An MSP business needs a mission statement for more reasons than just exterior veneer. While it looks good to have a mission statement just for the sake of having it, a qualitative mission statement simultaneously motivates personnel. Also, this statement, in a nutshell, should have some salability to it.
Many mission statements just don’t hit the target. Mission statements are often tacked on to company materials as an afterthought, and if that’s happening, what’s the purpose of having one at all? It’s not a statement, it’s a subjective generalization of sentiment. Subjectively general sentiments just aren’t that attractive to buyers. Here are a few common mission statement mistakes to help you get an idea of what not to do:
Eliminate Fluff and Generalization
An MSP business shouldn’t have any “fluff” or “generalization” defining its mission statement. Why would you even have fluff? A mission statement doesn’t have a word count on it. It doesn’t have a minimum or a maximum length. A mission statement could be one word: “optimization.” That said, it could also be as long as a manifesto. A mission statement is only as long as it has to be. If you cut out fluff and generalization, this will help you get to that point.
Don’t Make It Confusing
A mission statement shouldn’t read like somebody plugged Sanskrit into Google translate, then copy-pasted the grammatically incorrect English text that results. Many IT people specialize in disciplines that have no literary element. Accordingly, when they write a mission statement, there’s a lot of confusing phrases, out of place words, and poor grammar.
A confusing phraseology confuses clients. You need to be clear, straightforward, and simple. A consultation can help, but you may not need to go quite that far. Still, outsourcing your mission statement, giving those to whom you outsource an outline of what you’re seeking, and having them put together a few different mission statements could help you find the best solutions.
Make Sure Your Mission Statement Isn’t So Professional that It’s Boring
A boring mission statement does not inspire confidence or clients. You’ve got a vision for your MSP that drives you. Make that vision clear for those who need to see it. Professionalism is good, but many startups have a counterculture “style” to them. This could be your element— or it could not. Just be interesting whatever you do.
Conclusion
Your MSP business will likely be more effective with a strong mission statement that’s not boring, clear phraseology that isn’t confusing, and specificity that is free of fluff and generalization. If you examine your present mission statement and see such negative qualities, it may be time to give it a rewrite.
