Top Reasons MSPs Get Left Out of Buying Decisions
MSPs today provide a wide range of critical business functions for their clients, from cybersecurity to daily tech support. Yet when it comes to evaluating and selecting critical IT solutions to accomplish priority business objectives, MSPs are often overlooked as resources. Internal stakeholders and competing technology advisors end up guiding customers through these critical evaluations and decisions.
This exclusion comes at a big cost. When MSPs are left out of the technology decision-making process, they miss the opportunity to influence critical choices and provide essential guidance. Many companies today struggle with lengthy technology selection cycles and rigid buying processes that prevent them from capitalizing on new opportunities. According to the 2024-25 Telarus Tech Trends Report, leading enterprise and mid-enterprise IT decision makers site increasingly complex technology reviews, volume of acquisitions, and vendor navigation as their biggest procurement challenges over the last two years. This leaves a big opportunity for MSPs to step up and offer support.
Let’s take a closer look at why MSPs need to participate in technology purchasing decisions, why they often get left out, and some ways to avoid this pitfall and expand influence.
The Opportunity for MSPs
The MSP market is undergoing significant transformation, driven by changing client demands and rising competition. To remain relevant, MSPs are increasingly broadening their service offerings beyond managed and break/fix support and positioning themselves as strategic technology advisors. According to Kaseya, 61% of MSPs are now focusing on offering new services, signaling a greater emphasis on deeper client engagement and consulting.
IT solution selection is a natural starting point for MSPs who are looking to gain a stronger foothold in customer environments and expand their influence. Active MSP involvement leads to smarter technology choices and sets the table for stronger ROI.
Here are some of the top benefits that come with participating in buying decisions.
- Reduce friction: Customers may understand what technology they want for a specific use case but lack clarity around effective implementation. MSPs typically have extensive knowledge of their clients’ IT environments, including infrastructure, dependencies, and available resources—making them well-positioned to offer guidance.
By aligning new technologies with existing systems, MSPs help prevent issues before they become costly problems.
- Deliver value: As Kaseya pointed out, MSPs today are under pressure to demonstrate value quickly—especially those who are operating on monthly contracts and trying to secure longer agreements.
Participating in strategic solution evaluation and selection conversations helps build rapport with IT and business leaders and develop lasting trust.
- Generate new opportunities: To increase monthly recurring revenue (MRR), MSPs must stay ahead of their clients’ evolving needs. MSPs who fail to proactively influence purchasing decisions risk being overlooked, as other stakeholders capture budget that could otherwise go towards managed services.
IT selection and evaluation conversations provide direct visibility into customer challenges and initiatives, enabling MSPs to recommend complementary offerings and increase MRR.
Remember: As an MSP, it’s up to you to take the reins and capitalize on growth opportunities. Waiting for your clients to ask for more services just leaves the door open for your competitors.
Top Reasons Why MSPs Get Left Out of IT Buying Decisions
Making IT decisions without involving MSPs is like a car owner buying parts without consulting their mechanic first. As technical experts, MSPs help prevent performance issues, and drive stronger outcomes. Despite this, many MSPs are still being left out of critical conversations, leaving clients with: higher procurement costs, unnecessary work, project delays, and finger-pointing.
There are numerous reasons why MSPs tend to be left out of IT solution decisions:
1. Limited Portfolio = Limited Relevance
IT evaluation and selection spans numerous areas including cloud, cybersecurity, AI, CX, and more—not just IT maintenance or helpdesk support. When an MSP only offers core infrastructure or legacy services, buyers must bring in new vendors for everything else—shutting the MSP out of strategic conversations.
To overcome this barrier, MSPs should consider expanding their portfolios to encompass a full range of modern technologies and services. With the right technology partners, an MSP becomes a one-stop-shop for services like colocation, wireless, and more.
2. Lack of Vertical or Use-Case Expertise
Services are becoming increasingly interconnected and AI-driven, pushing MSPs to evolve their skillsets and broaden their expertise across different disciplines. MSPs that stay in the “IT generalist” lane may lose credibility when clients need specific solutions that call for deep subject matter expertise, such as data management or pipelining, AI implementation, or ransomware protection.
Ideally, MSPs should be able to weigh in on any type of vertical or use case. MSPs that understand diverse technologies can provide tremendous value by critically evaluating vendor recommendations, challenging assumptions, and offering alternative perspectives.
3. Inability to Scale Quickly with Client Needs
During the technology selection lifecycle, companies often require rapid access to emerging technologies and supporting infrastructure. Companies are more likely to engage providers who deliver flexible and scalable solutions. MSPs that are limited in scope may get overlooked in favor of partners who appear more responsive and agile.
To meet these expectations, MSPs must evolve into dynamic solution providers and supplier marketplaces. By partnering with a variety of leading vendors and specialists instead of just a select few, MSPs are able to expand their capabilities and fill portfolio gaps in key areas like AI, cybersecurity, and data compliance.
4. No Voice in Strategic IT Planning
Businesses often perceive MSPs as operational vendors instead of strategic partners and exclude them from early planning cycles. By the time a client is scoping out a major transformation (e.g., AI deployment, multi-cloud migration), the MSP isn’t even in the room.
For MSPs, the trick is to pivot and adopt a consultative approach, as trusted advisors who drive strategic technology decisions—as opposed to a purely operational partner who oversees IT support.
Make the Leap from MSP to Transformational Technology Advisor with Telarus
MSPs now operate in competitive, results-driven environments. Technology leaders increasingly expect tangible outcomes from their IT investments, as they strive to gain an edge in areas like AI, automation, and digital transformation. To win and retain customers, MSPs must level up and deliver value wherever possible.
Telarus is the ultimate technology services ally for MSPs, offering the industry’s most comprehensive solutions portfolio backed by world-class service and support. Telarus helps hundreds of MSPs to easily expand their capabilities and become trusted technology advisors for customers, without adding additional headcount—paving the way for faster IT solution evaluation and selection that solves critical business needs. These deals create value for their customers, deepening their relationships with their trusted MSPs and also resulting in larger deal sizes that pay dividends through a residual income stream.
- Grow Your Business with Deep Resources: With access to a vast supplier ecosystem and a team of highly credentialed engineers and advanced solutions experts, Telarus helps MSPs instantly plug into new practice areas and expand their business.
- Lead More Confidently with Expert Guidance: Telarus helps MSPs level up their consultative approach and lead conversations—not just react to them—by providing roadmaps, training, white-labeled tools, and access to our engineers whenever you need them.
- Land More Deals with Rapid Scalability: Telarus’ leading supplier portfolio across traditional and emerging technologies gives MSPs an “instant scale” advantage—letting them say yes to more, faster, without having to build it all in-house.
Ready for your next move?
Schedule a consultation with a Telarus MSP Coach today.