How to Sell to Banks as an MSP (3-Step Playbook)

If you want to win banks, you have to stop thinking like an IT provider and start thinking like a risk advisor.

This was one thing we made clear in a previous article, and that it’s ultimately a mindset shift.

Now here’s the execution. If you’re serious about selling to banks as an MSP, here’s a starting point.

This playbook gives you three concrete moves you can make this week:

1. Target the right institutions
2. Open the right conversation
3. Deliver immediate compliance value

Do these correctly, and you’ll separate yourself from 90% of MSPs before you ever talk about tools.

Let’s get to work.

Step 1: Target the Right Institutions

Most MSPs lose before they ever make a call because they target the wrong banks.

If you start with national institutions or multi-billion-dollar organizations, you will hit procurement walls, established vendor contracts, and deeply staffed internal security teams. That’s not where you win your first deal.

Instead, start where the regulatory pressure is high but internal resources are limited.

Begin with community banks and credit unions under $1 billion in assets. Institutions in this range face the same FFIEC scrutiny as larger banks, but they typically lack the depth of internal cybersecurity leadership to manage every regulatory demand on their own. That imbalance creates opportunity.

Use iBankNet.com to build your initial target list. Filter by state or region and focus on institutions under $1B in assets. From there, do a second layer of validation:

• Search the institution’s name alongside terms like “consent order” or “regulatory action”
• Review recent press releases for merger activity or leadership transitions
• Look for signs of growth that may have increased regulatory expectations

You are looking for regulatory strain and limited internal capacity.

Your objective in this step is simple: build a list of 15–20 well-qualified community institutions in your geographic region that match your operational capacity.

Do not start outreach until this list is precise.

In the banking vertical, precision beats volume. A focused list of 20 strong prospects is more valuable than a database of 200 random institutions.

Step 2: Open the Right Conversation 

Banks operate under continuous regulatory examination. Their executives are accountable not just for uptime, but for audit outcomes, documentation integrity, and institutional reputation. Your opening conversation must reflect that reality.

Instead of asking what systems they run or what tools they use, begin with questions tied directly to regulatory pressure.

Ask questions like:

• When their next FFIEC exam is scheduled
• What created the most friction during their last examination cycle
• How much internal time is consumed preparing documentation and evidence for examiners

These questions shift the discussion away from IT operations and toward compliance accountability, the area that actually drives decision-making inside financial institutions.

The objective in this phase is to establish credibility by demonstrating that you understand the regulatory environment they live in. When executives begin describing audit findings, documentation challenges, or board-level reporting pressure, you have successfully reframed the relationship.

In the banking vertical, credibility is built before services are sold.

Step 3: Deliver Immediate Compliance Value   

Banks are not looking for another vendor presentation. They are looking for clarity around risk and regulatory exposure. Your first tangible move should provide immediate value tied directly to compliance.

Once you’ve identified friction points in their exam process or documentation gaps, offer something narrowly defined and regulator-focused.

This could be:

• an FFIEC gap check
• an audit-readiness review
• a structured policy alignment assessment

The scope should be clear, limited, and directly connected to examiner expectations.

Don’t say, “We’d love to help manage your IT.” Instead, say, “We can perform a focused review of your cybersecurity controls against FFIEC expectations and provide a summary of potential exposure areas before your next exam.” That language signals alignment with regulatory standards, not generic IT support.

Keep the first engagement structured, documented, and outcome-focused. Deliver a concise executive summary, tie every finding back to regulatory expectations, and outline next steps without pressure.

When your work reduces audit strain and strengthens exam readiness, the conversation shifts away from cost and toward credibility.

Ready to Go Deeper? 

This 3-step playbook will get you into the right conversations with the right institutions.

If you want to master how to sell to banks as an MSP, including how to speak FFIEC fluently, structure executive-level conversations, and build durable relationships inside financial institutions, Dan Sitton’s full course, How to Approach Financial Clients, walks through the complete framework.

And this isn’t just for you. The real advantage comes when your entire sales and leadership team speaks the same language. Inside Empath, you can add Dan’s course to one of our ready-made learning pathways or build a custom pathway tailored to your firm’s growth goals. That way, everyone from your account managers to your vCIOs approaches financial clients with consistency and confidence.

Curious to see how this works? Start your 14-day free trial or book a demo with our team.

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