#18 – From the Trenches - MSP Sales Engine & Direct Mail (Alek Pirkhalo)

In this From the Trenches episode, Alek Pirkhalo, Co-Founder of Safe Point, joins Josh Peterson to discuss building a scalable MSP sales and marketing engine. Alek shares his story from immigrating to the U.S. at age 16 to becoming an MSP leader focused on persistence, discipline, and strategy in sales development.

He explains how Safe Point balances traditional outreach—like direct mail and live events—with modern automation tools such as HubSpot. Alek emphasizes consistent budgeting for marketing, leveraging multi-channel campaigns, and the mindset shift needed for MSP owners to treat sales as an investment rather than an expense. His perspective provides a practical roadmap for MSPs looking to professionalize their marketing operations and sustain long-term growth.

To strengthen your MSP’s sales and marketing performance, explore our guides on building a scalable MSP sales process that actually closes, why mastering sales calls means embracing failure and persistence, and the top signs your MSP needs a structured sales consultant.

For more episodes and insights, visit the BMK Vision Podcast main page →

Listen on Your Favorite Platform

Episode Highlights

• 00:00:25 – Alek’s background and journey from Russia to U.S. entrepreneurship.
• 00:08:48 – Dividing partner roles between service delivery and sales operations.
• 00:14:55 – The discipline of persistence in developing a sales function.
• 00:18:21 – Budgeting 10% of revenue for marketing as a rule, not an option.
• 00:24:26 – Integrating direct mail, HubSpot, and live events into one strategy.
• 00:27:27 – Thought leadership through AI and automation education.

About the Guest

Alek Pirkhalo is the Co-Founder of Safe Point, an MSP that helps businesses modernize IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and automation. Alek oversees marketing, sales, and financial operations—championing a growth-first mindset that balances traditional outreach and modern digital marketing.

🌐 Connect with Alek on LinkedIn →

About the Host

Josh Peterson is the CEO of Bering McKinley and host of the BMK Vision Podcast. Through the From the Trenches series, Josh features MSP owners and leaders who share actionable insights on scaling, marketing, and leadership.

📺 Subscribe on YouTube →