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Top 6 Roadblocks to MSP Channel Partner Engagement

by | Apr 4, 2023

And What Vendors Can Do About It

Vendors interested in doing the work to boost MSP partner engagement should start at the beginning. The first step in helping MSP partners succeed is understanding their pain points. Here are six of the most common challenges facing MSPs today.

  1. Lack of Marketing Expertise
    • Challenge:
      Most MSP owners are highly technical.
    • Solution:
      It’s no secret. Most MSPs are not marketing experts. Help your MSP channel partners successfully generate awareness and demand with professional white-labeled or co-branded marketing assets.
  2. Varying Sales Tactics
    • Challenge:
      The majority of MSP salespeople are accustomed to selling project-based services … or more recently, subscription-based services.
    • Solution:
      Provide MSPs with partner enablement tools and training to help them understand your product and its value so they can successfully stand out in a crowded market.
  3. Limited Resources
    • Challenge:
      The large majority of MSPs run lean.
    • Solution:
      Assume your MSP channel partners don’t have extra internal resources, especially when it comes to sales and marketing talent. Offer concierge support services such as hands-on, day-to-day support and one-time project management support to fill in the gaps and boost partner engagement.
  4. Time-Consuming, Competing Demands
    • Challenge:
      MSPs are strapped for time and in a hurry.
    • Solution:
      Today’s MSPs juggle clients, remote employees, work-life balance and a tight talent pool. Help them, help you. A user-friendly marketing automation platform can provide immediate, on-demand access to marketing assets, training resources, product demos and more.
  5. Critical Client Needs
    • Challenge:
      MSPs expect fast, expert tech support.
    • Solution:
      MSPs are in the business of keeping their clients’ operations up and running. When trouble arises, MSPs need responsive, high-caliber tech support. Vendors who want to better support MSP partners invest in resourcing quality tech support post-sale.
  6. MSP-Friendly Sales Cycles
    • Challenge:
      MSPs want more monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
    • Solution:
      Like most businesses today, MSPs are struggling to maintain costs for clients and keep up with inflation. But consider the typical MSP sales cycle. Annual, long-term contracts are great for some, but vendors who successfully partner with MSPs offer more monthly billable product options.

Boosting MSP partner engagement begins with a better understanding of MSPs. Get acquainted with their business model, strengths and challenges, and then give them the tools to champion your product successfully.

Did You Know?

Many MSPs still rely on word-of-mouth marketing to grow. Vendors can help MSP channel partners reach buyers where they live through multichannel marketing campaigns. Make it easy with complete multi-touchpoint campaigns MSPs can download and start implementing right away.

Marketopia Can Help

From custom content to sales enablement tools to MDF support and marketing automation tools, Marketopia offers comprehensive partner solutions all under one roof. Contact us today to schedule a free vendor growth consultation.

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