Gap Selling for MSPs: Shifting from Product-Based to Problem-Centric Sales

What is gap selling or problem-centric selling? 

Gap selling shifts your approach by helping you clearly understand and bridge the gap between where your customers currently are and where they want to be. 

Think about your clients — they often recognize symptoms like slow networks or constant IT disruptions, but they rarely know the deeper cause. Your role is to help them identify that root issue and clearly show them how your services address their business challenges. 

Let me give you a better example: 

Current state: Your client faced a long downtime due to poorly patched servers. That happened because not all of their IT environment is managed by your MSP. 

Desired state: They envision reliable and stable IT as downtimes are costly and impact their business. 

Your role: Imagine you running a free vulnerability scan on their environment to identify all potential gaps in terms of security and performance. With solid data and a simple explanation (not too technical) of how you can fix all the gaps and ensure a more stable and reliable IT, your customer will probably appreciate more your work. 

By adopting gap selling or problem-centric selling, you move away from just pushing new solutions or ineffective break-fix initiatives. Instead, you focus on solving meaningful business problems, making you indispensable to your clients. This approach helps you differentiate yourself from competitors, win bigger contracts, and build long-lasting, profitable client relationships. 

How to shift to the gap selling sales strategy 

Adopting gap selling means stepping away from inflexible scripted sales pitches and focusing instead on discovery. Your conversations should make it simple for clients to express their business challenges clearly. Rather than asking, "Do you need IT support?" try these conversation starters: 

● “What IT challenges are slowing down your business?” · 

"Are there any important business goals at risk because of current technology limitations?" · 

"Can you share some IT-related disruptions you've faced over the past year?"

Instead of leading with features like "We provide 24/7 monitoring and automated patching," illustrate the business impact clearly. You might say, "You're currently spending more than 10 hours each month manually fixing IT issues. Imagine investing that time into growing your business instead." 

By asking the right questions, you help your clients and prospects uncover the real business pain points, making it clear why your MSP services are valuable. This helps your prospects recognize the urgency and importance of addressing their IT challenges, turning your sales conversations into meaningful consultations and wins. 

Gap selling made easy in two steps 

The process boils down to two key stages: discovery, followed by storytelling or sharing case studies. 

Discovery phase: Get to the root cause 

The biggest mistake IT Service Providers make is assuming they already know what their clients need. Jumping straight into a service pitch is tempting, but it's also why many deals never close. Instead, start by uncovering your customer's real problems. Slow down and ask thoughtful questions. By doing this, you're diagnosing the root cause just like a trusted expert would, instantly earning credibility. 

Storytelling: Show, don’t try to explain too much 

Facts tell, but stories sell. Your clients want proof that you can deliver meaningful change. When you illustrate your value through real-world stories, it becomes much easier for prospects to envision partnering with you. 

For instance, instead of simply saying, "We boost uptime," try sharing a story like, “We recently worked with a medical practice experiencing frequent outages. Initially, they blamed their internet provider. After assessing their systems, we found that outdated network equipment was the real issue. We upgraded their infrastructure, cutting downtime dramatically. The result? Fewer cancellations, happier patients and increased revenue within months.” 

A story like this clearly illustrates your impact and makes your MSP memorable. 

Turn IT pain points into profitable partnerships 

To succeed as an MSP, shift your mindset: lead by understanding your clients’ pain points rather than simply selling your solutions and services. When you do this, results will probably follow. The right tools make this shift easier. With a simplified RMM solution, you can spend less time managing tech and more time solving meaningful issues for your clients. If you’re looking to deliver more impact to your clients, Pulseway can make you indispensable.