You're competing for 3% (ignoring the 97%)
Your competitors aren't beating you because they're better.
They're not closing more deals because they have superior service or a slicker pitch.
They're winning because they're playing a different game.
While you're slugging it out for the 3% of prospects ready to buy right now, they've built systems to capture the 97% who will be ready in 6, 12, or 18 months.
And by the time those prospects enter the market? The deal's already half-closed.
Here's how that works.
Why You're Stuck Fighting Over Scraps
Right now, only about 3% of your target market is actively looking to switch providers.
They're out of contract, fed up with their current service provider, or dealing with a crisis that's forced their hand.
And everyone is fighting over that same 3%.
Your competitors are sending the same mailers. Making the same calls. Hitting the same LinkedIn profiles.
It's a bloodbath.
But here's what the big brands figured out decades ago:
They don't just sell to the 3%. They sell to the entire market.
Here's What Most People Miss
Sure, only 3% are ready to buy today. But zoom out 24-36 months? More than half your target market will be "in market" at some point.
Contracts expire. Providers screw up. Businesses grow. Shit happens.
The question isn't whether opportunities will arise. It's whether you'll be there when they do.
How to Capture the 97%
You need two systems working together:
1. An Intel Gathering System
Stop treating "not ready" as a dead end. Start treating it as data.
One of our MSP clients trained their SDR to log why prospects aren't ready in the CRM:
In contract (log the renewal date)
Happy with current provider (get the provider name)
Doesn't have or want an IT company (get employee count)
Etc.
Then, for every disposition in the CRM, they created a strategic 3-6 month email sequence that subtly targeted that specific objection.
At the end of the sequence, the CRM created a task for the SDR to call back.
Every "no" became a future opportunity with a plan attached.
The result? They went from 3-4 appointments per month to 20+.
Same market. Same effort. Different system.
2. A Top-of-Mind System
Sales involves luck—being in the right place at the right time. But you can manufacture that luck by staying top of mind with content worth consuming.
Think of creating content like building a product you want your target market to consume. If you design it to answer questions they frequently have, challenge conventional wisdom, and actually create value, you'll capture the attention of the people you want to buy from you.
They may not be in buying mode today, but when they are, you'll likely be the first option they think of.
Full transparency: that’s one of the reasons I create this newsletter. I want to stay top of mind for MSP Sales Partners and Repeatable Revenue Ventures. But I enjoy creating content, so we go overboard with email, the podcast, our YouTube channel, and more.
But you don't need a media machine to make this work.
Pick one solid long-form content channel, a cadence you can maintain, and create content that people actually want to consume. A few solid sources for new content:
Call out traditional advice in your industry you disagree with
Share anonymized client stories prospects can benefit from
Hit the most common objections and mistaken beliefs of buyers head-on
Drop discovery sales calls in AI and ask it to analyze for patterns
Then, publish consistently.
2 warnings:
Don't torch your list with aggressive calls to action. Just aim to create a product that legitimately delivers value and trust the system. Impatience destroys this strategy.
Don’t fully delegate this to AI. It’s lazy and obvious. Your competitors are hoping you do this. If you want to create a good product, don’t expect to come from a simple prompt.
The Catch
Neither of these will ROI tomorrow. Or next month.
It takes 6-12 months before you see the compounding effects. The SDR calling warmer lists. The inbound inquiries from people who've been reading your stuff. The referrals from prospects who aren't ready but know someone who is.
But when it hits? It changes everything.
My client who installed the intel system? Twelve months felt like forever. But now they're booking 5x the meetings with the same team, and half their pipeline is "warm" before the first call.
Yes, it takes some work. And patience.
But the alternative is staying in the 3% bloodbath forever.
Your Move
Look at your current outbound activity. How much intel are you throwing away? How many "not interested" responses are you treating as dead ends instead of future opportunities?
Then ask yourself: What's one piece of content you could create that your market would actually want to read, watch, or listen to?
Start there. Build the system. Be patient.
Because everyone else is still fighting over the 3%.
While you're building a pipeline for the next three years.
Adios,
Ray
