What is 'Stick the Landing' in the 3Cs Framework?

Stick the Landing is Step 8 of the 3Cs Marketing Framework. It covers implementing Quarterly Business Reviews for top clients, publishing a monthly newsletter, and running a quarterly upsell identification process. The transformation is Client to Partner — turning service agreements into long-term strategic relationships.

What is a QBR for MSPs?

A Quarterly Business Review is a structured meeting with your top clients once per quarter. It covers what happened last quarter, what is planned for next quarter, a technology roadmap aligned to the client's goals, and a conversation about additional opportunities. Done well, a QBR prevents churn, generates referrals, and opens upsell conversations naturally — without ever pitching.

How many clients should MSPs run QBRs for?

Run QBRs for your top 20% of clients by revenue or relationship quality — typically three to eight clients for most MSPs under $2M ARR. A QBR takes two to three hours to prepare and 60 to 90 minutes to run. Over-committing makes them a burden; under-investing costs you the retention and referral benefits they generate.

What should an MSP monthly newsletter include?

An MSP client newsletter should include: one cybersecurity tip relevant to the client's industry, one technology update they need to know about, one internal team win or improvement, and a short note from the owner. One page, sent monthly. The goal is to stay visible and relevant between QBRs without overwhelming the client.

How should MSPs identify upsell opportunities?

Run a quarterly internal review of each major client to identify coverage gaps: missing cloud backup, outdated endpoint security, underutilized Microsoft 365 licenses, VoIP upgrade potential. The QBR is the natural moment to raise these as recommendations — framed as proactive advice from a trusted advisor, not a sales pitch.

3Cs Framework›Stage C: Create Fans›Step 8

Stage C · Month 3 · Step 8 of 9

Stick the Landing

One-Time→Lifetime

By Andrew Moon · Orange Nomad · The 3Cs Marketing Framework

A client who has never had a QBR is a client who is evaluating their contract renewal on price alone. They don't have a business relationship with you — they have a vendor relationship. And vendor relationships are vulnerable to the first competitor who shows up with a lower price.

Step 8 builds the retention and expansion infrastructure that turns transactional vendor relationships into strategic partnerships. QBRs. A monthly newsletter. A formal upsell identification process. The systems that make renewal automatic and expansion inevitable.

What This Step Covers

Schedule QBRs for top 10 clients — CSM or ops contact owns the calendar

Owner: CSM/You. Deadline: Day 61. Cost: $0.

Build the QBR agenda template — value delivered, roadmap, one upsell proposal, referral ask

Owner: You. Deadline: Day 65. Cost: $0.

Position vCIO / Strategic IT Advisory as the primary upsell at every QBR

Owner: You. Deadline: Day 61. Cost: $0.

Launch the monthly newsletter — existing email list, 1 insight + 1 update + 1 CTA

Owner: You. Deadline: Day 70. Cost: Email platform.

Identify third vertical for Month 4+ based on current client mix

Owner: You. Deadline: Day 85. Cost: $0.

The QBR Books Itself Forward

The single fix that makes QBRs happen consistently: book the next one before the current one ends. Not "let's find a time in three months." A date, a calendar invite, sent before you hang up. Clients who have a QBR in their calendar do not cancel their contract the week before it.

Get Your QBR System Built Into the Plan

Step 8 of every 90-day plan includes the QBR agenda template, newsletter framework, and upsell identification process — ready to run in Month 3.

Get the Plan — $297

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Step 9: Turn Fans Into Fuel