Why Your MSP Menu Is Too Big
The Real Cost of Offering Too Many Services
I was on a couple of MSP websites the other day.
Both had the same services menu.
A long drop-down list of everything they do.
You know the one.
Monitoring.
Security.
Backups.
Support.
Projects.
Strategy.
Compliance.
vCIO.
It looked impressive.
And it reminded me of something that’s been bothering me for years.
I couldn’t tell what they actually sold.
This isn’t unusual.
This is normal in our industry.
Which brings up two simple questions.
When you look at your website, what do you see?
Does it actually explain what you sell?
If it takes more than 10 seconds to understand what you offer,
your menu is too big.
That’s the test.
What a Big Menu Does to Your Operations
A big menu makes everything harder.
Harder to train staff.
Harder to price consistently.
Harder to scope work.
Harder to document anything.
Every client becomes slightly different.
Every agreement has edge cases.
Delivery never feels calm.
Because complexity multiplies operational effort.
What a Big Menu Does to You
You feel responsible for everything.
You never feel done.
You carry invisible pressure.
You normalize chaos.
You tell yourself this is just part of running an MSP.
It isn’t.
A big menu creates real weight.
And you carry it every day.
What a Big Menu Does to Your Clients
Clients don’t understand what they’re buying — or what they bought.
They don’t know what’s included.
They don’t know what’s extra.
They don’t know what to ask for.
So they either hesitate to ask.
Or they ask for everything.
Confused clients become demanding clients.
Clarity reduces support tickets more than tools do.
Why We Keep Making the Menu Bigger
We do this because it feels safe.
If you offer everything, you won’t lose the deal.
If you say yes to everything, you won’t disappoint anyone.
You want to be helpful.
You want to be capable.
You want to say yes.
The industry trains you to think this way.
It tells you big menus are safe.
They’re not.
The Case for Subtraction
The best MSPs I’ve seen didn’t grow by adding services.
They grew by removing them.
They made their offer smaller.
Clearer.
Easier to understand.
Subtraction is a design skill.
And most of us were never taught it.
For now, look at your services page.
And ask yourself:
Is this a menu.
Or is this a meal?
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