Both on Linked-In and at a recent customer I was asked if they should employ a Sales Manager at a small MSP?

I have shared my response below.

Not sure what you mean by "small" but you are venturing into a difficult area - can be very fruitful but often much money will be spent on getting the right person including some failed selections.  I currently consult to a number of MSP's and also ran my own and this is definitely one of the hardest to get right.  Sometimes part of the battle is to simply get some fresh idea's and some experience to help you improve where you are at now - you might find a suitable local consultant that can give you that lift; I am in Australia, so could not pop in tomorrow ; -) although I am happy to have a reason to vist the UK .
I have found that small MSP's are often looking for the magic bullet to grow but have not actually fully prepared their business for a "sales manager". Do you already have good documented sales processes?  Are your engineers being recognised for bringing in business? Who is responsible for Customer Service? Is your web site and marketing material at a good base level?
Some might be saying - well that is why I want to employ a Sales Manager - WRONG.
You need a marketing and sales consultant if you need help here and sure your Sales Manager can add further value - but don't go to the expense of employing them and not have good foundations in place.

TrackITOnline has provided consulting services to help structure a number of MSP's.