To book meetings with MSPs and resellers, call the owner or managing director at smaller firms and the head of alliances or sales director at larger ones, and bring the technical lead in early. Avoid Monday mornings and month end, which in our experience are the busiest times for MSP owners. Open with their customers and how they make money, not your product's features.
This guide is for vendors booking partner meetings with managed service providers (MSPs), IT resellers and integrators in Australia and New Zealand. It covers the calls themselves. For the wider programme, from ideal partner profile to activation, see our guide to channel partner recruitment in Australia.
Who decides when you book meetings with MSPs and resellers?
At most MSPs and resellers, the owner or managing director decides which vendors to add. At larger firms a head of alliances runs vendor relationships, and the technical lead can veto anything that doesn't fit the stack.
| Role | What they own | How to reach them |
|---|---|---|
| Owner or managing director | Which vendors to add, margin and fit | Direct line, or a callback booked through reception |
| Head of alliances | Vendor programmes and partner terms | Direct, at larger MSPs and integrators |
| Technical lead | Stack fit, deployment and support load | Through the owner, once there is interest |
| Sales director or account managers | Whether the team will sell it to customers | Direct, at resellers with a sales team |
Smaller MSPs often have one person in several of these roles, so ask early: "Is adding a new vendor your call?"
When is the best time to call MSPs and resellers?
Mid-week, mid-morning or early afternoon, away from Monday mornings and month end. That is experience, not data, so use any callback time the owner gives you.
- Avoid Monday mornings. In our experience MSP owners and service teams are working through the weekend's tickets and the week's escalations.
- Avoid month end. Billing, licence renewals and sales targets usually take over the last few days of the month.
- Use booked callbacks. Owners with customers will often name a time if asked.
- Stay within telemarketing hours. Weekdays 9am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm, with no Sundays or national public holidays.
Our guide to the best time to cold call in Australia covers the general windows.
How do you get past reception at an MSP or reseller?
Often the person who answers is on the service desk, so say in your first sentence that this isn't a support call. Give your name, company and reason, then ask for the owner by role.
"Hi, it's (your name) from (your company). This isn't a support ticket. I'm calling about a possible partnership for your customers. Who looks after new vendor partnerships there, is that (owner's name)?"
If the owner is out: "No problem. When is (name) usually at their desk? I'll call back then rather than leave a message."
Callers must say who they are, who the call is for and why at the start of every telemarketing call. More scripts are in our guide to getting past the gatekeeper.
What opener works with MSP owners?
Lead with their customers and their margin, not your feature list. For an MSP owner:
"Hi Sam, it's Alex from (your company). We work with MSPs that look after (segment) customers, and they add (product category) as a managed service. I'm not calling to pitch the product; our partner manager would cover that and the margin. Quick question: do your customers ask you about (problem)?"
The customer question does the work. If they say yes, ask for a short meeting with your partner manager this week or next. If not, log the answer.
What objections will you hear from MSPs and resellers?
Mostly about existing vendors, time and margin. Treat each as information about whether the partner fits.
| Objection | What it really means | Response |
|---|---|---|
| "We already have a vendor for that." | They're covered and switching costs time. | "Makes sense. Does it suit all your customers, or are there some it doesn't?" |
| "Send me some information." | Unsure it's relevant, or busy. | "Happy to. Is it more about margin or about fit with your stack for you, and is this the best email?" |
| "We're too busy right now." | Capacity is tight, or the timing is wrong. | "Understood. When does it ease? I'll book a callback then rather than chase you." |
| "The margin is too thin." | They've seen weak programmes before. | "Fair. It's the first thing our partner manager covers, including services and recurring income. Worth a short meeting to check?" |
Never promise a margin, discount or territory on the call. Those answers belong to your partner team.
How do you follow up a "not now" from an MSP?
Treat it as a date to find: it usually means a busy month, a vendor contract or no customer asking yet. Agree a callback, ask permission to email, then run two weeks of light touches.
- Same day, email: what the meeting would cover and two suggested times.
- Next working day, LinkedIn: connect with the owner and, at larger firms, the head of alliances.
- Middle of week one, phone: call at the agreed time; leave a voicemail with your name, company, reason and number.
- End of week one, phone: try the technical lead, who may see the customer need first.
- Early in week two, email: one useful item your partner team has approved.
- End of week two, phone: last call. If it's still "not now", log the reason and book a callback for the date they gave.
Is it legal to cold call MSPs and resellers in Australia?
Generally, yes. Calls to business numbers are generally not restricted by the Do Not Call Register, but owners of small MSPs may use a mobile, and a number mainly used for personal reasons can be on the register, so wash your list. The Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017 sets calling hours, requires callers to identify the business and requires calling line identification. Follow-up emails must meet the Spam Act 2003: consent, a clear sender and a working unsubscribe. ACMA is the regulator. Our Australian cold calling laws guide has more detail. This is general information, not legal advice.
What counts as a qualified meeting with an MSP or reseller?
A meeting with the person who decides on new vendors, at a partner whose customers match yours, with a stated reason to look and agreement that your partner manager runs the commercial conversation. Confirm customer overlap, capacity and attendees. Our guide on how an outbound agency defines a qualified meeting has a template.
Should you book meetings with MSPs in-house or outsource it?
In-house if your partner managers have real time to prospect; outsource if existing partners take their week.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| In-house | Partner managers know the programme and often the market | Recruitment stops when existing partners need attention |
| Outsourced | Daily calling that doesn't depend on partner manager diaries; callers practised with service desks and owners | Callers don't negotiate terms, by design; needs a clear brief and a minimum term |
Selling direct to IT teams too? See IT and SaaS telemarketing and booking meetings with IT and contact centre leaders.
How does Nousu compare?
Nousu Collective's senior callers all work in-house in Sydney. We map MSP and reseller owners, alliance leads and technical leads, work service desks and book meetings for your partner team, each with a handover brief. Pricing starts at $7,000 a month (ex GST), with the exact fee quoted after a 30-minute call. The initial term is 3 months, then rolling monthly, and first calls are 2 weeks from sign-off. Most campaigns book about 8 qualified meetings a month once running, within a range of 6 to 20, and from month two an agreed meeting floor applies, with a credit for every meeting short.
Frequently asked questions
How do you book meetings with MSPs? Call the owner or managing director, say straight away that it isn't a support call, and open with their customers and margin, not your product. Call mid-week, away from Monday mornings and month end, and book callbacks. Follow up over two weeks by phone, email and LinkedIn.
When is the best time to call an MSP owner? In our experience, mid-week, mid-morning or early afternoon. Avoid Monday mornings, when service teams clear the weekend's tickets, and month end, when billing, renewals and targets take over. That is experience, not data, so use any callback time the owner gives you.
How do you get past reception at an MSP? Often the person answering is on the service desk, so say straight away that this isn't a support ticket. Give your name, company and reason, ask for whoever looks after vendor partnerships, and if the owner is out, ask when to call back rather than leaving a message.
What do you say when an MSP already has a vendor? Accept it and ask about fit: is the current vendor right for all their customers, or are there some it doesn't suit? Some partners carry more than one option. If they are fully covered, log the renewal or review date and book a callback for then.
Should callers discuss margin on the first call? No. The caller's job is to earn the meeting, so margin, discounts, territory and deal registration terms belong to your partner team. A good caller says margin is the first thing the meeting covers, then checks whether the partner's customers fit before booking.
Is it legal to cold call MSPs in Australia? Generally, yes. Calls to business numbers are generally not restricted by the Do Not Call Register, but a mobile mainly used for personal reasons can be registered, so wash your list. Calling hours and identification rules apply, and emails must meet the Spam Act 2003. This is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
- Federal Register of Legislation, Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2017L00323/asmade/2017-03-28/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
- Do Not Call Register, Industry standards (calling hours, identification and calling line identification): https://www.donotcall.gov.au/industry/industry-overview/industry-standards
- Do Not Call Register, Industry guide (business numbers can't be registered; personal numbers can): https://www.donotcall.gov.au/media/1212/dncr-industry-guide.pdf
- Federal Register of Legislation, Spam Act 2003: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A01214/latest/text
- Nousu call data: 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, November 2024 to April 2026, published in Inside 200,000 Cold Calls.
Book a 30-minute call
Need meetings with MSPs and resellers for your partner team? Book a 30-minute call with Harry Constant, our founder, and we'll talk through who to call first.