IT Channel Insider - May 2021

IT Channel Insider - May 2021

IT CHANNEL INS IDER

How ThreatLocker Is Making Cybersecurity Easier For MSPs And Harder For Criminals

Using Humor In Sales

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How Webroot Is Generating HUNDREDS Of Hot Web Leads In 2021

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Negotiate Like A Pro Page 7

Danny Jenkins, CEO, ThreatLocker

May 2021 | Volume 3

A Big Red Media Production

Digital Marketing Corner

Upcoming Channel Events

Big Red Rodeo - IT Sales And Marketing Boot Camp

What do you do when live events are scarce and company travel restrictions haven’t loosened up yet? For Webroot, you do a hard pivot into digital marketing with a proven partner in “MSP Success Magazine” and replace the lack of booth traffic with a steady stream of hot web leads. And while most channel companies continue to rely on their own web traffic and simply retarget visitors, Webroot chose a different route by partnering with a proven source of high-qual- ity MSP traffic to generate NEW leads week in and week out. The No. 1 Secret To Their Success? High-quality content. We- broot is cranking out great new content every month. The example co-branded ad drives visitors to their brand-new “2021 Predic- tions” video (https://mspsuccessmagazine.com/predictions) with a landing page converting MSP visitors to leads at a 40%–46% rate! The combination of high-quality content that MSPs want, a high conversion landing page, and the established credibility of “MSP Success Magazine” are a winning combination every time! How Webroot Is Partnering With MSP Success Magazine To Drive Hundreds Of Highly Targeted Digital Marketing Leads In 2021

When: May 11–14, 2021 Where: Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL RobinsBigSeminar.com

Producers Club Meetings When: Q2 - July 15–17, 2021 Q3 - Oct. 7–9, 2021 Where: Cool Springs Marriott, Franklin, TN RobinsProducersClub.com

IT Nation Secure When: June 21–23, 2021 https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation

dattoCon When: Oct. 11–14, 2021 https://www.dattocon.com

ConnectIT When: Oct. 19–22, 2021 https://www.connectit.com

Want to learn more about our digital marketing services? Contact your account rep directly or call us at 615-790- 5011 and ask for the Big Red Media team!

Fall IT Sales And Marketing Roadshow

In advertising, the money is in the list. You can have the best ad in the world, but if you show it to the wrong people, it’s money out the window. I highly recommend using Big Red Media and ‘MSP Success Magazine’ if you’re thinking of running digital ads. Everything time we turn an ad on, we get amazing results.

When & Where: Sept. 8–9, 2021 | Washington, DC

Sept. 28–29, 2021| Dallas, TX Oct. 21–22, 2021| Newark, NJ Oct. 28–29, 2021| Chicago, IL Nov. 2–3, 2021| Las Vegas, NV (Plus Virtual) BigRedMedia.com/events/roadshow/

–Mike Brooks Director of Sales and Marketing, audIT

For a complete list of channel events, visit MSPSuccessMagazine.com/channel-events

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Big Red Media | A Robin Robins Company

How To Use Humor To Drive More Sales

By Mike Stodola, CMO

First, an amusing story … One day a doctor, new to town, began attending church services at the small-town chapel. The pastor was delighted, and it wasn’t long before they were helping each other in their work. The pastor referred people to the doctor for their physical ail- ments, and the doctor referred people to the minister for their spiritual issues. One day, a person whom the pastor had never met came into his office as a referral from the doctor and asked for the pastor’s last four sermons. Delighted, the pastor fished them out, and, while making copies of them for the potentially troubled man,

People like a laugh, and it’s a good way to initiate a conversation. 2. Use Humor To Deepen Relationships: I know a very successful businessman, Bob, who is in the business-to-business space selling computer networking hardware to large companies and is doing something most would never dream of: dressing up in ridiculous costumes for his monthly mailed client newsletter (did you catch that I said mailed … as in snail mail)! Most would say, “I can’t do that in my industry,” but not Bob. Instead, he humanizes an otherwise mundane and commoditized business so that his customers have a relationship with him. So, while others have to rely solely on price to compete, Bob knows that by providing excellent service and a good relationship, his clients won’t jump ship just to save a few bucks. Similarly, Deanne, a good friend of mine, used to be a pharmaceutical rep. She would dress in costumes for Hal- loween, St. Patrick’s Day, and really any other time she could work it in while selling to doctors. She said that they liked seeing her because she put a smile on their faces (along with their staff and any patients in the waiting room). She instantly stood out and often got to meet with the doctor much quicker than when she just showed up in “proper work attire.” 3. Use Humor To Generate Repeat Business And Refer- rals: One of the best ways to get more repeat business and referrals is to keep in touch with those you’ve already done business with. Studies show that your current clients are the most cost-effec- tive and most likely to do more business with you. But the issue is, how do you keep in touch? While I already mentioned newslet- ters, not just e-newsletters, we do highly recommend a weekly email. And while

he asked what ailed the man. “Insomnia,” replied the man.

A smile, a laugh, or a chuckle can be worth far more to your business than you may have ever realized. I can’t recall a single book on sales or marketing that talks about humor as a way to increase business, even though it tends to be one of the most effective tools for relationship-building. Here, we’ll go through three ways to use humor to get new customers, deepen relationships, and generate repeat business and referrals. 1. Use Humor To Get New Customers: I was walking down the street the other day and saw this sign outside of the “General Store.” I later learned the store had been there for a year and a half and was just a few minutes from my house, but I’d nev- er thought about going in until I saw this sign. Turns out they make killer coffee drinks, and it’s a nice change from Starbucks.

While I see tent signs all the time (most with generic messages like “25% off select items” or worse, “C’mon in, we’re open”), what got my attention was the fact that they used humor, and I wanted to check out the store to see who the comedic genius was behind this sign. One of our longest running Facebook ads that’s responsible for hundreds and hundreds of leads has a comic that our prospective clients can relate to (pictured on Page 6). It gets hundreds of comments and engagement, which drives down the cost, and even shares (FREE ADVERTISING!). The point is this: Can you do something in your marketing to be original, funny, or attention-getting? Or are you satisfied looking like the rest of your competition?

A smile, a laugh, or a chuckle can be worth far more to your business than you may have ever realized.

www.BigRedMedia.com Continued on Page 6 ...

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IT Channel Rock Star Profile

“How Do We Stop It?” That was the question Danny Jenkins was asked regard- ing the serious cybersecurity problems clients were expe- riencing. Hearing the question repeated is what ultimately led Danny to found ThreatLocker, a global cybersecurity leader providing enterprise-level cybersecurity tools for the MSP industry. Danny’s fascination with computer security began long before it was an issue. In high school, as a “short person,” he used his computer skills as “muscle.” “I’d write mal- ware applications to delete people’s homework,” Danny said. In 1997, at 16 years old, he became an apprentice at what today is known as an MSP. Extremely technical and ambitious, he moved to Ireland and went to work at Kingspan, a multinational, $4-billion company, where he rose quickly to become the head of IT infrastructure by the time he was 21. Kingspan was acquiring companies nearly every month. With malware coming into play as all the new companies joined together, Kingspan needed stan- dards and secured infrastructure. “It became my responsi- bility to set and implement the standards,” Danny said. “I implemented the anti-spam, email filters, and corporate firewalls. I got a lot of exposure to security as I traveled around the world, implementing global networks.” At 24, he founded his first company, MXSweep, which provided cloud email security and was eventually acquired by FuseMail, a worldwide provider of outsourced email. In 2009, he started another email security company, which he slowly built up and sold. After selling his second company, he began consulting, which led him to two clients (one was the private school his kids attended) who needed help to stop cyber-attacks. Sami Jenkins, COO and co-founder of ThreatLocker, manages Lake Forrester Prep’s IT department,” Danny said. “She was looking after the school’s IT, and they were constantly getting malware. The school was sending out emails with pornography, and the teachers were clicking on everything. It was a big problem.” An MSP in Australia also called for help with a ransom- ware case. “A small insurance company had been encrypt- ed with ransomware — every file, every claims >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8

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