... President, Software To Go. A common tagline that is used by The ASCII Group is, 'Leverage the ... programs that prov
ASCII Peers Mean Business “Through peer interaction I get a pulse of what is working in the market. You can’t put a value on that type of business intelligence and how it impacts operations.” – Joe Balsarotti, President, Software To Go
A common tagline that is used by The ASCII Group is, ‘Leverage the power of an interactive community’. For the past 30 years, The ASCII Group has celebrated the solution provider and heralded the benefits of working within a community by offering over 70 programs that provide innovative business building strategies and extensive peer networking. Industry veteran Joe Balsarotti, President of Software To Go, firmly believes in this statement and utilizes the knowledge of the likeminded community and relishes the peer-to-peer interaction. In business for over three decades, Balsarotti knows the importance of establishing a good relationship - amongst customers and colleagues. Starting out primarily as a software shop in the St. Louis area, Software To Go grew to a full-service technology solution provider for SMBs with a strong focus on customer service. An active ASCII member for 23 years, Balsarotti originally joined the group for its distributor pricing program discounts. While he still takes advantage of those discounts, as time went on he saw the invaluable benefits that only ASCII could provide through networking and knowledge exchange with peers, via the ASCII-Link forum and Success Summit events. “We joined ASCII in the 1990s because of the pricing programs; and the forum has brought continuous reasons for us to maintain our membership. Being able to ask a question and get a trusted response saves hours worth of independent research and pays for itself.”
Company: Software To Go Location: St. Peters, Missouri Website: www.softwaretogo.com ASCII Group Member Since: 1991
About: Since 1983, Software To Go has offered products, services and support to SMB. A full-service technology solution provider catering to small businesses, individuals and organizations who desire a high level of personal service. “We become your computer department.” Services Offered: A broad range of services including initial needs analysis, sales and service of software and hardware, ongoing maintenance, and disposal and recycling of old equipment.
“If you go to the events, participate in the forum, read the program materials and listen... the more active you are, the greater the benefits you will receive.” – Joe Balsarotti, Software To Go Become an ASCII Member: 800-394-2724 |
[email protected] | www.ascii.com
With customers throughout the metro St. Louis area as well as in over 40 states and 20 countries, Balsarotti credits the ‘trust factor’ for establishing long term relationships with these clients. As many of the businesses moved away from Missouri, and employees from these companies changed jobs, they still had Software To Go on the top of their minds when selecting a trustworthy MSP for their new venture. With ASCII-Link, the members-only email listserv forum, Joe saw a valuable resource for shared technical and business knowledge and a way to share partnership opportunities.
“We see value in attending the ASCII Success Summits for it is a great way to get face-to-face time with vendors as well as with other colleagues. There is only so much you can do with email and phone calls. If you spend the day with industry peers - a lot of things pop up...many times you can find solutions for your business and for your customers.” When a client in Brooklyn was having an issue, Joe was able to reach out to NY-based members of the forum and have a fellow ASCII associate handle the repair on his
The ASCII Group ROI for Software To Go Joe sees the following benefits with ASCII-Link: • • • • •
Research time cut in half on products and services Quick response to finding trusted subcontractors Vetting business practices against a larger pool of peers Recognition as a resource for opportunities in the area Building long standing trusted business partnerships
behalf. (ASCII is able to create subcontracting opportunities and build on the power of its community by helping members to find others to align with on projects. Members are working with other trusted members who complete the work on their behalf without infringing on the relationship with the customer).
Today, the ASCII-Link forum has surpassed 225,000 global posts with over 900 active users. It is one of the largest IT community forums whereby members communicate freely with fellow colleagues on a daily basis to jointly solve technical issues, provide solutions-based recommendations and to exchange best practices on revenue opportunities and more. “Being a part of the ASCII community, and all of the benefits that it brings, has large value to us...some tangible, some intangible. Many of the members I now consider to be good friends - and I never would have met them if it weren’t for ASCII. Having a good friend you can count on is priceless.” The ASCII IT SMB Success Summits are another unparalleled resource for collaborating with industry peers. The atmosphere at the Summits is centered on driving business forward, discovering untapped revenue opportunities, and understanding new ways to market and sell services. Although it is difficult for many solution providers to leave the office to attend an event, they have learned that to fully appreciate the benefits of a peer group requires being amongst your peers. To get the maximum benefit out of the Summit, active participation is encouraged; the goal is to fortify your business by creating partnerships.
Become an ASCII Member: 800-394-2724 |
[email protected] | www.ascii.com
