Your MSP can automate tickets, deploy AI assistants and make technicians more productive. But those improvements may not give clients a compelling reason to buy another service. The missing piece is often a clear connection between what the technology can do and a business problem clients will pay to solve.
Megan Killion, chief consultant at Pisces Growth Consulting, addressed that gap during an educational session at MSP Summit in Orlando, Florida. Her message: As providers gain access to similar tools, understanding the client’s business becomes more important to standing out.
“Access to a powerful technology and the ability to create a valuable client offer with that technology are not the same skill. That distinction is where a lot of MSPs are about to get into trouble fast,” Killion said during her session.
Start with clients that already value your work
In a follow-up interview with ChannelPro, Killion recommended starting with your most profitable clients. Look for those who are easier to serve and interested in improving their businesses. Then identify what they have in common. They may operate in the same industry, use similar applications or struggle with the same administrative tasks.
Megan Killion
Ask why they chose your MSP. Find out which services matter most to them and where they still encounter problems. “You need to learn from them. Learn their business, their process, their bottlenecks, their language, the software they use and the people they trust,” Killion told ChannelPro.
Those conversations can uncover a focused service opportunity. An accounting firm may need help connecting applications. A medical practice may struggle with unanswered calls and scheduling. The appropriate solution could involve AI, conventional automation or an integration.
However, Killion also warned against confusing internal AI experience with expertise in a client’s business.
“Using AI inside your MSP doesn’t actually qualify you to redesign another business. Your ticket automation does not teach you how a medical practice operates. Your internal Copilot rollout does not teach you how a law firm manages privilege,” she explained during her session. “These businesses have different workflows, data, buyers and consequences when the system gets something wrong. And they have different definitions of value, which is arguably the most important part.”
Prove the value before expanding
Killion cautioned against selling services before they are ready. Instead, develop a narrow solution and test it with existing clients. Be transparent that it is a pilot and that their feedback will help shape the offering.
Attendees listen as Killion presents at MSP Summit.
Agree on what improvement would matter. Then evaluate whether the service delivered it. That feedback also can inform pricing. Ask what changed for the client, whether the improvement was valuable and whether they would pay to keep it.
A successful pilot gives the MSP something more useful than a list of technical capabilities. It is evidence that the provider understands a business problem and can address it.
Make the offer easier to explain
Before launching another campaign, Killion recommended choosing one service and describing it without naming a vendor or product. Explain who it serves, what problem it addresses and what changes when it works. Give the buyer language they can use to justify the purchase internally.
MSPs need to translate vendor messaging for business buyers. That starts with understanding the client’s industry and daily work. Instead of broadly promising better productivity, identify which task will take less time or which bottleneck the service will address. Support that promise with results from your pilot.
Technical expertise supports delivery. A clear business case helps clients understand why they should pay for it.
Read more ChannelPro coverage of MSP Summit 2026
➡️ MSP Summit takeaways: Growth starts with proving your value to clients
➡️ 5 ways Ingram Micro says MSPs can build a more profitable services business
Anjali Fluker is managing editor of The ChannelPro Network, where she covers news, trends and best practices for the MSP community. She specializes in telling the stories that matter to IT providers serving the SMB market. When she’s not reporting on the latest in managed services, she’s connecting with channel pros at industry events across the country.
Images: Anjali Fluker/ChannelPro
