CompTIA released a guide Thursday detailing how VARs can go about building a successful managed services sales organization.

The 18-page Quick Start Guide released by the Downers Grove, Ill.-based IT trade group identifies seven areas solution providers must address to build a strong sales team.

Stephanie Morgan, director of CompTIA's member education, said small and mid-sized service providers often have a difficult time transitioning from on-premise to managed services work, particularly as it relates to their role in the sales process.

The first thing solution providers should do, Morgan said, is compare their current sales and marketing capabilities with their vision. After that, Morgan encouraged companies to come up with a sales processes that differentiates what they're doing in the market.

Once the sales team is on board, Morgan said the company should collaborate on a planning process that helps get both the services provider and their clients accustomed to the shift from a traditional on-premise reseller to a trusted advisor, which often results in solution providers interacting with new people inside the client organization. 

The sales team also would benefit from continued training to get accustomed to and thrive in a managed services environment, Morgan said.

From there, the guide focuses on reimagining the sales process from the initial interaction between sales reps and clients to a compensation model that best services the client, business and sales team by incentivizing lasting relationships and recurring revenue.

Specifically, Morgan said solution providers should consider how to incorporate items that could benefit the managed services process such as automation software and sales collateral.

From Morgan's experience, the VARs who are able to successfully transfer to a MSP model are the ones who are wholly committed to change, willing to take a really critical look at their business and chart a specific path to where they want to go. 

The guide is available at no cost to registered CompTIA users and can be read in less than an hour, said Kelly Richer, the company's senior vice president of events and education. It can be accessed here.