Most people are hired for their outstanding representation of skills and experience (whether they are real or not)…most are fired for reasons of poor character. Work hard and demonstrate outstanding character today!
© David Stelzl 2010
Archive for March, 2010
12
Mar
10
Word to the Wise
11
Mar
10
SMB Sound bites
While working with the Kaspersky Marketing today in Boston I came across this list of sound bites. You can read the entire article in USA Today …. this may help move some of the business owners you are working with to a realization that their small companies actually are targets – it’s not just the big banks who are at risk. These may also work for those of you who are calling on regional banks – notice the impact on business (last bullet)…apparently the banks are not as secure as they lead us to believe. (these come straight from the USA Today article posted in today’s paper)
- 55% of businesses reported experiencing fraud in the last 12 months, with 58% enabled by online banking activities.
- 80% of banks failed to catch fraud before funds were transferred out of their institution.
- In 87% of fraud attacks, the bank was unable to fully recover assets.
- 57% of the respondents that experienced a fraud attack were not fully compensated by their banks.
- 26% were not compensated for any part of their losses.
- 40% of defrauded businesses moved their banking activities elsewhere.
Note: when the paper says SMB – it is often referring to what many resellers consider mid-size, on down to the very small S-Corp type company.
© David Stelzl 2010
Yesterday on my flight to Boston I was talking to a gentleman about marketing through social networks. We were discussing how the Internet has completely changed the way we reach customers and prospects, as well as what prospects and clients are attracted to. Some considerations for your online brand…
1. Is your Cyber-Slip showing? This comes from the Title of a recent article published in the National Speakers Association monthly publication. The writer rightly points out that users of Facebook and other social networking sites tend to disregard security settings, thus “over-sharing” personal preferences, and perhaps adding to the damage by linking with others who speak too freely. We’re talking here about life-style, political views, hobbies, etc. Much of this can be harmless, however, you never know what people who you “sort of” know, and are linked to, are going to post. Be careful – social sites are one of the first places prospects are going to learn about you as you work through the sale process.
2. Freedom of speech…yes, we supposedly have some level of freedom of speech, however your comments on blogs and Facebook walls are searchable by everyone. Once you post it or send it, it’s forever posted. You can’t recall it! If you change your mind, or you mature over the years and realize you were being over zealous, your comments are not going to be updated. The Internet is here to stay, so post only things you want posted forever. Never post or email when angry about something.
3. Sterile sites – check out your website. This is your online image. Is it you, or is it boring? I’ve recently transitioned my primary site to my blog. Why? My website is informational, but static. Many companies are putting their blog on their website – this is okay, but I think a mistake. The first thing your prospects want to know is who you are. Remember the overused phrase, “Trusted Advisor”? It’s overused, yet it still means something. The idea of building trust is still essential, and the person building trust is you. People get to know you through your online presence. Make it trustworthy, and give people a personality to trust. Your character must somehow shine through your web presence, and the blog is the best place to do it. Take them to your blog, then as people get to know you, take them to your website to learn about products and services.
4. Outdated data…So you’re on LinkedIn…this is a great start, but have you provided the details. There is nothing worse than searching for John Smith and having a thousand LinkedIn profiles show up without pictures. If you are going to join, keep it updated. LinkedIn is a great way to stay in touch with people as they transition from one job to the next. While email addresses are changing, people connected through LinkedIn can stay in contact.
5. Pictures…pictures are worth a thousand words, right? Check out your photos online…Most people who take the time to put a picture on Linkedin use a head shot. Not bad – but make sure it’s current. Your 70′s hair-doo might need to be updated. Why do so many people use a weird picture on Facebook? Casual is great for social networking, but if you’re in business, don’t put something sensual (if you’re a woman) or just plain freaky online…this is your trusted brand.
Are you doing any of these things? It’s time to clean up and create the right image. Start by Googling yourself – do this often and see what’s out there. Then take inventory of what you have online and start fixing it. If you don’t have anything online – you are missing a great opportunity to build a brand that will help you over the coming years.
When I see Facebook access reported in assessment reports I yawn. The asset owner is not going to conclude they’re in trouble when this is reported. However, if you take time to show them why this is problematic, you might have something. Here’s a clear statement, using an attraction story (if you’ve read previous posts on great marketing tips), explaining the issue with a live example. USA Today reports a recent attack brought on by hackers who gained access to one Facebook account, and used the friends list to entice others into clicking on infected links. One problem with this story – it assumes that only work computers are used for work, so extrapulate this to home PCs used by those who take their work home at night.
Key Points:
1. Hackers gained access to an account – Facebook was not well protected.
2. An infected link was sent to the Facebook account friends list
3. Some of those who received the link clicked on it – why not? The average user is going to have no way of telling the difference.
4. Infections resulted, adding these computers to the glowing list of zombies tied to botnets.
