MSP Sales Funnel Key Terms To Know

MSP Marketing & Sales Funnel 1200x628
Home » Blog » MSP Sales Funnel Key Terms To Know
Free Web Marketing Consultations

Helping B2B Technology Companies Increase Their Lead Volume.
Serving: IT, MSP, Cybersecurity, Software Dev, SaaS, ISV, VARs & More.

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    In today’s post, I wanted to break down a few key terms MSP owners should be aware of when it comes to breaking down sales funnels from online marketing for your MSP. A lot of MSP owners grow initially through referrals and networking and are used to any leads they receive to be scorching hot ready to close leads that come on board with little friction. When you open up your MSP to online marketing things are going to be different and your pipeline is going to need throughput and volume to source opportunities that are similar to those slam-dunk leads that come from referrals.

    Impressions

    When starting out with online marketing you need brand awareness and reach. No one is ever going to visit your website if they aren’t given the chance to. You need to build impressions and reach in your target market. An impression is when someone sees an ad, search result, video, or another form of digital marketing collateral.

    Clicks, Visitors, Sessions, or Landing Page Views

    Next is when people engage with your ad, video, or other pieces of marketing content and choose to visit your website. There are softer forms of engagement, such as likes on social media, but these generally aren’t bid on or optimized for in advertising and the ROI is very hard to prove so we’ve omitted those. Most marketers are looking at clicks or landing page views as a traffic generation metric as the next stage in the marketing funnel.

    Lead Or Raw Leads

    Website visitors “convert” into leads. A lead in an MSP marketing context will most often be defined as someone who reached out to your company. This could be a soft lead, like an email subscriber, or a more firm lead such as a caller or someone who’s filled out a contact form. This number is what’s going to be most easily available to report on in advertising accounts and analytics products, and includes both qualified leads, spam, unqualified leads, and email addresses. Raw leads are what many marketers are going to be referring to when talking about lead generation because it’s the sexiest and most ill-defined and therefore easy to manipulate and sell on. For instance, you might see cost per MSP cost per lead numbers in the $200-$300 range or less reported on the internet, but just consider half of those might be spam, low quality, or otherwise not qualified. This tends to frustrate MSP owners, but it’s just a part of online marketing, and it’s one of the main reasons volume is important.

    Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

    Marketing qualified leads are the next level of specificity but still not always what an MSP owner might think of when it comes to the type of lead they desire. We define marketing qualified leads as leads that are qualified from a firmographics perspective. For instance, if you’ve defined your target market as construction companies with 10-250 seats and a lead comes through looking for IT support that matches those firmographic characteristics they would be considered a marketing-qualified lead.

    Some marketing-qualified leads will be good fits, ready to talk to sales, and will go on to become customers, others will not. Sometimes those leads are not ready to go managed out of the gate, sometimes you might email those leads and they don’t get back to you, maybe tech stacks aren’t aligned, maybe they reject your pricing, or are otherwise not a slam dunk. All of these are temporary circumstances that can be changed over time. People are temperamental, chronically distracted, and change their minds on a whim. However, these are companies in your target market that have indicated some form of interest. These companies can be added to email lists, called quarterly by a rep to check on status, retargeted with pay-per-click ads, and otherwise nurtured over time.

    Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

    A sales-qualified lead is probably the closest thing to a lead that an MSP owner has in their mind when they talk about generating leads. We define a sales-qualified lead as a lead that is ready to talk to sales, and sales have accepted that lead for a meeting. Sales can always disqualify or reject a marketing-qualified lead. When the sales team accepts the prospect and schedules an appointment it is considered a sales-qualified lead.

    Opportunity Or Sales Opportunity

    Once a sales meeting has been had and there is mutual interest in exploring a deal the next stage of the sales funnel is known as an opportunity or opp for short. Opportunities are typically those that your MSP is ready to send a proposal and contracts to.

    Closed Deals

    The close rate is the conversion of opportunities into closed deals with new customers. If you are closing anything less than 20% of your opportunities, you likely have problems with your value proposition, sales team, or market positioning. As your sales process matures, an increased close rate on opportunities is not unreasonable.

    Plugging Funnel Leaks

    Each stage of the MSP marketing and sales funnels presents a chance for people to “leak” out of it. Working on things like landing page quality to improve conversion rates, sales process to close more opportunities, and sales training to convert more SQLs to opps are things that can move significantly more people down the funnel and turn them into customers. MSP owners will need time and patience to refine their funnels, reduce their costs, and become more efficient at sales and marketing. Savvy MSP owners will also realize that it takes time to fully recover investments in marketing and sales, often to the tune of 6-18 months. Many leads will progress from first contact to close in 90 days or less, however, the long tail of leads may take up to 18 months to get quotes, plan, and make a commitment to a provider. Plugging funnel leaks and putting mechanisms in place to nurture leads down the funnel will accelerate your pipeline and help you close more deals faster.

    Wrapping Up

    Tortoise and Hare helps MSPs and other B2B technology service providers generate more marketing-qualified leads and put their sales teams in touch with more opportunities. Apply for a free MSP marketing consultation to learn more about our services and see if we are the right agency partner for you.

    Share This Article
    Posted in:
    Tagged:

    Hunter Nelson

    Hunter is the founder and president of Tortoise and Hare Software, a digital marketing agency for the technology sector and other lead generation oriented businesses. Hunter has more than 10 years’ experience building web applications and crafting digital strategies for companies ranging from scrappy startups to Fortune 50 household names. When not on the clock, you'll find him spending time with his family and pups, relaxing on the beach, or playing competitive online video games. See for more.

    Leave a Comment





    Recent Blog Posts

    Aesopians E8 – How SaaS Companies Are Maintaining Brand Integrity and Operationalizing Growth with HubSpot Ft. Mohamed Hamad Of Third Wunder Agency

    SaaS companies move fast—but if your branding and systems can’t keep up, growth can actually become a liability. In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, host Hunter Nelson is joined…

    The Ultimate Guide To ChatGPT SEO

    Most SEO professionals are racing to understand how AI tools are reshaping visibility. But the biggest shift isn’t coming from Google—it’s coming from ChatGPT. As organic search volumes and conversions…

    MSP Google Ads Costs and Pricing

    You’ve heard Google Ads can generate leads quickly, but you’re not sure how much to budget, what kind of results to expect, or whether it’s really worth the spend. Many…

    Aesopians E7 – Joining The Feel Good MSP Sales Training Program Ft. Brian Gillette

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, we sit down with Brian Gillette, founder of Feel-Good MSP and creator of the “Feel-Good Close.” If you’re an MSP leader who’s tired…

    MSP Advertising Strategy: 3 Fundamental Approaches to Drive Real Growth

    Is your MSP making effective use of your advertising budget, or are you weighed down too much by bottom of funnel advertising tactics that leave you in a perpetual cycle…

    How We Save Thousands With Negative Keywords For MSP Google Ad Campaigns

    Google Ads is one of the most powerful inbound lead generation channels available to managed service providers. There are few better moments to introduce your brand than when someone is…

    Aesopians E5: From Tech To Rep: Year 1 In MSP Sales Ft. Ashton Fortuna

    Most MSPs hesitate to move technicians into sales—worried they’ll lack the polish, confidence, or killer instinct to close deals. Sales is a different game. Techs solve problems with systems; sales…

    SEO Not Working: Here’s Why

    Lately I’ve been getting on more and more calls lately with people saying something along the lines of “we’ve been doing SEO or inbound for 6 months, 12 months, or…

    Why SEO Investments Help Your MSP Weather a Recession and Keep the Door Open for New Opportunities

    What happens to your pipeline when the phones go quiet, inboxes stay cold, and paid ads stop converting? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s what happens in a recession. Budgets freeze.…

    MSP Marketing – How to Build a Strategy That Works

    Let’s be honest—most MSP marketing doesn’t work.Not because the tactics are bad, but because they’re unaligned. What looks like a marketing problem is often a strategy problem in disguise. Most…

    The 10 Best MSP SEO Agencies To Help You Grow Organic Traffic

    If you’re searching for SEO agencies for MSPs, the list of generalists can feel endless—and underwhelming. Most SEO providers don’t understand the managed services space, much less the buyer behavior,…

    Why Your MSP’s Online Marketing Efforts Are Failing

    If you’re leading an MSP and investing in online marketing, you’re probably feeling a growing sense of frustration. You’ve put money into websites, content, ads—even hired an agency or two…

    What Makes a Great MSP Website? 5 Examples You Should Follow

    Your MSP website is more than just an online brochure—it’s a powerful tool for attracting and converting potential clients. But what makes a website truly effective in the competitive managed…

    Case Study: Cold Start To 2-5 Leads Per Month Via Local SEO For MSP In Canada

    Client Background A Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) in British Columbia, Canada engaged us to establish a professional online presence and generate a steady flow of inbound leads. Before working…

    Aesopians Episode 4: Leading with Cybersecurity To Spark MSP Sales Conversations – Featuring Michael Bakaic Of Iceberg Cyber

    In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Michael Bakaic from Iceberg Cyber to discuss how MSPs can use cybersecurity as a conversation starter to attract…

    WordPress Out OF Memory Exceptions

    Recently I’ve been dabbling in programmatic SEO. I got an idea of rolling out a landing page to attract search engine traffic from every major city in the United States…

    Aesopians Episode 3 – Cold Email Marketing For MSPs Featuring Jeffrey Newton Of Cyft.AI

    In this episode of The Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Jeffrey Newton, Co-founder of Cyft and former MSP sales and marketing leader, to discuss the realities of running…

    Case Study: Sourcing 30+ Email Opt-Ins Per Month For Cybersecurity SaaS Startup Via Google Ads

    In this case study we’ll share how we helped a Cybersecurity SaaS startup source roughly 30 email opt-ins per month via Google Ads to help fuel their email marketing efforts…

    Aesopian’s Episode 2 – Streamlining SEO Content Production Featuring Raj Khera Of Make Media

    In this episode of the “Aesopians” podcast, we’re joined by Raj Khera, a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Make Media, to discuss how small businesses can transform their approach…

    Aesopians Episode 1 – Azure Cloud For MSPs

    In the debut episode of Aesopian’s Podcast, host Hunter Nelson sits down with Matt Hache, an infrastructure consultant at PAX8 and founder of Neon Cobra, to explore how Managed Service…

    Related Blog Posts

    Aesopians E8 – How SaaS Companies Are Maintaining Brand Integrity and Operationalizing Growth with HubSpot Ft. Mohamed Hamad Of Third Wunder Agency

    SaaS companies move fast—but if your branding and systems can’t keep up, growth can actually become a liability. In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, host Hunter Nelson is joined…

    Why SEO Investments Help Your MSP Weather a Recession and Keep the Door Open for New Opportunities

    What happens to your pipeline when the phones go quiet, inboxes stay cold, and paid ads stop converting? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s what happens in a recession. Budgets freeze.…

    MSP Marketing – How to Build a Strategy That Works

    Let’s be honest—most MSP marketing doesn’t work.Not because the tactics are bad, but because they’re unaligned. What looks like a marketing problem is often a strategy problem in disguise. Most…

    Why Your MSP’s Online Marketing Efforts Are Failing

    If you’re leading an MSP and investing in online marketing, you’re probably feeling a growing sense of frustration. You’ve put money into websites, content, ads—even hired an agency or two…

    Microsoft Loop Presents Marketing Opportunity For MSPs

    Introduction Microsoft Loop, a recent addition to the Microsoft 365 suite, is already creating buzz in the tech community, and for a good reason. With its native integration into widely…

    Microsoft CoPilot Available For Resale Via MSP Partners

    On January 15th Microsoft announced Copilots availability to the broader business landscape. It released initially for enterprise customers back in November, but is now available via Microsoft 365 subscriptions to…

    MSP Sales Tips To Close More Deals

    I’ve been doing MSP marketing for close to 5 years now and have worked with a about a dozen technology businesses in some capacity and have had conversations with dozens…

    Is BNI A Good Fit For Your MSP?

    I recently saw a few people asking about BNI for their MSP. BNI or Business Networking International is a paid networking and referral group that is commonly found in most…

    Estimating The Value Of An MSP Lead

    In today’s post, we’ll be talking about a muddy subject.. How to estimate the value of an MSP lead and how you can translate that into what you can spend…

    On-Prem MSP Still The Lion, Cloud MSP Doubles The CAGR

    In a recent article by 451 research on behalf of S&P global market intelligence, a look at the managed services market was taken to get a better feel for how…

    Top Of Funnel, Middle Funnel, and Bottom Of Funnel Explained

    You’ve probably heard marketers talking about the top of the funnel, the middle funnel, and the bottom of the funnel, but do you know what they mean? Well, the truth…

    Why Referrals Don’t Scale And Create Risk For Your MSP

    With the recent wave of layoffs in the tech sector, I’ve seen a big uptick in the recently departed deciding to try their hand at running their own consulting business.…

    MSP Marketing Guide To 5 Million+ ARR

    In this guide, we’re going to talk about how you can use MSP marketing to generate enough pipeline to get to 5 million plus in annual recurring revenue. A lot…

    Top Online Lead Generation Tips For MSPs

    According to industry research by a leading managed service provider marketing firm, 94% of MSPs self-reported lead generation as their number one challenge when it comes to growing their MSP.…

    Want To Sell Your MSP? You Need EBITDA

    In today’s post, I want to open up the curtain a bit on what selling your MSP one day might look like and why many owners of managed service providers…

    Branding Your MSP: How To Get Started

    Throughout the process of launching and running Tortoise and Hare Software these past 3-4 years there’s one thing that I’ve gotten consistently good feedback on. The brand! People who aren’t…

    How Do I Advertise My MSP? A Short Guide

    Marketing is one thing but advertising is another. You may have your logo and branding in order, a polished website, pamphlets, brochures, t-shirts, stickers, and other swag, but at a…

    Building A North Star For Your Brand

    Today I had an “epiphany”. I was writing a lead magnet for the top 10 mistakes I see technology companies making when it comes to their marketing and wrote down…

    Business Lessons Learned From 15+ Years In Competitive Online Gaming

    When I was in 3rd grade my family picked up and moved from the poor side of town to a better neighborhood on the outskirts. After my first time experiencing…

    3 Key Elements Of A Successful Sales And Marketing Transformation

    Generating a steady stream of leads and growing annual revenues at a rate that satisfies you, your investors, and your employees can be a significant challenge. It requires transforming your…

    Top Blog Content

    The Ultimate Guide to Hiring an MSP Marketing Agency

    Are you one of the many MSPs struggling to attract new clients consistently? According to research conducted by MSP Dojo, a leading MSP sales consulting firm, approximately 85% of MSPs…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP Website Optimization

    A well-optimized website is essential for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) looking to scale their business, attract more leads, and achieve a lucrative exit. A lot of MSPs check a few…

    The Ultimate Guide To Paid Search On Google Ads For Managed Service Providers

    Generating leads for your MSP can be a challenge. You spend so much time managing employees, making sure customer support tickets are answered, procuring hardware, and defending against cyber threats,…

    The Ultimate Guide To MSP SEO

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important ways to attract new business for mid-market managed service providers (MSP). If you look at MSPs that have achieved any…

    The Ultimate Guide To Setting A Marketing Budget For IT Companies

    Many IT companies get their start as a one-man operation and rely almost exclusively on word of mouth, referrals, and other organic offline means to get past their initial growth…

    Featured Review of Tortoise and Hare

    ryan drake president nettech consultants
    R.D.
    President Florida Based MSP

    Tortoise and Hare has been a key partner in our MSP's growth. Over the year's we've worked together they've helped our MSP dramatically increase our website traffic, and build a steady stream of leads sourced from our website and advertising efforts. Over that time, we've been able to raise our base customer size, build economies of scale to more efficiently service customers, and expand into new markets.