Meet N-able’s Stefanie Hammond, Head Nerd

Interview by Tim Popovich

Tim Popovich

Chief Operating Officer

Stefanie Hammond

Head Nerd

Welcome to the April 2026 MSP Minute!

In today’s crowded MSP market, growth depends on more than great technology. It requires clear messaging, consistent execution, and access to guidance that helps MSPs turn effort into real pipeline. In this Climb MSP Minute, we sat down with Stefanie Hammond from N-able to talk about how MSPs can get more value from vendor marketing resources, why people and education matter just as much as platforms, and how N-able is investing in long-term MSP success through enablement, community, and practical marketing support. 

Meet Stefanie Hammond, Head Nerd at N-able

Stefanie Hammond brings over 20 years of experience to helping MSPs “de-mystify” the world of sales and marketing, and create thriving, profitable managed services businesses. 

A proud Canadian, Stefanie started her career at N‑able in 2004. For a large portion of her career, Stefanie served as an integral member of the Customer Success Team, showing hundreds of MSPs around the globe how to elevate their growth and improve their competitive edge in a rapidly evolving and increasingly saturated market. 

Stefanie transitioned into the Sales and Marketing Head Nerd role in 2020 to broaden her reach and bring her insights, knowledge, and industry expertise to all 25,000+ N‑able customers. As Head Nerd, Stefanie’s primary focus is on education and teaching MSPs the “art” of how to have better quality customer conversations. She enthusiastically helps MSPs modernize their sales processes while navigating the complexities of sales and marketing within the tech industry. 

Stefanie’s commitment and dedication to helping MSPs uplevel their sales and business acumen has earned her several industry awards and recognition, most notably, CRN’s Women of the Channel and Channel Chief. 

Outside of work, Stefanie enjoys spending time with family and volunteering at a number of local organizations devoted to improving living conditions for the homeless in her area, while creating stronger communities for all families. 

Why MSPs Are Leaving Marketing Value on the Table 

According to Stefanie, one of the biggest missed opportunities for MSPs is not fully engaging with the human resources vendors are providing. While many customers are aware of tools like N-able’s MarketBuilder platform, fewer are leveraging the people behind the programs. 

N‑able has made significant investments in its customer success managers, enablement leaders, and marketing education specialists, whose role is to help MSPs apply marketing resources in a way that fits their business. Stefanie works directly with MSPs to help them think through messaging, target markets, campaign ideas, and how to turn vendor-supplied assets into something that actually supports pipeline growth. 

Rather than leaving MSPs to figure out marketing on their own, Stefanie acts as a strategic guide, helping customers avoid common mistakes like generic messaging or disconnected campaigns. MSPs who engage with these resources gain clarity, save time, and move faster than if they were trying to build everything from scratch. 

“When there is a real person there to help, and MSPs are not engaging with them, that is a missed opportunity.”

An Education First Approach to MSP Growth 

A defining part of N‑able’s strategy is education, and Stefanie is at the center of that investment. She has developed more than a dozen on-demand bootcamps and masterclasses focused on real MSP challenges like defining an ideal customer, building outcome driven messaging, aligning sales and marketing, and creating consistent marketing habits. 

Through blogs, playbooks, podcasts, and live sessions, Stefanie translates complex marketing concepts into practical steps MSPs can actually execute. Her content is designed to help MSPs understand not just what to do, but why it works and how to apply it in their own business. 

She also runs a monthly MSP sales and marketing book club, where customers read top business and marketing books and then break down how those ideas translate specifically to the MSP space. This gives MSPs ongoing education, accountability, and a chance to learn alongside peers facing similar challenges. 

“MSPs do not need more theory. They need practical guidance they can actually use to build pipeline and confidence.” 

This education-focused approach helps MSPs move away from one-off tactics and toward intentional, repeatable marketing strategies that support long-term growth.

Helping MSPs Stand Out in a Crowded Market  

Stefanie is clear that most MSPs seem to blend together because their marketing focuses on tools, technical language, and generic claims. To stand out, she encourages MSPs to simplify their messaging and center it around the customer. 

One of the first steps is removing acronyms and technical jargon. Many MSP buyers are nontechnical, and using plain, business-focused language helps prospects feel understood and confident. Stefanie advises MSPs to speak about real problems and business impacts rather than features. 

“Nontechnical buyers do not buy tools. They buy outcomes.” 

She also recommends packaging services around outcomes instead of listing individual technologies. Programs focused on business resilience, security, or continuity are easier for buyers to understand and harder to compare than a standard list of services. 

Finally, Stefanie encourages MSPs to answer the real questions prospects are asking but may hesitate to voice, especially around risk, cost, and consequences. By addressing these questions openly through websites, content, and conversations, MSPs position themselves as trusted advisors rather than commodity providers. 

When MSPs focus on clarity, outcomes, and customer perspective, standing out becomes far easier even in a crowded market. 

Turning Marketing Activity into Real Pipeline 

Stefanie is clear that real pipeline is not created by being busy with marketing. It is created when marketing is designed to start conversations and support sales. 

She encourages MSPs to anchor every campaign to a specific buyer problem their ideal customers are actively trying to solve, such as risk exposure, compliance pressure, downtime concerns, or business continuity. When marketing content speaks directly to those challenges, prospects are far more likely to engage. 

Stefanie also advises MSPs to create educational content sales teams can actually use. Content that answers common prospect questions can be shared before or after meetings, helping sales build trust and frame conversations more effectively. 

“You know your marketing is working when it encourages prospects to start a conversation.” 

Rather than tracking vanity metrics, Stefanie pushes MSPs to focus on marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads as the true indicators of success. These metrics show whether marketing is building interest that turns into real discussions. 

Most importantly, Stefanie emphasizes consistency. Running one clear message across a few channels and supporting it with sales follow-up builds familiarity and trust over time. That consistency is what turns marketing from a series of activities into a reliable pipeline engine. 

Community, Peer Learning, and Accountability 

Beyond structured training, Stefanie strongly believes in the power of community. Through peer groups, enablement programs, and collaborative learning, MSPs can shorten learning curves and gain confidence from others facing similar challenges. 

“When MSPs stop seeing peers as competitors and start seeing them as guides, growth accelerates.” 

N-able supports this through peer groups and business transformation programs that help MSPs turn learning into consistent execution. 

From Referrals to Repeatable Marketing Growth 

Stefanie often reminds MSPs that referrals are a strong signal of trust, but they cannot be relied on as a long-term growth strategy. Referrals are unpredictable, difficult to scale, and largely outside an MSP’s control. 

“Referrals are great, but they are not predictable or scalable.” 

To move beyond referral driven growth, Stefanie encourages MSPs to add structure to their marketing. That starts with clearly defining an ideal customer and building messaging that leads with outcomes rather than tools. When MSPs know exactly who they want to attract and what problems they solve best, marketing becomes far more focused and effective. 

She also advises MSPs to build simple, consistent marketing habits instead of chasing new tactics. Repeating one clear message across a few channels, supported by sales follow up, builds familiarity over time. That familiarity is what creates trust and drives prospects to initiate conversations. 

“Marketing has to be treated like a system, not an afterthought.” 

By making marketing intentional and consistent, MSPs can reduce their reliance on referrals and build a more predictable, repeatable pipeline. 

The N-able Difference 

N-able’s approach is rooted in long term MSP success. By investing in people, education, and community alongside technology, the company helps customers build sustainable growth engines instead of relying solely on referrals or isolated campaigns. 

“Our goal is not just to give MSPs tools. It is to help them grow better businesses.” 

If you want to continue the conversation, explore resources, or ask questions about MSP marketing and growth, Stefanie welcomes the discussion. You can connect with her directly on LinkedIn.

To learn more about N-able,

Click the link below or connect with Jorie directly!