Aesopian's - The MSP Marketing Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In Episode 8 of the Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Mohamed Hamad, founder of Third Wunder, to explore how SaaS companies can maintain brand integrity while building the operational foundation for scalable growth. Mohamed explains how using an ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) approach to website builds gives SaaS teams the structure and flexibility needed to maintain visual and messaging consistency. He also breaks down how HubSpot enables operational efficiency, unifying marketing and sales to support long-term growth.

🎯 Key Takeaways:

• ✅ How ACF-based website builds support brand integrity at scale
• ✅ Why CMS and design consistency matters for fast-growing SaaS teams
• ✅ How HubSpot can operationalize marketing and sales processes
• ✅ Using segmentation, automation, and lead scoring in HubSpot
• ✅ Creating a repeatable growth engine through CRM strategy

📖 Related Resources:

• 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5kEIWfg2uOxwEvrIPM3vWH?si=feunmjz1TiWb-vF6v--oUw
• 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aesopians-e8-how-saas-are-maintaining-brand-integrity/id1791200285?i=1000711099436
• 🔗 Mohamed's Website: https://www.thirdwunder.com/
• 📲 Mohamed's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohamedhamad/
• 📲 Hunter’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntern/
• 🎙️ More episodes of the Aesopians Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY8tyIITlrVfPLxC8_jPhM8LCBHQ3FFpz
• 📄 Show Notes: https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/blog/how-saas-companies-are-maintaining-brand-integrity-and-operationalizing-growth/

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🎙️ Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson sits down with Brian Gillette, founder of Feel-Good MSP, to explore how Managed Service Providers can modernize their sales approach—without sacrificing integrity or connection.

Brian shares the philosophy behind the “Feel-Good Close,” a methodology rooted in empathy, clarity, and emotional intelligence. You’ll hear why traditional fear-based sales tactics are losing their edge—and how MSPs can win more deals by being human, listening better, and showing up with purpose.

This conversation also gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the Feel-Good MSP sales program, from the 60-day onboarding experience to the practical frameworks that have helped MSPs 10x their MRR. Whether you’re an MSP owner, sales leader, or marketer, you’ll walk away with actionable insights to level up your process.

🎯 Key Takeaways:

• ✅ The structure behind the Feel-Good Close and how it builds trust
• ✅ Why emotional intelligence is a strategic sales advantage
• ✅ What new members can expect during their first 60 days in the Feel-Good MSP program
• ✅ How to craft ideal customer profiles using demographics, psychographics, and use cases
• ✅ Real success stories from MSPs who’ve transformed their sales with Brian’s approach

📖 Related Resources:

• 🎧 Listen on Spotify:
  https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LqLOENIULVDpM5qFuegxy?si=4c8711adb423402e
• 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts:
  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aesopians-e7-joining-the-feel-good-msp-sales-training/id1791200285?i=1000709053275
• 🔗 Brian's Website:
  https://www.feelgoodmsp.com/
• 📲 Brian's LinkedIn:
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-gillette/
• 📲 Hunter’s LinkedIn:
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntern/
• 🎙️ More episodes of the Aesopians Podcast:
  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY8tyIITlrVfPLxC8_jPhM8LCBHQ3FFpz
• 📄 Show Notes:
  https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/blog/joining-the-feel-good-msp-sales-training-program/

If you found this video helpful, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on growing your MSP business. Hit the 🔔 to get notified about new episodes!

From Cable Puller to Closer: Lessons from a Tech-Turned-MSP Sales Rep

Transitioning from tech to sales isn't easy—but it can be one of the most rewarding moves in your MSP career. In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson talks with Ashton Fortuna, an MSP sales rep who made the leap from onsite technician to full-time dealmaker. Ashton shares candid insights from his first year in sales, including the mindset shifts, outreach strategies, and daily habits that helped him push through doubt, rejection, and early setbacks.

Whether you're an MSP owner thinking of moving a tech into sales—or a technician looking for a path with more flexibility, income potential, and customer connection—this episode delivers a clear-eyed look at what it really takes to succeed.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• 💼 How Ashton went from cable pulling to consistently closing deals
• ⚙️ Why most techs underestimate the challenge—and power—of sales
• 🧠 How Ashton overcame imposter syndrome and created a custom sales rhythm using 15-minute task sprints
• 📊 How he structured his outreach to hit 100+ touches a week and gain real traction
• 🐥 Why rubber ducks (yes, rubber ducks) became a key part of his brand recall strategy
• 💡 What helped Ashton go from 0 to $13K in monthly recurring revenue—and what he'd do differently if he started again

🔗 Related Resources:

• 🎧 Listen on Spotify:
  https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qoB7eivL8hYfVUQxpmN9r?si=d2555833f6cb485d
  
  
• 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts:
  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aesopians-e5-tech-to-rep-year-1-as-an-msp/id1791200285?i=1000704330685
  
  
• 📲 Ashton’s LinkedIn:
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashton-fortuna-977b148b/
  
  
• 📲 Hunter’s LinkedIn:
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntern/
  
  
• 🌐 Valley Tech Logic:
  https://www.valleytechlogic.com/
  
  
• 🎙️ More episodes of the Aesopians Podcast:
  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY8tyIITlrVfPLxC8_jPhM8LCBHQ3FFpz
  
  
• 📚 Related Blog Post:
  https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/blog/moving-msp-technicians-into-sales/
  
  

Leading with Cybersecurity: How MSPs Can Start Better Sales Conversations

Selling IT services can feel like an uphill battle for many MSPs, especially when prospects aren’t actively thinking about cybersecurity.
Instead of struggling to explain technical features, Michael Bakaic from Iceberg Cyber shares a more effective approach: using cybersecurity risk assessments as a conversation starter.
In this episode of the Aesopians Podcast, Hunter Nelson and Michael discuss how MSPs can leverage cybersecurity insights to engage potential clients, build credibility, and make sales feel more natural and effortless.

By using cybersecurity score lead magnets, MSPs can turn cold outreach into warm, consultative discussions, positioning themselves as trusted advisors instead of just another service provider.
This episode dives into actionable strategies MSPs can use to attract high-quality leads, generate referrals, and close more deals—without feeling pushy or salesy.

✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• 🔥 Why cybersecurity is the perfect icebreaker for MSP sales
• 💡 How to shift sales conversations from technical features to solving business problems
• 📈 The role of cybersecurity lead magnets in generating warm leads
• 🔎 How Iceberg Cyber’s Cybersecurity Score Tool helps MSPs start meaningful discussions
• 📌 Best practices for turning cybersecurity conversations into long-term client relationships

📚 Related Resources:

• 🎧 Listen on Spotify
• 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts
• 🔗 Learn more about Iceberg Cyber @icebergcyber
• 📲 Michael's LinkedIn
• 📲 Hunter's LinkedIn
• 📖 Recommended Reading – Alex Hormozi’s Sales & Marketing Books
• 🎙️ More episodes of the Aesopians Podcast
• 📚 Related Blog Post

If you found this video helpful, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on growing your MSP business. Hit the 🔔 to get notified about new episodes!

Are you an MSP owner looking to generate consistent leads through cold email marketing? In this episode of The Aesopians Podcast, host Hunter Nelson sits down with Jeffrey Newton, an MSP veteran turned co-founder of SIFT, to break down the strategies that actually work in today's cold outreach landscape.With 18 years in the MSP space—spanning technical roles, sales, and marketing leadership—Jeff shares his hard-earned insights into building a successful outbound system that lands high-quality meetings and converts new customers every month.Key Takeaways from This Episode:✅ Why Traditional MSP Marketing Fails – Learn why old-school email marketing tactics like mass-blasting contacts via Mailchimp or Constant Contact don’t work and what MSPs should do instead.✅ Building a Targeted Prospect List – Jeff explains how to define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), leverage tools like PandaMatch and Clay to refine your list, and avoid the common mistake of going too broad.✅ Cold Email Infrastructure & Deliverability – Discover why using your primary domain is a mistake, how to set up multiple domains and mailboxes, and the importance of email warm-up for ensuring your messages land in inboxes—not spam folders.✅ How Many Emails Do You Really Need? – Jeff walks through the numbers: how many contacts, emails, and meetings it takes to land one new MSP client per month, and how to scale once you’ve optimized your system.✅ Crafting Emails That Get Replies – Learn why the best-performing subject lines and email copy focus on engagement, curiosity, and humor—plus real-world examples that booked 50+ meetings with VCs in just weeks.✅ Avoiding the ‘Spray and Pray’ Approach – Why hyper-personalization isn’t always the answer, and how strategic segmentation and message testing drive better results.✅ Sales Motion for Cold Outbound – Selling to cold leads isn’t the same as referrals—Jeff shares how MSPs can refine their sales approach to convert outbound prospects into customers.Jeff also shares practical insights from his experience running outbound campaigns at multiple MSPs, where he generated over $140,000 in new monthly recurring revenue (MRR) annually.If you're an MSP owner wondering how to actually make cold email work, this is the episode you need to watch.🔔 Like, Subscribe & Comment – Let us know what MSP sales & marketing topics you want covered next!💡 Resources & Links Mentioned:Listen On Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/402mMCH9wVbweoTqJg6zaT?si=e7c8f760efa14b61Listen On Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aesopians-episode-3-cold-email-marketing-campaigns/id1791200285?i=1000692936080Cyft.AI: https://landing.cyft.ai/Jeffs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsnewton/Bens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benyaminholley/Hunter's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntern/Tools Mentioned:Clay: https://www.clay.com/PandaMatch: https://www.pandamatch.io/SmartLead: https://www.smartlead.ai/Instantly: https://instantly.ai/*****************************Tortoise and Hare partners with mid-market technology companies like MSPs, IT Consultants, Cybersecurity Firms, Software Devs, and SaaS companies to help them increase lead volume, scale revenues, and make their businesses more attractive to prospective buyers when it comes time to sell.Our marketing team tackles late stage marketing problems that mid-market challengers face like multi-channel PPC advertising campaigns, SEO, conversion rate optimization, performance reporting and more.Apply for a free online marketing consultation today:https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/offers/free-consultation/Follow Us On Social Media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tortoiseandharesoftware/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tnhsaesopPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/

In this episode of the "Aesopians" podcast, we’re joined by Raj Khera, a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Make Media, to discuss how small businesses can transform their approach to content creation. Raj shares his journey of building and selling three successful companies and how his passion for entrepreneurship and the rise of AI inspired him to create a tool that makes creating high-quality content easier than ever.Raj dives deep into the strategies that helped him grow his businesses, including leveraging SEO, optimizing keywords, and creating educational content that drives traffic and builds trust. He also explains how Make Media’s guided interview process simplifies content creation, turning your expertise into SEO-friendly articles, social media posts, and email newsletters in just minutes.We explore actionable insights like conducting keyword research, nurturing leads through the customer journey, and using storytelling to make your content stand out. Raj also shares his favorite tools for improving SEO, designing content, and building engagement. Plus, he invites listeners to try out Make Media’s beta program, which is already helping users rank higher on Google and streamline their marketing efforts.If you’re looking for practical tips to create content that connects with your audience, drives growth, and saves time, this episode is for you.Resources:Raj's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajkhera/

Hunter's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntern/Make Media Product:https://makemedia.ai/*****************************Tortoise and Hare partners with mid-market technology companies like MSPs, IT Consultants, Cybersecurity Firms, Software Devs, and SaaS companies to help them increase lead volume, scale revenues, and make their businesses more attractive to prospective buyers when it comes time to sell.Our marketing team tackles late stage marketing problems that mid-market challengers face like multi-channel PPC advertising campaigns, SEO, conversion rate optimization, performance reporting and more.Visit us on the web at:https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/Apply for a free online marketing consultation today:https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/offers/free-consultation/Follow Us On Social Media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tortoiseandharesoftware/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tnhsaesopPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/#msp #msps #managedservices #manageditservices #mspmarketing #cybersecurity #itconsulting #softwaredevelopment #saas

In the debut episode of Aesopian's Podcast, host Hunter Nelson sits down with Matt Hache, an infrastructure consultant at PAX8 and founder of Neon Cobra, to explore how Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can harness Azure cloud technology to modernize their businesses and unlock growth. This conversation is packed with actionable strategies and expert advice, making it essential for MSPs aiming to thrive in today’s tech landscape.Learn from a Seasoned ExpertMatt shares his extensive experience, from working as an MSP to helping Canadian businesses succeed with Azure at PAX8. Through his project, Neon Cobra, he simplifies Microsoft’s complex documentation into practical insights for MSPs, offering listeners a roadmap to adopting and succeeding with cloud solutions.Leverage the Cloud for GrowthHunter and Matt discuss how Azure enables MSPs to expand services, boost revenue, and transition from capital expenses to operational expenses for greater financial agility. They emphasize the importance of focusing on cloud infrastructure fundamentals and overcoming common adoption challenges, such as navigating technical documentation and adjusting billing practices.Enhance Marketing and Client EngagementThe episode highlights how MSPs can attract better clients by creating targeted content that addresses customer pain points and promotes solutions. Hunter and Matt stress the need for proactive marketing to position MSPs as thought leaders and trusted advisors.Future-Proof with AI and Cloud IntegrationThe conversation dives into the rising importance of AI and machine learning, focusing on their integration with scalable cloud infrastructure. Matt shares insights on preparing data for AI initiatives, ensuring MSPs can guide clients into leveraging these transformative technologies effectively.Take Action and Stay CompetitiveMatt closes with advice for MSPs to stay informed about cloud options, embrace continuous education, and develop contingency plans to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving industry.This episode offers an insightful blend of technical knowledge and practical advice, providing MSPs with the tools they need to embrace the cloud, improve operations, and future-proof their businesses.Matt's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewhache/

Hunter's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntern/Pax 8:https://www.pax8.com/en-us/find-a-partner/Neon Cobra:https://neoncobra.cloud/

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Tortoise and Hare partners with mid-market MSPs to help them increase lead volume, scale revenues, and make their businesses more attractive to prospective buyers when it comes time to sell.Our marketing team tackles late stage marketing problems that mid-market challengers face like multi-channel advertising campaigns, SEO, conversion rate optimization, performance reporting and more.

Visit us on the web:

https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/Apply for a free MSP marketing consultation today:https://tortoiseandharesoftware.com/offers/free-consultation/Follow Us On Social Media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tortoiseandharesoftware/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tnhsaesopPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tortoiseandharesoftware/#msp #msps #managedservices #manageditservices #mspmarketing