MSP leaders are inundated with vendor outreach. Their inboxes, LinkedIn feeds and event schedules are filled with companies promising better tools, higher margins, stronger security and easier growth.
It’s a challenge for vendor marketers and salespeople to rise above that noise and pitch that already-overwhelmed MSP buyer.
Here are some expert tips to capitalize on a brief window of undivided attention and close more deals.
Pitching with clarity
Erick Simpson
MSPs don’t tune out vendor pitches because they are closed off to new technology, partnerships or revenue opportunities. They ignore pitches that sound like noise.
That distinction matters for vendors trying to win attention in a crowded channel. MSPs are bombarded with outreach from companies promising better tools, higher margins, stronger security, easier automation or better-than-ever partner programs. It all often blurs together for them.
“Most vendors pitch products, but MSPs make decisions based on business outcomes,” said Erick Simpson, CEO and chief strategist with Channel Mastered, a consulting company that specializes in helping vendors improve channel programs. “Until vendors close that gap, their outreach will keep landing in the trash.”
To build a business case, clarity and simplicity are crucial. MSPs don’t want to spend hours dissecting product features, use cases or pricing. When too many of those answers are missing up front, even a strong solution can look unfinished.
“MSPs don’t ignore good vendor opportunities,” Simpson said. “They ignore unclear ones. It’s the vendor’s job to make the opportunity impossible to misread.”
MSPs are filtering for relevance
Chris Buckingham
The biggest hallmark of marketing noise is a lack of emotional connection. That’s according to Samuel Mascato, growth adviser for the sales coaching organization Sandler. When channel vendors fail to address pain points, they miss out on sales.
“If you don’t surface something they already feel, you don’t get a conversation. You get filtered out,” Mascato said.
SolveCXO CEO Chris Buckingham, a former MSP, echoed that sentiment. “It has to be a punch to the stomach. ‘This is a pain point that I have or my clients have, and I need to problem-solve for it right now.’”
Many pitches describe capabilities but fail to make the MSP feel the cost of inaction. Urgency sells. Your prospective client needs to understand why the current process is creating risk, wasting time, slowing growth or leaving money on the table.
Another common mistake is treating all MSPs as if they are the same, Simpson said. “A five-person MSP and a 50-person MSP need completely different conversations. Vendors who send the same pitch to both lose credibility with both.”
Vendors can solve that problem through audience segmentation and effective targeting. In fact, 73% of business buyers actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach requests, a recent Gartner survey found. If the buyer believes you’re talking to someone else, you immediately lose their attention.
A vendor that fails to account for those differences risks sounding out of touch before the conversation begins.
The pitch has to work ‘2 levels down’
Samuel Mascato
MSPs are not just buying tools for themselves. They are deciding whether a solution can become part of a client-facing service.
It’s dangerous when it’s unclear what’s in it for their clients, Simpson noted. “MSPs are intermediaries. They need to be able to sell what you’re selling. That means your pitch needs to work two levels down, not just at the MSP level.”
For example:
- A weak vendor pitch says, “Our product helps MSPs grow recurring revenue.”
- A stronger pitch says, “Our product can solve this client problem. Here is how MSPs can package it, price it, and deliver it, and here is what success looks like in the first 90 days.”
“Teach them how to sell outcomes, expertise and experience with their technology supporting the story,” said Peter Busam, founder of Equilibirum Consulting, an AI-enabled marketing agency for MSPs and channel technology companies.
In terms of return on investment, partner enablement is one of the wisest places for a vendor organization to invest.
Trust is already fragile
Peter Busam
Many MSPs have had difficult experiences with vendors in the past.
“The trust deficit is real,” Simpson said. “Most MSPs have been burned — overpromised tools, poor support and partner programs that evaporated after year one. Generic outreach from an unfamiliar vendor instantly triggers that memory.”
MSPs are more likely to listen when vendors show proof from other MSPs, especially recognizable peers. It demonstrates that another provider has already made the solution work in the real world, not just in a vendor presentation. It also gives MSPs a practical model they can evaluate against their own business.
“MSPs are a tight community,” Simpson said. “A single credible case study from an MSP they recognize is worth more than any spec sheet.”
The content shared should look and feel authentic. Generic messaging damages trust, especially if it incorporates stilted AI-generated language or images.
“At the end of the day, customers don’t buy a vendor,” Busam said. “They buy from people they like and a brand they trust.”
Relationships come before the ask
Another surprising Gartner statistic: 67% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience. That suggests that vendor nurturing efforts need to lay the groundwork before a salesperson ever gets involved.
“Invest in the relationship before the ask,” Simpson advised. “Vendors who engage MSPs through education, community and content earn attention that cold pitches never will. The vendors winning in the channel right now showed up before they needed something.”
That is notable. Even when a solution is compelling, the evaluation process often takes time, Simpson added. “Respect the sales cycle. MSPs don’t add vendors impulsively. A vendor that acknowledges that upfront and offers a low-friction evaluation path is far more likely to get a real look.”
Summing things up
MSP leaders are busy, but they do not ignore good opportunities when the value is clear. Instead, they ignore vague, generic or insincere outreach that is disconnected from the way their business operates.
Vendors that want attention must have a business case MSPs can immediately understand. “The vendors that win MSP mindshare treat the MSP like a business owner first and a technology buyer second,” Simpson said.
That means vendors must show:
- Why the pain point matters
- Why it must be addressed now
- How it affects the MSP’s bottom line
- What it will cost if the problem is left unresolved
The loudest vendor pitch doesn’t always win. They only need to present the clearest reason to change.
Jonathan Browning is executive director of content and engagement for The ChannelPro Network. He has been a leader in the IT channel for close to a decade. He’s an avid fan and early adopter of technology. He believes that the Managed Services industry is the most important driver of economic growth and human innovation in today’s world.
Images: peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com; Erick Simpson via LinkedIn, Sam Mascato via LinkedIn, Chris Buckingham via LinkedIn, Peter Busam via LinkedIn
