If you provide protection against ransomware, malware, phishing attacks and more, there is a time-sensitive security issue that will enable you to get many clients between now and July 2018. Follow these steps to generate an avalanche of highly qualified IT leads and close more IT sales during this window of opportunity.
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The IT Sales Newsjacking Opportunity
An upcoming feature in Google’s Chrome release 68 (due out in July) will check every website to see if it is encrypted. If it is not, Chrome will display a security warning to every visitor indicating that the site is “Not Secure” – and Google says that warning will be displayed in RED.
Even if you don’t provide web services, use the timing of this release to get new clients. It’s an easy entree to sell your full security suite.
This marketing technique is known as newsjacking, where you associate something going on in the news to your products or services. Here’s how to use newsjacking for this opportunity:
- When you show someone they have a vulnerability on their website, you can then offer to do a security audit to verify that they don’t have any other looming security issues. This will usually lead to conversations about ransomware, patch management, remote monitoring, data backup, and other IT security services that you sell. It’s a perfect door opener to generate IT sales.
- Use this IT security checklist or services like Rapid Fire Tools, OpenVAS, Nmap or others to discover vulnerabilities that you can address.
- If they ask you to fix their website, it’s very easy – just 2 clicks. You don’t need a web developer so don’t be scared of doing this yourself. After all, you already know how to protect against ransomware. This is a piece of cake compared to that! Instructions →
How to Check if a Website is Encrypted
Here’s how to check if your site (or your client’s) is encrypted:
Visit the website using Chrome and look at the web address in the address bar.
If you see a green lock with the words “Secure” next to the web address, the site is secure. Encrypted web addresses start with “https” instead of “http”. Here’s an example:
On the other hand, a gray “i” with a circle around it means the site is NOT encrypted. Click the “i” and you’ll see that Chrome is already posting a note that the site is not secure like this:
Starting July, Google reports that they will make that warning display in full and in red. Their February 8, 2018 security blog stated it this way:
Beginning in July 2018 with the release of Chrome 68, Chrome will mark all HTTP sites as “not secure”.
Two very important points about your own website if it is not encrypted yet:
- This Chrome security warning could kill your website traffic and damage your company’s reputation! Imagine your customers going to your website to get your phone number and seeing a red security warning. They’ll think you got hacked and then wonder how good your IT security services really are.
- You don’t need a web developer to encrypt your site or your clients’ sites. Follow these instructions and you’ll be done before you finish your coffee.
How to Find IT Leads for Your Security Services
Finding companies whose websites need encryption is very easy. You can probably fill your pipeline of IT leads within a week using the following steps.
Let’s say your target market is accounting firms. That’s a good niche because if their information comes across as unsecured, it could be a big problem for them. They will likely pay attention when they hear something about their company is not secure.
Do the same for other industries, like lawyers, human resource firms, bookkeepers, insurance brokers, financial service providers, retail stores, car dealerships, just about anyone you target.
Finding and Contacting New Prospects
Sticking with the accounting example, do a search on Google for the term “accounting firm” and you’ll get a list of companies near you. (Replace “accounting firm” with any niche you pursue.) This is what turned up for my local area in Maryland today:
All websites that don’t have encryption (shown in red above) are possible prospects for you. Follow these steps to start IT sales conversations with them:
- Visit their website to see there is any recent information. This is an indicator of whether the company cares about keeping their site updated. They may not know about the upcoming security issue this July.
- Locate their point of contact, usually a partner or CEO.
- Send them a note or call to introduce yourself. Tell them to visit their website and click the gray “i” in the address bar to see for themselves. Direct them to Google’s announcement about this issue, or better yet, to a blog on your website so they know this is a real issue.
- Ask if they use an IT firm to manage their security. If they do, say “if your current IT firm didn’t tell you about this pretty important security issue, it’s possible they missed other security issues, too.”
- Then, offer to do a security audit or send them a self-assessment security checklist.
IT Marketing Made Easy
To make the entire sales and marketing process much easier and faster, use MoreBusiness.com’s IT Security Marketing Bundle for Chrome 68 which contains pre-written blogs and email messages that you can copy/paste.
It includes all of the pre-written content you will need to reach out and start conversations. You’ll get 2 blog posts (to use before and after the release) and 6 email marketing campaigns to send to different market segments. The bundle also includes detailed instructions on how and when to use each piece.
(Use coupon code chrome68 at checkout to get 25% off for a limited time)
Contacting Customers and Prospects Whom You Know
The easiest people to reach are the ones you already know.
- Make a list of all of the companies you pitched in the last 24 months but didn’t win as clients.
- Send them a note about the issue and offer to help.
- Contact your clients and offer to share this alert with their customers, thereby creating a trusted referral source.
The email campaigns in the Chrome Release 68 Marketing Bundle include several variations to send to each of these market segments.
If you reach out to a prospect now and they are not ready to engage in your services, send them a note in July when Chrome release 68 is out. When they see a red “Not Secure” warning on their website, they may want to have a conversation with you immediately.
This IT Sales Window of Opportunity Closes in July
This is a golden opportunity for IT security providers to generate new business quickly. The window of opportunity for new IT sales using this newsjacking technique is between now and July 2018.
Start today and blow past your sales quota!
If you would like detailed, step-by-step guidance, register for this IT marketing webinar – it includes a complete video demo on exactly how to find new IT leads:
