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technology-broker-partner-research-prompt

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Technology Broker / Master Agent Partner Research — Prompt & Playbook

Purpose: Find, vet, and outreach to Technology Services Distributors (TSDs) and technology brokers that Solanasis should partner with — similar to the Sierra Peak Solutions deal. Created: March 26, 2026

Part 1: ChatGPT Deep Research Prompt

Copy everything below the line into ChatGPT Deep Research. This will use 1 of your 10 monthly credits and take 15–60 minutes.

PROMPT START

I’m the CEO of Solanasis, a fractional CIO / CSIO / COO firm targeting SMBs and nonprofits. We offer cybersecurity assessments, disaster recovery verification, data migrations, CRM setup, systems integration, and responsible AI implementation. We’re based in Boulder, Colorado.

I’ve just signed a partner agreement with Sierra Peak Solutions — a small, Colorado-based technology advisor/broker that holds Master Agency Agreements (MAAs) with telecom, cloud, cybersecurity, and IT vendors. As their sub-agent, I earn 80% commission on any deals I bring through their vendor network. It’s non-exclusive, so I can (and should) work with multiple brokers/TSDs.

I need exhaustive research on other technology brokers, Technology Services Distributors (TSDs), and master agents I should consider partnering with. Specifically:

RESEARCH SCOPE

Tier 1 — Major National TSDs (the “Big 5-8”) For each, I need:

  1. Company name, HQ location, year founded, approximate size (revenue/headcount/partner count if available)
  2. Key leadership (CEO, VP of Channel/Partnerships, regional channel managers — especially anyone covering Colorado/Mountain West)
  3. Partner program name and structure (sub-agent vs. direct agent vs. referral)
  4. Commission model — do they publish rates? What’s the typical range? Is it residual/recurring?
  5. Vendor/supplier portfolio size and notable vendors (especially in cybersecurity, cloud, UCaaS, SD-WAN)
  6. Tools and back-office support they provide partners (quoting tools, CRM, marketing, training)
  7. Minimum requirements to join (revenue thresholds, certifications, exclusivity requirements)
  8. Reputation in the channel — any awards, rankings, Channel Futures recognition, partner satisfaction data
  9. How friendly they are to small/new partners vs. requiring established books of business
  10. Any recent news, acquisitions, or strategic shifts (2024-2026)

Known major TSDs to cover (at minimum):

  • Telarus
  • Avant Communications
  • Intelisys (ScanSource company)
  • Sandler Partners
  • TBI (now part of Telarus? confirm current status)
  • AppSmart
  • MicroCorp
  • PlanetOne Communications
  • Bridgepointe Technologies
  • NXTSYS

Tier 2 — Smaller / Regional / Specialty Brokers Find 10-20 smaller technology brokers similar to Sierra Peak Solutions, with emphasis on:

  • Colorado / Mountain West / Western US based
  • Specialize in cybersecurity, cloud, or managed services
  • Friendly to small firms and new agents
  • Non-exclusive partnership models
  • Companies where the founders/leadership are accessible (not buried in corporate hierarchy)

For each, provide the same data points as Tier 1 where available.

Tier 3 — Adjacent / Emerging Broker Models Identify any newer or unconventional broker/distributor models that are disrupting the traditional TSD space:

  • AI-powered quoting/matching platforms
  • Marketplace models (like an “app store” for IT services)
  • Cybersecurity-specific brokers (not general telecom-first)
  • Brokers that specifically target the SMB/nonprofit market
  • Any that offer white-label or co-branded partner programs

VETTING CRITERIA

For ALL companies found, assess against these criteria (rate each High/Medium/Low where possible):

  1. Solanasis Fit Score — How well do their vendors/services align with our offerings (cybersecurity, DR, data migration, CRM, systems integration, AI)?
  2. Small Partner Friendliness — Do they actively recruit and support small/new partners, or do they prioritize high-volume agents?
  3. Commission Transparency — Do they publish or openly discuss commission structures, or is it opaque?
  4. Non-Exclusivity — Can I work with them AND other TSDs simultaneously?
  5. Cybersecurity Depth — How strong is their cybersecurity vendor portfolio specifically?
  6. Back-Office Value — Do they handle quoting, ordering, billing, and provider management so I can focus on selling?
  7. Training & Enablement — Do they provide onboarding, certifications, sales engineering support?
  8. Credibility Lending — Would being affiliated with them boost Solanasis’s credibility with prospects?
  9. Geographic Relevance — Do they have Colorado/Mountain West presence or coverage?
  10. Contract Risk — Any red flags in how they typically structure partner agreements (exclusivity traps, commission clawbacks, restrictive non-competes)?

OUTPUT FORMAT

Please organize the final report as:

  1. Executive Summary — Top 5 recommendations ranked by overall fit for Solanasis, with 2-3 sentence rationale each
  2. Tier 1 Deep Dives — Full profile for each major TSD
  3. Tier 2 Profiles — Condensed profiles for regional/smaller brokers
  4. Tier 3 Emerging Models — Brief descriptions of disruptive/adjacent players
  5. Comparison Matrix — Table comparing all companies across the 10 vetting criteria
  6. Outreach Priority List — Ranked list of the top 15 companies to contact, with the specific person to reach out to (name, title, LinkedIn URL if findable), and a one-line reason why they’re a priority
  7. Red Flags & Warnings — Any companies or models to avoid, and why
  8. Channel Industry Context — Brief overview of where the TSD/master agent industry is heading in 2025-2026 (consolidation trends, AI impact, cybersecurity growth, etc.)

Be exhaustive. I’d rather have too much information than too little. Include sources/URLs for everything so I can verify.

PROMPT END

Part 2: Apollo Research Workflow

Once you have the Deep Research results back, use this workflow to enrich and build your outreach list.

Step 1: Build the Target Company List in Apollo

Search filters to use:

  • Industry keywords: “technology services distributor”, “master agent”, “technology broker”, “telecom broker”, “channel partner”, “technology advisor”
  • Company size: 10-500 employees (sweet spot for accessible leadership)
  • Location: United States (prioritize Colorado, Utah, Texas, California for Mountain West coverage)
  • Technologies: cybersecurity, cloud computing, UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service), SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network)

Step 2: Find the Right Contact at Each Company

Target titles to search for (in priority order):

  1. VP of Channel / VP of Partnerships / Channel Chief — The person who owns the partner program
  2. Director of Partner Development / Partner Recruitment — The person who onboards new agents
  3. Regional Channel Manager (Mountain West / Western US) — Your local contact
  4. CEO / Founder / President — For smaller brokers (under 50 people), go straight to the top
  5. VP of Sales — Fallback if no dedicated channel role exists

Step 3: Enrich with Apollo Data Points

For each contact, capture:

  • Full name and current title
  • LinkedIn URL
  • Email (Apollo verified)
  • Phone (if available)
  • Company revenue range
  • Company headcount
  • Technology focus areas
  • Recent company news or funding

Step 4: Export and Organize

Export from Apollo as CSV with columns:

  • Company Name | Contact Name | Title | LinkedIn URL | Email | Company Size | Revenue Range | Cybersecurity Focus (Y/N) | Non-Exclusive (Y/N) | Priority Tier (1/2/3) | Notes

Part 3: LinkedIn Outreach Templates

Template A — For Major TSDs (Tier 1)

Connection Request (300 char max):

Hi [First Name] — I run Solanasis, a fractional CIO/CSIO firm in Boulder specializing in cybersecurity assessments and operational resilience for SMBs. Exploring TSD partnerships to expand our vendor reach. Would love to learn about [Company]‘s partner program.

Follow-up Message (after connection accepted):

Thanks for connecting, [First Name]!

Quick context: Solanasis helps SMBs and nonprofits with cybersecurity assessments, disaster recovery verification, data migrations, and systems integration. We’re actively building out our technology advisory practice and looking for the right TSD partners.

What drew me to [Company] specifically:

  • [Insert 1 specific thing from your research — e.g., “your cybersecurity vendor portfolio” or “your reputation for supporting newer partners”]
  • [Insert 1 more — e.g., “your back-office quoting tools” or “your Mountain West coverage”]

I’m already partnered with one smaller broker and looking to complement that with a larger TSD relationship. Would you have 15 minutes for a quick call to see if there’s a fit?

Best, Dmitri

Template B — For Smaller / Regional Brokers (Tier 2)

Connection Request:

Hi [First Name] — Fellow Colorado tech professional here. I run Solanasis (fractional CIO/CSIO for SMBs) and came across [Company]. Love what you’re doing in the advisory space. Would be great to connect and explore potential synergies.

Follow-up Message:

Hey [First Name], appreciate the connect!

I noticed [Company] operates a similar model to another broker I recently partnered with — helping clients navigate technology decisions across cybersecurity, cloud, and infrastructure.

At Solanasis, we do the hands-on assessment and implementation work (security assessments, DR verification, data migrations, CRM setup) and are looking for broker partners where we can:

  1. Refer clients who need vendor procurement (earn commissions)
  2. Receive referrals from your network for assessment/implementation work

Basically a two-way street rather than just a one-way agent relationship. Interested in a quick chat?

— Dmitri

Template C — For Channel Leaders at Events/Conferences

Connection Request:

Hi [First Name] — Saw your session/panel at [Event Name]. Great insights on [specific topic]. I run a fractional CIO firm (Solanasis) and I’m actively building TSD partnerships. Would love to connect.

Part 4: Vetting Checklist (Post-Discovery Call)

After your initial call with each potential partner, score them on these criteria before signing anything:

Deal Breakers (Walk Away If Any Are True)

  • Requires exclusivity (can’t work with other TSDs)
  • Commission split below 60%
  • No post-termination residual commissions
  • Restrictive non-compete that limits your direct consulting work
  • No cybersecurity vendors in their portfolio
  • Requires minimum monthly revenue commitments you can’t meet
  • Won’t provide written commission transparency

Strong Positives (Green Flags)

  • Commission split 70%+ (80% = excellent, which is what Sierra Peak offers)
  • Dedicated onboarding and sales engineering support
  • Quoting/proposal tools provided free
  • Strong cybersecurity, cloud, and UCaaS vendor lineup
  • Active partner community and events
  • Marketing development funds (MDF) or co-op marketing
  • Willing to help small/new partners ramp up
  • Clean, balanced partner agreement (use the Sierra Peak review as your baseline)

Questions to Ask on Every Discovery Call

  1. “What does your typical new partner onboarding look like?”
  2. “What’s your commission structure? Is it published or negotiable?”
  3. “Do commissions survive termination of the agreement?”
  4. “What’s your cybersecurity vendor portfolio look like? Who are your strongest cybersecurity suppliers?”
  5. “Is the partnership non-exclusive? Can I work with other TSDs?”
  6. “What tools do you provide — quoting, CRM, marketing?”
  7. “How do you handle a situation where a Provider reduces their commission to you — does that flow through to me?”
  8. “What does ‘termination for cause’ mean in your agreement?”
  9. “Do you have a partner in the Colorado/Mountain West region I could speak with as a reference?”
  10. “What’s the average time from signing to first deal for a new partner?”

Part 5: Key Industry Events to Target

These are where the channel leaders, TSD executives, and potential partners congregate:

EventOrganizerTypical TimingWhy Attend
Channel Partners Conference & ExpoInforma / Channel FuturesSpring (Las Vegas)Largest channel event — all major TSDs exhibit
Avant Special Forces SummitAvantFallAvant’s annual partner conference
Telarus Partner SummitTelarusFall (varies)Telarus partner education and networking
Intelisys Channel ConnectIntelisys/ScanSourceFallIntelisys partner event
ASCII Success SummitsThe ASCII GroupMultiple per yearRegional IT community events, great for smaller brokers
CompTIA ChannelConCompTIASummerBroader IT channel, MSP-focused
IT Nation ConnectConnectWiseFall (Orlando)MSP-heavy, good for partnership cross-pollination

Part 6: Tracking Spreadsheet Structure

Create a Google Sheet or ClickUp list with these columns to track your outreach:

ColumnPurpose
Company NameTSD/Broker name
Tier1 (Major) / 2 (Regional) / 3 (Emerging)
Contact NamePrimary contact
TitleTheir role
LinkedIn URLFor outreach
EmailApollo-enriched
StatusNot Started → Connection Sent → Connected → Call Scheduled → Call Complete → Agreement Review → Signed
Commission SplitWhat they offer
Non-Exclusive?Y/N
Cybersecurity DepthHigh/Med/Low
Small Partner Friendly?Y/N
Post-Term Residuals?Y/N
NotesKey takeaways from calls
Agreement ReviewLink to contract review doc (like the Sierra Peak one)
Next ActionWhat needs to happen next
Next Action DateWhen

Pro Tips

  1. Stack 3-4 TSDs strategically — Don’t just sign with everyone. Pick one major TSD (Telarus or Avant), one mid-tier with strong cybersecurity (like Sandler), and keep Sierra Peak as your boutique/local partner. This gives you maximum vendor coverage without operational complexity

  2. Use Sierra Peak’s 80% as your anchor — When negotiating with other TSDs, mention (without naming names) that you already have an 80% split elsewhere. This sets the bar and prevents lowball offers

  3. The “Two-Way Street” pitch is your differentiator — Most sub-agents just want to sell through the TSD. You can offer something extra: when your cybersecurity assessments uncover needs, that’s warm lead flow back to the TSD’s vendor network. Lead with this value-add in every conversation

  4. Channel Futures Top 101 list — Check the annual “Channel Futures Top Partners” list for both potential TSD partners AND potential competitors to learn from

  5. Don’t overlook the “CyberFOX” model — ACS Cloud Partners has a cybersecurity-specific broker program called CyberFOX. Given your cybersecurity wedge, this could be a high-fit specialty partnership worth investigating alongside general TSDs

  6. Time your outreach around events — Reach out 2-3 weeks before a major channel event. Channel managers are more responsive when they’re in “networking mode” pre-conference

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