Cisco Systems : Partner Weekly Rewind and Fast Forward

Cisco Blog >Partner

Knock knock.

Who's there?

Muffled reply. Sounds serious.

Do you open your door?

Hackers hope so.

This week we're talking about:

• Security, security, security: what's new and what does it mean to you?
• Your value proposition. Does it stand out? Or does it sound like everyone else's?

Hackers are knocking at your door.

Take a scavenger hunt through this week's blog to find this tidbit.

'Collectively, our customers are blocking nearly 20 billion threats every day. And they're detecting these threats much faster. What used to take about 100 days, they're now doing in less than one. We're making this happen. OUR PARTNERS are making this happen. Together we are protecting networks, keeping people and businesses safe and secure, and winning together.' (which of our leaders said this?)

Find out how we (that's us + you, Partners!) are helping customers keep their networks safe, secure, and protected. And helping you grow your security practice. Wendy Bahr, SVP, has the scoop in this blog. Also learn how to sell trust, not just security, and enlist your marketing team to help. Michelle Chiantera, VP, shares how in this blog.

What do Wendy and Michelle's blog have in common? They both talk about how important it is to secure your network, why you should sell and market Cisco security (the best in the industry), and how to take the next step.

We're also taking the next step in building our portfolio. That's why we announced intent to acquire CloudLock. Get more information and find out what the industry is saying, in particular the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch.

Share the news:

>> Fast Forward: We'll keep the conversation going about security in the next few weeks on our blog, twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn. So many ways to keep up!

Does your business sound like everyone else's business?

When was the last time you reviewed your businesses value proposition and compared it to others?

If your answer isn't three, six, or twelve months ago, it's time to review. Try this exercise:

• Put your value proposition next to 5-7 of your competitors value propositions
• Remove all attribution (company name and any other signs of the company)
• Show it to members of your executive team, sales, team, and marketing team
• Rate it: on a scale of 1-4 how much does your value proposition make you want to do business with your company?If you discover it's time reinvent or refine how you position your company, we can help. In less than 10 minutes your marketing team can learn how to write a clear, concise statement of your value and learn simple techniques to make your messages even more memorable.It all starts at Marketing Velocity.

>> Fast Forward: we'll cover more marketing resources to help your business next week.

What's next?

The partner weekly rewind and fast forward is designed to give you a snapshot of what you missed and what's to come. Tell us what you think and what you want to hear about in the comments. And come back next week for more!