MSPinsights Spotlight: Jerod Powell, INFINIT Consulting
An MSP exec shares his views on digital transformation, digital Darwinism, millennials, and more
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Name: Jerod Powell
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Q: What changes in customer demands/expectations have you seen in the past 1-2 years?
A: Clients have invested significantly into various technologies to help their business over the years, but they spend too much time in the technology itself. It’s time now to transform and have technology work for the client. This is made possible through greater systems integration and automation with visibility into the business systems data the organization depends on. You can’t change what you don’t measure and we provide the insights clients need to make informed decisions. It’s all about having the right data in the right hands at the right time.
Q: What is the biggest threat or opportunity for your business?
A: Market confusion. Fighting all the various snake-oil solutions claiming to be the answer. It’s digital Darwinism out there. Clients that don’t get the need to change won’t be customers of ours.
Q: What is the top metric you use to measure success? How do you ensure your team is achieving this metric?
A: Client lifetime value. We’re on a journey together with our clients to drive mutual growth and client satisfaction through amazing experiences.
Q: What vertical or niche market presents the most lucrative opportunity in the next five years?
A: The retail market is our most exciting vertical and leading DX.
Q: What technology/solution deserves more hype?
A: Currently the buzzword surrounding technology lately is Digital Transformation. At the end of the day it is not a buzz word, it is being driven by the fact that society and technology have evolved faster than an organization's ability to naturally adapt. Society has already evolved - mobile, social media, IoT, wearables, real-time, etc., have changed buying behaviors, have changed how information is consumed. The long and short of it is that disruptive technology has created an evolution of customer and employee behavior, values, and expectations. This makes DX a necessity if you want to stay relevant. “Digital Darwinism,” as Brian Solis calls it, has set the stage for a new generation of business models, a new era of leadership.
Q: In what ways will millennials impact the channel?
A: Born with technology in their hands, millennials thrive in an environment of innovation and change. Their saturation into the market has significantly disrupted the landscape of traditional work place and marketing. Millennials have seized the reins of social media, content creation, and consumer power. Digital transformation is for customer experience. Millennials expect a simple, fast, and cool mobile experience. That’s what we build towards when considering user experience for clients.
Q: If you weren’t a solutions provider what would you be doing?
A: Would still be in digital transformation. It’s a gold rush!
Q: What is your best marketing secret?
A: 1. Developing the standard and best practices in-house to set the benchmark for our clients. We eat our own dog food and are our own best success story! 2. Focus on a specific vertical and hone in on content marketing that will appeal to clients’ needs.
Q: What are the three most important questions you ask in every interview? What is your hiring philosophy?
A: Our key hiring philosophy is that good people that like to win want to work with the same. Authenticity, integrity and desire to grow are key attributes.
- What drives you?
- What environments do you thrive in?
- What is your greatest success story?
Q: What is the best business book on your shelf?
A: Traction by Gino Wickman