MSP Outbound Lead Generation That Beats Google Ads

The Dream 200 outbound lead generation money model (donuts + golf + recon)

If you’re an MSP owner trying to grow, you’ve probably heard this:

• “We have no leads.”
• “Google Ads are too expensive.”
• “We tried ads and got outbid.”

Here’s the hard truth:

Google Ads can work. But Google is an auction. And the richest MSP in your area can outbid you forever.

That’s why smaller MSPs need a different play.

Not “work harder.” Outmaneuver the auction.

This post shows you the full money model for MSP prospecting, MSP lead generation, and outbound lead generation, using a Dream 200 account list and simple offline tactics like donut walk-ins and golf tournaments.

We’re going to quantify:

• What a prospect costs with Google Ads
• What a prospect costs with outbound influence
• How donut walk-ins and events buy influence
• How to track Influence CAC inside your CRM (MSP Sites / Go High Level or HubSpot)

The benchmark: Google Ads CAC for MSP lead generation

My close collaborator Nate Freedman from Tech Pro Marketing focuses on inbound (Google Ads) for MSPs.

A common benchmark you’ll hear:

About $1,800 in Google Ads to book one prospect meeting.

That’s your baseline CAC per booked prospect meeting.

If you can afford it and you’re not getting outbid, Google enables you to “buy meetings”.

But most smaller MSPs don’t lose because ads “don’t work.” They lose because they can’t win the auction consistently.

Key Definitions

• Lead (ICP account): A target business that fits your ideal profile.
• Prospect: A lead that is within ~90 days of their MSP renewal (buying window).
• Client: Signed agreement.

Outbound is about building influence before the buying window, so you get the call without paying Google, or at least you get included without paying Google.

The Dream 200 outbound strategy for MSP prospecting

A Dream 200 is simply: 200 accounts you’d be excited to win.

Local. Real. In your service area.
Not random. Not a scraped list of 10,000.

Then you run outbound lead generation that is built on two goals:

1. Build rapport early (months before renewal)
2. Collect recon (so you can prioritize the right accounts at the right time)

Our strategy to beat richer MSPs is to get picked before the auction starts. Not to "outspend" or "outbid" them.

6 recon points that make outbound work

Most MSPs do the 'donut run' or sponsor a local event, but then stop there. Without tracking recon or having a follow-up plan, ROI is just wishful thinking.

Your CRM must track these recon fields so the Dream 200 becomes a system, not hope:

• IT ownership model (internal IT vs MSP)
• Current MSP / vendor name
• Contract renewal date
• Disposition toward current MSP (happy / neutral / frustrated)
• Last meaningful touch date
• Next action date

When you track these, you can sort your whole Dream 200 by:

“Who is 90 days from renewal AND unhappy?”

That is how you create prospects on purpose.

The Lead → Prospect probability model (Dream 200)

Here’s the part MSPs usually miss:

Outbound doesn’t “create demand.”
It positions you so you capture demand when it appears.

A conservative probability model looks like this:

• Some % of your Dream 200 renew this year
• You identify renewal dates for most of those
• You influence a good chunk of them before renewal
• Those influenced accounts become your “true prospects”

The Influence CAC model (this is how you stop “wishful thinking”)

Too many MSPs tell themselves that one big win will pay for the whole event. But relying on a 'laydown' isn't a strategy; it’s a gamble.

A real strategist asks:

“What influence did we buy from this event, and what is that influence worth compared to Google Ads?”

So we treat influence like a financial asset.

Step 1: Set the “Google CAC avoided” anchor

If Google costs $1,800 per booked prospect meeting, then:

Every time you get included without paying Google, you avoided real CAC.

Step 2: Assign an influence value to each lead as you build rapport

We use a simple ladder:

• Cold (no recognition): low influence
• Known (some rapport + recon): medium influence
• Trusted (renewal known + real rapport): high influence

A simple valuation is:

Influence Value = Influence Probability × $1,800

Examples:

• 30% influence → $540 of value created
• 50% influence → $900 of value created
• 70% influence → $1,260 of value created

That’s not revenue.
It’s CAC avoided / inclusion value.

Step 3: Track Influence CAC

Now we compare what you spent to build influence versus the value created.

Influence CAC Ratio = Accumulated Outbound Cost ÷ Influence Value Created

This is the killer metric for short-term ROI on donuts and events.

Because it proves:

• “We spent $X and created $Y of influence value.”
• “We’re buying prospects cheaper than Google.”
• “We’re building an asset, not rolling dice.”

Calculating the real ROI of donut walk-ins and golf events

Donut walk-ins

Donuts are not “random goodwill.”
They’re a paid touch to build familiarity + collect recon.

You can price them simply:

• Donuts + time + travel = a fixed cost per drop (example: $40)

Each donut drop should produce one of two outputs:

• A meaningful touch logged (rapport)
• Or recon captured (IT model / renewal timing / disposition)

Golf tournaments and small networking events

A $500 golf tournament is not “one shot at one laydown.”

It’s a batch influence purchase.

Example:

• $500 tournament
• You meet 100 relevant contacts (72–144 is common)
• That’s ~$5 per lead touched (before follow-up)

Your job is not to “close at the event.”

Your job is to:

• Tag the leads
• Start follow-up
• Collect recon
• Build influence that reduces future CAC

Comparing the costs: Google Ads vs. The Dream 200

Now we put it all together.

Goal: 6 new clients per year (realistic for a Dream 200)

You gave the economics:

• $200 per seat
• 20 seats per client
  = $4,000/month per client

6 clients = $24,000/month
= $288,000/year in new revenue

For an MSP under $1M/year, that’s meaningful growth.

How many prospects do you need?

If close rate from prospect → client is ~20%:

To win 6 clients, you need about:

• 30 prospects (30 × 20% = 6)

Google Ads cost for 30 prospects

30 × $1,800 = $54,000

And you still might lose because the auction moves.

Outbound influence cost for 30 prospects

Outbound starts higher effort, lower cash, and compounds.

Year 1 might land you around $1,100–$1,300 per prospect
Year 2 can drop toward $500–$700 per prospect (because you reuse the Dream 200 list and you’re no longer cold)

The key is not pretending it’s free.

The key is proving:

• you’re buying prospects cheaper than Google over time
• while building an owned asset (relationships + recon)

Here’s the reality

If you’re a smaller MSP, your only reliable edge is:

Be known before renewal.

Google is a tax you pay when you’re unknown.

Outbound lead generation (done early, tracked properly) is how you avoid that tax.

Want help implementing this in MSP Sites (Go High Level) or HubSpot?

The strategy is simple, but execution is where things usually fall apart.

Specifically with:

• Setting up the CRM fields
• Tracking influence value consistently
• Following up every week
• Having accountability

That’s what we help with!

Our Outbound Engine gives you the system to turn those donut runs and golf outings into a predictable pipeline. ‍

Check out the Outbound Engine here.