onderscheidend vermogen MSP
Why is the MSP losing its distinctiveness?
The distinctiveness of an MSP no longer sits in technology, but in partnership, attention and low churn. Clients can work more and more out for themselves, so the added value moves towards advice, security, business continuity and the way AI lands in the client environment.
MSP Late Night · 24 August 2026
How does an MSP build real distinctiveness?
Distinctiveness comes from three axes at once. The role shifts from technician to partner who thinks along on continuity and risk. Retention weighs more than new clients, because an existing buyer buys on average up to 6 to 8 services, with outliers towards 12. And on questions such as AI, security and business continuity, enterprising MSPs have to choose a position themselves before the large parties do it for them.
Technician or partner?
The client can work more and more out for themselves, so pure technology is no longer a difference. Personal attention and thinking along at owner level are what keep the MSP standing.
Churn or retention?
New clients demonstrably take more effort than building out existing ones. Steering on low churn and high net revenue retention produces more than a focus on acquisition.
A position on AI and security?
A number of MSPs will stand up and say explicitly how they deal with AI, security and business continuity. Anyone who chooses no position gets pushed out of the market by the large parties.
Less of the technician path, more of the partner. That is where the room is, not in another hour of technology.
Frequently asked questions
Why is churn more important than new clients for an MSP?
An existing client buys on average into several services, often between 6 and 8, sometimes towards 12. Winning new clients demonstrably costs more effort, marketing budget and sales capacity. Steering on low churn and high net revenue retention therefore produces a more stable margin and more predictable growth than permanent acquisition pressure. At an MSP, retention is in effect the primary growth channel.
What does being a partner instead of a technician mean concretely for an MSP?
The client can now answer or look up many technical questions themselves. The added value therefore no longer sits in performing standard technology, but in thinking along at owner level: strategic choices around security, AI adoption, continuity and supplier dependency. Being a partner means attention, knowing the client context and giving advice the client does not get round to themselves.
How does an MSP position itself against large parties?
Large parties compete on scale, price and standardisation. Smaller MSPs win by explicitly choosing a position on questions such as AI policy, business continuity and security. That calls for a pronounced view: how does the company look at these themes and what does that mean for the client. Owners who make that choice and communicate it become recognisable in a market that otherwise looks interchangeable.
What is net revenue retention and why does it count at an MSP?
Net revenue retention measures how much revenue from the existing client base is kept and grows through additional sales, corrected for cancellations and downgrades. For an MSP this KPI leads because the contract model is recurring: every percentage point of churn works through structurally. A high net revenue retention shows that the client relationship really adds value, not only that the contract is still running.
The full conversation, transcribed
Ik heb mijn neefje nodig, want die kent computers. Dat is dan misschien traditioneel hoe het toen met de MSP ging. Daar is nu nog veel meer nodig, want heel veel kan ik zelf uitzoeken. Ik kan zelf steeds meer als ondernemer of als afnemer van de MSP. Maar juist die meerwaarde die er daar zijn, daar zijn partijen uit. Ik denk dat die ruimte er is. Alleen die ondernemers moeten wel echt een stap maken in hun onderscheidend vermogen zetten. Dat is dat persoonlijke. dat aandacht hebben, minder de techneutepad, maar meer de partner. Nieuwe klanten zijn traditioneel altijd iets minder belangrijk, want een koper weet ook hoeveel meer moeite je moet doen voor nieuwe klanten. Dus vooral Je churn laag houden. Dus je klantverloop laag houden, die net revenue retentie hoog houden. Eigenlijk een potentiële koperis. Misschien wel naar de twaalf of meer. Even, ik vind het wel belangrijk om heel veel MSP ondernemers even weer met de fiets op de grond te krijgen. Het ligt ergens vaak tussen 6 en 8. Er zijn een aantal ondernemers die gaan echt opstaan en die gaan zeggen zo gaan wij om met AI, zo gaan wij om met business continuity, security, dat soort vraagstukken. Dus er zullen echt een aantal ondernemende MSPs, die zullen denk ik opstaan en zich daarin gaan wapenen tegenover de grote partijen.