Ian Richardson MSP Business School | Fox & Crow Group

Ian Richardson MSP Business School Podcast

East Lansing, MI — Ian Richardson, CEO and Founder of Fox & Crow Group, was recently featured on the award-winning podcast MSP Business School, hosted by Brian Doyle. The episode, titled “Unmasking the Million-Dollar Mistakes in MSP Sales,” is available to watch here.

Richardson, a former MSP owner who built and sold a multi-million-dollar managed services firm, shared insights drawn from two decades in the IT channel. The episode focused on the painful, expensive, and common errors MSPs make when trying to scale revenue beyond founder-led referrals.

Want to book Ian for your podcast, webinar or live event? Schedule a call with us here.

Date Published: January 1, 2026

Executive Summary

Ian Richardson, Managing Partner at Fox & Crow Group, appeared on MSP Business School to break down the painful, expensive mistakes MSPs make when trying to scale revenue beyond founder-led referrals. The core message for MSP owners: sales doesn’t fail because you need a new tactic—it fails because you don’t have a repeatable process. The episode covers what “process-first” actually means, why outbound still works when executed with discipline, and why visibility beats gut feel.

Questions This Article Answers

What is the Ian Richardson MSP Business School episode about?
Why do MSP sales efforts stall when referrals slow down?
Why do MSPs fail when they hire a salesperson too early?
What does a repeatable MSP sales process include?
Does outbound calling still work for MSP sales?
Why do MSP owners struggle with sales visibility and accountability?
What is Instinct by Fox & Crow Group and what problem does it address for MSPs?
How can an MSP evaluate whether investing in sales process will pay off?

Definition: MSP Business School is a podcast hosted by Brian Doyle.

You can find the MSP Business School podcast on all major podcast platforms.Watch the full podcast on Youtube here:

Selling MSP Services Isn’t the Problem. Process Is.

Most managed service providers don’t suffer from a lack of opportunity—they suffer from a lack of structure.

When referrals slow and churn creeps in, many MSPs try to fix the problem by hiring a sales rep or outsourcing marketing. According to Richardson, that’s like handing over the wheel when there’s no map, no fuel, and no working engine. These efforts fail not because the tactics are wrong, but because there’s no consistent system behind them.

A functional MSP sales engine doesn’t start with hiring—it starts with process.

Offers must be defined and standardized
Discovery needs to be documented and trained
Activity must be tracked and reviewed
Leads must be qualified with clarity
Execution needs to happen every single week

This is where most owners fall short—especially technical founders with no sales background. As Richardson shared on the show, it wasn’t until he invested time in building process, not just people, that sales started working.

MSP owner next step: If referrals are slowing, don’t “fix sales” by guessing. Start with process, then measure execution.

Run the numbers: Fox & Crow ROI calculator — or learn how to ask better MSP sales questions in this article.

The MSP Sales Tactic That Still Works

One of the most discussed points in the interview: dialing the phone still works.

Despite rumors that cold calling is dead, the data tells a different story. Consistent outbound—backed by clear qualification questions and a tightly managed list—continues to be one of the most effective ways to generate net new conversations.

It’s not glamorous, but it is scalable. And it works when executed with discipline. Read more: How to Learn to Cold Call for Your MSP

Instinct Over Assumption

During the interview, Richardson also spoke about how most MSP owners rely on gut feel to manage sales—without visibility into rep activity, lead quality, or funnel health.

That’s why Fox & Crow built Instinct, a proprietary platform that uses pattern recognition and competitive intelligence to show owners when their team is falling off process. It gives MSPs the kind of operational clarity they’ve always had in service—applied to sales.

But the real fix isn’t software. It’s committing to consistency.

If You Want Predictable Sales, Start with the Math

Building an MSP sales process that works doesn’t require genius. It requires commitment to doing the work—and tracking the work that gets done.

To see whether the MSP Sales Process is a smart investment for your firm, run your numbers through the Fox & Crow ROI calculator. It’ll tell you if you’re positioned to grow—or at risk of flatlining.

Watch the Full Interview

To hear the full conversation with Ian Richardson on MSP Business School, watch the episode on YouTube.

More from Fox & Crow

Looking for more expertise from the team?

Fox & Crow Group's podcast "WIN" is currently on hiatus, but you can listen to three years of interviews with MSP owners and other entrepreneurs and experts here.

Watch Carrie Richardson’s appearance on MSP Business School, where she breaks down why most lead generation efforts fail—and how to fix them.

Interested in booking Ian Richardson for your podcast or event? You can schedule time here.

For sales process, leadership strategy, and MSP growth insights, visit foxcrowgroup.com.

MSP Sales Process Readiness Checklist

Your MSP offer is defined and standardized
Discovery is documented and trained
Sales activity is tracked and reviewed
Leads are qualified with clarity
Execution happens every single week

FAQ: Ian Richardson on MSP Business School (For MSP Owners)

What is the Ian Richardson MSP Business School episode about?

The Ian Richardson MSP Business School episode is about the expensive mistakes MSPs make when trying to grow sales beyond founder-led referrals and why process—not tactics—is the real fix.

Why do MSP sales efforts stall when referrals slow down?

MSP sales efforts stall when referrals slow down because many MSPs don’t have a repeatable sales process to replace referral-driven growth with consistent weekly execution.

Why does hiring a salesperson fail for so many MSPs?

Hiring a salesperson fails for many MSPs because the MSP hasn’t defined the offer, documented discovery, set qualification rules, or built a weekly execution cadence for the rep to follow.

What does a repeatable MSP sales process include?

A repeatable MSP sales process includes standardized offers, documented discovery, tracked activity, clear qualification, and weekly execution—so sales performance is measurable and coachable.

Does outbound calling still work for MSP sales?

Outbound calling still works for MSP sales when an MSP executes consistently, uses clear qualification questions, and manages outreach with discipline instead of sporadic bursts.

Why do MSP owners end up managing sales by gut feel?

MSP owners end up managing sales by gut feel when they don’t have visibility into rep activity, lead quality, or funnel health—so decisions are made without reliable process signals.

What is Instinct by Fox & Crow Group for MSPs?

Instinct by Fox & Crow Group is a proprietary platform built to help MSP owners see when their sales team is falling off process by applying pattern recognition and competitive intelligence.

How can an MSP evaluate whether investing in sales process will pay off?

An MSP can evaluate whether investing in sales process will pay off by running the MSP’s numbers through the Fox & Crow ROI calculator and comparing the result to current execution capacity.

If you’re an MSP owner trying to get predictable sales: