Ten Qualities of a Valuable Employee

BY BRUCE A. RITTER

Being new to the job market can be incredibly tough-especially when employers and managers have plenty of eager teens and young adults, just like you, to choose from the hiring pool.

Yet, employers also recognize that valuable employees are quickly becoming a rare commodity. They know that bringing in new help is risky. Hiring the wrong people could ruin their company-while hiring effective, productive employees could cause business to soar. Most times, employers don’t know what kind of workers they have hired until it is too late.

Suppose you owned and ran a small company. What kind of employees would you want working for you? What basic character traits would you look for in them? You would naturally seek those that would make your business run smoothly, minimize mistakes, lift morale and increase profits.

No matter the position, field or profession, valuable employees will always be in demand. And not just for their skills and talents, but also because they have built up solid track records of basic, yet vital, hallmarks that distinguish them from their peers.

If you want to obtain job security-if you want employers and supervisors to consider you too valuable to ever let go-if you want your services to be in demand on the job market-then you must stand out from the crowd. You need to set yourself apart from a hiring pool largely made up of laborers who barely work enough to earn a paycheck.

But how?

Ten Character Traits

Here are ten characteristics of valuable employees. These ten traits are just a few of the many qualities employers and managers desire in their workers. Practice them. Make them a part of your thinking. Doing so will dramatically increase your worth in the eyes of current and future employers.

Listening to instructions: Have you ever noticed that mistakes on the job are usually followed by someone saying, “Oops, I thought you said.”? Mistakes and accidents are often the result of people failing to pay attention to what they are told. Misunderstandings and miscommunications can be avoided if everyone simply applied this basic biblical instruction: “.let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak” (Jms. 1:19).

It is human nature to speak and react first, then listen later (if at all). Rather than taking the time to consider the circumstances of any given situation, people tend to rush to judgment.

How many times have you said something to someone, only to have them jump to the wrong conclusion? God’s Word addresses this: “He that answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame unto him” (Prov. 18:13).

It is a rare person who waits and listens before acting. Yet, carefully listening to instructions will reduce mistakes and prevent accidents. It also shows respect to those attempting to guide you. As managers see that you are patiently listening to them without interruption, they will be assured that you are taking them and your duties seriously.

Taking responsibility: Unfortunately, many (if not most) employees do just enough work to get by-just enough to justify receiving a wage. This can be seen in today’s mass-produced products, which do not reflect the quality and care of individual craftsmanship.

If you want to improve your value as an employee, then know your duties inside and out and pay attention to detail. The more you know what to do and when to do it, the more it allows your supervisor to devote his attention to other areas in the company.

Avoid “tunnel vision”-focusing on your job and your job alone. Instead, be aware of the responsibilities of your co-workers and recognize how your duties affect their workload.

When things go wrong, most people will follow their human nature and shift the blame to others. Yet, valuable employees are not afraid to take responsibility for their actions.

Taking initiative: Generally, there are two types of workers-those who wait to be told what to do, and those who think things through and keep busy by constantly finding tasks that need performing. In an age when most workers-both teens and adults-do as little as possible, and then only when told, a self-motivated employee automatically sets himself apart from the crowd. He has a reputation for looking out for the employer’s best interests and putting customers first.

There is a saying that goes like this: “Give a busy man more work, as it is likely to be done efficiently.” Those who show initiative-who hunt for ways to solve problems, to improve things, and to be more efficient-are most likely to be given more responsibility-even a promotion.

Giving credit to others: Just as people tend to point their fingers at others when things go wrong, these same people will take credit for the good work of others. That is a sad fact of life, yet so true.

But consider what the apostle Paul was inspired to write: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

Practice giving credit to others. Whenever you are complimented for a job well done, always share the spotlight with those who helped you succeed. This will improve and strengthen morale among your fellow employees. It will also build trust among them, for they will be confident that you will look out and speak up for them, especially when no one else will.

Being responsive: There was a time when, if someone said, “Thank you,” the other person would reply, “You’re welcome.” But not anymore. Today, people usually reply with “Uh-huh” or “Sure” or some other statement. It is as though they lack the common courtesy to respond properly.

Social interaction is becoming a lost art. Too often, people-especially teens and young adults who were not taught better-do not know how to interact with others.

When someone addresses you, kindly respond. Let that person know that you heard him. This is common courtesy. This alone will set you apart from others who routinely say nothing, but stare blankly into space.

Responding to people is just another way of showing them that they matter. Believe it or not, some customers will determine how much business they will bring to your place of employment based on how well you treat them. Think about it: If you were in the market to buy a new jacket, where would you rather shop-at a store that hardly recognizes your human existence, or at one that treats you with warmth and respect?

Performing your duties cheerfully: Some people are naturally upbeat, positive and easy to be around. On the job, such individuals are usually well liked by their peers and acquaintances. Do you know why? It is because no one wants to work around someone who maintains a surly or negative attitude. Pessimism breeds more pessimism. Likewise, positive, cheerful attitudes can also be “contagious.”

After being delivered from slavery in Egypt, ancient Israel constantly grumbled and complained as they made their way to the Promised Land. Their murmurings led to contempt for God’s leaders, and ultimately gave way to rebellion.

When Israel sent twelve spies to scout out the Promised Land, ten of them brought back a negative report, while two-Joshua and Caleb-brought back a good report. All twelve spies saw the same things, but the majority focused on the negative while the few looked at the positive. This caused Israel to murmur, whine and complain. This quietly led to rebellion. God had to sentence His people to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, so that a new generation-one that would appreciate His many blessings-would take their place and conquer “the land of milk and honey.”

At work, as in life, things sometimes go wrong. Problems need to be solved. No one (especially an employer) wants to work with people who only see problems, but not solutions.

Consider: All jobs and professions have at least one thing in common-their purpose is to solve problems. The greater and more complex the problems, the greater the demand and the higher the income for the positions needed to solve them. Yet, amazingly, many routinely gripe and complain about tasks they think are beneath them. They never stop to think that if such tasks did not need to be resolved, they would be out of a job!

If everyone kept this in mind, they would appreciate why they were hired in the first place, and the workplace would be a more pleasant environment.

Being dependable: Supervisors can tell you horror stories about employees who habitually call in sick or arrive late.

By your actions, show people that they can depend on you, and that you keep your commitments. Arrive to work on time, return phone calls, and perform tasks on time-remember that simple commitments are important, too.

In addition, no matter what you are assigned to do, strive to achieve a consistent level of quality and excellence. Be known for performing tasks well all the time.

Staying healthy: Whenever an employee is sick and takes time off from work, his co-workers will have to cover for him. They will have to do his duties, in addition to fulfilling their own duties. If he makes a habit of calling in sick, his fellow workers will start to resent him, and morale will suffer. You can avoid this by simply eating healthy, staying away from junk food, getting plenty of rest, exercising, etc.-in other words, by doing all that you can to prevent sickness.

That said, if you do come down with an illness that can spread to others, don’t go to work until you are feeling better. Going to work while sick might seem admirable, but you could end up passing your illness on to other employees. Think of it this way: It is far better to have just one person stay home sick than it is to have several employees miss work due to catching an illness that could have been avoided.

Becoming self-disciplined: Society offers plenty of things to attract our attention-the Internet, television, cell phones, etc. But a good employee is one who stays on track. He doesn’t allow things outside the job to creep in and steal his time, attention and energy from doing what he has been hired to do. He remains focused.

Exceeding expectations: Too many workers do only what they are required to do, and nothing more. You can instantly increase your value to the company by going above and beyond what is expected of you, such as being willing to take on duties that others refuse to do.

Notice what Jesus Christ taught about profitable servants: “But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird yourself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward you shall eat and drink? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:7-10).

The Ultimate Job Security

Remember, today’s workforce is largely made up of non-motivated, indifferent, irresponsible laborers who are more concerned with self-interests than with the interests of others.

You have an advantage over young people in the world-you have access to God’s truth. Each of these ten character traits are based on His Word. God expects you to develop them. He even offers to help you do this. He knows that if you yield to Him now, He can use you as a future “employee” in the millennium, leading and guiding humanity in the only way that produces permanent peace and real happiness-God’s Way.

The ten hallmarks of valuable employees will automatically set you apart from the crowd. They will increase your value in the job market, and will provide you with job security. And they will also help you become an effective worker and leader in the world tomorrow.

Establishing A Business Entity in Tanzania: Part One

This is in response to the visitors of this site.. after reading the article “BUSINESS RECESSION: What a recession mean to your small business, one visitor inquired on the possibility of establishing a HIGH-TECH BUSINESS IN AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN ECONOMY, ESPECIALLY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES SUCH AS TANZANIA. Following a period of visiting different officials and offices today, I am bringing you the article titled “Establishing a Business Entity in Tanzania: Part One.

Establishing Business in Tanzania

The most common business entity is limited liability entity. For foreign companies, it is possible to establish a branch or subsidiary. In certain sectors, businesses can only be established in a form of a local company. All businesses operating in Tanzania, whatever their legal form, must register with the Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA), which is under the Ministry of Industries and Trade.

The following are the steps that can be followed include the following:

Proposed Company Name Clearance:

The first step is to apply for name clearance at the BRELA for the proposed company name. Incorporation of companies in Tanzania is done under the Company’s Act, Chapter 212 of the laws of Tanzania. Investors wishing to establish a limited liability company must first clear the name for the proposed company before filing an application with BRELA.

Estimated Time to Complete: This is a single day exercise.

Estimated Cost to Complete: There is no direct cost involved with this exercise to BRELA.

Observe: A letter of application for clearance for a proposed company name should be submitted by hand, or mail to the Registrar of Companies, which clears the name upon search automatically. The search sets up the availability of the proposed name. If the name is not available the process repeats. The easy way is to propose several desired company names as possible for clearance and eventually one of them will be available.

Filing the Appropriate Documents and Fees for a certificate of incorporation and of commencement

Leading the receipt of notification of the availability of the name, the applicants prepare the Memorandum and Articles of Association and submit them for the company registration process. It is not enforced that the documents should be prepared by a legal advisor, those it is a best practice to do so. When these documents are prepared and presented for registration without name clearance, the search is done during the registration process with a chance of rejection if the search reveals a similar name in the Register.

The filing of an application is accompanied with the appropriate registration fees, which are available at BRELA Website http://www.brela-tz.org/services.html#companyreg (denominated in dollars in the case of foreign investors and Tanzania shillings in the case of local investors). Companies, both local and foreign, are treated equally under the law.

Estimated Time to Complete: It is estimated that this may take 7 working days.

Estimated Cost to Complete: The cost is dependent on the following:

a)      Filing fees;

b)      The authorized capital of the company;

c)      Stamp duty (Number of Copies of Memorandum and Articles of Association);

For example, for a company of authorized share capital of TZS 1,000,000/- and Five copies of Memorandum and Articles of Association, will a cost up to TSZ 154,000/-. These costs do not include legal services from your legal counselor.

Observe: Business trade names (Cap 213) and companies (Cap 212) can be registered only in Dar es Salaam.

To apply for a certificate of incorporation, a subscriber, secretary, or a person named in the articles of association as a director must submit the following to the Registrar of Companies:
Form-14a (First Directors and Secretary and Intended situation of Registered Office)
Form-14b (Declaration of Compliance on Application for the Registration of a Company)
The Memorandum and Articles of Association are also filed with the forms.

After the forms are filed, the certificate of incorporation is usually processed 2-3 days after the forms are filed. Registration forms are free, and applicable registration fees (according to the New Companies Act 2002) are shown below.
Although there are no standard articles of association, Table A of the Schedules to the Companies Ordinance may be adopted. The fee for incorporating companies with capital below TZS 1 million is 10% but is negotiable.

Company registration fee (based on share capital):

– Share capital from 20,000 to 500,000: TZS 50,000.

– Share capital from 500,000 to 1,000,000: TZS 80,000.

– Share capital from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000: TZS 100,000.

– Share capital from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000: TZS 120,000.

– Share capital from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000: TZS 150,000.

– Share capital from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000: TZS 180,000.

– Share capital from 10,000,000 to 30,000,000: TZS 200,000.

– Share capital 30,000,000 and over: TZS 300,000.
Filing fee: TZS 45,000: (15,000 per document submitted)
Stamp duty fee:

– Original memorandum and articles of association: TZS 6,200.

– Additional copies: TZS 5,000.

Filing and Application for Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).

In Tanzania tax registration has been fully computerized. So the business after being registered by BRELA, it can file an application for Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) at TRA.

Estimated Time to Complete: It takes a minimum of 2 days to obtain TIN number, depending on the number of request made to the Revenue Authority at the time.

Estimated Cost to Complete: TIN is available free of charge.

Income Tax Officials Inspect the Office Site of the New Company

This exercise is done simultaneously with the application of the TIN with TRA. Therefore, it takes one day and there are no charges involved.

Apply for PAYE with the Tanzania Revenue Authority

The application for Pay as You Earn is done at the same day with the application for TIN and Income Tax Officials inspection of the new company office site. There are no charges involved with this activity.

Apply for Business License from the Regional Trade Officer (depending on the nature of business).

Estimated Time to complete: it is estimated that this may take 6 working days.

Estimated Cost to complete: there are no charges in this exercise.

Observe: The business license automatically registers the company for various taxes imposed by the Dar es Salaam City Commission (for example, the development levy). The application is at no charge for companies with a turnover of less than TZS 40 million and certain health providers.

The land and Town-planning officer Inspect the Premises

It is imperative that you let the Land and Town Planning Officer to inspect the office premises to obtain his signature.

Estimated Time to complete: 1 day, simultaneous with (vi) above.

Estimated Cost to complete: transport cost, trivial.

Observe: the promoters must provide transportation for the Land and Town Planning Officer to inspect the company premises.

The Health Officer inspection to the premise

The Health Officer inspection to the premises, the promoters must provide transportation for the Health Officer to inspect the company premises.

Apply for VAT Certificate with the Tanzania Revenue Authority

Estimated Time to complete: 4 days

Estimated Cost to complete: no charge

Observe: VAT registration takes 3–5 days if the proposed company will have a threshold income of TZS 40 million.

Revive VAT/stamp duty inspection

Estimated Time to complete: 1 day, simultaneous with (ix) above.

Estimated Cost to complete: no charge

Observe:

Manufacturing firms can submit Form 225 to the VAT Commissioner for exemption of VAT on capital goods. VAT registration and inspection takes 4 days, so it is assumed that the inspection takes 3 days. When the annual company turnover is less than USD 20,000, the company must register for stamp duty instead of VAT. The composition number gives the right to pay a lower stamp duty than otherwise

Register for the Workmen’s Compensation Insurance at National Insurance Corporation or any preferable Insurance Policy.

Estimated Time to complete: 1 day

Cost to complete: no charge

Observe:

To register for workers’ compensation insurance, employers must complete the Workmen’s Compensation Tariff Proposal Form. This form should be completed once the firm begins hiring employees and just before the firm becomes operational. However, because the insurance industry is privatized in Tanzania, employers may opt to take an insurance policy instead of workmen’s compensation claims.

Obtain registration number at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF)

Estimated Time to complete: 7 days

Estimated Cost to complete: no charge.

Disclaimer:

With arrangement we can help you with all the paper works at a reasonable fee.

Preparing for a Recession: How to Survive a Recession

Here are a few things that you can do to stay ahead during a recession and maintain the success of your small business. 

Improve Customer Service

Make sure that each and every customer gets special treatment and leaves your store or office satisfied that you have delivered much more than what was expected.

Your employees should also understand that tough times require a gentler touch and your customers need to be treated as VIPs now more than ever.

Since all your competitors may be selling the same products that you are, it will be your satisfied customers who will not only bring in repeat business, but also new customers.

Improve Your Knowledge and Skills

Now would be a good time to build on your knowledge and learn new skills regarding the technical and financial aspects of your business. Your customers should be impressed with your product knowledge.

This not only will enhance your reputation as an expert, but will also ensure that they come to you if they run into difficulties.

Control Your Expenses

Now is the time for you to tighten up the controls on all your expenses, especially those that are not crucial to keeping your business going. It certainly is not a good time to indulge in luxury items; that can wait until the situation improves.

You should also split large expenses into smaller ones so that they become more manageable. Even when purchasing inventory, try to get longer credit periods or better rates by comparing prices offered by different suppliers.

Start Accepting Payments by Credit Card

If you are dealing in consumer goods, then you probably already have a credit card machine; but if you are dealing in industrial items and do not have the ability to process credit card date, then now would be a good time to make that change.

Many of your smaller customers might need to pay you by credit card if they are experiencing a cash flow problem. Recent surveys have shown that more people are using credit cards as a way to deal with the financial downturn.

Lower Your Profit Margins

Keeping in mind that it will only be temporary, this is a good time to lower your profit margins. Notify your existing and potential customers that you are making this move.

You’re going to need more sales to make up the difference, and their goodwill is more important than ever. You can always raise your prices once the recession shows signs of easing.

Use the Power of the Internet

Use the Internet to advertise your products. In comparison to traditional media such as newspapers and television, the cost is very reasonable.

Hire experts who can ensure that your firm is always on top in product searches, and make your website attractive and interactive.

Motivate Your Staff

Your staff should be made aware of your business’ situation in the current recessionary market. They will be motivated to work extra hard to achieve the desired results, if they are convinced that their participation can save the business – and their jobs.

You should also put in extra effort and hours, so your staff will know that you are going the extra mile yourself.

Use these ideas and seek others on your own so your small business will survive the downturn. Only businesses with a solid foundation and foresight survive the inevitable bad times that go along with managing a business. You want to be one of them.

Source: http://www.morebusiness.com/survive-economic-recession

Business Recession: What a Recession Means for Your Small Business

Here is what a recession could mean for your small business – and the measures that you could take to remain least affected by an economic downturn.

Sales and Profits Could Be Down

The first casualty during any recession is usually sales. Once sales are down, then it usually isn’t long before profits could follow the southward trend.

If in the past your sales have been excellent, and if you can afford to take a little downward trend in sales in stride then don’t worry; but if you really need to increase sales even at the cost of incurring additional expenses, then there are two ways to achieve this.

One is to lower profits in an attempt to achieve higher sales figures. The other way would be to spend more on marketing and advertising while keeping your profit margins unchanged.

This will still lower your profit figures due to an increase in your marketing expenses. However, this move would not only increase your presence in the market but you could be the first to reap the benefits as soon as the economy emerges from the recession.

Your Expenses Could Increase

A recession accompanied by high inflation will mean that your monthly expenses could increase, even as you face the daunting task of maintaining your profits. This could eat into your savings and pose financial problems as the days go by.

You can reduce your expenses by cutting down or splitting them. Unnecessary expenses should be totally avoided – and only those expenses related to your business should be attended to on a priority basis.

Your Inventory Could Drag You Down

Maintaining a large inventory during normal times is difficult, but during a recession, it could prove to be a ball and chain dragging you down. You should learn to rotate your inventory faster so that your profits can increase.

Use the latest technology available to keep track of your inventory. These are not very expensive and are usually very easy to learn and use. Dispose of all your slow moving products through fire sales if necessary.

Make sure you get familiar with ‘Just in Time’ methods to maintain your stock and delivery schedules.

Your Employees Could Become Disheartened

The effects of the recession could affect the morale of your staff as they battle to pay rising expenses on a limited income.

You can try rewarding your most deserving employees or help them out by providing them soft loans to tide over the crisis. However, you will also need to remove deadwood from your payroll, and let go of any employees who are not up to the task.

This will result in a leaner but fitter staff for your business.

People can debate on forever as to whether there is a recession going on at present, but whatever title is given to this economic downturn, it will nevertheless affect your business. The above methods might just help you to survive to fight another day.

Source: http://www.morebusiness.com/recession-small-business

How to…go mobile marketing

How to…go mobile marketing

Mobile marketing is calling for your attention and, with click-through rates to rival e-mail, it’s too compelling for any marketer to ignore for several years now, mobile marketing has been a quiet but insistent buzzing in your pocket – vaguely aware of its cry for attention, marketers have been too distracted by other media to answer mobile’s call. A few brave brands have embraced mobile marketing, often with great success, but it still has not caught the attention or the imagination of the vast majority of brands. One reason is a lack of awareness as to exactly what the channel offers. It’s time, then, to get back to the basics of mobile marketing and how to do it properly.

Where do I start?

Russell Buckley, vice president, global alliances at mobile advertising network AdMob, says: “There’s a fast disappearing myth that the only thing you should advertise on a mobile phone is something related to the phone itself. This is complete nonsense. Any type of ad can run on a digital channel, so there is no reason why it could not work as well on the mobile channel.”

Brands have been advertising on mobile phones for many years but, until recently, the only brands that used the medium were those selling content for all things mobile; ringtones, wallpapers and mobile games. While these brands still dominate, mainstream brands have now jumped aboard.

Brands seeking to advertise via mobile have two routes to choose from: on-portal and off-portal. On-portal means the mobile operators’ mobile internet sites; off-portal is everything else. Many TV stations, newspapers and other publishers now have mobile sites, so if your target audience tends to read the Daily Telegraph or Marie Clare, those sites could be a good place to start advertising.

Networks and media planners such as AdMob, Ring-Ring Media and Yodel Digital, can help draw up a mobile media plan. As for the advert itself, says Buckley, you need to think about the medium. “Most online environments are built in Flash, which does not work on mobile,” he explains. And there’s the size issue, too: “On a desktop computer or laptop you can ask people to fill in lots of questions when they’re looking for something like an insurance quote. On mobile you have to keep things much shorter and simpler.”

Another major consideration is exactly where a click on a mobile advert will take a customer. At the very least your website should have a landing page that is optimised for viewing on a mobile phone and, in an ideal world, you should offer a full mobile website. Jonathan Bass, managing director of mobile agency Incentivated, concedes that mobile is still a niche advertising medium, but points out: “On mobile, you get a self-selecting audience that is consuming mobile media, that is on the mobile web, and that will click on ads.”

Mick Rigby, chairman of mobile media agency Yodel Digital, notes that now is a good time to try out mobile advertising. “Demand for mobile advertising inventory is creeping up, but costs are still low, and clickthrough rates as high as 7 or 8 per cent compare very favourably with online display,” he says.

“Mobile websites”

Like mobile advertising, mobile websites have traditionally been the preserve of mobile content companies. That’s changing. Smartphones aside, even basic phones now come with decent web browsers, and with mobile operators offering flat-rate data packages for as little as £5 a month consumers can access mobile websites without fear of running up a huge bill. As a result, more brands are launching permanent, dedicated mobile websites.

Many of these are newspaper or magazine publishers, trying to make their content available through as many channels as possible. But if your target audience is made up of plumbers or heating engineers – or any group of people who are out and about all day and not in front of a computer – it makes perfect sense to have information, wiring diagrams or replacement part numbers, available to them on their mobile phone.

Tim Green, managing director of Mobile Interactive Group, believes that not having a mobile site soon won’t be an option for many brands. “Mobile search is growing by about 34 per cent every year and, among the younger demographic, there is a growing proportion who are not using the fixed web at all, because mobile caters for their needs. Therefore, anyone not optimising their web presence for mobile will disappear off the radar.”

Incentivated’s Bass urges brands to look at their web logs and see how many people are visiting their sites via their mobile phone. Most of these potential customers will be getting a poor experience. “If it is more than 1 per cent, you have to ask yourself whether, in the physical world, you would be happy with that percentage of your goods having to be recalled or returned,” he says.

Finally, if you do build a mobile site, you have to get people to it. This is a matter of common sense. Promote the URL on your marketing collateral in the same way that you would promote your website, and use mobile advertising and mobile search to drive traffic, just as you do with your standard website.

Apps schmapps

A couple of years ago, few people had heard of mobile applications. Then along came Apple, the iPhone and the App Store, and two billion downloads later, it seems your mobile is not a mobile until you’ve put some apps on it, whether it’s an iPhone or not.

There has been a rush among brands to tap into app-mania, with many seduced by the allure of the iPhone, irrespective of whether the typical iPhone user fits the profile of their target customer.

“Usability is critical to success, and not enough thought is put into how real customers use real phones,” says Helen Keegan, a specialist in mobile marketing, advertising and media. “The tendency is to go for an iPhone app, which is only a small subset of both our national and global marketplace.”

Adhish Kulkarni, managing director of mobile marketing firm Buongiorno Marketing Services, says that in deciding whether it needs an app, a brand needs to look at its customers and their habits, and then at what the brand can offer to improve their lives. “Mobile embraces everything from a low-level SMS interaction at one extreme to a very rich media experience through an app at the other, so you have to look at what works best for your target audience on the sort of mobile phone they are likely to have.”

Kulkarni cites the example of airline bookings. While the phone is not a great tool for researching flights and making the booking initially, it becomes extremely useful when the customer is making his or her way to the airport. At this point, an application enabling the customer to check in remotely, check for delays, and receive news of any special offers in airport shops, could be extremely useful, Kulkarni argues.

Beyond SMS

For a technology that was never even designed for consumers, SMS has proved remarkably resilient and successful. “The crucial factor is ubiquity,” says Jeremy Copp, CEO of mobile advertising firm Rapid Mobile Media. “There are some exciting new technologies being touted, but they are only on a tiny proportion of phones. Every phone supports SMS, so you can use it to reach everyone.”
Copp’s company provides Ad2Txt, which tags text adverts carrying a clickable link onto text messages sent to the consumer as part of an opt-in service, such as directory enquiries. In response to a consumer request the directory enquiry service sends the number information by return text with a brief text advert appended.

The revenue generated from the sale of this advertising space is shared with the service provider and might be used to subsidise the cost of the enquiry. “You are not buying wasted ad impressions, because you know that every text sent out will be read,” says Copp.

SMS is also popular as a way to provide an easy response mechanism to adverts appearing in other media, such as TV, print or outdoor: “Using an SMS shortcode (a five-digit number) you can make static media, such as posters or TV, interactive,” says Yodel Digital’s Rigby. Shortcodes cost marketers around £100-£200 per month per network to buy in the UK, or around £50-£100 a month for a shared shortcode.

The power of SMS to act as a response channel has been harnessed to great effect by brands for sales promotion purposes. In 2007, Birds Eye ran a promotion on 50m packs of food, offering consumers the chance to have their mortgage paid off by the brand. Three people won the top prize, with a further 106 winning a daily prize of £1,000. The promotion attracted 1.8m entries, and even though consumers could enter via either the web, SMS or post, it was SMS that attracted the most entries (52 per cent), with the web trailing behind at 43 per cent.

The Bird’s Eye promotion was devised and executed by agency The Big Kick and mobile marketing firm Sponge, which has run similarly successful “text and win” campaigns for Walkers Crisps and Cadbury. Sponge chairman Alex Meisl says mobile works well in these types of promotion because of the ease of response.
“Mobile encourages impulsive response, because typically, when you see a promotion like this, you’re in a shop or a bar, and you’re unlikely to have a computer or an envelope or a stamp with you, but you’re likely to have your phone,” he says.

As Meisl points out, campaigns like this also encourage interaction between the brand and the consumer. When the consumer texts in, even if they don’t win, the return text telling them they haven’t can be used to encourage them to try something new from the brand.

Made for each other

Mobile customer relationship management (CRM) is arguably one of the most powerful uses of the mobile channel, and one of the most cost‑effective.
Mobile‑savvy brands are asking customers to give them their mobile number, not so they can sell to them, but so that they can provide them with timely, useful information, such as their bank balance, or news about their flight or hotel room booking.

And it’s not restricted to big brands. Thanks to low-cost SMS messaging platforms accessed via the web, dentists, hairdressers, garages and other local businesses are using the mobile channel to send appointment reminders to their customers and engender customer loyalty.

“Mobile phones were primarily designed as communication devices, and marketing is actually marketing communications,” says Helen Keegan. “At the very least, companies should be sending out thank-you texts on receipt of online orders and to confirm delivery, or to garner feedback.”

To use mobile effectively for CRM, Buongiorno’s Kulkarni advises marketers: “There are specific things that mobile does better than any other channel. You need to make the most of it.”

Case study: Puma

Puma accelerated consumer brand engagement via mobile with a competition awarding branded prizes to winners of an F1 racing game downloaded from the Puma mobile site.

Mobile marketing agency Phonevalley ran a campaign for sports brand Puma capitalising on the 2008 Shanghai Grand Prix in China. The campaign focused on a Puma global mobile internet site featuring its “F Wan” operation (wan translates from Chinese as “play”).

Puma offered mobile users the chance to play an F1 motor racing game that could be downloaded from the mobile site. Players drove cars around a track in the shape of the Puma logo. Phonevalley created a points system to encourage gameplay and viral activity: players who submitted their scores by SMS or who forwarded the games to friends earned extra points, with the top three players each week rewarded with prizes of Puma F1 branded merchandise.

To encourage discovery of the mobile site, banners and text links were displayed on the top three Chinese mobile portals QQ, 3g.cn and Kong.net. Cross-channel integration was also used, with relevant SMS shortcode numbers displayed in all Puma print and out‑of‑home adverts, including magazines, billboards and underground stations.

Anyone who texted the words “Puma F Wan” to the advertised shortcode instantly received a clickable SMS message with a link to the mobile site.

The Puma F1 mobile campaign generated 195,000 unique visitors to the mobile site, with 185,000 new, qualified contacts for Puma’s database. There were 85m page impressions and 150,000 downloads of the game, themes and wallpapers.

Network Security Tactics

According to a recent survey of IT executives and network administrators by VanDyke Software Inc., 46% of companies that undertake internal security audits find that the tests result in the identification of significant security problems. That’s close to half, and the number rises to 54% for external network security audits conducted by outside companies.

Think of it like this: There’s at least a 50/50 chance you have one or more significant network security problems, and an audit is good way to find them. However, it’s a good bet that some people reading this article work for companies where network security is still not audited on a regular basis, probably because such audits are seen as an unwelcome interference with day-to-day network administration. But an audit should not be seen as a chore.

Think of it as a process that others have found useful for ensuring their organization is adequately protecting itself from data loss and related complications, such as litigation, which may ensue. In this tip, let’s review what is required to conduct a systematic examination and verification of network security, which can serve as a potent control while also providing vital feedback on the state of an organization’s security strategy.

Setting the network security baseline
To be effective, an audit must be performed against a defined set of standards: an organization’s data security, integrity and availability policies and procedures, applicable regulatory requirements, and industry best practices. Data gathered during the audit is compared against these to check “what is” against “what should be.”

It may sound like a daunting process, but if some baseline network audit processes are conducted on a regular basis, you can make any major audit less onerous. The first step? Establish a baseline of the network. A good tool for this is Nmap, the free open source utility for network inventory and security auditing. Nmap can inventory network devices and reveal what services they run, as well as what OS and application versions are installed.

Once the network has been mapped, future scan results can be compared against this known and accepted baseline. Any scan results including, for instance, unauthorized applications or never-before-seen devices should serve as red flags. Of course, any such changes should be investigated and resolved, i.e. either remediated or added to your baseline. Prohibited applications discovered by a scan may include peer-to-peer networking, instant messaging, Skype or social media file sharing.

Because network threats constantly evolve, certain baseline checks should be carried out on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Intruders always look to exploit open ports because they are an easy gateway to your systems. Therefore, port scans that identify open ports and the services running on them should be among the most frequently conducted scans. An Nmap scan can also check trust relationships that exist on a network and find connections that violate security policy.

Regular reviews
Another network element in constant flux is the user base. Regular reviews of network accounts and privileges against HR records are essential to ensure unused accounts are terminated and rights are appropriately assigned. You can combine this with other employee-related checks, such as ensuring separation of duties and compliance with password policies like aging and complexity.

Not every network security control needs checking with equal frequency, but all controls should be reviewed on a regular basis, including basics like physical security, document backup and destruction, and patching. Are backups being performed according to policy and regulatory requirements? Is data destroyed in accordance with its classification? Have backup and restore processes been tested recently to make sure they’re working? Are automated patching processes functioning correctly and deploying updates within an acceptable timeframe?

If you’re in charge of network security, then making these checks part of the regular work cycle will make life much easier when the time comes for a major network audit. The internal assessments you perform to prepare for a big audit only need to cover areas outside your regular monitoring routine.

These include evaluating patch processes, validating that backups perform per policy, assessing the effectiveness of physical security controls, and ensuring compliance with the requirements of relevant regulatory standards.

For some companies, auditing is not always optional. If your systems need to be compliant with a particular standard — such as the PCI Data Security Standard — then an audit by external auditors will be necessary. Even without such requirements, an external network security audit may be the best, or only option if there is suspicion of an internal threat, such as a malicious administrator, or if an organization has too many remote offices for qualified internal staff to ensure policies have been implemented at all sites.

Finally, a few words of caution about one oft-cited reason for security auditing. No audit, internal, external or compliance-related, can by itself ensure a network is secure. Just because a network has been audited does not mean it is, or will remain, secure. The real benefit of an audit comes from implementing its recommendations on how security controls can be improved, dealing with any concerns reported, and more closely aligning information security needs and risk mitigation with business goals. All of which makes the network security audit a worthwhile undertaking.

Gratitude goes to the author: Stephen Cobb.