Executive Summary
During a recent research session conducted by Joe Markert and Kevin Clune, the group focused on the Client Business Goals methodology and the five-level pyramid that underpins it. The discussion was intended to clarify and stress-test language already present across the CS glossary, blueprints, and prior research, and to ensure that this language accurately reflects how MSPs and clients experience change in practice.
As the conversation progressed, a consistent pattern emerged. MSPs frequently attempt to advance conversations before the client has fully achieved the goals beneath them. This creates misalignment in expectations, stalled initiatives, and growing frustration on both sides of the relationship.
This paper introduces the Five Levels of Client Business Goals and explains the Modernization Chasm and the Transformation Chasm using direct language from the research session. The goal is to provide a durable mental model that can be referenced across discovery, strategy, and ongoing Customer Success work, rather than a one-time diagnostic.
Framing the Problem: Adoption Is Emotional
Early in the session, Joe Markert referenced a concept derived from recent work by ScalePad‘s Luis Giraldo that helped reframe the conversation. As Joe stated directly, “adoption is emotional, deployment is technical.”
That distinction clarified why so many technically successful initiatives fail to produce meaningful outcomes. MSPs often measure success by delivery milestones, while clients experience change through disruption, uncertainty, and perceived risk.
Joe expanded on this by emphasizing the multidimensional nature of Customer Success. “It’s much about where your customer is in the process as it is about where you are in the process,” he said. Readiness, he noted, must exist on both sides of the relationship for progress to occur.
Kevin Clune connected this insight directly to Client Business Goals. The pyramid does not describe service tiers or MSP maturity. It describes what the client is trying to achieve and how they evaluate value at a specific point in time.
This framing set the foundation for the rest of the discussion. Without understanding the emotional component of adoption, MSPs misdiagnose resistance as reluctance rather than misaligned goals.
Level 1: Technology Support
At the base of the pyramid sit Technology Support goals. This is the most common entry point for MSP relationships and the level at which urgency dominates every decision.
As Joe described, “The starting point, the base of the pyramid, was the house is on fire, which is where we often find clients.”
At this level, the client’s business goal is stability. Systems must work. Issues must be resolved. Risk must be reduced to a tolerable level.
Joe reinforced that this stage is foundational rather than strategic. “Level one support is really just that. We’re coming in to clean up.” Until this goal is achieved, higher-order conversations feel disconnected from reality.
At this level, the client is primarily focused on:
- Restoring stability and reducing immediate risk
- Evaluating the MSP on responsiveness and reliability
- Avoiding additional disruption or complexity
Level 2: Technology Enablement
Once stability is restored, client business goals naturally shift toward enablement. The conversation moves from crisis response to day-to-day effectiveness.
According to Joe Markert, “enablement really is foundation building.” At this level, technology begins to reduce friction, standardize processes, and create consistency across the organization.
Enablement introduces an important psychological shift. Clients begin to experience technology as helpful rather than intrusive, and trust starts to form as improvements compound.
Joe highlighted how perception changes as clients move upward. “The further we get up the pyramid, it becomes more of a profit-center conversation.”
At this level, the client is primarily focused on:
- Improving productivity and reducing friction
- Creating consistency across tools and workflows
- Experiencing technology as helpful rather than disruptive
The Modernization Chasm
Between Level 2 and Level 3 lies the Modernization Chasm. This is the first major inflection point where momentum often slows or stops.
Joe went on to describe modernization in concrete terms. “We’re deploying communication collaboration platforms, moving servers to the cloud, deploying a security tool.” From the MSP’s perspective, progress is visible and measurable.
From the client’s perspective, however, disruption increases. Habits are challenged, workflows change, and uncertainty grows.
Joe acknowledged that the emotional impact of this transition is often underestimated. “We just deployed and muscled through.”
The breakdown at this chasm typically occurs because:
- Deployment is MSP-driven and execution-focused
- Adoption requires behavior change inside the client organization
- Disruption increases before benefits are felt
- Emotional readiness is assumed rather than validated
Level 3: Technology Modernization
At Level 3, client business goals center on sustainability and alignment with best practices. Technology is expected to support where the business is going, not just where it has been.
“It’s the first time they start to feel IT as a net positive.” Noise decreases, security improves, and planning replaces constant reaction.
Kevin Clune described this level as a milestone. “Level three feels like a pinnacle in itself because of how hard it is to get there.” Joe echoed that sentiment, adding that “this is a great place to be.”
At this level, the client is primarily focused on:
- Long-term stability and sustainability
- Alignment with modern standards and practices
- Reducing operational noise and uncertainty
The Transformation Chasm
The second chasm sits between Level 3 and Level 4 and is significantly more complex than the first.
Joe described this transition starkly. “That chasm is emotional times ten.” MSPs are no longer operating safely in the background.
As he elaborated, “We’re no longer in the server room, we’re no longer just in the conference room.” MSPs are invited into conversations that expose priorities, trade-offs, and risk.
This chasm represents a fundamental shift:
- The MSP moves from background operator to visible participant
- Business priorities and constraints become explicit
- Client vulnerability and perceived risk increase
- Trust and leadership presence become gating factors
Level 4: Business Transformation
At Level 4, client business goals shift explicitly toward transformation. Technology becomes a means to change how the business operates.
“Now we’re not just talking about deploying workloads or tools. We need to understand the business process,” explains Markert.
Technology decisions are evaluated based on impact to workflows, outcomes, and performance metrics rather than technical features.
This level typically requires:
- Active executive or senior sponsorship
- Willingness to examine and change business processes
- Alignment on outcomes and success measures
- Invitation for the MSP to participate in decision-making
Level 5: Business Innovation
At the top of the pyramid sit Business Innovation goals, but Joe was clear that this level is neither universal nor required for every client.
“Stop trying to do everything for everybody,” he cautioned. “Some of them may not want it, need it, ever.”
When innovation goals do exist, the scope of conversation expands significantly. Joe described this shift as moving “further out of IT, further out of operations, and probably more into finance, marketing, sales, HR.”
Business Innovation goals are characterized by:
- Optional participation based on appetite and ambition
- Cross-functional engagement beyond IT
- Increased reliance on data, metrics, and transparency
- Often requiring industry or vertical expertise
Why Client Business Goals Must Progress in Order
Throughout the session, both researchers emphasized that the five levels are cumulative rather than interchangeable.
Kevin summarized the progression succinctly. “Levels one and two are basically the beginning stages. Levels two to three are where you cross that first chasm.”
He further reinforced that Level 3 is a foundation, not a destination. “It’s a great place to be, but it’s only at the beginning.”
Joe reinforced the difficulty of the next transition. “This is harder. It’s a bigger lift,” he said, referring to the move from modernization into transformation.
Skipping levels or forcing progression without readiness introduces resistance rather than momentum and undermines trust.
Conclusion: Client Business Goals as the Anchor
The Five Levels of Client Business Goals provide a shared language for understanding where a client is and what they are ready for.
The Modernization Chasm and the Transformation Chasm explain why progress breaks down even when intent and effort are present.
As Joe noted during the session, if MSPs listen carefully, “we no longer have to convince them.” Customer Success exists to guide this progression deliberately by aligning goals, readiness, and leadership at every stage.
When MSPs anchor their strategy in client business goals instead of tools or services, transformation becomes achievable, repeatable, and durable.
