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Most MSPs do not have a sales problem because they hired the wrong personality. They have a sales problem because they never built a system.
Brian Hoppe sits down with Brian Strong, CEO of TenHats and former founder of Vendor Registry, to break down the sales process behind growing an MSP from roughly $2 million to nearly $20 million in five years.
Brian explains why marketing cannot close deals on its own, how outside sales helped the company move upmarket, and why owner-led sales eventually limits growth. The conversation also explores the center of influence strategy responsible for much of Brian’s success.
He shares how to find the right relationships, stay top of mind, and generate stronger opportunities without relying on endless cold outreach.
In this episode:
- How TenHats grew from roughly $2 million to nearly $20 million
- Why MSPs need a sales system that does not depend on the owner
- How outside sales helped the company move upmarket
- Why centers of influence drive most of Brian’s prospecting - How to build valuable COI relationships through existing clients
- The leadership shift required to become a true CEO
If you’re an MSP owner trying to build a repeatable sales engine, move beyond owner-led growth, or generate better opportunities through strategic relationships, this is the conversation.
Key Moments
0:00 - Welcome to The $10 Million MSP
1:07 - Meet Brian Strong
2:23 - What MSP owners get wrong about sales
6:25 - Selling more than $100,000 in new MRR
10:38 - From SaaS founder back to the MSP industry
14:47 - Growing an MSP from $2 million to nearly $20 million
18:48 - Moving beyond owner-led sales
23:37 - Building an upmarket sales team
29:21 - Centers of influence as a growth strategy
36:44 - Building and managing COI relationships
45:40 - Starting with existing clients
49:31 - Asking for referrals the right way
53:10 - Why COI strategies fail
58:12 - Should sales or operations come first?
1:00:32 - Brian’s biggest leadership lessons
1:04:14 - Rapid-fire questions
1:09:10 - Where to connect with Brian Strong
Connect
Brian Hoppe:
https://brianhoppe.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoppe/
Brian Strong:
https://tenhats.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-strong/
