With his consulting firm, Michael Rustom Inc., he continues to harness his deep industry knowledge to help businesses navigate challenges efficiently. 

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Q: Prior to starting your own company, you had a long career in the corporate world, much of it as a sales executive. What drew you to IT, and what’s kept you in the industry for so long?

MICHAEL RUSTOM: I formed my consulting firm intending to build off my years of experience with information technology. I’ve been knee-deep in this world for decades, much of it with Scalar Decisions, where I was immersed in technology systems integration across dozens of industries. As to why it interests me, I’ve always been attracted to efficiency in design, and I’ve worked hard to become a great salesman and sales leader, which is something I enjoy and I’m proud of. It’s satisfying to have one passion kind of feed into the other. 

Q: You’ve worked with businesses in everything from the mining to the financial technology sectors. How do you adapt your approach?

MICHAEL RUSTOM: There are certain similarities that almost all companies share. Virtually every company has a need for the best means of streamlining operations and ensuring data security. I realized this early in my career and saw that my approach could stay focused on those simple principles. Aside from that, the way I address clients is largely rooted in the basics: finding out what they need, what resources they have at their disposal, and what their future plans are in a general sense. And help them find means of achieving them. Dealing with people is its own distinct skill set. You can be the most knowledgeable person in the world, but if you can’t communicate or earn trust, you won’t build a relationship or build your business.

Q: How has your approach to business development changed from your time as a corporate executive?

MICHAEL RUSTOM: In an overall sense, my approach hasn’t changed that much. It’s still largely rooted in those basics. That being said, I do see things through the lens of a business owner now, and I take into account things like taxes, budgeting, and long-term financial planning. But my professional philosophy remains mostly unchanged. 

Q: How do you stay ahead of trends and ensure that the solutions you recommend are not only current but future-proof?

MICHAEL RUSTOM: That’s where there’s a constant effort. I’ve got trade publications I depend on, as well as business contacts. I attend some seminars and do my best to get hands-on experience with any emergent tech as soon as I can. It’s a process, but it’s a process I enjoy. 

Q: What are some of the most common misconceptions about IT consultants?

MICHAEL RUSTOM: One of the most common is that technology consultants are simply ‘order takers’ who procure and install whatever the client asks for, without putting much thought into their broader business needs. 

In reality, being a great IT consultant means understanding both the tech requirements and the business goals of your clients, as well as getting to know them as human beings. It’s about listening closely to them and what they’re telling you—verbally and otherwise—and then crafting customized solutions that line up with their long-term objectives. When I run into this misconception in the field, I usually try to dispel it through my actions. I focus on building strong, consultative relationships over the long term while proving myself through thoughtful recommendations that address both immediate needs and future growth.

The post A Focus on the Function: Veteran Michael Rustom on the Art of Selling Systems Technology  appeared first on CEO Medium.

Think SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) best practices will ensure that your website gets seen by more people online. Optimizing titles, URLs, descriptions, and keywords can increase organic traffic and improve rankings on search engines. It may take a bit of time, but the rewards are worth it.

Consistently Add Content

The content on your website must be current and relevant to keep visitors engaged. If the content isn’t fresh and interesting, visitors will quickly move to other websites where they can find more useful information. Keep content updated with new posts or articles at least once per week for maximum impact.

Find Ways to Improve Loading Speed

Upgrading your page loading speed is essential for ensuring a better user experience, explains Sem Rush. This way, web pages not only load faster, but the amount of data used is also reduced, which can then help you cut down on hosting costs and improve your site’s performance overall. With the right optimization techniques, you can make your website faster and more responsive to visitors.

Make It Mobile-Friendly

Having a mobile-friendly website is essential in today’s digital world. More and more people are using their phones to browse the web, so it’s important to ensure that your website looks great and works well on any device. Use responsive design or create dedicated mobile pages to make sure visitors have an optimal experience.

Make Sharing Easier

Social share buttons let visitors easily share content from your website with their friends or followers on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, which helps increase brand visibility across different networks. Adding follow buttons allows users to easily stay updated about your products and offerings, as well.

Understand Coding

If your website has any broken pages or images, then it’s time to upgrade your coding skills or hire a web developer who can help. Broken pages lead to frustrated visitors who won’t stay on the site long enough to convert into customers. Keeping your website code updated is essential for ensuring optimized performance, reaching a broader online audience, and improving customer experience.

Upgrade Your IT Knowledge

Understanding how websites work is essential if you want to make sure they’re optimized for success. Are you interested in expanding your knowledge of website management but are struggling to find the time to attend physical classes? Check out online learning platforms, which are perfect for busy professionals who want to find ways to effectively manage their websites and stay ahead of the curve. With a variety of courses available, you can choose one that best fits your learning style and time commitment.

Make Data Security a Priority

Your customers’ personal information should always be kept safe. Make sure that all customer information is stored securely in PDFs and with encryption software. Not only is this a surefire way to protect your customers’ personal information, but it also helps improve the speed of your website by controlling bandwidth use.

To safeguard personal data, consider adding SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certification, an industry-level security measure that will protect customers from hackers or online thieves. Adding SSL to your website domain will help your visibility in the search engines over time, as well, as it promotes trust. By encrypting client data, you can protect company and customer information alike from malicious viruses or outsiders attempting fraud schemes.

Also, while PDFs generally look more professional and are better for business, you can run into problems if you need to edit them. Luckily, there’s a solution. If you need to make any changes to your PDF, click for info on a helpful online tool that you can use for free.

Stay Updated for More Web Traffic

Updating your website is essential for keeping up with changes in technology, maximizing your reach among potential customers, safeguarding customer information, boosting performance metrics like page speed, and improving the user experience overall. Taking these steps will ensure that no matter what economic environment we face today or tomorrow, your website will be ready to host more and more traffic.

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