(713) 589-3111 • www.ybs.us
Technology Times
Insider Tips To Make Your Business Run Faster, Easier And More Profitably
The Challenger Customer: Selling To The Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results By Brent Adamson We all love the customers who are ready to buy right away, but they’re not always the best customers. In truth, it’s the holdout that can really be your perfect customer. Authors Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon, Pat Spenner and Nick Toman take this idea and run with it in their book The Challenger Customer: Selling To The Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results. All four writers have been on the front lines of sales and marketing. They know how to turn a seemingly cold customer into someone who can very well lead to lasting results. If you’re ready to shift your business into growth mode, this book is a must-read.
November 2020 This monthly publication provided courtesy of Clint Brinkley, Your Business Solutions.
Our Mission: To build a community of successminded entrepreneurs that inspires excellence, encourages collaboration and expands the capacity of all members to achieve great things.
4 Questions Your IT Services Company Should Be Able To Say “Yes” To Out with the old and in with the new! For far too long, small businesses have taken an oldschool approach to IT services and security. In other words, they wait until something goes wrong before they call an IT services company and request help.
services accordingly. If something small breaks and it takes a short time to fix, you could expect a smaller bill. If something big breaks, well, you can expect a pretty hefty bill. The break-fix approach is 100% reactive, As many businesses have learned, especially in more recent years, as the number of threats have skyrocketed, it can get very expensive. IT specialists are an in-demand field. With just about every business relying on the Internet and Internet-connected devices in order to operate, there’s a lot of opportunity for something to go wrong.
Back in the day (think 1990s and 2000s), this approach worked, more or less. External threats, such as hackers and viruses, were still few and far between. A data breach wasn’t on anyone’s mind. So, it made sense to wait until something went wrong before taking action. In IT circles, this is known as the “break-fix” approach. Something breaks, so someone has to come in to fix it. And they charge for their
Get More Free Tips Tools and Services at Our Website: www.ybs.us
Continued on Page 2 ...
•
713-277-7799
•
1
Technology Times
November 2020
... Continued from Cover
This is exactly why you can’t rely on the reactive break-fix model anymore. If you do, you could be putting your business at serious risk. In some cases, the mounting costs and damages done could put you out of business. If you’re hit by a data breach or if a hacker infiltrates your network (which is a common occurrence), what’s next? You call your IT services partner – if you have a partner – and tell them you need help. They might be able to restore lost or stolen data. That is, if you routinely backed up that data. You don’t want to find yourself in this position.
of doing things! It’s also known as managed services - and it’s a far cry from the break-fix approach.
If they say “yes” (or, even better, give you an emphatic “yes”), it’s time to reevaluate your relationship with this company. You want to tell them you’re ready to take a proactive approach to your IT support, and you’ll be happy to have them onboard.
If you work with an IT services company that only comes out when something breaks, it’s time to get them on the phone to ask them four big questions. These are questions they absolutely need to say “yes” to.
Far too many small businesses don’t bother with proactive support because they don’t like the ongoing cost (think of it as a subscription for ongoing support and security). They would rather pay for things as they break. But these break-fix services are more expensive than ever before. When things go wrong, and these days, things will go wrong, you’ll be left with the bill – and be left wishing you had been more proactive!
And you don’t have to. 1.
Can you monitor our network and devices for threats 24/7?
2.
Can you access my network remotely to provide on-the-spot IT support to my team?
3.
Can you make sure all our data is backed up AND secure?
4.
Can you keep our network protected with up-to-date malware solutions, firewalls and web filtering?
Instead, take a proactive approach to your IT support and security. This is the new way
“When things go wrong, and these days, things will go wrong, you’ll be left with the bill – and be left wishing you had been more proactive!”
Don’t be that person. Make the call and tell your IT services provider you want proactive protection for your business. Ask them how they can help and how you can work together to avoid disaster!
If your IT services partner says “no” to any or all of these questions, it might be time to look for a new IT services partner.
Cartoon Of The Month
FREE Report: 12 Little-Known Facts Every Business Owner Must Know About Data Backup And Disaster Recovery You will learn: •
The only way to know for SURE your data can be recovered if lost, corrupted, or deleted – yet fewer than 10% of businesses have this in place
•
Seven things you should absolutely demand from any off-site backup service
•
Where many backups fail and give you a false sense of security
•
The #1 cause of data loss that businesses don’t even think about until their data is erased
“Before we reposition ourselves as an industry leader, how was everyone’s weekend? Anyone do anything fun?
Claim your FREE copy today at: www.ybs.us/free-business-advisory-guide/
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services at Our Website: www.ybs.us
•
(713) 277-7799
•
2
Technology Times
November 2020
Steps To Move Your Business From Defense To Offense During Times Of Disruption
SHINY NEW GADGET OF THE MONTH Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera In the era of porch pirates, more people are investing in outdoor security cameras. The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera delivers security and practicality. It features an ultrahighdefinition camera delivering 2K HDR video and color night vision combined with a 2000 lumens light. Nothing goes undetected! definition camera delivering 2K HDR video Plus, the Arlo Pro 3 is wireless. It connects to WiFi and doesn’t need a power cord (it just needs to be plugged in for charging periodically). Because it’s on WiFi, you can check the feed anytime from your smartphone. You can even customize notifications so you’re alerted when it detects a car or person. And it has a speaker and microphone so you can hear and talk to anyone near the camera. Learn more at Arlo.com/en-us/products/arlo-pro3-floodlight.aspx
Stabilize: The secret to stabilization is relentless communication with everyone. That includes internally with your teams AND externally with your customers. Streamline communication and eliminate bottlenecks through a visual dashboard.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” –Mike Tyson As business leaders, we’ve all been punched in the mouth recently. What’s your new game plan? Since COVID-19, the annual or quarterly one you had is now likely irrelevant.
Reset: By completing the first two steps, you’ll gain the freedom to re-prioritize and focus your efforts on the most viable opportunities for growth.
You have two options: 1.
2.
Sit and wait for the world to go back to the way it was, a place where your plan may have worked (and let’s face it, that’s not happening).
Offense: Don’t leave your cards in the hands of fate. Shifting to offense mode gives you the power to define the future of your business. Equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to outlast any storm.
Create and act upon a new game plan. One that’s built to overcome disruption and transform your business into something better and stronger.
Option Two is the correct answer! AND, we at Petra Coach can help.
Declutter Your E-Mail Inbox In 2 Steps 1) Use the unsubscribe button. Look at how many e-mails you actually read from senders outside of your organization. Do you have a ton of marketing mail, promotions or newsletters you don’t read anymore? Start hitting unsubscribe and leave behind only those messages that you care about. Suddenly, you’ll start receiving fewer e-mails every day. 2) Filter everything. Most e-mail clients allow you to filter by source or sender. Create filters that auto-sort e-mails into specific folders. That way, internal memos go to one folder, client messages to another, newsletters to another still and so on. While filtering e-mails can be timeconsuming, it’s definitely worth your time.
At Petra Coach, we help companies across the globe create and execute plans to propel their teams and businesses forward. When disruption hit, we created a new system of planning that focuses on identifying your business’s shortterm strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and then creates an actionable 30-, 60and 90-day plan around those findings. It’s our DSRO pivot planning process. DSRO stands for Defense, Stabilize, Reset and Offense. It’s a four-step process for mitigating loss in your business and planning for intentional action that will ensure your business overcomes the disruption and prepares for the upturn — better and stronger than before. Here’s a shallow dive into what it looks like. Defense: A powerful offensive strategy that hinges on a strong defense. Identify actionable safeguards you can put in place. The right safeguards act as the backbone of your company, giving you a foundation you can count on.
Interested in a deep dive where a certified business coach will take you (and up to three members from your team) through this process? Attend Petra’s DSRO pivot planning half-day virtual group workshop. (We’ve never offered this format to non-members. During this disruptive time, we’ve opened up our coaching sessions to the public. Don’t miss out!) When you call a time-out and take in this session, you’ll leave with: •
An actionable game plan for the next 30, 60 and 90 days with associated and assigned KPIs
•
Effective meeting rhythms that will ensure alignment and accountability
•
Essential and tested communication protocols to ensure your plan is acted upon
I’ll leave you with this statement from top leadership thinker John C. Maxwell. It’s a quote that always rings true but is crystal clear in today’s landscape: “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” Let that sink in.
Andy Bailey is the founder, CEO and lead business coach at Petra, an organization dedicated to helping business owners across the world achieve levels of success they never thought possible. With personal experience founding an Inc. 500 multimillion-dollar company that he then sold and exited, Bailey founded Petra to pass on the principles and practices he learned along the way. As his clients can attest, he can cut through organizational BS faster than a hot knife through butter.
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services at Our Website: www.ybs.us
•
(713) 277 -7799
•
3
21 Waterway Avenue Suite 300 The Woodlands, TX 77380
Inside This Issue 4 Questions Your IT Services Company Should Be Able To Say “Yes” To | 1 Little-Known Facts Every Business Owner Must Know About Data Backup And Disaster Recovery | 2 4 Steps To Move Your Business From Defense To Offense During Times Of Disruption | 3
Is Working From An Office More Secure Than Working Remotely? It may come as a surprise, but working remotely can be just as (or more) secure than working in the office. If done right. Those are the three operating words: if done right. This takes effort on the part of both the business and the remote employee. Here are a few MUST-HAVES for a secure work-fromhome experience: Secure networks. This is nonnegotiable. Every remote employee should be connecting to a secure network (at home, it should be WPA2 encrypted), and they should be doing so with a VPN. Secure devices. All devices used for work should be equipped with endpoint security – antivirus, anti-malware, anti-ransomware and firewall protection. Employees should also only use employee-provided or approved devices for work-related activity. Secure passwords. If employees need to log into employer-issued programs, strong
passwords that are routinely updated should be required. Of course, strong passwords should be the norm across the board. Entrepreneur, June 17, 2020
password should be long and complicated.
TOP TIPS ON HOW TO PREVENT YOUR SMART CAMERAS FROM BEING HACKED
2. Say no to sharing. Never share your smart camera’s login info with anybody. If you need to share access with someone (such as a family member or roommate), many smart camera systems let you add a “shared user.” This will let them access the camera, without the ability to access the camera’s configuration or network tools.
Smart cameras have been under attack from hackers for years. In fact, one popular smart camera system (the Amazon Ring) had a security flaw that allowed hackers to get into homeowners’ networks. That issue has since been patched, but the risk of being hacked still exists. Here are three ways to keep your camera (and your network) safe from hackers:
3. Connect the camera to a SECURE network. Your smart camera should only be connected to a secure WPA2 encrypted, firewalled WiFi network. The more protection you put between the camera and the rest of the digital world, the better. Digital Trends, May 7, 2020
1. Regularly update your passwords. Yes, passwords. This includes your smart camera password, your WiFi network password, your Amazon password – you name it. Changing your passwords every three months is an excellent way to stay secure. Every
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services at Our Website: www.ybs.us
•
713-277-7799
•
4