Signs That It's Time for an MSP Owner to Hire a Salesperson

Many MSP owners are their company’s first salesperson. In the early years, they delicately balance technical expertise, customer service, HR, marketing, and finance along with their sales responsibilities. However, as the business grows, there comes a point when doing sales and running the operation becomes unsustainable.  

Taking the lead on sales feels natural—after all, no one knows your business better than you do. But as client demands increase and operations become more complex, juggling both sales and being the visionary for health and growth of the company, starts to create real bottlenecks 🍾. New leads may not get the attention they deserve, communication may suffer, and new potential revenue slips away—not because the business lacks opportunity, but because there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for one person to do it all.

While some MSP owners will eagerly delegate their sales function to a dedicated hire, others struggle to let go. They know they should let go, but also feel that no one else can sell their services as effectively as they do. The reality is, holding onto sales for too long will hold your business back.

If you’re wrestling with the decision of whether to step back from sales, here are some clear signs that it’s time to bring on a dedicated salesperson:

If your revenue has plateaued, or it fluctuates wildly each month, it could be a sign that sales isn’t getting the attention it deserves. A steady pipeline requires consistent lead generation, prospect nurturing, and deal closing—tasks that demand daily focus.  As an MSP owner juggling multiple executive responsibilities, you may not have the time to build a structured, measurable sales pipeline. Without a clear sales process in place, it’s difficult to step back, analyze key metrics, and make data-driven decisions. 

If you’re generating leads but not turning enough of them into paying customers, it may be a sign that sales isn’t your primary strength—or that you simply don’t have the time to give it the focus it requires. A dedicated salesperson brings a fresh perspective, and greater focus. It puts you as the owner in a position to lay out a winning MSP sales strategy that can be rolled out on a larger scale. This should include proven techniques to nurture leads, address objections, and close deals efficiently. 

When someone is fully committed to the sales role, they are also better positioned to spot missed opportunities. When you refine your approach it becomes easier to turn prospects into long-term clients.

As an MSP owner, your time is probably split between technical work, client support, and dealing with whatever the major priority for the day is.

If you often find yourself wishing you had communicated more clearly with prospects or had more time to refine your MSP growth strategy, it’s a strong indication that your role needs to shift. You might even feel that some sales activities—calls, prospecting, meetings—are getting pushed to the back burner. It’s a sign that you need someone fully dedicated to sales. You, in turn, need the space to focus on big-picture planning, while a salesperson keeps the pipeline moving.

Question: Are you actively building and strengthening key partnerships?

Referrals are a great source of business. They are probably the best quality leads that you get. (Learn how to build an effective referral program). But if they’re your primary (or only) way of generating leads, you are really leaving your ability to scale up to chance.

Without a proactive sales effort, you can’t predict or have any control over your revenue stream. This means outbound efforts. Once you are overseeing lead-gen, and prospect nurturing, you can realize a more steady flow of new business. Don't just wait for the next referral. Actively build a scalable, sustainable pipeline.

If you often find yourself cutting prices to convince prospects to sign the contract, you are probably compensating for a weak MSP sales process. You don't need to be the cheapest when it comes to managed services to bring in the best kind of customers. In fact, the biggest discount chasers are notoriously difficult and time-consuming. It might require someone new in the sales seat to consistently communicate the value of your solutions, navigate objections, and close business at a price that makes it worth it.

If any of these signs resonate with you, it may be time to consider hiring a dedicated salesperson to help scale your business. Bringing in a person with the right qualities can significantly enhance lead conversion, foster steady growth, and free you up to focus on managing your MSP. 

Rather than waiting for sales to encounter bottlenecks, take a proactive approach. While you don’t need to hire someone tomorrow, now may be the perfect time to start evaluating the potential impact of a new hire. It may be time to consider what a profitable hire would look like for your business, what success would look like, and when bringing someone on board would make the most sense for your growth strategy.