We’ve compiled a list of 20 essential books to help you master the art of selling, how to negotiate deals better, take a deep dive into various IT technologies, win at customer success, and what it takes to thrive as an MSP. Grab a good cappuccino, espresso, or Earl Grey tea, and get your bookmarks ready!
Here’s the TL;DR
- Simplified Cybersecurity Sales For MSPs
- The Pumpkin Plan
- Package, Price, Profit: The Essential Guide to Packaging and Pricing Your MSP Plans
- Phoenix Project
- The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide
- Managed Services in a Month
- The MSP Growth Funnel
- The MSP Owner’s Handbook: QBR Edition
- MSP Secrets Revealed
- The E-Myth Revisited
- Never Split the Difference
- The MSP’s Survival Guide To Co-Managed IT Services
- The Pricing Roadmap: How to Design B2B SaaS Pricing Models That Your Customers Will Love
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
- Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine
- Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses
- Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business
- So You Want To Be An MSP
- Process and the Other “P” Word (Which is Also Process): The Power and Profitability of Process in Your IT Business
Coffee Table MSP Book Collection: 20 Essential Reads for MSPs and IT Professionals
- Simplified Cybersecurity Sales For MSPs: The Secret Formula For Closing Cybersecurity Deals Without Feeling Slimy – Jennifer Bleam
Simplified Cybersecurity Sales for MSPs will show you how to sell cybersecurity successfully and get into the mind of a successful salesperson. Win more clients over with this must-have book for MSPs.
- The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field – Mike Michalowicz
Mike Michalowicz tells it like it is. Plenty of relatable analogies and witty humor to keep your interest going from cover to cover. The Pumpkin Plan gives you the tools to harvest and plant your business seeds. Identify the winning customers and unlock major opportunities for long-term sustained growth.
- Package, Price, Profit: The Essential Guide to Packaging and Pricing Your MSP Plans – Nigel Moore
Ever wondered how to package your MSP business? Nigel Moore can lend a hand. You’ll learn about what to include and exclude in your plans, various pricing strategies, and how to deal with complex clients. Nigel shares how much of the total profits from a client you should reinvest back to fuel the relationship long-term.
- Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, And Helping Your Business Win – Gene Kim & Kevin Behr
Kevin Behr and Gene Kim dive into the story of Bill, an IT manager at Parts Unlimited, who has been tasked with the project of his career, The Phoenix Project. Bill has 90 days to fix the mess that is behind schedule and way over budget. Will Bill succeed, or will his entire department get outsourced? Find out.
- The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide: How to save time, avoid stress and build a successful IT business – Richard Tubb
Richard Tubb is one of the most recognizable names in the MSP industry – bar none. The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide provides you with all the tools to handle the stressful daily grind. Learn how to put your social media on autopilot, build a winning To-Do list, and find out when you should part ways with clients.
- Managed Services in a Month: Build a Successful, Modern Computer Consulting Business in 30 Days, 3rd Edition – Karl W. Palachuk
30 days. That’s all the time you’ll need to grow a successful MSP business. Karl W. Palachuk will teach you how to create service agreements and service offerings that scale. Whether you’re a newbie or seasoned professional, you’ll gain a ton of insights from this book.
- The MSP Growth Funnel: A Complete Guide To Marketing & Selling Managed Services – Kevin Clune
Want to get to know your audience better? Kevin Clune will guide you on a buyer’s journey through the four stages of the customer acquisition funnel. From choosing the right content topics to crafting your pitch and ultimately closing the deal, it’s all here.
- The MSP Owner’s Handbook: QBR Edition – Marnie Stockman Ed.D. & Juan Fernandez
Increasing client revenue. Delivering QBRs. Scaling your MSP business to the next level. Sound good? The MSP Owner’s Handbook will show you how to achieve it all. Marnie “literally” authored the book on Customer Success for MSPs, while Juan scaled an MSP to $20M in six years. Learn from two of the best in the game.
- MSP Secrets Revealed: 101 gems of inspiration, stories & practical advice for managed service provider owners – Mark Copeman
Shh, don’t tell anyone you have the marketing and lead generation secrets. 101 of them to be exact. Mark Copeman will show you how to treat customers as if you’re going on dates (seriously). You’ll also get the scoop on how to recruit and build the right onboarding program, spread out revenue dependency, and become a numbers wizard.
- The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael E. Gerber
This is one book every MSP and small business owner should own. Michael E. Gerber will guide you through a variety of strategies that encompass people, marketing, management, organization, and systems. Discover what the Turn-Key Revolution is all about and how it can take your business to the next level.
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It – Chris Voss & Tahl Raz
Valuable lessons and principles from a former FBI international hostage negotiator that you can apply to your MSP business. Gain the upper hand when it comes to negotiating client contracts and service agreements. Leverage tactical empathy to understand your clients’ needs and master the art of mirroring and labeling to build trust.
- The MSP’s Survival Guide To Co-Managed IT Services: A Crotchety Old Geek’s Road Map on Marketing, Selling and Providing Managed Services to Organizations with Existing IT Staff (CoMITs) – Bob Coppedge
What exactly are CoMITs, and why does it matter for you? Bob Coppedge will show you how to market to organizations that have IT departments by bridging the gap between IT employees and MSPs. Discover how to integrate your existing business and tools with CoMITs to simplify your internal IT and drive stronger relationships.
- The Pricing Roadmap: How to Design B2B SaaS Pricing Models That Your Customers Will Love – Ulrik Lehrskov-Schmidt
Ulrik will show you how to enhance product quality to the point where prospects eagerly invest without hesitation, and how to align your pricing metrics with growth levers to drive demand and scale within the SaaS ecosystem.
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t – Jim Collins
This classic on leadership has withstood the test of time. From building a strong leadership team to creating a culture of discipline and focusing on your “hedgehog concept”, or what you do best, Good to Great serves as a blueprint for building sustainable growth and a thriving MSP business.
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Simon Sinek
If you don’t understand why your clients choose you over a sea of competitors, you have some digging to do. Start with Why challenges MSPs to uncover their deeper purpose, not just what they do, but why they do it. When you clarify your ‘why,’ you’ll attract more ideal clients, build lasting relationships, and stand out in a crowded market.
- Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine – Mike Michalowicz
Mike’s wisdom returns. Profit First presents four simple, effective principles that any MSP can implement to scale their business and eliminate the debt barrier. Mike lays the foundation for assessing business health while maximizing revenue potential through a profit-first mindset. You might relate to The Survival Trap, which he outlines in the book.
- Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses – Nancy Harhut
Looking to attract more clients? Nancy Harhut has the answers, backed by data and behavioral science. You’ll learn how to leverage emotional triggers to influence decision-making, convey customer benefits using loss aversion, and master the art of storytelling. All in the book.
- Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business – Gino Wickman
Business growth stalling?
Gino Wickman built a system designed to help you overcome profit pitfalls through six key components, known as the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Gain better control of your time, strengthen your financial goals, and build a winning team with Traction.
- So You Want To Be An MSP – Andy Cormier
Learn to run your MSP with a sales-driven mindset from someone who grew a twelve-person team into a successful, sustainable business. Andy will help shift your focus from a technically driven model to a sales-oriented approach, from the moment you engage with a prospect.
- Process and the Other “P” Word (Which is Also Process): The Power and Profitability of Process in Your IT Business – Allen Edwards
If you’re scaling a growing company, this book is a must-have for your collection. Allen Edwards has built proven systems and will show you how to fix the Leaky Bucket Syndrome (LBS) while consistently producing results.
As an added bonus of purchasing Process and the Other “P” Word, you’ll also get access to invaluable classes, workshops, and webinars. Huge win.
Make these 20 insightful books part of your collection.
But wait, there’s more!
We’ve also curated 11 Valuable MSP YouTube Channels that you should subscribe to, and 14 Essential Podcasts for MSP Success.
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