The road to 17 years of continued success: Seccom Global x Excelerate Marketing
The Excelerate Effect shines a spotlight on the small businesses in our network that are excelling in their industry, gearing up for growth and harnessing the power of marketing to take their businesses further than ever before.
Excelerate Marketing sat down with founders and directors from businesses in a range of industries, exploring the business attitudes, lessons and levers that have set these businesses apart.
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Seccom Global
If you’re reading this, give yourself a pat on the back for being a business owner in 2020. Many businesses have taken on board the challenges of this year and have triumphed through creative innovations and finding sustainable ways to downsize.
So, regardless of the size or growth of your business this year, remember to take time to look back and celebrate your wins.
And that’s just what Michael Demery, Managing Director of Seccom Global, has done. We sat down with Mr Demery to get his insights on how The Cyber Security Company, Seccom, has maintained a successful 17-years of operation, and exactly what 2020 has taught him.
How to stand out in a crowd
Seccom has grown from a small to medium-sized business in just over 10 years, employing over 40 professionals since its foundation in 2003. And one of the most important challenges Seccom has had to face as a business is how to stay competitive in a growing, and now saturated, industry.
“It isn’t easy today for a business in Information Security to be truly unique. The reason is, there are few areas that a business can be considered truly individual and even when this occurs, it is very quickly copied,” explained Mr Demery.
This is a battle many business owners will know all too well, as finding your unique selling point and identifying your strategic assets is challenging but invaluable.
“Seccom was started in 2003 as a Managed Security Service Provider, at the time in Australia you could count on one hand Managed Security Service Providers in Australia.
“What remains unique about Seccom is that from 2003 to today, we haven’t deterred from our original focus. We provided 24/7 technical support back then, and to this day we still provide manned 24/7 technical support,” He said.
Business owners can sometimes get lost in a one-up battle, constantly trying to reinvent the wheel to stay ahead. While innovation is a crucial part of any business, it doesn’t have to come at the expense of your core strengths.
Seccom understood this and can pinpoint maintaining fantastic technical support and customer service as a key component of its continued success.
Team culture comes first
Another crucial lesson for having a successful business – and a lesson that can often be overlooked – is finding the right balance in your team’s culture.
In fact, a survey by Bullitin found that 46 per cent of job seekers cite company culture as very important when choosing to apply for a company. A further 35 per cent of those surveyed would turn down the “perfect job” if they felt the company culture wasn’t’ a good fit, and 15 per cent of job seekers surveyed had already turned down jobs due to this.
“No business can succeed without the right team,” Mr Demery explained, when asked what he attributes to Seccom’s success.
“We decided a few years back to build our team based on culture first. This decision meant making changes, letting some talented people go as they did not possess the traits we wanted in our business.
“At the time we were not sure we had made the right decision, but looking back, this was the exact decision we needed to make,” He said.
In fact, finding the right balance in their workplace culture has also been Seccom’s greatest challenge in 17-years of business. Not only does having a positive and encouraging work environment breed good results, but it also leads to better customer service and client support.
“Culture would be the greatest challenge. Ensuring that all people in the organisation understand the vital role that they play to keep clients happy.
“While your focus must be on generating new business to grow, this cannot be done at the risk of losing customers because of poor customer service,” He said.
But how does a business maintain a strong team culture once they’ve hired the ‘right’ people? For Mr Demery, one of the greatest lessons has come off the back of Covid-19 regulations: keeping a healthy work/life balance.
“Moving forward post-COVID, I believe we will move to a more hybrid work environment to provide a work/life balance to our employees. I think the days of being in the office everyday are long gone,” He said.
Leading from the front
Speaking of COVID-19, Mr Demery was able to reflect on how Seccom’s mission from the outset of its creation had changed (if at all) this year.
“When we started the business our original goals were to make it to the next year.
“Once we realised that we had a successful business, our goal was to build a business that people wanted to work for and to have a business that led from the front.
“Our goal in 2020 is to continue building our brand and to have a business that is regarded as both ethical and successful,” He said.
As a business owner, no level of micromanaging your staff or getting bogged down in tiny details will help you to grow. In fact, to lead from the front, you need to be able to be seen and engage your staff from a managerial position, all while being able to retain a big picture view of what’s to come. If you can’t see the forest for the trees, then your team and your products or service will suffer for it.
In fact, having a healthy and clear perspective as a leader is one lesson Mr Demery has learnt this year.
“There is rarely only one road that will take you towards your destination. When faced with a roadblock, sometimes you simply need to take the time to look more closely at the map in front of you,” Mr Demery said.
Don’t be afraid to seek guidance
When it comes to looking back on almost two decades of ups and downs, Michael Demery can pinpoint one key thing he would have done differently with Seccom Global: aligning himself with someone who has walked the path before.
“If I could have my time again, I would invest in a business coach. But not one that has learnt from reading books, I would find one that has leant from experience and succeeded despite the many mistakes,” Mr Demery said.
The return on investment for using a business coach is strong, according to a survey of Fortune 500 companies. For every dollar invested in coaching, they made $7.90 – a return of 690 per cent.
It’s a common reflection, but one that business owners may struggle with. After all, if you’re bootstrapping your business, as opposed to connecting with venture capitalists, how do you begin to find a coach or mentor?
There are a few ways to seek out the right guide to help your business on its growth journey, including:
· Attend workshops for your industry
· Network through your peers
· Reach out to a successful entrepreneur or investor on LinkedIn
· Use the Government’s Advisory Search tool to find low-cost business advisers in your area
The importance of referrals
When speaking on their most successful marketing tactics, Michael Demery could not overlook the importance of partner referrals.
“We have tried many marketing tactics over the years from attending industry events, running lunch and learn sessions, conducting webinars, running training sessions, advertising in magazines, even door knocking. In fact, the list would be easier to say what we have not tried.
“If I was to pick one event that has been the most successful, I believe this would be partner referral, where we have worked with partners to grow an opportunity for both organisations,” Mr Demery said.
This is where connecting with a bespoke marketing team like Excelerate Marketing can be invaluable for business owners, because they’re not expected to be the expert.
You’ll have access to industry professionals with a range of skillsets who will not only transform your business’ marketing, but be able to connect you to partners who will boost your customer base through mutual growth opportunities.