Are growth plateaus haunting your MSP? After working with dozens of PE-backed technology firms, I've noticed something striking: the highest-performing MSPs treat marketing as an investment vehicle, not a cost centre.
The invisibility problem crushing MSP valuations
There's a brilliant lesson in Warren Buffett's approach to Geico that every MSP leader should study.
When Buffett became involved with Geico, he spotted a fundamental problem that's remarkably similar to what I see in the MSP sector today. Despite offering excellent services, they simply weren't visible enough to their potential customers.
Buffett's solution wasn't to hire more salespeople or create better packages – it was to dramatically increase brand visibility through consistent, strategic marketing investment. By 2023, Geico's advertising budget had reached an astonishing $838 million annually, making them one of the top advertising spenders in America (Statista, 2024).
Why such commitment? Because Buffett understands what researchers at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute confirmed in their groundbreaking "95-5 Rule" study for the LinkedIn B2B Institute: at any given moment, only 5% of your potential customers are actively in the market for your services, while 95% aren't ready to buy yet but will be at some point in the future (LinkedIn B2B Institute, 2023).
Even in our technology sector, we see similar patterns. Cyber-security vendor CrowdStrike spent just under $100 million on brand last year (MediaRadar, 2025) and still outgrew the endpoint market by 45%.
Here are 3 lessons you can take from Buffett's approach
1. Beyond visibility: Why your brand needs emotional connection
Whether you're a growing MSP facing market saturation, a mature provider stuck on a revenue plateau, or navigating post-acquisition complexity, many MSPs suffer from the same fundamental problem: disconnected brand positioning that fails to create meaningful emotional resonance.
What Buffett discovered through his experience with consumer brands was that creating positive emotional associations doesn't just drive immediate sales – it creates a powerful selection advantage when prospects eventually enter buying cycles.
For MSPs at any growth stage, investing in a coherent, distinctive market positioning isn't a luxury – it's essential groundwork for future revenue.
2. Consistency builds value when others retreat
When the tech sector experiences downturns, most MSPs immediately slash marketing budgets to protect short-term profits.
The paradox Buffett embraced is that economic uncertainty creates the perfect opportunity to gain visibility while competitors retreat into silence.
I've watched MSPs who maintained consistent marketing presence during downturns capture significantly larger shares of voice – and eventually market share – than those who disappeared from view.
For MSPs facing competitive pressure or seeking to break through growth plateaus, maintaining visibility throughout market fluctuations prevents revenue dips that can jeopardise long-term value creation.
3. The familiarity advantage in tech decision-making
The way technology decision-makers evaluate MSPs isn't the rational, comprehensive process that many sales methodologies assume.
As Charlie Munger observed in consumer markets, business buyers also employ mental shortcuts when selecting vendors. Familiarity creates confidence, which dramatically influences selection.
MSPs that remain consistently visible in the marketplace build passive awareness that becomes active preference when buyers finally enter selection processes.
This creates what many PE firms seek but rarely articulate: predictable, sustainable revenue growth with improving margins.
Your next growth move
What percentage of your 2025 budget will you earmark specifically for brand building versus tactical lead generation? I'm curious to hear if any PE-backed MSPs are planning to allocate more than 20% to brand initiatives. Get in touch if you’d like to discuss your targets and how to maximise your growth trajectory.
