The QuoteWerks MVP Spills His Community Secrets

Every year, the QuoteWerks Community, a global collection of professionals who utilize the quoting and proposal solution, select a QuoteWerks MVP. Based on their level of contributions, eight candidates (with a write in option) were on the survey ballot on in 2022, with perennial favorite Matt Rose, Founder and Owner of Prestige Quoting the top vote getter.

What does the QuoteWerks MVP status mean to the long-time quoting guru and platform consultant? How has he attained that rank consistently for the past several years? Matt graciously shared his thoughts and insight into the platform, community, and the latest honor.

What made you decide to open your own consulting firm?

Matt: Frankly, it was my wife's idea, because I may not have had the confidence to do it myself. After working for several years for another QuoteWerks Solution Partner, I had become pretty well-known in the QuoteWerks community. I decided to make the leap and offer consulting and development support for the platform, and now I'm in my 17th year supporting QuoteWerks users.

What types of business businesses do you work with today?

Matt: I support any business currently using or looking to adopt QuoteWerks. While the platform has a very strong position in the MSP/ ITSP sector, there are other communities that benefit from the software. For example, I have a funeral director client using it for products and services and, though I've only got the one, you never know, it might be the next big thing for QuoteWerks.

How did you gain your knowledge and skills with the platform?

Matt: I left high school and went right to work with another firm that supported QuoteWerks. There weren't really any companies strongly focusing on that toolset and it was very much a single license sale. That was my first real job, and being a startup business, it was a learning experience for all. In ten years, we helped hundreds of businesses, and I learned a lot, spending all of my time in and around the QuoteWerks platform. I'm also a proud geek and get excited by software and databases and development and coding and that sort of thing. So, this work is a very nice fit for me.

After 17 years, is QuoteWerks still a passion?

Matt: Absolutely. I sometimes refer to QuoteWerks as my first baby because it's been a part of all my working life. Looking back at all the ups and downs, it has always been there. I'm very thankful to everyone at QuoteWerks and Aspire for their support, particularly 7 years ago when I went off on my own. While they were surprised at my move, they were also supportive.

What's the most common question you get from new users?

Matt: Is QuoteWerks going to make my life easier? That's a very generic question, but people want to know if it will give them more visibility into their business and reduce mistakes. They know they have a problem, but don't necessarily know if the solution is software or experienced people.

In what ways do you contribute to the QuoteWerks Community?

Matt: I enjoy technology and talking with people and a lot of them have specific business needs and questions. The QuoteWerks forum is a weird and wonderful place where lots of information is shared, and users can find out how to do things outside the typical scenarios. Some questions are very basic and if they picked up the phone and spoke to the QuoteWerks support team, they'd have the answer in two minutes or less. I enjoy answering questions in the forum, and it's also an excellent source of new business opportunities. People often make really niche requests online and QuoteWerks cannot possibly spend development time addressing each one. However, I do have a skillset and might be able to "plug that hole", sometimes with product knowledge, sometimes with "here's one I've done earlier", sometimes leading to some custom development. I try to be very helpful in the forum as it's an exercise in giving back to the community, and that sometimes does turn into a professional services relationship.

What are some of the ways you help users through the forum?

Matt: Quite often, it's a unique or very niche functionality that doesn't exist in the application that the QuoteWerks development team may consider adding. One request was to attach videos to quotes in QuoteValet. While the QuoteWerks developers added that option at a later point, I modified the templates to recognize YouTube links, and that capability really brought their quotes to life.

Integration with PayPal and Authorize.net was another idea from a single user's request on the forum. Instead of pointing out that feature doesn't current exist, my attitude is to figure out a way to make it work. As excellent as the QuoteWerks development team is, they cannot do it all and may not have had the demand to create those features at that time. [QuoteWerks now has this functionality]

What does it take to become the QuoteWerks MVP?

Matt: I get along with people and interact well with the QuoteWerks team, so that probably goes in my favor, and I respond to a lot of questions (maybe 20:1 over others) in the forum. The MVP award gives me a sense of pride. It's nice to know the work I do is noticed and respected and the user community is grateful for the responses.

What is the value of the QuoteWerks forum for end-users?

Matt: Those who encountered a similar issue provide the best insight. There is also a benefit in getting feedback from other users and experts outside the company — the hive mentality. The forum is an incredible resource that more people should use, but once users find out about it, most end up posting three or four questions right away.

Final thoughts?

Matt: The QuoteWerks Community needs to know there's a lot of support available. From the QuoteWerks support team and other users to third-party experts (like me), there are people willing to help. I spend hours on there each week showing people shortcuts and best practices in QuoteWerks. The forum is an incredible resource, but you won't benefit if not using it.

Get Greater Value from the Community

Like Matt, everyone with interest in quoting tools can take part in the forum. You don't have to be an MVP or even a QuoteWerks Expert to participate. Whether looking for the answers to basic or advanced questions from peers, or making feature requests and sharing other ideas with the development team, the QuoteWerks Community allows users an opportunity to engage, offer feedback, and solve problems.

These forums encourage knowledge and best practice sharing and ease the stress of creating sales proposals and quotes. QuoteWerks encourages interactive engagements and dedicates time and other resources to add value to topics (when appropriate).

Have you participated in a forum discussion — perhaps posting a question or sharing a tip or two? If not, search a topic of interest or check out the various categories listed in the Knowledge Base. Chances are good you'll pick up a helpful tip or uncover a feature you never knew existed. With a wide array of user benefits and options to choose from, the online Community helps users get the most from their QuoteWerks investment.

Related:

• Visit the QuoteWerks Forum
• QuoteWerks Partners

About the Author:
Brian Laufer
Vice President
QuoteWerks