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SEPTEMBER 2020
YOUR MANAGED SERVICES PARTNER
CYBERSECURITY IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER BEFORE
Back in March, countless businesses were left scrambling. Cities and states started going into lockdown as the virus took hold in our communities. It caught everyone by surprise, and businesses had a matter of weeks — or less — to prepare. A lot of businesses we work with have disaster recovery plans in place. These plans cover fires, floods, and even hurricanes, but not pandemics. Several companies were suddenly having to deal with the prospect of transitioning their onsite workforces to fully remote. The problem was that they didn’t have the resources to do that. They faced a huge challenge of logistics. Not only were they moving equipment and employees offsite, but they also had to develop policies for the new work-from-home standard. Their full attention was on getting their employees comfortable, confident, and productive in their new work environments. In the midst of it, one important detail became an afterthought: cybersecurity. It’s understandable. They were trying to get their employees up and running on the fly when they weren’t equipped for that. As a result, they didn’t have time to think about cybersecurity. Add in the fact that businesses are trying to stay afloat and turn a profit, and it’s basically a perfect storm. However, businesses that work with a managed services partner (such as Broadleaf Services) had less to worry about. They could focus on getting
their employees out the door and ready for the months ahead and know their cybersecurity needs were taken care of. When cybersecurity takes a backseat, it increases the potential for disaster. While businesses were figuring out work from home, cybercriminals went into overdrive. Suddenly, they had more vulnerable targets to go after, and they weren’t about to let that get away. In April, Kaspersky released a report on cyber threats. They noted a sudden spike in activity in March when many communities went on lockdown. There was an increase in phishing scams and in blunt force attacks on database servers. Kaspersky also noted an increase in malicious content on legitimate websites. Cybercriminals knew people would be online more, whether for work or to shop. So, they targeted websites they knew people would be using and attempted to hide malware within these sites. One common point of entry is through ads. Hackers can set up malicious ad networks and disguise their ads as something that looks very ordinary. Except that if you click the ad, you expose yourself to malware. As threats increase, businesses become more vulnerable. This is true for businesses operating onsite and remotely. But there’s more to it than cybercriminals trying to break into your network. The Kaspersky report also mentioned that, in the shift to remote work, employees are more likely to use their personal devices to get work done. Mix that with the fact that about 75% of
employees lack cybersecurity training, and you’re left with a recipe for disaster. Employees need to be trained in what to do and not to do. They also need to know who to contact in the event something goes wrong. What should they do if they receive a phishing email? Who do they call if their network connection fails? Businesses working with a managed services provider have that taken care of. Employees have a phone number to call, and there is someone ready to take that call. Employees should always have someone, internally or externally, they can call. When you work with a managed services provider, a lot of bases get covered. You don’t have to worry about things like: • Making sure all devices have endpoint security, including anti- virus, anti-malware, and anti- ransomware protection • Making sure all company devices are patched — whenever new security patches come out, they’ll be installed immediately
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3 Data Points You Must Track Immediately to Monitor Your Business’s Health LISTEN TO THE NUMBERS
In business, numbers speak louder than anything else. Data provides an analysis of the health of a company. It can be one of the most important factors in decision-making for many entrepreneurs and one of the greatest indicators of growth. For these reasons and many others, you cannot ignore your numbers. If you’re not sure where to start, consider these three top data points to track the health and growth of your business. Churn: New customers provide an opportunity for a new revenue stream, but the startup costs and the timeline to turn a profit should make gathering new customers a second priority. Instead, it’s your regulars who can influence your regular cash flow, and when you’re having to fill gaps left by previous customers, you’re steering a sinking ship. By calculating churn, you can identify how much money is walking out the door each month and year. Once you know how much you’re losing, you can effectively establish a plan to keep your regulars and stop your revenue from leaking. Pipeline Revenue: This is how much money you would acquire if you landed every single sale. So, let’s say your
pipeline revenue for a single month is $100,000. You might actually only acquire $30,000, but you can use the pipeline revenue number to set goals for your sales team and track progress. If pipeline revenue is low, then your true revenue suffers. Annual Average Employee Revenue: You can track data to ensure your greatest resource — your employees — is valuable. This data point is what you get when you average your regular revenue among all your employees. For every employee, you should be making at least $100,000 in revenue. If your average is below $100,000, this may be
a sign of overstaffing or inadequate use of your resources.
The Numbers Combined: If you take these numbers at face value, then you’re not optimizing the usefulness they provide through tracking. For example, if your churn rate on a new product is low after one month of implementation, that data is skewed. You need more time to add more data on churn, satisfaction, and effectiveness before claiming this product is a success. If anything, that low churn rate tells you the implementation of the product was positive. The key is to keep that momentum going to maintain a low churn rate. Your industry can also influence the numbers you need to analyze. For example, if monitoring the annual average of employee revenue doesn’t make sense for your industry, don’t include it in your top three. Instead, find a metric that does work for your industry. The thing you cannot do is ignore the data. That’s a formula for disaster. The numbers tell a big part of the story when we contextualize them. With that information, business leaders can make informed decisions to push their companies forward.
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Change Can Be Easy Pam Marmon’s Outline for Effective Post-Pandemic Transformation
Pam Marmon understands what it means to adapt. After growing up in Bulgaria, Marmon had to modify her way of living when she emigrated to the U.S. Today, she’s a CEO, entrepreneur, wife, and mother who believes that change doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, she’s mastered it. Marmon has even established a company, Marmon Consulting, that helps other companies develop strategies for executing transformation. In Marmon’s book, “No One’s Listening and It’s Your Fault: Get Your Message Heard During Organizational Transformations,” she outlines her proven methods for effective communication in any company setting, from a major corporation to a family business. Released on March 24, 2020, Marmon’s advice is timely in a period when many business owners are searching for proactive solutions and the next step in finding post-pandemic success. Marmon’s book is the perfect guide for business leaders who recognize the need for tangible change and want to execute it as effectively as possible. The key, Marmon explains, is to identify your company’s culture and cater your plan’s language to suit what will resonate with your employees the most. This will establish a sense of alignment with your business’s vision and direction, which can be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. You cannot achieve success in a period of
change if your team is doubtful and unwilling. With your company united toward your vision, you can begin to enact real change. However, this is only the beginning. Marmon’s book also outlines how to connect with fellow leaders in your company to develop a framework for growth. By creating a stable foundation and inspiring change, you’ll find this time of major transition to be much smoother than you may have anticipated. As a
result, your company will come out on top at the end of the COVID-19 era.
Marmon’s mantra is inspiring: “With the proper process, change is not hard.” And with her book, “No One’s Listening and It’s Your Fault,” business leaders can see just how simple change can be.
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• Changing passwords regularly — you’ll have a consistent password policy in place. A good rule of thumb is to use long, complicated passwords and change them every 90 days • Setting up a VPN for employees that lets them securely log into the company network • Ongoing IT security training to keep employees informed and educated about the latest threats and what to look out for This is just the tip of the iceberg in what a managed service provider helps you accomplish. When you have these things in place, it makes remote work safer and easier. Even better, it sets up your business for IT security success. This year has been one learning opportunity after the next for businesses. I hope companies take what they’ve learned and apply it to their ongoing disaster recovery plan. Everything that’s happened over the past several months has really enhanced the importance of having an outside IT company working with you to solve these kinds of problems and more. It’s all about removing the burden of IT security from the shoulders of the company’s management team so they can focus on more important things like keeping the business running and profitable.
–Chuck Mosca
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Inside This Edition
1. 2. 3. 4.
Staying Secure in a Changing World
3 Data Points for Your Business’s Health
How to Enact Effective Change
2 Steps to Cultivate Leadership in Your Sales Team
Optimize Your Sales Team By Enhancing Their Leadership Qualities
Think about the traits of a leader. You may be thinking of someone who can take charge, isn’t afraid to fail, communicates clearly, has a passion for helping people, and is extroverted. Now, think of a successful salesperson. Do you see any overlap in characteristics? The answer is likely yes. Salespeople are natural leaders. They lead consumers to the best product or service, and they effectively push our economy and businesses forward. However, having multiple leaders on one team can create friction. As an entrepreneur or sales manager, you must create a work environment that nurtures your leaders in the sales department without causing issues. Those with an innate sense of leadership still need the right training and work environment to optimize their skills and excel. When you
provide these, the confidence of your team increases, their ability to sell effectively is boosted, and your sales numbers improve. It’s a win-win-win for you, your team, and the company.
You can create a plan for cultivating leadership with these two steps.
Provide Leadership Training Learning is an essential part of sales. Salespeople have to understand the demographic, cater to trends, and be the first to admit when a sales tactic is wrong. In addition to learning skills specific to their position, salespeople should also undergo leadership training. Many of these courses and teachings target managers who have employees, but when you encourage your team to apply these concepts to potential clients, they will learn what leadership skills they must nurture within themselves to get more sales. You can also take managerial leadership training and convert it into a program that targets your sales team.
Analyze Traits Leaders do have defined traits, but no two leaders are alike. Pinpointing the qualities that make each team member an effective leader — and therefore great at their job — can help you identify sales teams or partners that will function harmoniously. (Coincidentally, this process will also show you who should not work together.) The best pairs feed off one another. Maybe you have one salesperson who is the best at explaining the technical aspects of your product, while another is the most empathetic and emotional seller. Together, they’re a winning combination.
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