How to get ordinary business owners and managers EXCITED for your MSP

In a recent blog, I showed you how to use AI prompts to figure out an Ideal Client Profile (ICP) for your MSP.

But having a clear ICP is only half the picture.

Once you know who you want to work with, you must then understand what motivates them. That's a little bit about getting inside their heads... and a lot more about getting inside their hearts.

Every business owner or manager has two sides to be influenced when making big buying decisions:

• The rational mind (the logical, Vulcan part that looks at facts and figures), and
• The emotional mind (the human side that responds to feelings, fears, and hopes)

We all like to think we make decisions rationally. But... nope.

When buying something we don't understand (and this is how ordinary business owners buy managed services), the emotional mind makes the decision. And then passes it up to the rational mind for a stamp of approval.

That means around 80% of your marketing needs to speak to their heart, not their head. Help them feel that they know you, like you, and trust you. And then give their brain a little bit of evidence to prove you're a safe choice

How to do this? Well, if you truly want to get inside your prospect's hearts you must go where they go and consume what they consume.

Let’s say your ideal client is Dave the accountant, a local CPA in your town.

• Read what Dave reads: His trade magazines, professional websites, industry newsletters. You might not understand some of it (and may even slip into a coma), but you’ll start spotting patterns: Law changes, new tech, or other pressures that matter to him
• Go where Dave goes: Maybe he attends networking events or professional meetups. Don’t go there to pitch... go there to listen
• Notice what he worries about: Deadlines, compliance changes, losing clients to cheaper firms, recruitment headaches. These are all emotional hooks

The more you immerse yourself in Dave’s world, the more you’ll understand what really drives him. And then you can weave that into all your messaging and content.

Let's take compliance changes, which are an easy topic for an MSP to leverage. If the fear of not being compliant is a big emotional driver for Dave, then a key part of your messaging must demonstrate:

• That you understand the compliance that affects him
• And you understand why he wants and needs to stay in line
• And you know how to use technology to ensure he never makes a mistake

That's the emotional side of compliance dealt with.

And then you could just pull together a Guide to Easy Compliance for CPAs. And get a video case study of an existing CPA client on your website.

That ticks the boxes for the cognitive side of things

When Dave is looking for a new MSP, if he sees all of this in your marketing, this will transcend EVERYTHING that all the other MSPs are saying.

While everyone else is talking about technology, you're talking about eliminating Dave's fear.

I promise you, if the timing is right for Dave, that will get you a sales meeting.

Great marketing for your MSP isn’t about being clever or technical. It’s about being human and connecting with your prospects' emotions.

So if you want more leads that engage more and convert into sales meetings, stop focusing on what you want to say. Start focusing on what they feel.

PS this is the kind of excellent advice I give to my MSP Marketing Edge members 7 days a week.