Internet Explorer security flaw – Action you should take.

Internet Explorer security vulnerability

On 18^th September 2012, Microsoft released a temporary fix for a discovered software vulnerability. The security flaw in question allows the Poison Ivy Trojan to be installed on its browsers – and according to Microsoft’s website, nearly all versions are affected. This malware is capable of stealing data and taking remote control of PC’s, so it’s important to act fast.

If you’re an Internet Explorer user, the advice is to swap to another browser until a permanent software update is available (which should be in around a week).

Alternatively, you can try a workaround as a temporary fix – instructions are on their blog post https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/advisory/2757760. This workaround, however, is for advanced users only.

We recommend Google’s Chrome browser which can be downloaded using this link.

Business Adviser Tano Rebora asks: ‘Are you pricing yourself to failure?’

Our blog’s guest business writer Tano Rebora of Icon Business Solutions, shares more of his advice!

Tano Rebora, Icon Business Solutions Ltd.

This week, Tano asks, ‘Are you pricing yourself to failure?’

Recently talking with one of our clients brought to mind one of the thorniest subjects ever associated with sales, that of ‘discounting’. Now sure, every client wants the best deal that they can get but why is it always on price?

If your offering is all that it is cracked up to be and you have been in business for a while then, surely, your pricing is appropriate, isn’t it? Or is it?

It may be that your competition has crept up on you. Then what is your differentiator? Does your product now reflect your client sectors requirements at the level that it did?

Who, exactly, are your clients? Is the sales force being aimed at the correct client profile?

If the answer to any of the above is a resounding no, then it may be time to refocus on who your ‘ideal’ client is and what, exactly, makes your product or service so distinctly different.

In this case, however, analysis brought us to a different conclusion.

In order to be at most service to your clients the sales force, whoever few or many these may be, must have knowledge of the businesses that they serve and be prepared to put in the effort to understand what the real issues that these clients face. What they need and want.

Without this effort and the expertise necessary to develop this relationship and the product then the offering will be a “so what?” and be subject to the competitive “me too and cheaper”.

In our opinion, so many businesses suffer eroding profit margins and customer base without analysing the why.

Make time – gather the appropriate information and review in light of the above. You’ll be surprised by what you will find and what a difference this will make to the health of your business.

Tano Rebora, Icon Business Solutions Ltd.

More advice from Sheffield’s finest Business Adviser Tano Rebora

Icon Business Solutions is a Global organisation that is focused on working with Owner / Managers of SMEs to help them become more profitable, reduce their time commitment and achieve their business and life plans. Tano Rebora is a partner of Icon Business Solutions and an experienced Business Adviser, as well as the Seven Creative blog’s guest business writer.

Tano Rebora, Icon Business Solutions Ltd.

Today, Tano asks: Is your competition hurting your profits?

I am referring to Vodafone making a successful bid for the Cable and Wireless business.

Well, I guess that those within the sector long term or keen watchers may have had an inkling, but most business people, across the board, that I have discussed this with did not see it coming.

Is this a potential future threat to the almighty BT?

Fascinating – not from the present positioning or financial viewpoint but because it reflects the highly competitive nature of the telecoms industry; the continual repositioning of the major ‘brands’ as different carriers of different services. But who defines the new world order; the brand or the consumer? This does not just refer to the telecoms sector, of course, the question applies to all

Yet the Vodafone strategic vision is very clear: ‘delivering a more valuable Vodafone’ through five clear directions amongst which – ‘total communications: continue to develop the adoption of converged fixed and mobile services’. We should have known, really.

There we are; a clear strategy, clear direction and clear competitive positioning which has taken it out of a very clear niche that other mobile suppliers are competing in.

Whilst ‘the pack’ is racing around to be ‘the best’, Vodafone has moved the goalposts. Joan Magretta of the Harvard Business School defines Michael Porter’s view of Competitive Strategy as ‘why being unique is better than being best’.

So what makes companies across the spectrum – ‘unique’?

There are a number of factors but, principally amongst these:

Clear strategic vision:

Many owners/ shareholders believe in having organisations that are ‘agile’ and ‘flexible’. Of course, they are completely correct. Who wants an organisation that already has a ‘due by date’ from the beginning? Organisations must evolve in order to achieve. But note the use of the word, evolve.

It is the duty of any executive team, from the start-up to the corporate, to establish a vision of what their company is to achieve in the longer term, not simply the next six months. With that comes a clarity of product/ service to be provided, to what market and in what timescale. Planning for all other functions follow that.

Experience dictates that most yearly plans revolve around the ‘last year plus x%’ and that most business owners, at varying levels of company turnaround, have not had the opportunity to focus on where they want or need to be. Far less are the Owner/ managers who actually see the development of their company reflecting their own personal and business needs

Stephen Covey, in his ‘7 habits of Effective Managers’ advocates starting with the end in mind but – how does business generally measure up. In the eyes of this author – poorly.

If this is the case then competitors will always lead.

Clear target market:

Many Owners start their companies with clear ideas of where they intend to be personally at some future point. Of course, as the inevitable pressures start the line between what the intended market is and who seems to be interested in the products/ services the lines become blurred.

It does happen that may some start with a perception of the market they intend to serve only to find that the perceived market does not exist, is already serviced by potentially competing products or barriers to entry are higher than first thought.

It is easy to deviate from the plan at that point, maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board and to refocus. Does this just happen to ‘newbies’?. Many companies find that the mismatch within the first to second year of operation, some struggle with this for eternity, it seems.

The questions to ask are basic: What is our product? What market does it serve?

The most successful companies answer this in two ways:

Complete and total focus: find the real niche and serve that to the exclusion of all else. If the market does not seem big enough to serve the needs then expand geographically.
Reorganise into different divisions: serve differing markets with the same or slightly differing products under the same ‘umbrella’ or brand thus being able to measure the effectiveness of the sales/ marketing effort and maximising synergies.

In most cases, it seems clear that few ask: Who is our Client? In B2B scenarios: is it the M.D., the HR Director, etc. etc ? Appropriate messaging should ensue as should appropriate direction of the sales effort and product bundling.

Differentiated product/ service:

Although most business owners may believe otherwise, there are relatively few Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sir James Dyson or, at a different level, Sir Alan Sugar or Richard Branson.

The fact is that, for most companies, someone somewhere has a product that is similar. If not, there soon will be; the cult of the ‘me too’ has been alive and kicking for many centuries.

But how to differentiate?

Many business owners/ salespeople claim to ‘experience in the industry’, ‘best product’, ‘geographic availability’, ‘best client service’, ‘24/7 cover’, add your own here. The list is endless. Yet sadly, so often in this quagmire of similarity it all boils down, at least in the buyers mind, to – how much does it cost?

Of course, it is very easy to make these statements from afar and not see the ‘day to day’ battlefield that we all operate in.

Frequently, as company leaders struggle to work ‘on rather than in’ (Michael Gerber – The e-Myth) the race seems to be centred on ‘price’ as the ‘holy grail’ of client acquisition policy. But so many factors contribute which are, somehow, left behind in thinking and practice.

Why is your company unique? How is it demonstrably different? Ask the question repeatedly because if there isn’t an easy answer then how is the prospective client to know? More importantly, how will they justify the price to themselves?

Dramatically, the euphoria of the acquisition of a new client is quickly superseded by the misery, on reflection, of a diminished profit margin. Yet how many Company owners really know how much they are able to discount without bleeding funds to a very nasty conclusion?

Competition is, and will always be, alive and kicking. Encourage competition; make competitors your ‘allies’. After all the more activity in a marketplace the more opportunity there is. Just make sure that the product and the service the Clients want is yours. Why: because you knew what they wanted and you are strategically building a company that provides this in a more demonstrably different way to everyone else.

Good Luck.

Tano Rebora, Icon Business Solutions Ltd.

next Network Hub networking event date announced

The Network hub is my favourite of the regular networking events around Sheffield and the date and venue for the forthcoming eighth outing has just been announced.

Here’s what Rich Smith has to say:

The Network Hub is back for its eighth outing! And this time we’re returning to one of our most popular venues…

La Foret Wine Bar, Leopold Square, Sheffield S1 2JG on Thursday 6th September 2012 from 6pm till close.

This is your invitation to come and meet your next customer at the most relaxed business social in the region.

It’s still free and our regular attendance has been from 60 guests upwards!

Bring your business cards, flyers, colleagues and enthusiasm – no pressure, just a desire to socialise with the added bonus of making good, solid business contacts.

Never mind the recession – this one just keeps growing.

Simply turn up! Take a look at our discussion group on LinkedIn and find out what everyone’s been talking about!

For more information, contact Rich Smith or Mark Wagstaffe

If you’re not familiar with Leopold Square, it’s not from from Barker’s Pool and the City Hall in Sheffield (map below)

Network Hub 8 – 6th September, Leopold Square, Sheffield

Google Map of Leopold Square, Sheffield:

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‘Social media is vital for business’, says Harvard

If you’re wondering whether dedicating time and effort to social media is really worth it, this new research may just make your mind up!

The Harvard Business Review recently published a great article about social media that we think all Chief Executives and Managing Directors NEED to read! The latest report from CEO.com and business intelligence firm DOMO has confirmed our view that social media is more pervasive than ever among consumers. In fact, a whopping 50% of the population currently uses Facebook and more than 37% use Twitter.

The report found that among Fortune 500 CEOs, only 7.6% are present on Facebook, only 4% use Twitter, and less than 1% use Google Plus. However, there is evidence that this may be changing.

A recent survey conducted by IBM found that out of 1,709 CEOs, only16% used social media. The study predicts this figure may grow to 57% within 5 years and that social media will become one of the two most important forms of engagement with employees and customers, second only to face to face interactions.

Thankfully, Managing Directors and Executives are finally recognising what the team here at Seven Creative already know – using social media to communicate and engage with customers, suppliers and their own employees, means their company will be more adaptive, agile and of course, more successful.

As experts in social media, we value the many advantages of using social media very highly. And we receive ongoing confirmation from our customers that our management of their social media channels generates more business, provides access to potential customers, and provides effective communication channels for existing customers.

Using social media is so effective in fact, that The BRANDFog 2012 CEO Survey found that more than 82% of respondents are likely or much more likely to trust a company who engage in social media. The study also reports that 77% of respondents are likely or much more willing to buy from a company whose mission and values are defined through their involvement in social media.

Here at Seven Creative, we agree that social media is vital for business. It will give your business a strong potential competitive advantage, not only by providing communication channels, but by boosting traffic to your website and increasing sales. But what if you don’t have time? What if you’re busy running your business?

We understand social media marketing, and we know that using it in this dynamic, complex and ever-evolving marketplace requires knowledge and experience. Seven Creative are experts in the field, and we can offer you a full spectrum of social media integration services. In other words, we can do it for you, and therefore remove the time and the hassle that social media can become if it’s not managed correctly. And to keep you in the loop, we’ll let you know exactly what we’ve done in regular reports, proving to you that we’re getting results!

For more information, contact us through our website or visit our Facebook page!

Marketing 101 (funny)

An oldie but still good:

A professor explained about marketing to MBA students.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party, you go to her and say I am rich, marry me. That’s direct marketing.
You attend a party and your friend goes to the girl to tell her, he’s rich, marry him. That’s advertising.
The same girl at the party walks to you and says, you’re rich, do you want to marry me? That’s brand recognition.
You say I’m rich, marry me and she introduces you to her husband. That’s the demand and supply gap.
Before you say I’m rich, marry me, your wife arrives. That’s restriction from entering a new market.

R.I.P Adobe Flash Player – August 15th 2012

Adobe Flash Player meets it’s demise

Not so long ago, the only way to have a half-decent looking animation on a website was using Adobe Flash.

Movement and interactive images could help sites engage with their customers and it was therefore a useful tool for some sites.

Because, at Seven Creative, we have always focussed on creating usable and optimised websites without sacrificing anything to ‘floweriness’, we’ve generally always avoided using Flash or, at least, only ever used it where appropriate. We could see the usefulness of the software for some niche sites, however, the negatives always outweighed any potential gains.

This is why we could see the impending end of Flash when most of the industry was still using this technology.

One of the main issues with Flash is that it can’t be read by search engines. Sites that are built this way – or even have areas like their navigation in Flash – will not index for these generally highly important site elements. Opportunities are lost as function is sacrificed to form.

One of our other main bug niggles with Flash is that you can’t edit it in the way that you can easily edit HTML using a WYSIWYG editor which is why it’s not something we would feel comfortable providing to our customers. Technology has evolved and there are newer and better methods for providing the same level of animation and interaction but with easily editable content.

Roll on a few years and Apple release their range of mobile devices that don’t support Flash. Suddenly, there are a lot of websites that won’t display properly – if at all – on some mobile devices.

This shook the industry and signalled the beginning of the end.

Android – Google’s operating system – is released and initially supported Flash, however, they’ve recently said that, from version 4.1, they’ll no longer be supporting this anachronistic technology. So, from August 15^th 2012, any Android device that does not currently have Flash Player installed will never be able to install it.

There is no doubt that other browsers will also begin to end support for this technology over the next few years.

Good news for us and our customers but bad news for the hundreds of thousands of websites out there that rely on Flash.

You might think that we’re still OK at the moment as this currently only really effects mobile devices, however, they already account for a good chunk of the visitors to most websites and this is only set to increase. This is before you get us started on the missed opportunities in search engine optimisation terms!

If you want our advice, act now. Dumping Flash might not be such a big issue for most sites and may not require a full rebuild.

If digital marketing is all about spotting and taking opportunities, seeing an opportunity and ignoring it is madness!

Advice from Sheffield Business Adviser Tano Rebora

As a good friend of the Seven Creative team, it’s only appropriate that we share some of Tano Rebora’s business wisdom. Tano is a partner of Icon Business Solutions and an experienced Business Adviser specialising in turnaround and growth. We are lucky enough to be able to share this great article, written by the man himself.

Tano asks, ‘How many clients are too many?’

In the eternal quest for bigger revenues the hunt for new clients continues without stop. Yet many companies have little idea if client acquisition is appropriate either in terms of quality or quantity.

Recently I met an M.D. of a company that was started three years ago. After steady growth they currently have so much demand for their product that production is unable to keep up with demand and the number of ‘reworks’ has started climbing. The fact is that any abnormal growth in any one area of the business will have impact on others. So, similarly, for example, their employee satisfaction is now lower than it has been.

Two points come to mind;

1. Growth is a planned activity, it does not just happen. It may be under or over estimated and the plan has to be flexible enough to cater for both eventualities. In either case the ultimate price may be paid for in cashflow terms.

2. Are all clients good clients? What company are you trying to build: a company that is focused on pure commodity or one is that is focused on quality? In the first instance be prepared to compromise on price in the second be prepared to qualify who is going to be your next client.

In the case of the organisation introduced earlier, analysis showed that the clients were clearly divided into three business areas. Whilst two of these areas are highly profitable and attracting clients that require a quality, personal product the third is more focused on price and less on ultimate quality. As is the norm, this last area is more ‘stock ‘em high, sell ‘em low’. A problem? Only if the amount of resources associated with this area overshadows that associated with the higher margin business. Yet, there is space for both types of business. In this case it really was a question of having too many clients and of the wrong ‘type’.

Following a thorough analysis and strategic business plan development the company has now re-organised to develop the higher margin business and has clearly set objectives to be the market leader in that sector. Coincidentally, the M.D. has now developed a strategic alliance with his biggest competitor in the ‘other’ area. Having agreed that their focus is different they are now happy to refer business to each other.

How many companies know what their niche market is? How many know what their competition is? How many know when the point comes that they may be facing too many clients? How many companies have the necessary internal processes defined that will enable them to provide the necessary information needed to answer the previous questions?

Analyse the client base on the basis of profit margin. Are they all individually appropriate for your business? If not, is it your competitors that have led you away from your sweet spot?

Tano Rebora, Icon Business Solutions Ltd.

The new cookie laws: What do you need to know?

The new cookie laws have been drawn up and the enforcement of these laws means that thousands of UK websites are now in breach of them.

Cookies are used to customise what repeat visitors see on a website and are used by advertisers to track users online.

The law actually came into force on 26 May, but The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it would offer to help non-compliant sites rather than take legal action against them.

To ensure privacy on the internet, the new laws say that websites must get “informed consent” from users before the cookies stored on visitors’ computers record any information.

For websites that are within the law, getting consent involves the use of a pop-up box explaining the changes. Users are then asked to click to consent to having information recorded by the cookie, and told clearly what will happen if they refuse.

UK firms have had 12 months to prepare for the change, but despite this, thousands are still in breach.

The ICO has also updated its policy to allow organisations to use “implied consent”. This means that users do not have to make an explicit choice, but their continued use of a site would be taken to mean they are happy for cookies to gather their information.

Fines are unlikely though, as even if the site doesn’t comply with the law, there’s not much risk that there would be a serious breach of data protection laws that would cause substantial damage or distress to a user.

The ICO has also issued guidance to the public which can be found here.

If you’re worried about cookies on your website, don’t hesitate to contact us. We can review your site, and if needed, make the necessary changes.

Give us a call today and we’ll sort it for you! Call Chris on 0114 383 0711 or visit our contact page to send us a message.