We speak to our partners a lot about getting their own certification for Cyber Essentials when they join our re-seller program. It’s an important part of looking like a trustworthy and reliable seller. But we know that it doesn’t always feel like a quick, pain-free process, especially when IT Providers and MSP’s have so much on their plate. Your focus is (naturally) on your customers and their cyber security so we understand why assessing your own company might sit on the backburner.
And yet you know how important it is to offer Cyber Essentials for your clients. As their trusted IT provider or MSP, you want to be able to provide their business with a certification that will increase their security and minimise their cyber risk.
But this begs the question…
How can I sell something I don’t have?
It seems like a catch-22; you want to start selling as soon as possible, but you feel like you can’t do anything without your own certification.
We’re here to tell you that this doesn’t have to be a concern. In our experience, the most successful re-sellers start engaging and having conversations with their customers about the benefits of accreditation early – BEFORE finalising their own certification.
"You don’t need a certification of your own to educate your clients on Cyber Essentials and the benefits it has for their business."
Think of it like an estate agent showing prospective customers a house. The estate agent has never lived in that house; they don’t own it. But they care about their customers getting the home that they deserve. More to the point, these potential buyers are coming to the estate agent because they need an expert – a trusted advisor to guide them through the process.
As the IT provider or MSP for your client, you have a duty to keep them up to date with the best solutions on the market for cybersecurity. Your clients want to be in line with government security standards and they will look to you to help make that happen.
If you have to refer them on to someone else, you’re losing the opportunity for extra revenue and you’re not giving your clients the full service. It’s like an estate agent not showing all the rooms on a house tour.
You don’t need a certification of your own to educate your clients on Cyber Essentials and the benefits it has for their business. We’re here in the wings to offer our sales advice and resources so you can kickstart the selling process before even getting to the point of certification.
Is there a way to get the best of both worlds?
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to advise your clients on the Cyber Essentials certification from first-hand experience? You’d be able to directly empathise with your clients and be seen as a someone they can relate to.
"Use your own experience of the product as a springboard for selling it."
The good news is that there’s no reason why you can’t be on your Cyber Essentials journey while helping your clients begin theirs. We can assist you as you go through the steps needed for accreditation while you’re able to start those all-important conversations with clients – the ones that lead to sales – straight away.
Your customers don’t need to see that you’re fully certified from the get-go, but starting the process demonstrates:
- You care about them and their data
- You care about cybersecurity
- You believe what you’re selling to them is a worthwhile investment.
Use your own experience of the product as a springboard for selling it.
Think about it – if you’re undergoing the assessment process while selling the same service to clients, you have the advantage of foreseeing any concerns or issues they may have because you’ve encountered and overcome them yourself.
"We don’t want you to have to sit by as your clients go elsewhere because they aren’t getting what they need."
We know there can be a lot of pressure as a company in IT to breeze through your Cyber Essentials assessment and achieve a perfect pass, but in reality, every company faces cybersecurity issues, no matter the industry. If pre-assessment exposes any gaps in your cybersecurity, you’ll just be better equipped to help your clients fix theirs.
It’s much more effective being able to say to clients: “I know you might be worrying about X but we felt the same. It can be easily dealt with by doing Y”.
So, don’t miss your chance. We don’t want you to have to sit by as your clients go elsewhere because they aren’t getting what they need.
Work with us to define and develop a ‘go to market’ plan which will satisfy your clients’ needs and bring in that extra revenue. If you start laying the groundwork early, while getting started on your own certification, your clients will be ready to buy when the time comes, and you’ll be in the best position to guide them.
