For providers
How MSPs get clients: outbound, referrals, in-house or a marketplace
Most guides comparing lead generation options are written by one of the vendors in the comparison. This one compares the four approaches Australian MSPs actually use, including the one msppie is -- stated plainly, not dressed up as neutral.
Outbound agencies (cold calling, appointment setting)
You pay an agency to cold call or cold email prospects on your behalf and book meetings with people who weren't looking for a new provider.
Good for: Businesses with a clear ideal-customer profile and the sales team to close what gets booked.
The tradeoff: You're interrupting people, not answering a need they already have -- so close rates on booked meetings are typically lower than on an enquiry someone submitted themselves, and you're paying for the calling whether or not it converts.
Referrals and word of mouth
Existing clients, partners or your own network send new business your way.
Good for: MSPs with a strong existing client base and long relationships in one industry or region.
The tradeoff: Free, but unpredictable and slow to scale -- it grows only as fast as your existing relationships do.
In-house sales or SDR
You hire someone to prospect, qualify and book meetings directly, under your own brand.
Good for: MSPs with the volume and budget to justify a full-time hire, and want full control over the pitch.
The tradeoff: The highest fixed cost of the four -- salary, super, tools and management overhead, whether or not enquiries are flowing that month.
Marketplaces (what msppie is)
A business describes what it needs, gets qualified by phone, and is introduced to up to three matched providers. You only see enquiries that already exist.
Good for: MSPs who'd rather pay for a qualified, inbound enquiry than for the activity of trying to generate one.
The tradeoff: You're one of up to three providers on any given enquiry, not the only option -- and you don't control the volume the way outbound or a dedicated hire can flex it.
Where msppie fits
We're a marketplace, not an outbound agency, an in-house hire or a referral network. If you want cold calling or appointment setting done for you, that's a different service to the one we sell -- look for an outbound agency instead. If you want inbound enquiries from Australian businesses already looking for what you offer, phone-qualified before they reach you, that's what msppie does. See MSP lead generation, without the cold calling for the detail.