This article is written by guest contributor Ray Green, founder and CRO of MSP Sales Partners.
“Am I ready to hire a salesperson?”
That’s a question I get all the time from MSPs.
The reality? The answer is yes.
No matter what stage of growth you’re in, if you hire the right salesperson at the right time, they should be a revenue multiplier—helping you grow profitably.
But if you hire the wrong role at the wrong time, what should be a revenue driver turns into a cost center—bleeding cash without delivering results.
So instead of asking if you’re ready to hire a salesperson, a better question is: “What sales problem am I trying to solve?”
That answer determines not just when to hire, but who to hire.
The Right Hire for the Right Sales Problem
If you’re not getting enough leads beyond referrals, hiring a closer won’t fix that. If your pipeline is overflowing with opportunities but no one’s following up, bringing in a business development rep (BDR) won’t help. And if deals are stalling, adding an appointment setter won’t move the needle.
Here’s how to figure out the right hire for where you are right now.
1. Struggling to Generate Leads?
If you don’t have a steady flow of new opportunities beyond referrals, your issue isn’t closing—it’s lead generation. You need someone focused on starting conversations, reaching out to prospects, and getting first-time appointments (FTAs) on the calendar.
This is where an outbound setter comes in (often referred to as a BDR). Their role is simple: generate leads. Whether that’s cold calls, LinkedIn outreach, canvassing door-to-door, networking events, or other outbound efforts, their sole focus is filling the top of your funnel.
But for an outbound setter to be effective, they need a clean, well-targeted prospect list. If they spend half their time correcting bad data, you’re wasting their potential.
2. Leads Are Coming In, But No One Has Time to Follow Up?
Getting leads isn’t your problem—you just don’t have the bandwidth to follow up with them effectively. If inbound inquiries are stacking up, or you’re generating outbound interest but letting opportunities slip through the cracks, you need someone to manage that process.
An inbound setter, often referred to as a sales development representative (SDR), specializes in qualification and follow-up. Unlike an outbound setter, who is focused on outbound prospecting, an inbound setter handles both inbound and outbound leads—qualifying, nurturing, and making sure the best-fit prospects actually make it onto your calendar.
If you don’t have enough inbound leads to keep them busy, look for someone who can handle a mix of inbound and outbound.
Note: Most MSPs find themselves dealing with some combination of these first two problems. Essentially, they aren’t generating enough leads, so they need an outbound setter, but the leads they do generate are slipping through the cracks, so they also need an inbound setter. In these cases, hiring a hybrid appointment setter who can handle both roles may be the best solution.
3. Too Many Qualified Opportunities in the Pipeline?
If your pipeline is full of warm, qualified opportunities but deals are stalling—or worse, slipping through the cracks—you don’t need more leads. You need someone who can close.
A closer specializes in turning qualified prospects into customers. They handle high-level discovery, uncover pain points, guide prospects through the decision-making process, and ultimately, get the deal done.
But not all closers are created equal. The best fit for an MSP is someone with experience selling high-ticket B2B services with a 2-4 month sales cycle. Someone who’s only sold under a big brand name might struggle without that built-in credibility.
And yes, they should own their own pipeline and get out there and prospect if they aren’t getting opportunities. But don’t expect a good closer to stick around if you have them prospecting 8 hours a day.
(If you’re ready to hire a closer and want to avoid hiring a ‘professional networker’ that will leave your pipeline full of deals stuck “in progress,” watch this video I made to help you find a real closer.)
4. You’re Taking Sales Calls, But Not Closing Deals?
If leads are coming in and making it onto your calendar, but you’re struggling to convert them into paying clients, hiring a closer won’t solve the problem—at least not yet.
First, you need to fix your sales process. If you don’t know how to close deals yourself, you won’t know how to hire or manage someone who does.
Before bringing in a salesperson, invest in training, document a repeatable process, and make sure you can confidently guide prospects from conversation to contract.
Otherwise, you risk handing off sales too early—and watching your close rate drop from “not good” to “nonexistent.”
So, Are You Ready to Hire a Salesperson?
Yes—as long as you hire the right person for to solve the right problem.
The biggest mistake MSPs make? Hiring the wrong role for the wrong challenge.
Solve the right problem with the right hire, and your sales team won’t just bring in revenue—they’ll scale your business profitably.
If you missed Ray Green’s last article, see The MSP Owner’s Sales Trap: Too Busy to Handle Sales, Too Broke to Hire Help
