You think you’re being clear.
You told the client they needed MFA. You recommended better backups. You flagged that firewall. But when things go sideways—when data’s lost, insurance denies the claim, or the lawyers come knocking—they don’t remember your recommendations. They remember what wasn’t done.
That’s ambiguity. And it’s killing your security program.
If your clients don’t feel the risk, they won’t act. If they don’t act, you’re left holding the bag. Because when the breach happens, you’re not the tech provider anymore. You’re the scapegoat.
Want to fix it? You’ve got to do more than talk. You’ve got to lead.
Here are five ways to kill ambiguity before it buries your business.
- Stop Explaining. Start Showing.
You can’t scare a client into security. You have to show them what happens when a user clicks the wrong link. Walk them through a phishing email. Show them how fast credentials leak. Help them experience the moment things go wrong.
Once they’ve felt the gut punch of a live-fire scenario, you don’t need to sell them security. They’ll demand it.
- Communicate More Than You Think You Need To. Then Double It.
If you’re not documenting your recommendations, you’re not making them. If you’re not logging client refusals, you’re accepting the liability.
The MSPs who get sued aren’t the ones who did something wrong. They’re the ones who can’t prove they didn’t.
Document every recommendation. Every risk. Every “we’ll think about it.” Because when you end up in court, your memory won’t matter. The paperwork will.
- QBRs Are Dead. Replace Them With Risk Briefings.
Nobody cares how many tickets you closed. Your client wants to know one thing: are they about to be the next MGM? That’s the conversation.
Bring risk to the table. Map out what’s exposed. Show what happens if their backups fail, if their CFO gets spoofed, if they get audited. Put real dollars to the risk. Don’t just talk about controls. Show them what happens when those controls are missing.
Make them uncomfortable. That’s where action lives.
- Don’t Talk Like a Tech. Tell Stories Like a Human.
Data doesn’t move people. Stories do.
Tell them about the firm that lost $87K to a fake invoice. The CEO who thought 2FA was annoying—right up until his account got hijacked. The MSP who didn’t document a declined control and ended up footing a $250K legal bill.
Those stories stick. They sell the risk better than any pie chart or audit summary ever could.
- Stop Selling Compliance. Start Selling Survival.
If you’re walking into client meetings talking about frameworks, you’ve already lost.
They don’t care about NIST. They care about lawsuits. Denied claims. Getting sued because they thought they were covered.
Shift the conversation. Ask: If you get hit tomorrow, can you prove you did everything reasonable to protect your business?
If the answer is no, the rest of the conversation gets real simple.
And if you need help showing them how, ask us about our patent-pending method. It’s helped over 83% of stakeholders invest in protecting their risks—because once they see the truth, they can’t unsee it.
This isn’t about being more technical. It’s about being more clear.
Kill ambiguity. Lead the conversation. Or get replaced by someone who will.
Need help showing them how?
We’ve built a patented process that demonstrates risk in a way clients can’t ignore—and stakeholders can’t walk away from. It’s not another boring policy review. It’s a real-world exercise that shows them exactly what’s at stake.
Our methodology has an 83% adoption rate with decision-makers. Not because we scare them—because we show them.
If you want to stop talking past your clients and start getting buy-in that actually sticks, ask us how to plug into the process. We'll walk you through it.
