WordPress Support Sales Guide for MSPs: Leveraging Security to Drive Sales

Why WordPress Security Matters to Your Clients (and Your MSP)

As a trusted IT advisor, your clients rely on you to safeguard their digital assets. While you expertly manage their core infrastructure, their WordPress website often represents a distinct, and sometimes overlooked, area of vulnerability. 

WordPress powers 40%+ of business websites, but its popularity also makes it a frequent target for cyberattacks. Common issues like outdated plugins, weak login security, or unpatched core software can leave your clients exposed to data breaches, website defacement, malware distribution, and costly downtime.

Addressing WordPress security proactively during your Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) is not just about mitigating risk for your clients; it’s a strategic opportunity for your MSP. 

By highlighting potential WordPress vulnerabilities using a simple, non-technical checklist, you can:

• Reinforce Your Value: Demonstrate your comprehensive approach to client IT health.
• Educate Your Clients: Raise awareness about specific risks they might not consider.
• Create Sales Opportunities: Introduce a valuable, recurring revenue service – Pronto Marketing’s WordPress Technical Support – as the ideal solution.

This guide will provide you with a simple 3-step checklist to assess basic WordPress security, conversation starters, and a clear path to present Pronto Marketing’s specialized WordPress Technical Support service, helping you protect your clients and grow your business.

The 3-Step WordPress Security Checklist for QBRs

This checklist is designed to be quick, easy for your MSP to use, and understandable for clients. It focuses on high-impact, easily verifiable security aspects.

The selection of these three checks is based on their combined impact on security. Together, they provide a good snapshot of basic security hygiene.

1. Hidden WordPress Login Page

Why It’s Important:

• Client Benefit: Makes it harder for automated bots to find and attack the login page. Reduces server load from bogus login attempts. 
• Business Risk: Default login URLs are prime targets for brute-force attacks and vulnerability scanning bots, increasing the risk of unauthorized access.

2. Enable 2FA/MFA

Why It’s Important:

• Client Benefit: Adds a critical layer of security. Even if a password is stolen or guessed, attackers can’t log in without the second factor (e.g., your phone). 
• Business Risk: Passwords alone can be compromised through phishing, data breaches, or weak choices. Lack of 2FA significantly increases the risk of account takeover, leading to data theft or site damage.

3. WordPress + PHP Version Checks

Why It’s Important:

• Client Benefit: Ensures the site runs on software with the latest security patches and performance improvements. Reduces incompatibility issues with modern plugins/themes. 
• Business Risk: Outdated WordPress core, themes, plugins, and especially outdated PHP versions, no longer receive security updates. This leaves known vulnerabilities (“backdoors”) that hackers actively exploit to compromise sites.

Status Checklist for QBRs

Transitioning the Conversation:
From Security Check to Support Service

Once the security checklist (or a general discussion about WordPress security) has been discussed, your MSP can transition the conversation towards Pronto Marketing’s Technical Support service. This involves recognizing buying signals and using appropriate talking points.

Lsten for the following cues and opportunities to introduce the service:

• The client expresses concern, surprise, or frustration at the security findings (if a checklist was used) or about website security in general.
• The client admits they lack the time, expertise, or resources to manage WordPress security themselves.
• The client directly asks, “What should we do about this?” or “How can we fix this?”
• Multiple checklist items (if used) reveal vulnerabilities, painting a picture of neglect or oversight.
• The client mentions previous negative experiences with website issues or security scares.

When these cues arise, it signals the client’s acknowledgement of a problem and their potential receptiveness to a solution.

Talking Points: Articulating the Value of Pronto’s Technical Support Service:

The language used should be benefit-oriented, clear, and concise, avoiding overly technical jargon.

• “Based on what we’ve discussed today, it seems your WordPress site could really benefit from consistent, expert attention to keep it secure, updated, and running smoothly.”
• “We’ve partnered with WordPress specialists at Pronto Marketing to offer a comprehensive Technical Support service. They essentially become your dedicated WordPress team, handling all those critical maintenance tasks—like updates, security optimization, backups, and monitoring—for a flat monthly fee.”
• “This means you wouldn’t have to worry about [mention specific issues found, e.g., keeping that login page secure, ensuring PHP is updated, or managing plugin updates]. It’s proactive care designed to prevent problems before they affect your business.“
• “For $99 a month, it’s like having a WordPress expert on call, ensuring your website, which is a vital business asset, is always in top shape and protected.”
• Emphasize peace of mind, time savings for the client, and significant risk reduction.

By first discussing specific security vulnerabilities (if the checklist was used), even if they are minor, your MSP can anchor the client’s perception to a state of (mild) risk. The $99/month service is then framed not as an arbitrary new cost, but as a reasonable and affordable solution to mitigate those specific, identified risks. This framing is powerful because the checklist makes the issues concrete, creating a perceived need or gap in the client’s mind. The service price is then evaluated against the perceived cost or effort of addressing those gaps themselves, or the potential cost of a security breach, making the offering more compelling than if it were introduced without the preceding security discussion.

Furthermore, performing the security check and offering initial advice before pitching the service builds crucial trust. It positions your MSP as a helpful advisor genuinely concerned about the client’s well-being, not just a salesperson pushing another product. This immediate, tangible value (information about their site’s security posture) is provided without an initial ask, fostering rapport and credibility. When the service recommendation follows, it is more likely to be perceived as a genuine solution from a trusted source.

Handling Common Questions & Objections from Clients

Presenting Pronto Marketing’s WordPress Technical Support Service

When presenting the service, your MSP should directly connect its features and benefits to the security concerns identified by the checklist (if used), as well as other unstated but common client pains.

Key Features and Benefits to Highlight (Recap from Pronto Marketing’s service information):

• Comprehensive Updates: “Pronto handles all WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates. This directly addresses the risks we saw with [mention outdated WP/PHP if found, or general risks of outdated software], ensuring your site always has the latest security patches and features.”
• Proactive Security Optimization: “Their team implements security best practices, including hardening settings like the login page we discussed (if applicable), to proactively defend against threats.”
• Constant Vigilance: “With 24/7 uptime monitoring, they’ll often know about an issue before you do. And if there’s an emergency, their 24/7 support is there to respond quickly.”
• Safety Net: “Daily backups mean that even in a worst-case scenario, your website data can be quickly restored, minimizing any potential disruption.”
• Hosting Included: “The service also includes reliable hosting, simplifying your vendor management.”
• Overall Value: “Ultimately, this service provides peace of mind, saves you and your team valuable time, and significantly reduces the risk of a costly website security incident.”

How it Solves the Identified Security Concerns (and more):

The presentation must be a direct answer to the issues raised by the security checklist (if used) and the client’s potential anxieties about website management.

• “Regarding the login page security we talked about, Pronto’s service includes a thorough review and hardening of such settings to deter unauthorized access.”
• “For Two-Factor Authentication, they can ensure it’s correctly implemented for all necessary user roles, and their ongoing updates help prevent new vulnerabilities that might try to bypass such measures.”
• “The constant WordPress and PHP updates they manage are absolutely critical for patching vulnerabilities. We noted your site’s [WordPress/PHP] version as an area for attention, or generally, this service takes that entire concern off your plate. They ensure your site isn’t running on outdated, unsupported software which is a major entry point for hackers.”

It’s important to emphasize that this is an ongoing, comprehensive solution, not just a series of one-time fixes. As Pronto’s own material states, “Your site is a living, breathing entity”, requiring continuous care.

For a $99/month service, the presentation must remain simple and focused on the core value proposition. Overcomplicating it with too many technical minutiae or an overwhelming list of minor features at this stage can confuse the client and potentially derail the conversation. SMB clients, in particular, appreciate clarity and straightforward solutions. If the conversation began with simple security checks, the proposed solution should feel equally uncomplicated and accessible. Your MSP should concentrate on the primary benefits: security, regular updates, and the resulting peace of mind.

Your MSP’s ability to clearly and directly connect each feature of Pronto’s WordPress Technical Support service back to a specific risk or need identified during the security check (or a common client pain point) will significantly impact the perceived relevance and urgency of the service. 

Clients are far more likely to invest when they see a direct, logical solution to an acknowledged problem. For instance, if your MSP states, “We found your website plugins are outdated, which is a common security risk (problem), and Pronto’s service includes daily monitoring and updating of all your plugins (solution),” the connection is clear and compelling. 

Vague promises of “better security” are far less effective than these specific problem-solution linkages. 

Appendix: Quick Reference Materials

Included in Pronto Marketing’s WordPress Technical Support plan: 

• Team of WordPress Technical Experts
• 24/7 up-time-monitoring
• 99.9% uptime SLA
• Unlimited Visits
• 30GB Disk Space
• Hosting & Daily Backup
• Security Optimization
• Plugin Updates
• Free SSL Certificate & CDN
• Free Migration
• Hack Fix Guarantee
• Access to Premium Plugins
• Web Analytics Dashboard

Visit Pronto’s WordPress support plans page for a full features list and side-by-side plan comparison.

Useful links to Pronto’s key WordPress Services:

• Technical Support (TS): Proactive maintenance & hosting

• Website Support (WS): Unlimted website edits & development (includes TS)

• Dedicated Support (DS): White glove Website Support with a dedicated Site manager (includes TS)

• Website Build (WB): Full website build of a new or existing WordPress website

• Pronto Client Portal: See your services, billing, and access our Support portal

FAQs about the Service and Program:

Got more questions? Visit Pronto’s FAQs page.