Executive Summary
If you’re constantly busy but your pipeline isn’t growing, you may be suffering from what I call Sales Popcorn.
Sales Popcorn is all the work that feels productive but contributes very little towards winning new customers. Redesigning your website. Tweaking your CRM. Posting on LinkedIn. Researching AI tools. Creating another brochure.
None of these activities are bad.
The problem is when they replace the one activity that consistently creates revenue: having meaningful conversations with potential customers.
In this article you’ll learn:
If your sales results have plateaued, this may be the mindset shift that changes everything.
Are You Guilty of Sales Popcorn?
Walk into almost any MSP office and everyone looks busy.
Marketing are creating content.
Operations are improving processes.
The sales team are updating the CRM.
The business owner is researching another AI tool that promises to double productivity.
Everyone is working hard.
Yet somehow, the pipeline still isn’t growing.
After working with MSPs across the UK for many years, I’ve noticed the same pattern repeatedly. Businesses convince themselves they’re working on sales when they’re actually working around sales.
I call it Sales Popcorn.
Like popcorn itself, these activities are enjoyable, easy to consume and make you feel like you’re doing something worthwhile.
But popcorn isn’t a meal.
And Sales Popcorn won’t feed your pipeline.
What Is Sales Popcorn?
Sales Popcorn is any activity that creates the feeling of productivity without directly creating sales opportunities.
For MSPs, it often looks like:
- Redesigning the company website for the third time this year.
- Perfecting your LinkedIn profile.
- Researching AI sales tools.
- Building another email nurture sequence.
- Creating new proposal templates.
- Tweaking CRM fields.
- Attending networking events with no follow-up.
- Posting on LinkedIn every day without speaking to prospects.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with these activities.
Many of them are valuable.
The problem begins when they replace prospecting instead of supporting it.
Why Do MSP Salespeople Stay Busy Without Growing Revenue?
Because Sales Popcorn feels safe.
Let’s be honest.
Calling a prospect carries risk.
Following up an old opportunity risks rejection.
Asking for the meeting means hearing “no.”
Updating your CRM?
Nobody rejects you.
Designing another brochure?
Nobody says you’re too expensive.
Our brains naturally choose the activities with the lowest emotional risk.
The irony is they’re usually the activities with the lowest commercial return.
Why Activity Doesn't Equal Pipeline?
One of the biggest misconceptions I see in MSP sales is believing that being busy automatically means progress.
It doesn’t.
Marketing creates opportunities.
Sales converts opportunities.
I’ve worked with MSPs that have invested tens of thousands of pounds in websites, SEO campaigns and paid advertising while their CRM contains dozens of enquiries that haven’t been followed up for months.
The problem wasn’t lead generation.
It wasn’t branding.
It certainly wasn’t technology.
It was simply a lack of consistent sales conversations.
That’s a far easier problem to solve.
What Activities Actually Grow An MSP?
Whenever I work with a new MSP, I rarely begin by looking at their website.
I start by asking questions like:
“How many discovery meetings did you hold last week?”
“How many prospects did you proactively contact?”
“How many dormant opportunities did you follow up?”
Those numbers tell me far more about the future of the business than social media engagement ever will.
The MSPs that consistently outperform their competitors focus relentlessly on a handful of fundamentals.
They:
- Identify businesses that fit their ideal customer profile.
- Reach out consistently.
- Ask better discovery questions.
- Follow up more times than competitors.
- Stay visible over months rather than days.
- Build trust before discussing technical solutions.
- Ask confidently for the next meeting.
None of this is revolutionary.
It’s simply consistent.
What I've Seen Working With MSP Sales Teams
One pattern appears in almost every sales review I conduct.
When pipeline is light, the instinct is often to create more marketing activity.
“We need another campaign.”
“We should redesign the website.”
“Let’s produce another downloadable guide.”
Sometimes those things help.
But more often than not, the quickest improvement comes from something much simpler.
Speaking to more qualified prospects.
One client dramatically increased qualified opportunities after introducing a structured prospecting block every morning. Before opening emails or attending internal meetings, the sales team spent ninety uninterrupted minutes contacting prospects and following up existing opportunities.
Nothing else changed.
Within weeks, the pipeline looked completely different.
Not because they worked harder.
Because they worked on the right things.
How Can You Tell If You're Eating Sales Popcorn?
Ask yourself one question.
How many genuine conversations with qualified prospects did I have this week?
Not:
- How many LinkedIn posts did I publish?
- How many webinars did I organise?
- How many AI tools did I research?
- How many proposal templates did I redesign?
Just one number.
Conversations.
Because conversations create opportunities.
Opportunities create pipeline.
Pipeline creates revenue.
The Most Productive Week Might Feel Less Productive
This is perhaps the biggest mindset shift.
The weeks where you feel busiest are often not your most productive.
Conversely, a week spent speaking to twenty qualified prospects can feel uncomfortable.
You experience rejection.
Some people don’t answer.
Others tell you they’re happy with their existing provider.
Yet those conversations create momentum.
Sales Popcorn rarely does.
About the Author
James White is Founder of James White Sales Success Ltd and has spent more than 30 years helping B2B organisations and Managed Service Providers generate predictable sales growth. He works with MSPs across the UK to build sales processes, improve conversion rates and create consistent pipelines through structured prospecting, leadership and coaching.
Sales Popcorn vs Revenue-Producing Activities
Sales Popcorn 🍿 | Revenue-Producing Activities 💰 |
Redesigning your website again | Calling prospective clients |
Tweaking your LinkedIn profile | Following up dormant opportunities |
Researching another AI tool | Booking discovery meetings |
Perfecting your CRM fields | Asking better discovery questions |
Designing a new brochure | Asking for referrals from happy customers |
Creating another email campaign | Re-engaging previous prospects |
Attending networking events with no follow-up | Following up every networking conversation |
Watching sales videos all afternoon | Blocking out prospecting time every day |
Creating more content without a CTA | Converting content into sales conversations |
Talking about selling | Actually selling |
The rule is simple:
If the activity doesn’t increase the number of quality conversations you have with potential customers, it’s probably Sales Popcorn.
Final Thoughts
Marketing matters.
Branding matters.
Automation matters.
AI matters.
But they should all support sales, not replace it.
If your calendar is full but your pipeline isn’t, it may be time to stop eating Sales Popcorn.
The fastest-growing MSPs aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest marketing budgets or the smartest technology.
They’re the ones having the greatest number of quality conversations with the right prospects, every single week.
That’s still the fastest route to predictable growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sales Popcorn?
Sales Popcorn describes sales and marketing activities that feel productive but don’t directly create new business opportunities. Examples include endlessly improving your website, redesigning proposals or constantly researching new tools instead of speaking with prospective customers.
Is marketing considered Sales Popcorn?
Not necessarily.
Marketing plays a vital role in generating awareness and attracting enquiries. It only becomes Sales Popcorn when it replaces sales activity rather than supporting it.
Effective marketing should create conversations—not become a substitute for them.
Why do salespeople avoid prospecting?
Prospecting involves uncertainty.
You might hear “no.”
You might get ignored.
Activities like updating your CRM or redesigning presentations feel safer because they carry little emotional risk. Unfortunately, they also tend to produce far less revenue.
How much time should MSP salespeople spend prospecting?
There isn’t a universal number, but the highest-performing MSP salespeople deliberately schedule time every day for outbound prospecting, follow-up calls and customer conversations.
Consistency almost always beats intensity.
How can I tell if I'm focusing on the wrong activities?
Ask yourself one question:
How many conversations with qualified prospects did I have this week?
If the answer is very few—but you’ve been incredibly busy—you’ve probably been consuming Sales Popcorn.
Can AI and automation replace prospecting?
AI can make prospecting more efficient by helping with research, email drafting and CRM management.
It cannot replace trust.
Businesses still buy from people they know, like and trust. AI should help you have more conversations, not fewer.
