If I Were Buying What You Are Selling, Would I Buy …...If I Were Buying What You Are Selling,...

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“As a business owner, you don’t

have time to waste on technical and

operational issues. That’s where we

shine! Call us and put an end to your

IT problems finally and forever!”

- Debi Bush, CMIT Solutions of Denver

Volume VI, Issue 6 June 2013

Denver, Colorado

Inside This Issue…

If I Were Buying What You Are Selling, Would I Buy It

From You?....………………. Are You Getting “Scroogled”

By Google? …………............Page 2 7 Reasons Why It’s Time To Give Up Windows XP Once

And For All………………....Page 3 Client Profile: Doctors Express...................Page 4 I’m Just A CEO Who

Can’t Say “No”……………..Page 5 365 Transforming Ways And Days..............................Page 6 “Being A Fred Is More Fun”..……….....….….Page 7

Rosser Reeves coined the phrase “unique selling point” back in the 1940s when researching why some advertising campaigns worked better than

others. Since then it has been used by various marketers and has morphed

into “unique selling proposition,” which is now more commonly used. Ogilvy said you need a “big idea.” Trout says you need to “differentiate or

die.” Others talk about your value proposition or competitive advantage.

Regardless of how you phrase it, the meaning is the same: What’s the

single most compelling reason why a prospect should buy from YOU

over all the other options, vendors and choices they have? The key word

in unique selling proposition is, of course, unique. The answer should be

unique to you and dependent upon your company’s abilities, systems, niche and offering. Here are some guidelines that we’ve used:

First, your services have to be FOR somebody specifically, not the

masses. When I ask many local companies “What’s your target audience,” I’ll often hear, “Anyone that lives in the such-and-such area.” Bull. A

“family of 4” is different than a 5-person company and is an entirely

different animal than a 100-person company. Totally different situations, needs, budgets, etc. You can’t niche the phone book. That doesn’t mean

you must have a particular vertical to be successful. You can certainly have

a variety of people as clients; but I would urge you to find the commonality of those clients be it size, income, pace of growth, consumer/business, etc.

Second, whatever makes you unique must be RELEVANT to your

clients— something exciting, engaging or of particular value to the person paying you money. That means you need to know what your competition is

offering and doing and find that point of difference that matters the most to

your clients and MASTER it. For my company, our USP is superior levels of client care without exception and the best clients that we can service are

companies that value proactive and flat rate IT support. Now that doesn’t

mean that we aren’t able to support other companies that are outside of this definition, but we are able to define who we work best with, and that’s

important. It’s important that our USP is true, is unique to us (therefore

cannot be copied) and is relevant to the people we want as clients.

If you’re struggling to figure out what your USP is or what it SHOULD BE, find out what the top pet peeves are for prospects in your niche

regarding IT. What on an everyday basis are they trying to get rid of? Once

you know that, make it your personal mission to eliminate those irritants or solve those problems better than anyone else. Then, you can back your

claims up with facts and statistics, client case studies and guarantees. That’s

how we started out, and it’s working pretty well for us so far. This process is really never done, but we’re confident that for now we know who we

serve and what we do best to serve them.

If I Were Buying What You Are Selling, Would I Buy It From You?

Phil’s In The Corner

If you’re a parent of a child(ren)

who is about to finish the school

year—preschool through high

school age— are you nervous?

How can you be productive and

get your work done with your

kids calling you multiple times

during your workday?

This is something that Debi and I

have wrestled with for many years

since we have 3 kids who are not

in camps every day of their

summer break. Summer break

always puts fear in Debi’s heart

and mind. Fortunately, we have

family calendaring on an over-

sized paper calendar and Debi and

I put family activities on our

electronic calendars so we have

anytime, anywhere, any device

access. In fact, there is an article

in this month’s newsletter about

Office 365 which we support for

our clients and use internally here

at CMIT Solutions of Denver to

help with calendaring.

It took me a few years as a small

business owner to have the

comfort level and peace of mind

to take a real vacation, but it is

doable. Make a pact with yourself

to only check email at the begin-

ning and end of each day so you

can enjoy your time off.


Are You Getting “Scroogled” By Google?

If you use Google for search, Gmail for e-mail or an Android phone as your smart phone then, according to Microsoft, you’re getting “scroogled” daily! What exactly does that mean? Well, according to www.scroogled.com, it means that Google systematically uses your private information that it collects online through your search, your emails, your Android app store purchases and more to sell more ads.

And there’s no way to opt out.

Let me explain further how they do it with a few examples:

Gmail: Google’s systems go through all of your personal Gmail emails ever sent and received looking for keywords they can use to target you with paid ads. So that email you just sent to your spouse, your child or whomever you just sent it to… Google is looking to see how they can use that to target you with advertise-ments. And 46% of users of the e-mail service don’t even know it. Great for advertisers. Not so great for your privacy.

Google Android App Store: When you buy an Android app from the Google App Store, they give your full name, e-mail address and the neighborhood where you live to the app maker. This occurs without clear warning to you every time that you buy an app. That might be OK in a handful of instances, but it’s impossible to tell what the app maker might do with that information. App makers are spread all around the world and not all app makers are trustworthy.

Consumer Privacy Groups are up in arms about this blatant sharing of

your personal information. A Consumer Watchdog Complaint to the

Federal Trade Commission on Feb 25, 2013 said “The various applicable Google privacy policies promise not to share user information collected by

Google outside of the company. The policies contain no exceptions that

would justify Google’s disclosure to app developers of confidential user

information.”

In full disclosure, the term “Scroogled” has recently been hyped up in a

series of big marketing campaigns bashing Google’s services. So, are these

privacy concerns a bunch of marketing hype or real concerns to act on?

That answer is really up to you.

So what to do now? Only you can determine how much you want to

risk your own personal information in the hands of Google. The online

world has an increasing number of security risks to consider these days

and most of them don’t have anything to do with Google. How do you

respond? Hopefully by being informed and making decisions based on

real information and not because you didn’t know any better.


Shiny New Gadget

Of The Month:

The Flip Pal

The Flip Pal Mobile scanner has no wires and scans directly to a SD Card (just like a camera).

Have you ever come across a picture that you wanted to scan but were afraid to take it out of the album because it was stuck? With the Flip Pal, you can leave it in the album and place the scanner right over the picture and get the scan without having to disturb anything.

The scanner has a built-in screen so that you can see the scan before you are done.

The Flip Pal is battery powered, compact and lightweight. It produces high quality digital scans in 300 or 600 dpi and can scan in color. The scanner only weighs 1.5 pounds which makes it easy to carry around.

The software that comes with the Flip Pal allows you to take a number of scans and digitally stitch them together into one large picture.

The Flip-Pal retails for $149.99.

If you would like more information, you can go to www.flip-pal.com.

7 Reasons Why It’s Time To Give

Up On Windows XP

Once And For All Although businesses have been getting rid of Windows XP for at least

the last 3 years, the fact remains that as of last December 2012, around

500 million users were still running Windows XP. Here are 7 of the top

reasons it’s time to finally give up Windows XP now.

1. Tons Of Viruses. There is a huge library of viruses aimed at

Windows XP and limited antivirus support still available.

2. XP Is OLD (almost 12 years old!). The 1st iPod was

released the same year as Windows XP. In a world where the

5th iPhone has been released, no one should be left using an

O/S that pre-dates the 1st iPod!

3. Least Secure Operating System (By Far!). ALL other

platforms, including Linux, all versions of Mac OS X,

Windows 7 and Windows 8 are more secure than XP by a

huge margin. Windows Vista is actually a far safer option

(scary!).

4. Built For A Simpler Time. XP was created for a simpler

world of technology. It was formatted to fit to a screen only

640 pixels wide, and it showcased IE6 as a new product. The

internet was a different place when XP was developed.

Smartphones were non-existent, laptops were a luxury and

tablet computers were science fiction.

5. No More Band-Aids. Only so many Band-Aid fixes on top

of each other can be effective.

6. Support Is Ending. Mainstream support of XP ended 4

years ago (April 2009) with only critical security updates

since then.

7. Malware Everywhere. You can continue to use XP, but

with more malware than ever. XP is by far the most

vulnerable platform to connect to the internet.

XP is a relic from a different world. Use at your own risk.

A Special Note from Debi Bush, CEO,

CMIT Solutions of Denver: You know CMIT as an IT consulting and support company. But we can offer more to you, often at no charge. I have been providing IT support for 9 years and was in the corporate world before that (cable TV). I have made quite a few alliances and know people and companies that provide services to businesses. I have always been one who recognizes the need for being “connected” and being a resource for others. If you need services that may not be IT, I may still be able to recommend someone to you. I am constantly looking for companies that may be of service to our clients. If we can help you with your business, then everyone wins. Please give us the opportunity to service you beyond your IT needs.


Insights From Our Past To

Apply To The Present & Future Our person of the month is John Calvin Maxwell. He is known for his books, training and speeches on leadership, teamwork and roadmaps to success. He was born 100 years after last month’s featured person, Thomas Edison.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the

way, and shows the way.” When we started our CMIT office in 2004, the CEO of CMIT presented us with Maxwell’s book, Developing the Leader Within You.

“People may hear your words, but they feel your

attitude.” Leaders are different than managers in that not all managers are leaders and you can grow in your leadership skills.

Some of John Maxwell’s most sought after books are The 5 Levels of Leadership and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

John Maxwell 1947 -

Client Profile:

Darius and Sheedeh Kerrman opened the doors to Doctors Express Urgent Care in Glendale earlier this year. They found us, CMIT Solutions, through the Glendale Chamber of Commerce member listing and it’s a wonderful partnership. In fact, two members of the Bush family visited Doctors Express in May. Darius has formed a team of doctors and support staff who share a passion for urgent care medicine. Doctors Express is a walk-in medical center that offers efficient, affordable and personable urgent care for all patients. The center features an on-site lab that provides quick test results for blood tests or ailments such as mono and strep throat. Doctors Express staff can perform employment and sports physical exams, drug screenings and work-site inoculations for employers. Doctors Express Cherry Creek is located at 760 S. Colorado Blvd. (by the Chili’s restaurant). Their phone number is 303-692-8000 and website is www.doctorsexpresscherrycreek.com.

Viva Italia! Travelling to Italy during the Summer or any time of the year?

Check out www.homeaway.com for apartment rentals. My

family rented apartments in Rome and in Florence (near the

Ponte Vecchio pictured here) and they worked out great.

“You may have the universe

if I may have Italy.”

~ Giuseppe Verdi

Email Debi at

[email protected]

for insights to Italy.


Quotes for

June

“The World is a book, and those

who do not travel read only a

page.”

~ Saint Augustine

“I dislike feeling at home when

I am abroad.”

~ George Bernard Shaw

“What does it mean to pre-

board? Do you get on before

you get on?”

~ George Carlin

“In America there are two clas-

ses of travel—first class, and

with children.”

~ Robert Benchley

“Traveling is the ruin of all hap-

piness! There’s no looking at a

building after seeing Italy.”

~ Fanny Burney

“A man who has not been in

Italy, is always conscious of an

inferiority.”

~ Samuel Johnson

“I think I feel automatically at

home in Italy.”

~ Boyd Rice

“I am proof that you can make

money in Italy and be honest.”

~ Leonardo Del Vecchio

I’m Just A CEO Who Can’t Say No

Whether or not you’re familiar with the song from the classic musical Oklahoma, I find

that this is an applicable title in the world of today's entrepreneur and busy executive.

Macro-multitasking is just as significant a problem as the garden-variety, moment-by-

moment multitasking. Macro-multitasking is the splitting of one’s attention across

many different projects, businesses, ventures, causes, and even careers.

No matter how talented a person is, he or she will always be constrained by the truth of

time. The truth of time is that there are only 24 hours in a day. When those 24 hours are

filled up with too many different activities, these activities always end up competing

against each other, no matter how worthy they may be. People fail to understand that by

saying “yes” to one thing they are by default saying “no” in a small degree to every other

activity in their life.

Let me offer two main categories of people who can't say “no” and one suggestion to

help those in each of those categories:

1. Can't say “no” to others - Some of the nicest and most selfless people that I've met

are successful business owners and executives. People often approach these

business leaders and ask for help. And, more often than not, they selflessly donate

their time. However, when business leaders spread themselves across too many

causes, they fragment their attention in every other area of their life. Instead of

being of service, they end up shortchanging themselves and others. Maintaining

focus often requires the skill of saying “no” in a polite and diplomatic manner.

Option: Ask for requests via e-mail. There are two main reasons why e-mail is

such an effective tool to protect the person who can’t say no to others.

It is too easy for someone to make a verbal request of the business leader in

the spur of the moment. The leader who wants to be everyone’s friend has

difficulty saying no face to face to the individual, even when they know that

they probably shouldn't get involved. Asking for an e-mail puts responsibility

on the person asking for help.

When someone sends you an e-mail, it allows you to consider the request in a

calm environment away from the individual.

2. Can't say “no” to yourself – The classic serial entrepreneur has great difficulty

limiting himself or herself to the project at hand. These business leaders are constantly

spinning new ideas and new ventures and seeing opportunities around every corner.

While these opportunities may be valid, they are not valid all at the same time. The

truth of time limits their ability to act on all of their desires. The entrepreneurial type

has to recognize that they are causing these problems for themselves when they

undertake too many projects simultaneously.

Option: Store ideas away for review. When new ideas come to mind, ignoring them is

neither practical nor profitable. However, neither is taking immediate action on every

single “next big idea.” Instead, store those ideas away in a specific location set aside for

just those ideas. But storing them away isn’t enough. By implementing a system of

regular review, you allow yourself to put off but not forget great ideas. Set a recurring

appointment with yourself to review the list and decide if now is the right time to

embark on a new adventure.

Guest article provided by: Dave Crenshaw is an author, speaker and CEO coach. He has appeared in TIME magazine, Forbes, SIRIUS XM Radio, and the BBC News. His first book, The Myth of Multitasking: How ‘Doing It All’ Gets Nothing Done, has been published in six languages and is a time management best seller. His latest book, Invaluable: The Secret to Becoming Irreplaceable, is also an organizational behavior and motivational bestseller. For videos and articles from Dave, visit www.DaveCrenshaw.com


FREE BUSINESS

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Claim Your FREE Copy Today:

303-756-2648 or at

www.CMITDenver.com/12facts

365 Transforming Ways And Days You have probably heard or read something about Microsoft Office 365 (aka O365) over the past couple years. Well, in case you haven’t or if you’re still not sure what Office 365 is and what it can mean for your business or organization, let’s get the discussion started. Microsoft introduced this business and cloud solution a few years ago. It was first known as BPOS (Business Productivity and Office Suite) and the name fortunately changed to Office 365. Use it each and every of the 365 days of each year from any place, any device and any time. Some familiar programs and functionalities that are part of O365:

Email— this is Exchange; it works on all devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) from the office or on-the-go. Calendar—your own calendar and shared calendars File Sharing—this is SharePoint with versioning functions Office applications—create, store, edit and share Office docs online for availability at any time to you or your colleagues Video conferencing—this is Lync and provides Instant Messaging and HD Video Conferencing

It’s also important to understand that all of your emails, calendars, and documents or files are stored in Microsoft’s data centers—part of the cloud—which means that you have your data protected and backed up. And, if your business dictates that your email be archived, this is available too. As an O365 subscriber, you’ll also be provided anti-spam and anti-malware protection programs at no additional cost. Not surprising to me that Microsoft has been generous in making Office 365 available at discounted pricing to qualifying 501c3 organiza-tions. Given that Bill Gates supports humanitarian and educational efforts such as polio eradication through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this is yet another generous contribution. If you’re wondering if your business or organization could or should benefit from Office 365, contact Phil Bush at 303-756-2648 or go to www.CMITDenver.com/Office365.


The Lighter Side: How’s Your Job?

Q. How's your job at the clock

company?

A. Only time will tell.

Q. How's your job at the banana

company?

A. I keep slipping up.

Q. How's your job on the new

highway?

A. I'm so busy I don't know which

way to turn.

Q. How's your job at the travel

agency?

A. I'm going nowhere.

Q. How's your job at the swivel

chair company?

A. It makes my head spin!

Q. How's your job at the lemon juice

company?

A. I've had bitter jobs.

Q. How's your job at the pie

company?

A. It didn't pan out.

Q. How's your job at the balloon

factory?

A. We can't keep up with inflation.

Q. How's your job at the crystal ball

company?

A. I'm making a fortune.

Q. How's your job at the history

book company?

A. There's no future in it.

Q. How's your job at the clock

company?

A. I'm having second thoughts about

it.

Q. How's your job on the farm?

A. Problems keep cropping up.

“Being A Fred Is A Lot More Fun”

In last month’s article, I provided some quotes from local Denver area

author, Mark Sanborn, who is the author of The Fred

Factor and most recently, Fred 2.0.

Last month I had another opportunity to hear Mark

speak on a webinar on “How to be a Fred and Deliver

EXTRAordinary Results.” It was great reinforcement

of what he talked about in Nashville two months ago.

The first Freds I ever “knew” were Fred Flintstone and Fred Mertz (“I

Love Lucy”). I would not designate either of these Freds as EXTRA-

ordinary; however, one would have a hard time disputing the impact

or effect each had on early TV history.

One of the concepts that Mark Sanborn shared on his webinar was

about happiness. Now,

there have been philoso-

phies on happiness over

the decades and centuries

as well as books and radio

segments in the current

day on the elusive and

much sought after life that

is filled with happiness.

Three concepts to be

practiced everyday are:

Choosing to be happy.

Change for the sake of change. Switch things up. Sometimes you

should change for the sake of change or to make progress.

Identify “Why” you want to renew your resolve. Ask yourself

“What’s the basic problem with _____?” and then work to fix

that problem.

As you are aware, I attend industry-related meetings and conferences

throughout the year and I am fortunate to have stellar speakers like

Mark Sanborn. On his May webinar he mentioned the importance of

instruction, training and continued education. He created a formula

to address the benefit of education:

EXPECTATION WITHOUT EDUCATION IS FRUSTRATION

Wouldn’t it be nice to reduce the amount of frustration you, your family and your colleagues experience? I know that my kids would vote for reducing my frustration and stress when it


comes to their schoolwork and my wish that they would keep

things orderly in the house. I want to be a Fred because having

more FUN in my life would be a welcome addition. To be a Fred is

“choosing to be extraordinary.” Much like you have to choose to

be happy, you must choose to be EXTRAordinary, or above and

beyond ordinary.

I don’t think that you have to be extraordinary in all aspects of

your life and work nor should you be. However, and a big

however, is that I’ll bet that you are EXTRAordinary in some area

or aspect of your life. You may not recognize that this unnoticed

talent is above and beyond ordinary. Mark Sanborn said that you

can find “success principles in the things that happen every day

that are extraordinary and go unnoticed.”

Tying in with our featured person of the month and leadership

guru, John Maxwell, it’s wise to recognize that “we lead our

families, kids, friends “and more according to Sanborn. As part

of leading your company and your family, Mark mentioned

following the CARE principle: Create A Rare Experience. When

striving to be extraordinary or maintaining that special talent that

is extraordinary, make sure to create a rare, special and unique

experience. Have a lot more fun by practicing the Fred way of

life.

925 S. Niagara St., Suite 220

Denver, CO 80224

Phone: 303-756-2648

Fax: 303-484-7314

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.CMITDenver.com

Blog: cmitdenver.wordpress.com

E-Newsletter Articles:

cmitdenvernews.wordpress.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/

cmitdenver

LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/

Debi’s Reading List

Inferno by Dan Brown Angels and Demons

by Dan Brown Both take place in Italy!

Have a magnificent month!

P.S. If you’re not receiving my monthly e-newsletter or CMIT QuickTip,

please email me at [email protected] to request that your name

be added.

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