Let me give it to you straight: if you want to sell more, land higher-value clients, and scale your MSP beyond the grind of cheap, transactional deals, then you’ve got to stop thinking like a tech and start thinking like a marketer.
And the first rule of real marketing? You sell trust—not technology.
Forget AI. Forget features. Forget even benefits. Nobody is buying your backup solution because it encrypts at rest or because you’ve got “unlimited remote support.” They’re buying because they trust you. Period.
You’re not selling managed services. You’re not selling cybersecurity stacks. And you’re sure as hell not selling the cheapest all-you-can-eat package you can cobble together. You’re selling confidence, security, and peace of mind—and those only come when your prospects trust you to deliver.
So if you’re sitting there wondering why leads aren’t closing, why you’re stuck with cheap clients, or why your marketing feels like it’s falling flat, here’s your answer: you haven’t built enough trust.
The IBM Case Study Every MSP Should Study
One of the greatest business case studies—especially for anyone in IT—is IBM.
Now, IBM never printed this in a brochure, never slapped it on a billboard, and never taught their reps to say it, but the world still knew:
“Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.”
Let that sink in. That’s not a slogan. That’s reputation. That’s the kind of trust that gets you into boardrooms, wins seven-figure contracts, and keeps customers for decades.
And they earned that by doing a few key things right—things every MSP, whether you’re at $500K or $50 million, can learn from.
First, IBM made the strategic decision to be the most trusted IT provider—not the cheapest, not the fastest, and not the flashiest. The most trusted.
To do that, they didn’t chase every opportunity. They went after the toughest clients first—government agencies and big enterprise companies. Why? Because they knew if they could win those, everybody else would fall in line. That’s what trust does: it cascades.
They also had an elite sales force. These weren’t cowboy closers—they were pros. IBM sales reps went through six-week boot camps where they were trained to be polished, professional, and prepared. They knew how to dress, how to talk, and how to present with confidence. They were armed with the skills to walk into a high-stakes conversation and control the room.
If you want to position your MSP as the premium, go-to choice in your market, this is what it looks like.
They didn’t build a billion-dollar brand by selling on features or undercutting competitors. They built it by earning trust, brick by brick, with consistency, professionalism, and real strategic thinking.
Trust Isn’t Built With Campaigns—It’s Built With Consistency
Now here’s where 99% of MSPs drop the ball.
They wait until they’re desperate—when leads have dried up, payroll’s around the corner, or the bank account is looking thin—and then they start marketing. They throw together a quick email, offer a free audit, or slap a “limited-time offer” on something and hope it sparks interest.
Let me be blunt: that’s not marketing. That’s reacting.
Real trust is built over time, with consistency, value, and generosity. That means showing up before people need you. That means putting out content that educates, that genuinely helps, without always asking for something in return.
It’s what I call moving the free line.
Ask yourself: What can I give away that would actually help my prospects solve a problem or understand something better—even if they never buy from me?
If you consistently answer that question and take action on it, trust starts building. Your name starts getting passed around. Your reputation grows.
And that reputation? That’s what sells. That’s what closes high-value deals. That’s what turns a one-man shop into a multi-location, multi-million dollar business.
How One MSP Grew To $240M By Doubling Down On Reputation
Let’s take a look at a real-world example of this in action: Rashad Bajwa, CEO of Integris.
He’s not your typical private equity-backed MSP executive who parachuted in to run the show. He actually started his MSP right out of college, with his wife, and built it from the ground up.
Today? Integris is doing $240 million in revenue.
When I interviewed him as part of our Titan series, I asked him, “What was the #1 thing that helped you grow and eventually become a platform?”
He didn’t blink. He said, “Reputation.”
And let me tell you—when he said reputation, what he really meant was trust.
Rashad shared that while they served many clients, the real growth happened when they focused. They became the go-to experts in IT for financial services firms. That niche focus allowed them to build deep credibility in one industry.
They went to the events. They had the conversations. They networked with the right people. And they kept showing up again and again. Over time, they owned that space. If you were a financial firm, you knew Integris. They were the trusted name.
That kind of reputation doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design. It’s built with intention, focus, and an absolute commitment to delivering consistent value.
If you’re still chasing everyone with a heartbeat, take a lesson from Rashad: narrow your focus and become the authority in a vertical. Build trust there, and expansion becomes a whole lot easier.
Don’t Sell Services—Sell Certainty
Here’s the big takeaway: nobody is sitting around saying, “Boy, I wish someone would come sell me managed services today.”
They’re thinking, “I hope I don’t get hacked. I hope my IT guy knows what he’s doing. I hope this project actually gets done on time.”
They’re looking for certainty. And the only way they get that is through trust in you.
So stop trying to be the cheapest MSP. Stop trying to win on features. And stop running marketing campaigns only when cash gets tight.
Instead, show up consistently. Deliver value freely. Educate generously. And build a reputation that makes prospects say, “We’d be crazy not to go with them.”
Because when your name carries trust, you don’t have to chase clients—they come looking for you.
