The MSP Sales Podcast

If you look under the hood of an MSP that never grows, you will usually find one owner trying to do it all. That was Sergey Poltev, and it almost cost him everything.
He was overworked, stuck in the tickets, and running his life on empty. The burnout cost him his marriage and his house. Then, a bad partnership deal collapsed and cost him half of his clients, leaving him with barely enough to survive. 
If you are an MSP owner, there is guaranteed to be something you can relate to in Sergey's story. He is a computer science grad who had to learn the hard way that a technical ego is the ultimate bottleneck to business freedom. He rebuilt from absolute scratch by shifting his entire operational philosophy. Instead of micromanaging tasks, he started delegating by outcomes. Today, he runs two multi-million dollar MSPs and a global virtual staffing agency. He breaks down how he let go, why virtual talent is the cheat code for scaling, and how pairing AI with a VA multiplies your leverage.
We cover: 
→ Why most owners hand their team tasks instead of outcomes→ Why you must treat offshore talent like full employees→ How to do a proper "time study" to figure out what only you can do→ Rejection proofing: How a stand-up comedy course can fix your sales
Whether you are drowning in tickets or trying to make your first hire, Sergey's story shows what is waiting on the other side of letting go.
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Learn more about Sergey Poltev via his LinkedIn.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg
 

If you look under the hood of a stalled MSP sales process, you'll usually find the same six pieces of advice.Advice that sounds right.Advice that's been recycled from forum posts and LinkedIn threads until nobody remembers where it came from.
Most MSPs never test it.They just repeat it, and it slowly caps their growth.
In this solo episode, Brian pulls apart six sales myths making the rounds in the MSP space right now.
This one's for any MSP owner who's been quietly following advice they never actually stress-tested.Walk away knowing which of these six myths have been sitting in your sales process, and what to do instead.
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Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen
 
 

If you look under the hood of a stagnant MSP, you will find a dysregulated owner.
Not a broken sales process.
Not a bad tech stack.
MSP owners carry a level of pressure that shows up on their faces, in their bodies, and inside their teams.
When stress goes unmanaged, it does not stay at the office.
It drives micromanagement, fractures relationships at home, and builds a team that depends on you instead of functioning without you.
Treating work and life as two competing forces makes it worse.
Gabriela Embon is a certified professional coach and chemical engineer who was sought out by MSP conference leaders because of one pattern they kept seeing: personal dysregulation is an epidemic in the channel, and it is costing operators more than they realize.
In this episode, she reframes the work-life balance myth, explains why connection is the most underused performance tool in an MSP owner's toolkit, and walks through a practical transition protocol that anyone can start using today.We discuss how:
→ Overthinking is a coping mechanism for lack of trust
→ Work-life balance creates two competing forces. 
→ When you come home dysregulated, you micromanage, disempower your team, and build dependency
→ Connection, not distance, is what actually regulates your stress
→ Tiny, intentional steps compound
This episode is for the MSP owner who knows stress is affecting their performance but does not know where to start.
You will walk away with a a reframe, and a reason to take the first step.
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Learn more about Gabriela Embon via her website.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen
 

If you look under the hood of a stalled MSP pipeline, the wiring problem usually isn't marketing. It's everything sitting underneath it.
Ads and outbound only work as well as the foundation holding them up. Bad lighting on a sales call, no real CRM, no owned data list. These quietly cap what any campaign can do.
In this solo episode, Brian Gillette walks through seven investments, each under $1,000, that build trust and confidence before a single pitch happens. None of it is more marketing spend. It's what marketing can't fix on its own.
For MSP owners frustrated with their numbers and ready to look underneath the marketing, this episode is seven concrete, sub-$1,000 moves you can make this month.
** Access the link mentioned in this episode http://feelgoodmsp.com/apollo 
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Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen
This episode is seven concrete, sub-$1,000 moves you can make this month.

Revenue can climb for a decade.Net worth can stay flat the whole time.That gap is where most MSP owners get stuck.
Standard financial advice is built for salaried employees. Save a percentage, invest a percentage, wait for retirement. That breaks down when your income comes from a business and swings by six figures a year.
Justin D Maxwell has worked one-on-one with close to 1,000 seven-figure earners on this problem. He joins Brian to unpack the difference between money and wealth, and how a family office model turns profit into a system instead of a guess.
→ Why money and wealth are not the same thing→ How a scarcity number mindset keeps high earners stuck→ The shift from comfort driven thinking to impact driven wealth→ Using the Ansoff Matrix to decide: push your current market, or expand→ Why partnering before buying lowers the risk of a new market→ Applying poker's estimated value thinking to marketing decisions→ The two mistakes that keep profitable owners from building real wealth
This episode is for MSP owners making money that never turns into anything lasting. Justin lays out a deliberate way to turn profit into wealth.
 
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Learn more about Adam via his website.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen

There is a quiet mistake sabotaging your biggest mid-market deals. It is how you price the first project.
Most MSPs chase the big RFP. Five hundred users, full boat, the whole suite. It looks like the dream deal. It is actually a bloody knife fight, and you only see three of the ten ways to lose it.
Adam Burke is VP of Sales and Partnerships at Quest, one of the largest MSPs in the country. He skips the RFP fight. He wins mid-market accounts by landing a small project first, then earning the bigger contract on trust.
→ Why full-boat RFPs are a losing bet for most MSPs → How one small entry project, like a single DBA fix, becomes the door to a bigger contract → Why foot-in-the-door pricing and a foot-in-the-door project are not the same thing → The four buckets every client rotates through, and how to sell into each one → Why you never price a contract on hope or on loyalty → Why flattery is more dangerous to a growing MSP than honest criticism
This one is for MSPs still trying to win by outbidding everyone on the big deal. Land small, prove yourself, then get paid full price for the second job.
 
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Learn more about Adam via his LinkedIn.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen

No mid-market CEO is waking up in a cold sweat hoping they can cut you a check for a list of cybersecurity frameworks and automated compliance reports.Most clients aren't looking for a "vCISO." They're looking for someone who can reduce risk, guide better decisions, and help them navigate an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape.
The problem? Many MSPs are still selling technical expertise instead of business outcomes.
In this episode, Brian Gillette sits down with Erin McLean to explore how top MSPs position and sell vCISO services in a way that clients actually understand and value. They discuss why language matters, how to shift from technical conversations to strategic ones, and what it takes to become a trusted security advisor.
We cover: → How to position vCISO services as strategic business guidance → Common mistakes MSPs make when selling cybersecurity → How to communicate value without overwhelming prospects → What separates trusted advisors from the 
Whether you're launching a vCISO offering or refining an existing one, this episode will help you rethink how you position security, communicate value, and win more strategic client relationships.
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Learn more about Erin via his LinkedIn.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen
 

There is a common problem that sabotages your client relationships.It is not your pricing.It is not your tech stack.It is you. Let me explain;
Most MSP owners blame turnover, blame difficult clients, blame the market.
Shawn Walsh did that too, until he lost three quarters of his tech staff in one week and watched them try to steal his customer list.
In this episode, Brian Gillette talks with Shawn Walsh, CEO of Encore Strategic and co-author of The Pumpkin Plan for MSPs.
Shawn built an MSP for 21 years, nearly destroyed it through his own leadership blind spots, then rebuilt it into a 400% growth story before exiting to private equity.
He breaks down the personality and EQ work that exposed why his team kept walking out, and how that same framework now helps other MSP owners spot the same patterns in themselves before it costs them their company. We cover;
→ Why undervaluing yourself shows up in pricing → Why raising your rates rarely costs you better clients→ How personality and EQ profiling exposes leadership blind spots→ How to tell if you are the common denominator in turnover→ Why communicating your vision mattersThis one is for MSP owners who suspect the problem might be closer to home than they want to admit.
 
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Learn more about Shawn via his LinkedIn.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen

This episode is for the MSP sales rep who's exhausted every digital channel and doesn't know what to try next.
And for the MSP owner who handed someone a blank slate and said, "Figure it out."
MSPs are sending emails nobody opens and making calls that go straight to voicemail. Every inbox is flooded with the same templates, sequences, and cadences.
But Ashton Fortuna found a different path.
After transitioning from cable puller to Sales & Marketing Lead at Valley Tech Logic, Ashton had no sales training, no playbook, and no coach. Through trial and error, he built a prospecting system that now generates 50% of the company's new MRR through in-person canvassing - helping grow from two new clients a year to eight.
In this episode, we cover:
→ How Ashton targets businesses by industry and geographic radius→ Why the front desk is your greatest ally, not your biggest obstacle→ How AI maps and verifies prospects before you ever knock on the door→ How a part-time research VA can dramatically increase qualified visits
Brian also puts Ashton in the hot seat for a live pipeline coaching session, showing how a few small adjustments could double his results.
If you've been wondering what comes after cold email and cold calling, this episode gives you a practical prospecting system you can start adapting today.
 
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Learn more about Ashton via his LinkedIn.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen
 

If you look under the hood of a stagnant MSP pipeline you will usually find the same thing. They are focused entirely on the wrong metrics. Cold email is saturated. LinkedIn messaging stopped converting a long time ago. The volume of activity was never the point. The conversation was.
Nicole Bielanski is the Chief Revenue Officer at Frictionless IT. She started selling insurance at 19 and quickly topped a 400-person sales floor. She has spent nearly a decade building predictable go-to-market systems exclusively for MSPs. In this episode she reframes how we think about outbound and what pipeline actually means when the old channels no longer deliver.
We cover: → Why optimizing for conversations separates winners from losers→ How smart list filtering eliminates wasted outreach → Why warm calling works when the prospect has a reason to take the call → How showing up in person is one of the highest-converting first touches…and a lot more.
This episode is for the MSP owner grinding on outbound with nothing to show for it. You will walk away with a sharper picture of what a real go-to-market system looks like in 2026.
 
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Learn more about Nicole via her LinkedIn.
Learn all about Feel-Good MSP and our end-to-end MSP sales training, growth and development program at: www.FeelGoodMSP.comBrian's book "How To Sell a Sh*tload of Managed Services (without selling your soul)", is now available in both hard-copy and audiobook format!It’s your roadmap to build repeatable growth, higher margins, and stronger client relationships without compromising values.Get it now at Amazon.com https://a.co/d/hJKoFxg.
.#MSP #MSPSales #ManagedServices #ManagedServiceProvider #TechSales #MSPCommunity #ITServices #ManagedIT #CloudServices #ITConsulting #MSPSalesTraining #SalesProcess #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MSPMarketing #SalesTraining #LeadGen