MSP SUMMIT Recap: 7 Takeaways Every MSP Needs to Hear
We thought about sharing all the good ideas shared last week at MSP SUMMIT. But after wheeling out the fourth whiteboard, we realized things were getting out of control. We needed to do some narrowing down…
What you’re about to read are the ideas we felt we had to share. If you missed out on SUMMIT – and the rest of what was on those whiteboards – you’d need a time machine to catch up on all the knowledge dropped. But with these 7 key takeaways, you should be well-equipped to make some real progress in 2026.
Key Takeaway #1 – This industry is actively and consciously reinventing itself.
What we’re seeing right now in managed IT is no less dramatic than what we saw in the early 2000s with the radical break from break/fix thinking. Call it a sea change, a paradigm shift – call it whatever you want. But it’s happening: MSPs are actively and consciously reinventing themselves.
We see this reinvention in the move from the MSP model to the MIP model – from managed services to managed intelligence. Your clients are hungry for AI – and yes, they’re already using it. The question is: will you be the one they turn to for help? As Rob Rae reminded us in stark terms at SUMMIT, “If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re on the menu.”
The legal minds at Ciardi Ciardi & Astin opted for a different metaphor. Discussing the choice MSPs face when it comes to helping clients navigate cyber risk and liability, they told the audience at SUMMIT: “You’re either a trusted advisor or a potted plant.” The message couldn’t be clearer: insert yourself front and center or get boxed out.
With the rise of AI – and its attendant risks and roadblocks – MSPs are perfectly poised to step into the coveted role of true strategic partner for the thousands of SMBs in dire need of guidance. But becoming something new in the eyes of clients takes real work, and the MSPs with imagination, grit, and the courage to reinvent themselves are the ones who will win.
Key Takeaway #2 – Focus will be a superpower in 2026.
Facing a room of 100+ MSPs last week at SUMMIT, Tim Conkle asked a simple question: “What’s your one thing?”
With so much going on in our space, it’s easy to make a hundred plans – and even easier to follow through on none of them! That’s why Tim exhorted attendees to focus in on something. On one thing. If you can figure out your top priority (and treat it as such), you’ll see results long before the dreamer of a hundred dreams.
Focusing can mean choosing, but it can also mean zooming in and starting small. At SUMMIT, Nimesh Patel advised MSP decision makers to join the AI revolution by mastering a single use case within your MSP (e.g., having Copilot take notes during meetings). During the same AI panel, Seana Fippin pointed out that MSPs are still very much figuring out this AI stuff: “No one’s too late to the game.” Your MSP won’t become AI-driven overnight, and neither will your competition. So take a breath, and then – get to work.
Key Takeaway #3 – Clarity is in high demand and rare supply.
Addressing a room chock-full of providers, Katie Vreeland cut to the core of the matter: “Your MSP doesn’t have a marketing problem. Your MSP has a clarity problem.”
Can a prospect figure out what your MSP is all about within 10 seconds of visiting your page? What have you got that justifies their spending another 10 seconds on your site? Whatever it is, it better be clear enough – and unique enough – to distinguish your MSP from the MSP down the street. A big question for providers in 2026: do you have the guts to stand out?
Because that’s what it’s going to take. Not a full-fledged marketing department. Not the perfect social media strategy. As Crystal Conkle reassured SUMMIT attendees, standing out just takes the courage to be clear about who you are, what you know, and how you see the world. Visibility isn’t a superpower – but it is the “new unfair advantage.”
Of course when you’re clear, you run the risk of turning some people off. In fact, it’s unavoidable; saying exactly who you are and what you do will get some nos. But an unclear message is much worse. It’s like Jeffrey Newton shared at SUMMIT: “A confused mind always says no.”
So be courageously, unapologetically clear. It will pay off in the long run.
Key Takeaway #4 – We’re still selling the wrong thing!
It’s 2026, and MSPs are still selling on features.
It’s 2026, and MSPs are still selling on price alone.
It’s 2026, and MSPs are still selling technology, and not what customers really want: less stress and more success!
A common refrain at SUMMIT was that it’s time to rethink how you sell, and more than that, how you frame your own value as an MSP. If you see yourself as just another provider of IT services, you’ve already lost. That’s because clients don’t buy tech support. They don’t buy tools either. They buy business outcomes.
Continuing this line of thought, Andy Gainor told MSPs at SUMMIT to stop being so quick to offer discounts to win deals – to stand firm on the value they bring and to keep in mind that service is a “small slice of the deliverable.” Barrett Kingsriter echoed this point, urging MSPs to get really good at articulating their value – the outcomes and insights you offer – to avoid being viewed as a mere commodity.
Key Takeaway #5 – You can’t afford to coast right now.
At SUMMIT, Tim Conkle spoke about the “good ol’ days” – back when running an MSP wasn’t quite this hard. In those days, you could be pretty good, and that was, for most intents and purposes, good enough.
Jeffrey Newton also spoke about this shift, remarking on how as MSPs, we used to be the “new, fresh option,” and how our bold differentiation from break/fix companies allowed us to win new business relatively easily.
But our industry’s all grown up, with thousands of MSPs competing for business, and an educated pool of buyers who don’t just want to know what you do, but what you do better than other MSPs. This is where clarity works wonders – as well as actually having something special to offer.
Find your magic. Work hard on building a brand around that magic. And whatever you do, don’t coast.
Key Takeaway #6 – Start thinking about M&A if you haven’t already.
At SUMMIT, Barrett Kingsriter gave attendees an inside look at how buyers evaluate – and price – MSP businesses. And to the folks in the room with no plans on selling, he had some firm words: “If you’re not preparing your business to be acquired eventually, you should be.”
Just as growing your MSP takes time – and real work – so too does selling it. Buyers want to see…
- Organized financials: how you communicate history, present and future of performance
- Low staffing turnover
- Diversified revenues
- Strong tenured leadership
- Internal data security
- Organic growth
Even if you plan to never sell your shop, paying close attention to what buyers are looking for will help you remain competitive, as the criteria for a sellable MSP are, at the end of the day, signs of good business health.
Key Takeaway #7 – Fortune will favor the bold in 2026.
This lesson kept shining through at SUMMIT.
Bold MSPs will convince clients to come to them for help with AI, not one of the bajillion self-proclaimed AI experts clamoring for their hard-earned dollars. Timid MSPs won’t.
Bold MSPs will ask clients to pay more – to pay what their services are truly worth. Timid MSPs will keep offering baseless discounts.
Bold MSPs will continue their evolution into managed intelligence providers. Timid MSPs will call it a trend and stick with the traditional model, no matter how creaky and old it starts to feel.
Bold MSPs will take risks – just not unnecessary ones. Timid MSPs will risk nothing, and therefore, everything.
Bold MSP leaders will invest in marketing, not just pay it lip service. They’ll put out content. Videos. Selfies. Opinions. It won’t, as Crystal Conkle shared at SUMMIT, “be comfortable.” But it’ll be a h*ll of a lot less uncomfortable than spending another year stuck, which is exactly what will happen if your MSP stays in the shadows in 2026.
Why this year matters…
Running an MSP is harder than it used to be. There’s more to focus on…which is why you need focus. There’s more competition…which is why you need clarity and visibility. There’s more expected of you from clients…which is why you can’t afford to coast.
But there’s also more demand for our services than ever before. As shared by Rob Rae at SUMMIT, the total addressable market for IT is $777B for SMBs – now larger than the enterprise market for the first time. Throw AI into the mix and you’ve got nothing less than a historic opportunity for growth. Translation: If you’re an MSP: it’s go time.
Want some help getting your MSP moving in the right direction? Drop us a line!