MSP appointment setting in Memphis: who to call first

7 things to know before prospecting MSP in Memphis

1. 01395 IT services firms work the Memphis metro (-115 in a year), 28% less concentrated than the U.S. as a whole.
2. 024.4 target businesses per IT firm ranks Memphis #20 of 100 markets and #1 of 4 in Tennessee.
3. 03The biggest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices: 368 sites with 20 to 499 employees.
4. 04Memphis over-indexes on wholesale distributors at 1.18x the national mix, so build references inside that group.
5. 05Tier 1 is 412 sites with 50 to 499 employees among medical, dental and outpatient practices and wholesale distributors; those deserve two or three contacts each.
6. 06Shelby County holds 83% of the target businesses across 8 counties.
7. 07Little Rock (115 miles) has more target businesses per IT firm, if your engineers can cover it.

These are the 12 industries Abstrakt's SDRs call for MSP work, with how many of each are in the Memphis metro and who to ask for. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Memphis leans toward wholesale distributors (1.18x). Build the list around that category. Architecture and engineering firms and nonprofits and member organizations are thinner than the national mix, so treat them as selective targets.

1. 01
   Medical, dental and outpatient practices368

   Ask for: Practice administrator 117 with 50 to 499 employees 1.14x U.S. mix -73 in a year
2. 02
   Wholesale distributors314

   Ask for: Owner or president 137 with 50 to 499 employees 1.18x U.S. mix -283 in a year
3. 03
   Manufacturers298

   Ask for: Owner or president 158 with 50 to 499 employees 1.10x U.S. mix -114 in a year
4. 04
   Construction contractors293

   Ask for: Owner or president 99 with 50 to 499 employees 0.84x U.S. mix -120 in a year
5. 05
   Nonprofits and member organizations140

   Ask for: Executive director 47 with 50 to 499 employees 0.74x U.S. mix -20 in a year
6. 06
   Private schools and education providers123

   Ask for: Head of school or director 66 with 50 to 499 employees 1.08x U.S. mix -19 in a year
7. 07
   Real estate brokerages and property management offices44

   Ask for: Broker-owner 11 with 50 to 499 employees 0.89x U.S. mix -109 in a year
8. 08
   Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms37

   Ask for: Managing partner 11 with 50 to 499 employees 0.91x U.S. mix -68 in a year
9. 09
   Law firms29

   Ask for: Managing partner 7 with 50 to 499 employees 0.92x U.S. mix -45 in a year
10. 10
    Architecture and engineering firms29

    Ask for: Principal or owner 12 with 50 to 499 employees 0.69x U.S. mix -34 in a year
11. 11
    Wealth management and investment firms28

    Ask for: Firm principal 4 with 50 to 499 employees 0.93x U.S. mix -40 in a year
12. 12
    Insurance agencies and brokerages18

    Ask for: Agency principal or owner 8 with 50 to 499 employees 1.13x U.S. mix -77 in a year

Businesses are establishments with 20 to 499 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023), the small and mid-sized range MSPs sell to; the SBA Office of Advocacy counts firms under 500 employees as small businesses. Change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2.

Wholesale distributors, manufacturers and private schools and education providers run larger in Memphis than across our 100 metros, which puts more of them in Tier 1. Wealth management and investment firms run smaller, so that group needs a seat-count question before a meeting is booked.

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices are the largest group in Memphis with 368 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Little Rock has (206): close to the national mix, down 73 establishments in a year, and typical in size (16% with 50 or more employees).

• Wholesale distributors are the second-largest group in Memphis with 314 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Little Rock has (171): more concentrated than nationally (1.18x), down 283 establishments in a year, and larger than across our 100 metros (25% of those with 10 or more employees have 50 or more, against 20%), so plan on two or three contacts per account.

• Manufacturers are the third-largest group in Memphis with 298 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Little Rock has (144): close to the national mix, down 114 establishments in a year, and larger than across our 100 metros (38% of those with 10 or more employees have 50 or more, against 32%), so plan on two or three contacts per account.

• Construction contractors are the fourth-largest group in Memphis with 293 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Little Rock has (190): less concentrated than nationally (0.84x), down 120 establishments in a year, and typical in size (18% with 50 or more employees).

• Nonprofits and member organizations are the fifth-largest group in Memphis with 140 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Little Rock has (86): less concentrated than nationally (0.74x), down 20 establishments in a year, and typical in size (17% with 50 or more employees).

• Private schools and education providers are the sixth-largest group in Memphis with 123 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, more than Little Rock has (53): close to the national mix, down 19 establishments in a year, and larger than across our 100 metros (38% of those with 10 or more employees have 50 or more, against 25%), so plan on two or three contacts per account.

After those six come real estate brokerages and property management offices (44), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (37), law firms (29), architecture and engineering firms (29), wealth management and investment firms (28) and insurance agencies and brokerages (18), smaller groups to work by fit rather than volume.

Where a rule or a client review puts a date on security work in Memphis: medical, dental and outpatient practices (368, HIPAA), manufacturers (298, CMMC where they supply defense work), accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (37, the FTC Safeguards Rule), law firms (29, client security questionnaires), wealth management and investment firms (28, SEC and FINRA exams) and insurance agencies and brokerages (18, carrier and state insurance data security requirements); together, 778 businesses where the first message can lead with the requirement instead of the service.

What leads in each core county

• Shelby County: medical, dental and outpatient practices (299), wholesale distributors (245) and construction contractors (235) lead its 1,359 target businesses.
• DeSoto County: manufacturers (45), wholesale distributors (42) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (37) lead its 181 target businesses.
• Crittenden County: manufacturers (12), medical, dental and outpatient practices (11) and wholesale distributors (6) lead its 34 target businesses.
• Tipton County: construction contractors (8), manufacturers (4) and wholesale distributors (4) lead its 22 target businesses.

Employee bands: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, establishments with 10 to 499 employees; suppressed size classes count as zero. Concentration and one-year change: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2. The 100-metro average is the same share summed across every market we publish.

395 IT services firms are based in the Memphis metro. That is 115 fewer than a year ago. When an IT firm closes or sells, its customers go looking for a new one. The IT services industry is 28% less concentrated than the U.S. as a whole, so a consistent outbound program reaches business owners and office managers that are not tired of contractor calls. 4.4 target businesses per IT firm puts Memphis 20 of 100 markets, and 1 of 4 in Tennessee. That is more room per IT firm than most metros, so systematic prospecting tends to find accounts nobody is working. If you can serve Little Rock, it has more target businesses per IT firm than Memphis.

Tier 1 covers medical, dental and outpatient practices, wholesale distributors and manufacturers with 50 to 499 employees.

Shelby County holds 83% of the target businesses across the 8-county metro. The other 7 counties split the remaining 17%, which is where Tier 1 accounts justify the drive and smaller sites do not.

• Wholesale distributors: 283 fewer establishments than a year ago

  An acquisition puts a business under new owners, who usually review who runs IT and fold it into their own systems.

• 115 fewer managed service providers than a year ago

  Clients of an IT firm that closed, retired or sold have to decide who supports them next.

More questions for every prospect type, and how to follow up after the meeting, are in the MSP prospecting playbook.

If your engineers travel, Little Rock, Huntsville, Birmingham and Nashville are the closest metros we track. Here are the same counts used above for Memphis.

• Little Rock, AR

  115 miles away, with 974 target businesses and 202 IT services firms, or 4.8 businesses per IT firm (#18 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices, and it over-indexes on insurance agencies and brokerages at 1.58x the national mix.

• Huntsville, AL

  190 miles away, with 656 target businesses and 481 IT services firms, or 1.4 businesses per IT firm (#93 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers, and it over-indexes on architecture and engineering firms at 2.89x the national mix.

• Birmingham, AL

  236 miles away, with 1,691 target businesses and 461 IT services firms, or 3.7 businesses per IT firm (#30 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices, and it over-indexes on insurance agencies and brokerages at 1.46x the national mix.

• Nashville, TN

  242 miles away, with 2,991 target businesses and 1,310 IT services firms, or 2.3 businesses per IT firm (#65 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices, and it over-indexes on insurance agencies and brokerages at 1.31x the national mix.