to be prepared to act on those insights. “They need to be willing to focus on operational gaps and able to develop the capabilities needed to take advantage of them,” said Fox & Crow Group CEO and Co-founder Ian Richardson. “For MSPs that aren’t building a full go to market strategy, competitive analysis is likely a distraction.”
A Golden Opportunity
Ian Richardson
There are significant benefits to becoming an IT provider that vendors want to work with. Among them are marketing development funds (MDF), access to resources and client referrals.
Additionally, prospective clients prioritize working with mature IT businesses. Owners and C-suite executives often make buying decisions based on online presence, not sales pitches.
“Operational maturity gives an MSP owner significantly more choices when deciding how they spend their time, how much they want to work and how they will exit their business,” Richardson explained.
Even incremental improvements can create meaningful separation in a fragmented market, according to Richardson. Over time, those investments strengthen reputation, increase customer trust, improve lead generation and create meaningful growth opportunities.
Despite the perception of saturation, the MSP industry still offers substantial room for growth. Providers must be willing to invest in operational maturity, marketing effectiveness and long-term client value.
Summing Things Up
A common perception is that the IT channel is overwhelmingly saturated. But the story is more complicated than that with many nontraditional IT and MSP-adjacent businesses lumped in. Plus, traditional MSPs are often in dramatically different stages of operational and business maturity.
Focusing on process, messaging, service delivery and visibility can create a competitive advantage. Skipping on the fundamentals could result in an MSP not even registering in tools like Instinct.
For vendors, the most effective marketing is targeted. It’s crucial for platform and hardware companies to carefully identify which MSP partners have the capacity to execute partner programs successfully, Richardson emphasized.
The Instinct platform was created with all of this in mind. Tools like Instinct can help vendors find the right MSP partners.
Vendors that support their partners and help them move forward in their maturity journey will be rewarded. When channel partnerships are strategic, there’s mutual and sustained growth. That’s the ultimate win-win.
Jonathan Browning is executive director of content and engagement for The ChannelPro Network. He has been a leader in the IT channel for close to a decade. He’s an avid fan and early adopter of technology. He believes that the managed services industry is the most important driver of economic growth and human innovation in today’s world.
Images: Fox & Crow Group, Ian and Carrie Richardson
