Safety first. In this age of security breaches and computer hacks, we’re wise to take steps to protect our personal data and that of our customers.

Have you ever Googled yourself? I have; and I’ve also run other test searches about myself. The amount of personal information, or data, that’s out there floating around in cyberspace is mind-boggling. And I know enough to know that the data I see, and have access to, is only a fraction of what exists. 

Data is a valuable commodity. In business, we use data to make smart decisions about marketing, ultimately putting it work to better position our brand, redirect our advertising dollars, drive sales, and so on. 

In the black market world, hackers bypass most of the data that we use for marketing and reach straight for personal financial data. We’ve all heard about the big ones—major retail hacks and healthcare system leaks—but what about the smaller breaches that don’t make the daily news? Even if it’s silent, the threat is there. Just as we take steps to protect our own personal information, it’s our obligation to do the same for our customers by having systems in place to protect data.

At Shamrock, we’re aligned with a host of resources that manage payment processing, data control and security services. Based on each customer’s specific industry requirements or business applications, we match the appropriate providers who then customize solutions that work to secure their data and operating systems. What we’ve learned about securing data, regardless of market or industry, is that the best offense is a good defense.

In light of recent threats, we’ve talked with these vendors about proactive steps we can take to shore up the data security effort on all fronts; following is checklist that one of our partners provided that’s well worth sharing. It highlights five key security items:

1.    PCI Training. Company policy should mandate PCI training for employees to ensure that proper procedures are followed when dealing with electronic payments.
2.    Advanced DUKPT (Derived Unique Key Per Transaction) card cloaking. DUKPT methodology eliminates the risk for card cloning.
3.    Encrypted Key Pads. Encrypted key pads enhance security of manual card entry.
4.    Implement EMV at POS. As of October 15, 2015, every merchant must have 95% implementation of EMV devices to avoid liability for fraud, penalties and fees.
5.    Maintain Certification. Ensure networks and equipment are maintained with quarterly scans and updates.

If you’d like to read more about a defensive security strategy, the link below takes you to a whitepaper that provides a closer look at a layered solution to data security.

Responding to New Threats in Card Security

Creatures of habit. Back to school, back to routine: Now is a great time to take stock of daily habits—and make changes.

We all have our routines and habits—both good and bad. For most of our kids, the summer routine of late nights and lazy mornings is about to come to an abrupt end with school back in session. While we’re helping them make that transition, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to take a look at our everyday routines and then make changes as we see fit.  

One of my favorite books is The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg; it takes a look at why habits exist and how we can transform our habits to make life changes. Duhigg studied successful athletes, CEOs, ministers, etc. and he found that by focusing on patterns, it’s possible to make self-discoveries. It was interesting to me that most of us don’t spend time analyzing our daily routines.  For the most part, we don’t even realize the actions or activities that have become our everyday habits—I know I didn’t before I read this book.

Duhigg breaks down the habit discovery process by the cue (or the trigger), the routine, and the reward. Here’s an easy example: For a coffee drinker who enjoys a cup of coffee on the drive into work every morning…the cue is getting in the car; the routine is stopping at Starbucks; and the reward is the extra caffeine kick. By identifying the cue—and replacing it with something else—we can shape change in our daily habits.

Of course, it’s not easy; change of any kind takes awareness and discipline. It’s a process. And it requires repetition: When our actions are repeated over and over again so much so that they become second-nature, that’s when we’re able to make a true transformation. 

The idea of creating change in routine doesn’t have to focus on bad habits—it can be positive, too. And it can also be related to a goal (I want to lose 50 lbs. or I want to sell $1k this year). Say you want to grow your business by creating loyal, raving-fan customers. You might get into the habit of following up with every new customer with a hand-written note (which is a unique touch) and returning phone messages within 24 hours—these are great examples of habits, that once established, can help you work toward achieving the reward or goal.

Putting a plan in place is the first step. The real key is first understanding your patterns and then committing to make the needed change or action.  The reward will happen—you just need to be disciplined enough to commit and follow through.

Good luck!

For more about The Power of Habit: www.charlesduhigg.com 

Visual content is king. Tim weighs in on current social media trends

Love it or hate it, the social media movement is here to stay. It’s hard to imagine life before “friending” and “selfies” became common-speak. It was 10 years ago that Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm room. And now, fast-forward to 2014: Facebook has 1.15 billion active users. It’s hard to wrap your mind around that kind of growth, and even more, that kind of groundbreaking invention. Facebook—and the social media sites that have followed in its path—have become an everyday essential. Americans are posting, tagging, liking, and pinning—on average, we’re spending a whopping 3+ hours a day on social media sites. Whether or not you consider yourself among those average users, it’s undeniable that social media activity has become deeply ingrained in our everyday lives—and as marketers, we’re wise to identify ways in which to capitalize on that opportunity channel.

The most recent buzz surrounding social and online media is all about the pervasive power of

pictures: The incorporation of visual content is ranked among the top social media trends for 2014. In a recent article published by the Social Media Examiner, the value of visual content is summed up nicely: “images can significantly enhance a brand’s marketing objectives by generating more customer interest and prompting prospects to take desired actions.” In other words, the adage rings true that a picture is worth a thousand words: In today’s real-time world, we simply see it, like it, share it.

Clearly, there is power in the simplicity of sharing an image: Photo-based sites have enjoyed a recent

surge in popularity. Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram each gained more than 10 million visitors in 2012 alone. Data posted by Mediabistro shows that users spend more time on Pinterest (1:17 minutes) or Tumblr (1:38 minutes) than on Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and Google+ combined.  Check out the statistics below (again, from Social Media Examiner)

It follows, then, that incorporating visual content into your social media strategy is a key driver to your marketing success. A few options that you might consider:
•    Add high-quality images to your blog posts
•    Share real-time photos on your company’s social media sites
•    Include infographics and memes in your social media posts
•    Link photos shared on social media sites back to your website
•    Video is important, too (YouTube is the second largest search engine and Vine is experiencing significant growth in 2014) so consider video posts on your social media sites, as part of email campaigns and on your website

Always, a brand-centric media strategy is important to ensure that no matter the content—visual or otherwise—your brand image is consistent across all channels for more powerful, influential marketing campaigns.

I’d be remiss not to remind you to follow Shamrock…

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Good Reads. Tim’s picks for industry magazines & websites (and technology that makes them more accessible)

Paper or electronic. Tablet or desktop: our generation is all about options. We’re fortunate to have a host of format choices that make information and content accessible—and convenient. I tend to bounce back and forth between different mediums; and I’m always looking for new tools/channels that make it even easier to gather and share that information. Here are a few resources that top my list:

Fast Company magazine. This insightful pub gives readers a look behind the curtain at some of the top organizations in the world, focusing on innovation and best practices that help to grow and sustain business. From marketing to technology to creative, it’s all in there. (Fast Company was named 2014 Magazine of the Year by the American Society of Magazine Editors.) www.fastcompany.com

Inc. magazine. If you’re looking for smart advice, innovative strategies and efficient tools to help grow your business, this is an invaluable resource. This magazine covers it all from end to end: hiring the right people, PR strategies, franchising tips, expanding into international markets, how to master SEO. Great application for any size business: www.inc.com

Flipboard. I use this app to access most of my everyday content. It’s essentially a personal dashboard or magazine that you build to include your favorite publications, blogs and social networks. It’s easy to navigate and provides a streamlined solution for staying connected to news, sports, businesses, people—all in one place. If you aren’t familiar, check it out at www.flipboard.com.

Finally, while my role at Shamrock has shifted to cover a broader business scope, sales is still in my blood. And because Shamrock is a sales-driven company, I am always looking for new tips and strategies to pass along to our sales reps. I’ve found that perspective is important—and if you can look at sales from another person’s vantage point, there are powerful lessons to be learned. Here are my top two sites (with associated blogs):

Sales Caffeine. Jeffrey Gitomer's weekly sales e-magazine, Sales Caffeine provides motivation, tips, trends and more. www.salescaffeine.com

Sales Buzz. Online sales training tools: This sites offers interactive online phone sales workshops and an insightful blog that is a great read for sales reps and managers in every industry. www.salesbuzz.com

If you have any go-to business publications, sites or blogs you’d like to share, please pass them along. I’m always looking for another great resource.

Retirement Reflection - Bob takes a look back at his accomplished career, including his 32 years at Shamrock.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years? For most of us, our career paths are unpredictable. And I mean that in a positive way. Looking back, I realize that my journey took a number of twists and turns that enabled me to learn and grow; and to build a successful company with a unique culture that continues to attract generous, talented people—and that today, makes me incredibly proud. It’s a script that 30 years ago, I would have never had the foresight to write, but one that’s even more fulfilling than what I could have imagined.

In 1971, I was getting ready to graduate from Ashland College with plans to go into international banking. But after graduation, and about one month before my wedding, I registered for the draft and enlisted in the U.S. Naval Air Corps. During my physical, I was diagnosed with a medical condition that kept me from serving. So here I was, two weeks before my wedding day, with no job. My search uncovered a sales position at Moore Business Forms.

This job was out of my comfort zone—I had no formal sales experience, I didn’t like getting up in front of people, and I wasn’t polished in terms of one-on-one, look-you-in-the-eye business interactions. But the long and short of it is that I was blessed to be with this company because they positioned their sales force to succeed by giving them the training and tools that they needed. That training shaped and furthered my sales career. 

In the forms industry it was all about timing—if you were there at the right time you could close the sale; business forms was a “convenience” sale. And so I learned very quickly the value of customer service. You had to give the client a reason to buy from you—and not from the competition. I remember coming to the conclusion that it was my decision to wake up and provide service. Or not.

My advantage was that my dad and my grandfather instilled in me a strong work ethic. As an athlete, I didn’t like to lose (which is why athletes are always attractive new-hire candidates). And I understood that how well you prepare, then dictates the outcome of the sale. It was my job to be over-prepared, and that’s exactly what I did.

Fast forward 8 years and I was calling on bigger clients and working with high-end systems people where we weren’t just printing business forms, but also writing the software and designing the systems that supported them. At that point I think as a company, we lost sight of where we were, and our level of service began to slip—that allowed the competitors to catch up. 

My mentor, Neil Bennett, had left Moore to start his own print company: Shamrock Business Forms.  And as I saw things moving in a different direction from where I thought they should be, I connected with Neil and then later left Moore for Shamrock in 1982.

Back in the day we used to have a saying, “Give me a sales order and a mirror.” In other words, if you say it, you do it. Securing the sale was all about follow through. And that’s what I did—what we did –at Shamrock.  From the beginning, we’ve focused on the customer. We listen, gather information, take requests from the customer and then make good on it. Shamrock has always invested in its customers. That’s how we’ve grown. It’s how we’ve gotten bigger, better—and it’s why we’ve become so diverse. Shamrock spent about 9 or 10 years buying new businesses, expanding into new market segments, investing in new technology that helped our clients solve their problems—it was all about driving and delivering greater value and separating us from our competition.

As I look back and ask what has made Shamrock a success, I can tell you: It’s our people. We have a business model at Shamrock that is entrepreneurial and because of that we attract very driven, self-starters. As a company, it’s our job to make sure they have the tools they need to be successful. So whether that’s premium items or data services, Shamrock has to feed that salesforce. In doing that we’ve also built our supply chain. We have aligned with the leaders in this industry, and because we’ve built strong bonds on the supply side, we are positioned to better serve our customers.

The one constant with Shamrock is that we never stand still. Our people are looking ahead, moving forward, transitioning from one channel to the next. If it’s taking a paper statement and converting it into a digital image and then distributing it electronically, that’s what we do if the demand is there. Again, we are focusing on meeting customer demand: This is how Shamrock has developed into the company we are today.

I was talking to Tim (Connor) the other day about my path at Shamrock; it’s interesting because I transitioned from sales to being the guy that’s up at ten o’clock at night worrying about making payroll.  The buck stops here. A lot of people can judge you or the decisions that you make as president and CEO, but the reality is that they’ve never walked in your shoes. And due to those pressures, that’s where family becomes so very important. Cyndi, Corrie and Megan—they have always been my support and balance. I am very blessed to have a spouse who truly understood my role and supported me. She would say to me, “What’s the worst that can happen? So we go back to where we were?” And then she’d remind me: “Where we were was pretty good.”

As you are looking at retirement you realize that your health and the relationships that you have are really the most important things in life. I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish at Shamrock—and I’m humbled by the fact that our people—this Shamrock family—has given back with such a generous spirit. For 11 years, we’ve been honored by NorthCoast 99 as one of the best places to work; it warms my heart because it is our employees who nominate Shamrock for that award, not me. 

So how do you measure success? It’s been 32 years at Shamrock and I have many blessings to count, well beyond what I had ever anticipated. So, looking ahead I can be incredibly satisfied, and above all incredibly proud, that where I’ve been and where we have developed as The Shamrock Companies, is pretty good.

‘Tis the Season- This week Bob reflects on the giving spirit that is alive and well at The Shamrock Companies this holiday season—and all throughout the year.

There are certain things that you just can’t teach people. Of course, drive and determination are great examples of attributes that either you have—or you don’t. During this holiday season of giving, there is one characteristic that is quite relevant to me, and that’s generosity. In my mind, giving freely of yourself—sharing your time and talents with people who are in need or with those who are less fortunate—is what generosity is all about. And I’m humbled to witness the incredibly generous spirit that has developed here at Shamrock over the years.

While I have always been active in the community and have made philanthropy a priority in both my personal and professional life, it was when we moved Shamrock to our new building in 2000 that Shamrock defined that element as a prominent part of our corporate culture. Don Schenkenberger was our president at that time; he spearheaded the development of Shamrock’s Community Involvement Committee which provided structure for our charitable involvement as a company.

Fast forward 13 years and the sentiment and purpose of that program remain the same, while the impact of the effort continues to amaze and inspire me. Our people here at Shamrock aren’t just going through the motions—I see families and friends joining in these efforts, getting engaged, making connections and truly changing lives. At every level, they are passionate about their involvement.

One of the many efforts that Shamrock is actively involved with each year is the Giving Tree project, which is a national program that gives us the chance to make a difference in the lives of local families in need. Our employees at Shamrock provide essential items and gifts for these families, which we hand-deliver on Christmas Eve.  

That giving-spirit transcends beyond the holiday season: Shamrock committed to, and raised, $15,000 for Cystic Fibrosis last year; we rally a team every year for the Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure; we raise funds annually for Our Lady of the Wayside; and earlier this year, one of our employees had a family member who had a major surgery—the committee quickly came together and assembled a fabulous gift basket to show our collective support. Big and small, Shamrock is committed to making those connections and making a difference.

At this time of the year, many of us pause to reflect about how very fortunate we are to have all that we do. But above and beyond, I feel blessed to know—and to witness—that our people here at Shamrock have the compassion and generosity in their hearts to give back to our community. Again, that generous spirit is something that either you have—or you don’t. I’m proud to be a part of this organization that truly has it, and that shares it, to make our community a better place.

COMMON GOALS. A candid conversation with Tim Connor, President of The Shamrock Companies.

Interviewer:

What has shaped your business philosophy?

TC:

Before I came to Shamrock, right after college, I worked a little over two years for a large corporation. I was green; didn't know much about business. Luckily, it was an organization that believed in staying focused on quality and service, and expected me to follow that path, too. That has been my mantra from the start: "Provide customers with quality, service and deliver plus one."

Interviewer:

Would you say that your prior experience helped you get a job at Shamrock?

TC:

No doubt. I've been at Shamrock for 20 years, and it's the entrepreneurial spirit of this company that's kept me here.

Interviewer:

What motivates you to come to work every morning?

TC:

What first attracted me to Shamrock, and what keeps me here is the goal to always put the customer first. And it's not just something written on a mission statement; we truly live through customer service. I saw from my first day on the job that the people at Shamrock live, die and breathe for our clients. It's much more evident here than in larger, less family-oriented businesses.

Interviewer:

Did you come to Shamrock with a Customer First philosophy?

TC:

I guess that philosophy came through in my first interview, and it's probably what got me in the door. But I honed this skill from the master. Bob Troop, our CEO, has always conducted business with a trained eye to keep customer needs as our top priority. If that means staying at the office late to complete a job or staying abreast of technology that will serve our customers' best interest, we have all been trained to, as the saying goes, "Just do it!" Or, as Bob always says, "Just figure it out," which, to me, means you've got to be able to roll up your sleeves to take care of the client. That's the goal for each person who works at Shamrock.

Interviewer:

How is Shamrock using technology to help customers?

TC:

We are focused on data and data analytics. This means different things to different people, but at Shamrock we view it as a way to examine all the details of a customer's campaign. We help customers analyze their data in order to become smarter and more profitable marketers; ensure that they not only make money, but save money, while squeezing the best and most positive results out of every campaign. We help build brands by delivering their marketing message through different channels, including print, email, social media and other resources, and then determine which is working best. Each customer is different, so there's no cookie-cutter approach to what we do.  

Interviewer:

Why does Shamrock place such great emphasis on technology?

TC:

The utilization of technology helps us with the ability to understand our customers' business better. It will always be true that new, emerging technologies will drive business for us -- and for our customers. Shamrock has always been able to adapt and incorporate new technology into the marketing mix. Helping customers grow their business is our mission and we instill this in every employee. We continue to evolve and remain innovative to serve our customers' needs. We don't stop until we see that we can take part in helping their business grow.

Interviewer:

How has the economic downturn affected your ability to deliver for customers?

TC:

Our customers have become smarter about utilizing marketing dollars. For example, before the downturn a customer might spend $100,000 on a program. The downturn made that nearly impossible. Now, I see customers willing to spend $50,000 or $100,000, but they want to do it wisely. The difference today is that, while customers are coming back to spending $100,000, they're being smarter about allocating their dollars. They tell us, "If I'm going to spend $50,000 or $100,000, I want to be able to measure the data and look at my ROI." There's a demand for culpability. That's where data analytics plays a big part. Since the downturn, we're much more methodical with our strategic marketing and planning. Our goal is to help customers be smarter, and new technology plays a big part in that.