Companies across the Channel sometimes consult with expert services to navigate complex challenges, accelerate growth and stay ahead of the competition. The right advisor brings industry insight, strategic clarity and a track record of delivery. These qualities are often difficult, expensive and slow to build in-house.

We sat down to explore which consultancy services are currently in demand, how to choose the right partner, and how to make sure the engagement delivers real results.

Why consider external consultants?

The most common driver is growth. Channel businesses engage consultancies to help them move faster than organic development allows. There is a healthy pool of channel-focused specialists covering lead generation, market research, digital transformation and AI. Each offering capability that would take time and significant investment to build internally.

For many businesses, it is simply more efficient to bring in a proven expert than to develop that expertise from scratch.

How do you identify the right consultant for the job?

Trust and track record matter most. A person with deep roots in the channel who understands the industry, end users and the problems to solve.

A good consultant will be able to articulate the challenge clearly, outline a credible path to solving it, and point to evidence they have done it before. 

What consultancy services are most in demand right now?

AI dominates the agenda. Channel businesses are asking two questions: how do we use AI internally to reduce cost and improve efficiency, and how do we build it into our proposition to generate new revenue? Both are valid, and both are driving significant consultancy spend.

Marketing services are also widely used across the channel, helping businesses productise their offerings, sharpen their messaging and remove the commercial barriers that hold back growth. For Jola partners, this kind of strategic support can be the difference between winning new business and standing still.

What are the most common pitfalls when onboarding an external consultant?

Misaligned expectations. It sounds simple, but the majority of consultancy engagements that go wrong do so because the brief was not clear enough at the outset.

Before work begins, both sides need a shared understanding of: what the consultant is there to do, how they will execute the strategy, what success looks like, and the timeline for getting there. Getting these foundations right is not bureaucracy, it is how you protect your investment.

How do you ensure a good return on investment?

The hard work happens before the consultant starts. Make sure they genuinely understand the problem, and that you fully understand the service you are buying. Set goals, agree KPIs, define timelines and schedule regular review meetings to keep delivery on track.

Treat it like any other business project with clear ownership, accountability and outcomes and you are far more likely to see the results you are paying for.

Working with the right partners matters at every level

Whether it is choosing a consultancy to review your growth strategy or selecting a wholesale connectivity provider to power your product portfolio, the principle is the same: find someone with a proven track record, who understands your market and can demonstrate real results.

At Jola, we apply that same thinking to the way we support our partner network of over 1,500 MSPs, resellers and IoT specialists with our MRG programme. From onboarding and training to pre-sales support and white-label materials, we are built to help channel businesses grow.

The Mobile Data Opportunity MSPs Are Missing

The mobile data market is growing fast, and MSPs are uniquely placed to take advantage of it, but many haven't even started. MultiNet eSIMs delivered via QR codes are changing that.

What is a MultiNet eSIM?

Jola's MultiNet eSIMs are not the consumer eSIMs you find in the latest iPhone. They are cost-effective, multi-network, data SIMs that connect to any available network in any location, with no steering in favour of a single operator. Rather than waiting for a physical SIM to arrive in the post, the MSP simply scans a QR code to activate their SIM instantly, no hardware, no waiting, no logistics headache.

That combination of multi-network resilience and instant digital delivery makes them a genuinely compelling product to sell.

Who in your base is already buying them?

The question MSPs should be asking is not whether their customers need mobile data. They do. The question is whether they are currently buying it from you.

Jola partners are winning deals for MultiNet SIMs across a wide range of use cases. Tablets for paramedics, personal alarms in care homes, CCTV cameras and 4G routers on construction sites, digital signage in retail, tracking devices in delivery fleets, smart devices in new builds, push-to-talk radios for blue light services and monitoring equipment on wind turbines and solar farms, to name a few examples.

The common thread? These are not new customers. They are existing relationships where the MSP was not yet meeting a need that was already there.

The businesses in your base are already spending on mobile data, often through a patchwork of consumer contracts, direct MNO deals, or whatever their individual employees set up on their own. That spend is fragmented, unmanaged, and commercially inefficient. An MSP who walks in with a better solution, managed under a single portal, at a competitive price, will win.

Why MSPs should be supplying them

There are four strong commercial reasons to add MultiNet to your portfolio.

• Recurring revenue. Mobile data contracts generate monthly income with very low ongoing support overhead. Once provisioned, SIMs require minimal management and Mobile Manager, Jola's white-label portal, puts that management in your hands (and your customers' hands) in real time.
• Differentiation from the networks. MNOs lock customers into single-network contracts with expensive exit clauses. MultiNet SIMs remove that dependency. You can offer something the networks simply cannot match genuinely un-steered coverage across multiple UK networks, at a price that works for the customer and a margin that works for you.
• Increased ARPU. Mobile data is a natural addition that deepens the commercial relationship without requiring a new sales motion. You are solving a problem the customer already has.
• No stock to hold. The QR code delivery model removes one of the traditional barriers to mobile data. A customer request can be met the same day.
• Multi-network, un-steered coverage. No favouring a single operator. The SIM connects to the strongest available network in every location. That's something the networks themselves can't offer you.
• Instant digital activation. No physical SIM to post, no stock to hold. The customer scans a QR code, and they're connected. Same day.
• White-label management. Mobile Manager gives you and your customers real-time control of their SIM estate. Activations, suspensions, data alerts, bolt-ons, all in one place, under your brand.
• Recurring revenue with almost no support overhead. Once provisioned, mobile data SIMs are a low-touch, high-margin addition to any MSP's portfolio.

How Jola's MRG programme makes it simple

For MSPs who have never sold mobile data before, getting started can feel daunting. Jola's Mobile-data Revenue Generator (MRG) is designed to remove that friction.

The MRG is a structured six-step programme that guides partners through the entire process from identifying the right opportunities in their existing customer base, through building a proposition, to winning and provisioning deals. It is not a sales course. It is a hands-on engagement that gives you access to Jola's full team: Partner Managers who can work with your sales team directly, a technical bid team who will attend customer meetings with you, and support through to provisioning and billing.

Critically, you do not need specialist mobile knowledge in-house to get started. Jola provides the expertise. You provide the customer relationships.

White-label tools mean you sell under your own brand. Mobile Manager gives you and your customers real-time visibility and control of SIM estates. And because SIMs provision immediately through the platform, you start billing as soon as the customer activates. There is no delay between winning a deal and generating revenue.

Are you missing out on an easy recurring revenue stream?

Every retail chain. Every CCTV camera. Every delivery vehicle.

All of them need reliable mobile data. And most MSPs aren’t providing it.

That’s a problem worth fixing, because the opportunity is significant, the deployment is simple, and you don’t have to go it alone.

Mobile data opportunities are hiding in your customer base

Mobile data solutions are one of the fastest-growing recurring revenue streams in the channel, yet many MSPs aren’t having the conversation with their customers. The demand is already there. Retailers, logistics companies, and security firms are crying out for a trusted partner to manage their connectivity. You just need to show up.

One retail chain with 300 stores uses hundreds of SIMs for primary connectivity, 4G back-up solutions, for digital signage, in smart kiosks and in PDAs. One deal. Predictable, scalable revenue that grows every time they open a new site or roll out a new solution.

Three markets. Hundreds of sites. Recurring revenue.

Retail

National retailers operate hundreds of sites, each needing always-on connectivity for card payments, digital signage, stock management, and back-office systems. A single contract with a major retailer could mean thousands of SIMs on rolling monthly recurring charges.

Deployment is straightforward: SIMs arrive pre-configured, activate remotely, and require no engineer visits. You bill the customer. The revenue lands every month.

CCTV & security

Smart cameras are increasingly mobile-connected monitoring construction sites, remote estates, pop-up locations, and public spaces. This is a high-volume, low-touch model. Once deployed, SIMs run quietly in the background while your MRR ticks up.

Transport & logistics

From HGV fleets to last-mile delivery, mobile data powers real-time vehicle tracking, secure payment terminals, driver communication, and compliance reporting. As supply chain visibility becomes non-negotiable for businesses, the demand for managed mobile data in this sector is accelerating fast.

Simple to deploy. Easy to manage.

You don’t need to become a mobile network expert. Jola’s intuitive portal gives you complete visibility and control across your entire SIM estate from one SIM to tens of thousands in a single, white-label, fully automated portal.

• Monitor live data usage across all accounts
• Set data caps and alerts by customer or SIM
• Bar international roaming or restrict usage in seconds
• Add pooled data or Private APN
• Your account manager helps you spot the mobile data opportunities within your existing customer base
• Together you confirm requirements, data volumes, and deployment specifics
• Jola supports you in building a compelling, tailored solution proposition
• Co-selling capability and commercial support right through to deal close

Management overhead is minimal, and your customers get one supplier for all their connectivity needs.

You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

Jola’s MRG™ programme is built to help MSP partners win in this space. You’re paired with a dedicated account manager who works alongside you from the first conversation to the signed contract.

Here’s how it works in practice:

This isn’t a support hotline. It’s a genuine partnership with people who know the product inside out and want you to win as much as you do.

The MRG programme means you can walk into your first mobile data conversation with confidence, backed by a team that’s done it hundreds of times before.

The Numbers Make Sense

Recurring revenue from mobile data compounds over time. Win a single logistics company or retail chain and you could add thousands of pounds in MRR from one deal. As customers grow, new stores, new vehicles, new sites, your revenue grows with them.

MSPs already in this space are building annuity income which grows.

On Saturday 16th May, the Jola cycling team took on the SkegVegas 100 challenge once again, riding in support of two charities: Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre and Derby Kids' Camp.

The team has raised£16,772 so far and there are firm plans to double that total.

The Charities

Both charities have a long history of giving Derbyshire children the chance of a holiday they would not otherwise have, and Adrian, Jola's CEO, has supported their work over a number of years.

Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre — Skegness

For over 130 years, the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre has provided holidays, opportunities and experiences for children across Derbyshire.

A week at the Skegness Centre can make a lasting difference, boosting confidence, broadening horizons and creating lifelong memories. In a safe and structured environment, children are able to relax, make new friends and enjoy being children.

2026 will see the return of holidays at DCHC, continuing the work the charity has carried out for more than a century.

Derby Kids' Camp — Peak District

Established52 years ago, this entirely volunteer-run charity provides free holidays for over 300 of Derbyshire's children each year, with children nominated by their schools. Across five weeks of summer camp, the team delivers high-quality experiences for children who need a break.

The children who attend Derby Kids' Camp face significant challenges in their day-to-day lives, from poverty and bereavement to social interaction difficulties and the demands placed on young carers. Their week at camp gives them the chance to try new activities, explore new surroundings, make new friends and, importantly, simply enjoy being a child.

Why this matters

Both charities do something straightforward and important: they give children a week that resembles the kind of week every child should have. For many of those children, it is the only holiday they will have all year. Every pound raised by Team Jola goes directly towards making those weeks possible.

Help us double the total

With £16,772 already raised, Team Jola has set itself the goal of doubling that figure in the coming weeks. The JustGiving page remains open, and contributions of any size will be put to direct use by the two charities ahead of the summer holiday programme.

Donate to Team Jola on JustGiving

Thank you to everyone who has supported Team Jola, DCHC and Derby Kids' Camp so far. The team is grateful for every donation and every share.

Sales Journeys

Sales journeys have fundamentally shifted with demand and customer behaviour. Buyers are more informed, more independent, and much further along in their decision-making before they engage with a supplier.

What that means in practice is that first impressions now happen digitally through your messaging, your website, your content, and your brand. By the time a salesperson is involved, the customer already has expectations around credibility, expertise, and value.

It’s no longer a straight funnel. It’s a fluid journey where marketing, sales, and customer experience all play a role from the very beginning across multiple touch points.

Key Challenges

One of the biggest challenges is differentiation. In a competitive market, many solutions can appear interchangeable, so it’s harder to stand out and price pressures compound this.

At the same time, customers expect a much more joined-up experience. They don’t see “marketing,” “sales,” and “support” as separate functions they see one brand.

Sales teams are also under pressure to be more consultative, more responsive, and more aligned with customer outcomes, all while navigating longer and more complex buying cycles.

Collaboration

It starts with alignment. Sales and marketing need to work together to create consistent, compelling messaging that resonates throughout the process.

Salespeople should be using digital touchpoints whether that’s content, insights, or case studies to reinforce their conversations. Equally, personalisation is key. Generic outreach doesn’t land. Customers expect you to understand their business, their challenges, and their sector from the outset, and this takes time and effort to build.

Key Skills

The role has evolved into one that blends commercial awareness with credibility from strong existing case studies.

Salespeople need to be able to:

• Articulate value clearly and quickly
• Connect solutions to real business outcomes
• Use insight and content to support conversations
• Build trust in a primarily digital environment
• Maintain consistent engagement across longer journeys

It’s about creating confidence at every touchpoint, not just closing a deal.

Simplification

Simplification comes from clarity and consistency as much as it does from technology.

Platforms and automation are important particularly when they give partners real-time visibility and control, but they need to be supported by clear propositions, strong messaging, and a seamless partner experience.

From a CMO perspective, it’s about removing friction across the entire journey. That means making it easy for partners to understand what you do, communicate it to their customers, and deliver it with confidence clearly differentiated.

The Market

The UK Physical Security System Services market consists of 2,203 businesses, employing over ten thousand employees, generating £1.4bn in revenue and with an annual growth of 11.8%.

The Compelling Event

The impending ISDN/PSTN switch-off is an especially compelling event in this sector because it effects almost every monitored device in the UK. Anyone involved in physical security is planning to upgrade to IP, either via a fixed connection or mobile data. Mobile data features disproportionately in this sector because for millions of devices an upgrade to a fixed connection represents a significant increase in cost.

The Opportunity

Thousands of resellers and MSPs still don’t have a mobile data proposition and are therefore unable to offer a one-stop solution to their customers in the security sector, amongst others. Early-movers who have partnered with a mobile data aggregator have been surprised at the margins achievable. This is because independent channel-only aggregators are able to provide differentiated products, like un-steered multi network SIMs and preconfigured specialist hardware, that the MNOs don’t offer. They have also found the products relatively easy to sell, deliver and support and, with book-to-bill times of only a few days sometimes, revenues flow quickly.

There is high demand for mobile data from customers in the security sector. For resellers it is an easy product to sell, provision, support and bill and if you get it right, you will quickly generate high-margin recurring revenue. Financial markets attribute higher EBITDA multiples to IoT/M2M so including it in your portfolio, increases the overall value of your enterprise. Jola partners have beaten the MNOs directly to win very large SIM deals from well-known logos in the security market. We have unique solutions with both network and device security built-in, protecting users from both DDOS attacks and hackers.

Potential Solutions

Many of our security partners offer LTE CCTV and vehicle tracking devices. They stay close to their corporate clients and when they are out of contract with their mobile carriers for data SIMs, they put in a bid.

For CCTV and tracking devices Jola partners propose EE IoT and M2M SIMs with an aggregated data pool for the vehicle tracking devices and a 100GB data pool for the CCTV. End customers like the price and flexibility of the solution, as well as the detailed billing data.

The Process

Jola has a unique process of helping customers successfully sell mobile data. It is called The Mobile-Data Revenue Generator (The MRG). The programme helps partners to identify low-hanging fruit and win their first significant mobile data opportunity. From there they can start to productise mobile data and develop the eco-system required to sell, support and bill it.

The Promotion

Our most successful partners advertise their solutions to companies struggling with the problem. They have case studies on their websites. They post regularly on LinkedIn. They run promotions in their newsletters and advertise themselves in emails, press releases and adverts. They run targeted campaigns and meet with prospects regularly to ask the right questions and see how they can help.

In the annual partner satisfaction survey, Jola achieved a Net Promoter Score of 60. This score is categorised as ‘great’, with 45% of Jola partners rating them 10/10 and 94% rating them 7 or higher. In the comments,Jola partners praised Jola’s wide range of products, competitive commercials, the user-friendly Mobile Manager portal, helpful people and professional service.

Adrian Sunderland, Jola’s CEO, commented, “I’m incredibly pleased with this year’s NPS score and the positive feedback from our partners. With more than 1,600 resellers choosing Jola for their mobile connectivity needs, this is a strong reflection of the value we deliver. We continue to focus on innovative product development, creating unique solutions that help our partners stand out and secure larger opportunities. Our ongoing investment in people, products, platforms and processes remains a priority, and it’s great to see our team’s commitment to supporting partners recognised in the survey.”

Jola has reported record registrations for the first webinar in its new vertical market series, highlighting growing demand from channel partners to expand into specialist sectors.

The opening session, focused on retail, attracted strong interest from MSPs and resellers looking to better position connectivity solutions in a sector undergoing rapid digital transformation.

The webinar explored how partners can support retail customers with resilient connectivity for applications including POS systems, digital signage, CCTV, sensors, payments and inventory management. Jola said the session was designed to help partners identify new revenue opportunities and deliver enhanced customer experiences.

The retail webinar is the first in a three-part series aimed at helping partners target high-growth vertical markets with practical guidance and use cases.

Cherie Howlett, CMO at Jola, said: “The level of registrations for our first vertical market webinar shows a clear appetite from partners to diversify and drive new revenue. Retail is a key market, with increasing demand for reliable, secure connectivity solutions. Our goal is to give partners the insight and tools they need to win more business in retail.”

Jola will continue the series with further sessions focused on additional vertical markets in the coming months.

For Jola, ESG means building products and partnerships that deliver technology responsibly — with consideration for environmental impact, ethical practices, and social value. We focus on reducing waste through smarter hardware design, driving efficiencies via cloud-provisioned connectivity, and supporting inclusive solutions that benefit customers and communities alike. Social and environmental outcomes are integrated into how we innovate, support partners, and scale mobile data solutions.

Expectations
End users increasingly expect partners to deliver value beyond price, including solutions that reduce waste. Employees want to work for organisations with purpose, innovation, and impact. At Jola, our focus on solutions that reduce deployment emissions (e.g., zero-touch provisioning) and technology that enables broader social value reflects these evolving expectations.

Implementing a strategy
Start by clearly prioritising measurable environmental and social outcomes that align with your business strengths — for example, reducing packaging and transport waste, supporting digital inclusion, and delivering secure, resilient connectivity.

Suppliers
At Jola, ESG is built into our everyday operations rather than managed by a separate HR function. Companies should partner with suppliers who take the same approach — removing barriers and providing meaningful employee support.

Key Priorities
Companies should consider the carbon impact across digital services and connected devices, responsible supply chain practices, data security, and the ethical use of technology. As ESG expectations evolve, companies that fail to take proactive steps — such as celebrating cultural diversity, offering real flexibility, and supporting mental health — risk falling behind and losing both talent and customers.

IoT opportunities in the channel

With technologies being switched off (PSTN, ISDN, 3G) and the current economic climate, demand for cost-effective, managed IoT connectivity solutions from the channel has never been so high. We are seeing an exponential rise in demand for SIMs for monitoring and smart devices. Resellers, manufacturers and service companies are finding new uses for IoT daily, and with more 5G available, this is unlikely to slow down.

In demand

Some of the most popular IoT solutions our resellers are involved in are vehicle telemetry and tracking, connected security and fire systems, machine monitoring, asset tracking, smart healthcare and smart city applications.

Opportunities for you

There is no reason why the channel can’t be involved in any IoT opportunity by partnering with the right suppliers. Jola provides IoT connectivity, hardware, and solutions through our 1,600 channel partners. Where we don’t have all the elements required for an end-to-end solution, we can help direct a reseller to the vendor partner that can provide the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Every reseller and MSP has significant IoT opportunities in its existing customer base. We’re observing opportunities ranging from simple connectivity for applications like payment processing and vehicle tracking to complete end-to-end solutions such as smart cities and connected healthcare. We help partners find and win these opportunities.

With IoT connectivity, the most common requirement is for multi-network un-steered SIMs to provide resilience and the best coverage. Mobile operators cannot typically provide these themselves. The channel can provide the correct SIM for its customers without being tied to any single mobile operator’s network footprint or product portfolio.

Monitoring

MSPs help property owners and developers monitor carbon levels. They have created solutions to monitor energy consumption across many different devices within the home. Their devices need 4G to report usage information and for general maintenance.

The opportunity for the channel is massive. The challenge is finding the opportunities each partner can win. Suppliers that can help resellers target opportunities they can win are crucial. Solutions need to be easy to sell, roll out and manage.

Trends

A key trend driving the as-a-service model is the move to IP and the imminent PSTN switch-off. Millions of PSTN lines in the UK are soon to be end-of-life. Upgrading to broadband is expensive, and the capital costs of converters and 4G routers soon mount up. Device-as-a-service models have solved this problem with no upfront hardware costs, low monthly charges, and added benefits of ‘advance replacement’ and free returns for faulty routers.

Support

All resellers and MSPs working with a trusted supplier like Jola can describe themselves as having an IoT practice, much like how they might have a cybersecurity practice today. Instead of considering IoT as a product, consider it a toolkit that can solve many of your customers’ problems. Your customers have problems that you can solve using IoT.

The best suppliers will have the products, portals, and people to help their channel partners succeed. Although IoT is complex, with the right supplier, it isn't difficult.

If you’re new to IoT, your choice of IoT provider could be the difference between success and failure. At Jola, we have developed a complete go-to-market process to help our partners assess their strengths and weaknesses, learn essential skills, find opportunities, and secure their first deal. When we go through this process, and one of our partners secures their first deal, the confidence it gives them can be transformational.

Compelling events

The best opportunities are always those where a compelling event affects organisations. The PSTN Switch-off and the 3G Switch-off are great examples of such events.

You’d be surprised how many things are connected to PSTN lines that don’t need broadband. We’ve replaced PSTN lines with IoT solutions in applications as diverse as remote wind farms, lift shafts and sheltered housing developments.

The 3G switch-off is causing users of payment terminals, ATMs, vehicle trackers, and door entry systems to search for new devices, new SIM cards, and new solutions.

Two of the most significant issues we face are climate change and the quality and productivity of our public services. IoT is being used extensively in both areas in exciting ways, which is an opportunity for the channel.

Find an IoT supplier who cares as much about helping you grow your market share as they do about growing their own business.

IoT

The IoT market used to be the preserve of a small number of IoT specialists and the IoT departments inside the Mobile Network Operators. IoT applications were limited to some mega-scale consumer-focused services and B2B remote sensing services focused on specific vertical markets, such as utilities.

Almost every business can benefit from IoT, and thousands of applications are available. Public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure complement these with mature and secure IoT development environments, allowing organisations to develop their bespoke solutions.

Look for a channel-only supplier with

• A real-time, fully automated, API-enabled, white-label portal that connects to every mobile network in the world
• A network and internal systems protected from DDOS attacks
• Global eSIM networks
• OPEX and CAPEX financial models on hardware
• Financial stability and demonstrable growth
• A wide range of SIM options across several different networks
• Cost-effective SIP-enabled 4G/5G PSTN replacement products
• Routers with proprietary auto-configuration and management software built-in
• A programme to help you identify opportunities you can win