Fewer than 250 companies out of 110,000 technology service providers in the Fox & Crow Instinct database (https://facinstinct.com) show up talking about AI workflows, AI policies, or monetizing AI. On this episode of WIN, host Carrie Richardson sits down with West McDonald — founder of GoWest.ai (https://gowest.ai) and BizVantage — to unpack why MSPs are so far behind on AI, even though customers are begging for help.
West shares why AI hasn't followed the same fast-adoption path as cybersecurity did for MSPs, why "imposter syndrome" is holding channel partners back from owning AI conversations, and why he believes the answer isn't to lead with the technology at all — it's to start with the client's actual pain points. He also walks through GoWest.ai's human-centric philosophy (AI augments people, it doesn't replace them), a real example of an AI inbox-triage agent built for a client, and why agentic search is starting to reshape SEO — including the story behind an $80 million inbound MSP lead that found Fox & Crow Group (https://foxcrowgroup.com) through an AI answer engine instead of Google.
In this episode:
• Why under 250 of 110,000 MSPs are publicly talking about AI (Fox & Crow Instinct data)
• The "imposter syndrome" keeping MSPs from claiming AI as part of their stack
• Why West starts every AI engagement with the client's workflow, not the technology
• A real-world AI agent example: inbox triage for executives buried in email
• How agentic search is changing SEO — and how it landed an $80M inbound lead
Carrie (https://linkedin.com/in/carrielynnrichardson) Richardson and Ian (https://linkedin.com/in/ianalexanderrichardson) Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?
They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.
Learn more at:
Fox & Crow Group (https://foxcrowgroup.com/) - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution
Fox & Crow Instinct (https://facinstinct.com/) - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel Vendors
Fox & Crow Jackdaw (https://facjackdaw.com) - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses
Book time with Carrie here! (https://randr.membrain.com/Meet/carrie@croocial.com)
Be a guest on WIN! (https://randr.membrain.com/Beacon/Form/4de426f6-c941-4583-9127-62dba3d00fc9) We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.