Growth remains a major priority for MSPs, but Stefanie Hammond believes getting there requires more than simply generating more leads. On this week’s MSP Influencer Primecast, Hammond, MSP Growth Head Nerd at N-able, discusses how MSPs can become more intentional about their marketing, messaging, sales process and the customers they pursue. From building trust before the sales conversation begins to creating repeatable marketing processes, Hammond shares practical ideas MSPs can put to work in their businesses.
1. Build Trust Before the Sales Conversation
Hammond discusses the “trust thermometer,” a term she credits to Dave Sutton of Wingman MSP. When prospects first encounter an MSP, trust is ice cold. Marketing’s role is to gradually warm that trust through familiarity, credibility and useful information. Educational content, FAQs, checklists, ebooks and emails can all contribute. That matters because today’s buyers often conduct much of their research before speaking with a salesperson, using Google, LinkedIn and increasingly AI tools. Instead of trying to sell too early, Hammond says marketing should help start the conversation and build enough trust for a prospect to eventually take a meeting.
2. Make Your Prospect the Hero
MSPs should also take a close look at whom their marketing is actually about. Referencing Donald Miller’s StoryBrand approach, Hammond explains that the MSP should not be the hero—the prospect should be. She offers a simple website exercise: count the number of “we” and “our” statements compared with “you” and “your.” If the MSP spends more time talking about itself, its messaging may be backwards. The MSP should instead serve as the guide and problem solver, showing that it understands what prospects are trying to achieve and the challenges they face. Hammond also stresses that websites need to clearly communicate who the MSP targets, what it offers and how it can help.
3. Give Marketing the Same Discipline as the Rest of the Business
Hammond recognizes why marketing frequently gets pushed aside. MSP owners have tickets, projects, employees and other issues demanding their attention. Her answer is to systemize marketing rather than continually treating it as something they “meant to do.” MSPs already rely heavily on processes and standard operating procedures for the technical side of their businesses. Hammond believes sales and marketing need the same thought, planning and purpose. With campaigns, emails, newsletters and social posts mapped out, an MSP has a strategy it can return to when other priorities temporarily interfere. Ultimately, she says one of the most important measures of marketing is whether it generates conversations that sales can then work to convert into customers.
4. Build a Better Book of Business
Hammond frequently hears MSPs say they need more leads, but she makes an important distinction: more is not necessarily better. She advocates building a better book of business by properly packaging services, pricing them with the right margins and attracting better-fitting customers. Hammond also explains how she changed her position on displaying pricing online. Providing pricing information or an estimator can help prospects determine whether they can afford an MSP before initiating a conversation, potentially creating a more qualified opportunity. As Hammond puts it during the conversation, “more is not better. Better is better.”
What This Means for MSPs
Hammond’s approach to MSP growth centers on intentionality. Build trust before trying to sell. Make the prospect the focus of the message. Put a repeatable marketing plan in place. And concentrate on building a better book of business rather than simply chasing more leads. For MSPs looking for sustainable growth, her message is that sales and marketing cannot remain an afterthought—they need to become an intentional part of how the business operates.