Giri Fox

Sellers don't close deals, buyers do. Wanna bet? Microsoft's tech stack, platform cybersecurity vendors & the new AI-native security cohort represent rapid engines for growth for the UK Channel community. Top drivers include: 1. Clients prioritising market position and the need to act in partnership to address; "Everyone is moving faster than us and we cannot see how to catch up." 2. Many cybersecurity initiatives have budgets too small to trust. Underinvesting in a stated priority doesn't reduce risk, it widens it. The latest AI-native security vendors struggle to get the mindshare of Channel scale. 3. If the driver is cost, customers will choose on price. If the driver is speed, price barely registers and the only question that matters is who can move them fastest without breaking anything. Many are still competing hard in the first category while the money moves to the second. Three quality changes CROs can make to accelerate their sales engines. 1. Stop tracking internal arbitrary sales stages based on quotes, and proposal submissions. Track evidence of what buyers actually do against how your best deals closed. If pipeline management is the same today as 12+ months ago without being challenged and win rates aren't improving you must adapt the system. 2. Replicate your best clients with repeatable service deals. "I've seen this before, this is what worked and didn't work and why" continues to be the intelligence layer partners have always had access to but is rarely seen codified and consistently used in GTM. 3. Key account treatment can extend downmarket into mid-market and upper SMB (or up!). Build a system that reinforces the moments that build trust in each segment. These moments create and kill deals you as the seller are not in the room for. "Thinking in bets starts with recognising that there are exactly two things that determine how our lives turn out: the quality of our decisions and luck. Learning to recognise the difference between the two is what thinking in bets is all about." - Annie Duke. Don't leave the activation of your new business sales engine to chance.

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Is your business ready for stricter reporting rules? New UK Cyber Security Bill: What You Need to Know The UK government has introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, expanding compliance requirements for datacentres and Managed Service Providers. Key changes include: - Mandatory reporting of major cyber incidents within 24 hours - Full incident reports within 72 hours - Penalties of up to £100,000 per day or 10% of daily turnover If you rely on MSPs or cloud services, review your vendor risk and compliance strategy now. This will reshape outsourcing contracts and increase demand for robust security solutions. #security #managed Track the progress of the bill here - https://lnkd.in/eXwMNcav

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Very interesting report from our members Charlotte Street Partners - Highlighting that Cyber Security is seen as the biggest risk facing organisation's in Scotland - BUT there is a large disconnect between seeing it as a risk and preparedness. https://lnkd.in/eFkwiUjp Cyber and Fraud Centre - Scotland

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We help UK SMEs overcome three common AI barriers with practical, low-risk steps. 1) Skills gaps: start with short workshops and task-focused playbooks so your team learns by doing. 2) Unclear ROI: run small pilots with clear metrics to prove value quickly. 3) Change resistance: use phased rollouts and visible wins to build trust and momentum. Our phased, jargon-free approach makes AI manageable and measurable. Ready to take the next realistic step? Learn more: https://wix.to/rcZalfF 🔍🤝 #SMEs #AIadoption #BusinessGrowth

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Sales Tip #191 Is Hard Copy Cold Outreach the New Black? ✉️ "You may have seen the recent letter from the UK Government to FTSE 350 boards that highlights the rise in hostile cyber activity and stresses the need for... strong supply chain controls and proactive resilience." "[Company] provides real detection and fast response" This company decided to send this message via a physical letter as part of their cold outreach. Am I to expect their SOC alerts to come through the same channel? Or perhaps they'll escalate via carrier pigeon? 🐦‍⬛ At the bottom of the letter, they've stuck on a QR code with "Book A Meeting" written next to it I am almost lost for words (I said almost, I'm never actually lost for words.) This security company expects a CISO to book a meeting by scanning a QR code. A QR code which isn't event printed on the letter - it's a sticker. Do they know what a MitM attack is? Or quishing? Or is this rage-bait marketing? A new form of phishing LARP? The letter signs off with: ✉️ "Even if we never work together, you will get something useful from the conversation" That is very bold statement, and one I doubt very much. --- In response to my initial question: no, hard copy cold outreach is not the new black. A physical letter does not add credibility. It does not make your message more "serious" It's a waste of paper, postage... and everyone's time. And please - for the love of god - will security suppliers STOP SENDING MATERIAL THAT RESEMBLES PHISHING. You are undermining your position and infuriating prospects. #SalesTip #SpamScamOrSales #LifeAsACISO #Phishing #SnailMail 📎

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G-Cloud Relaunch Brings Biggest Ever Upgrade, Opening New Opportunities for UK SME Suppliers For UK SMEs selling cloud services, the relaunch of G-Cloud is more than a framework refresh. It signals a meaningful shift in how public sector cloud buying may work over the next four years. According to the Government Commercial Agency announcement, G-Cloud 15 opens an estimated £14 billion in opportunities and places SME access at the centre of the redesign. What has changed with G-Cloud 15 The biggest structural change is consolidation. G-Cloud 15 merges three previously separate frameworks into one commercial agreement, making it easier for buyers to procure cloud requirements in one place. For suppliers, that reduces fragmentation. For buyers, it should reduce administrative friction. The government says this is the “most significant upgrade” since G-Cloud began in 2012. It also states that around 90% of suppliers are small and medium sized enterprises, which is a strong signal that SME participation remains a core policy objective, not a side note. #CyberJourno #CyberEssentials #CyberResilience #CyberSafe #CyberSecurity #Cybersecurity #NCSC #SME #SMECyberInsights #SMECybersecurity #SMECyberInsights #ThreatIntelligence #Securus https://lnkd.in/e5skUtT4

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