(855) 556-4677 www.azcompit.com
JANUARY 2019
Empowering Small Practices to Deliver the Best Care
IT
3 LESSONS FROM A SHARK What I Learned From Robert Herjavec
It’s not every day that you find yourself face-to-face with a shark, but that’s exactly what happened to me last April. Luckily, this shark wasn’t a great white or hammerhead. Instead, he was Robert Herjavec, one of the famous inventors from ABC’s hit show “Shark Tank.” Herjavec spoke at a conference I attended, doling out wisdom from years spent growing his business as well as many others. Even months after the conference, his words are still ringing in my ears. Herjavec’s life hasn’t been all yachts and caviar, though you’d be forgiven for thinking so based on his cool, classy appearance and level-headed demeanor. Herjavec’s father was a political dissident in former Yugoslavia. After being jailed 22 times by the communist government, he’d had enough, packed up his family, and crossed the border into Italy. Eventually, they landed in Canada — an ocean away from their former home. Seeing Herjavec speak was especially relevant to me because one of his most successful ventures, Herjavec Group, is an IT security company. But the advice he dispensed at the event resonates no matter the industry you’re in or the size of your business. Herjavec was gracious and humble as he shared his secrets with us, never once coming off as condescending. While he covered a lot of ground during his talk, there are three points in particular that I want to share with you. 1. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO SALES. The one thing that Herjavec really wanted to hammer home with each and every one of us is the importance of sales. “Nothing happens until you sell something,” he told us. “What’s the difference between really big companies that grow and really small companies that stay the same size? Sales.”
not. He always asks, “How do you guys get customers? How do you guys find new business?” He then goes on to say, “If the answer is anything along the lines of ‘word of mouth,’ I know these guys aren’t going anywhere.” The fact is that word of mouth is hard to control and almost impossible to scale. It can help you grow, for sure, but it can’t be your only tactic. 2. NO, REALLY. YOU NEED TO SELL EVERY DAY. “Nobody in this room makes money by shuffling paper,” Herjavec said. “If one of your top three tasks every day isn’t to sell something, you’re going to fail.” The only way to create constant forward momentum is by bringing in new revenue, and the only way to do that is to sell. 3. YOU CAN’T BE AFRAID TO SELL. We all know that people in any industry are always worried about overloading themselves. “We’re struggling to serve the customers we have already,” they say. “What happens if we really do bring in a bunch of new ones?” This line of thinking will get you nowhere. “It’s a common fallacy,” Herjavec said. “Engineers want to make it perfect before they sell it. True entrepreneurs jump out of the airplane and have the confidence that they’ll figure out the parachute on the way to the bottom.” As you begin to plan for the coming year at your business, ask yourself what you and your team can do to drive sales over the course of 2019. Don’t rely on luck or outside forces to grow your company; take on the responsibility for yourself. –Byron Adams
Over the years, Herjavec has bought and sold 13 companies, and he’s learned how to suss out whether a potential buy is worth it or
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
(855) 556-4677 AZCOMP Technologies, Inc. www.azcompit.com • 1
Protect Your Data What every small business owner must know about protecting & preserving their
A FREE REPORT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS On How to Protect Your Network and Data
If you ask us, too many tech companies make no effort to speak in a way that connects with the audiences they’re trying to reach. Sometimes, they simply don’t realize they’re speaking in jargon because
The report is written in non-technical English that anyone can comprehend. It highlights the bad practices that cost business owners thousands in lost sales, lowered productivity, and computer repair bills. It also provides you with an easy, proven way to reduce or completely eliminate the financial expense and frustration caused by these oversights. As a business owner, you don’t need to understand the nitty-gritty details of network security. But you do need to realize how essential a functioning, well-protected network is for the health and sustainability of your business. It only takes one data breach to send most small businesses tumbling down a hill they will never be able to climb back up. Proactive, comprehensive IT services will give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have a company that cares about you monitoring your network 24/7. In a world where tech is so essential to the everyday workings of business, every leader could stand to know a little more about cybersecurity. Visit azcompit.com/protect today to download your FREE copy of our report.
company’s critical data & computer systems!
they use technical terms all the time. In more nefarious cases, the alienating of listeners is intentional. When you can’t even wrap your head around what a service provider is talking about, it’s easy to be sold services without understanding what you’re paying for. AZCOMP believes in the opposite approach. We want our clients to understand their networks and believe in the value of protecting them. That’s why we’ve written a FREE report designed to educate business owners on the risks of poor network maintenance and data protection, and provide them with tips on how to avoid common mistakes. It’s called “What Every Small Business Owner Must Know About Protecting and Preserving Their Company’s Critical Data and Computer Systems,” and we’d love to send you a copy today. SPOTLIGHT ON DESERT SAGE MEDICINE Desert Sage Medicine, located in Oro Valley, offers patients concierge primary care, creating an ongoing personal relationship between doctor and patient. In a way, it’s not too different from the managed IT services we offer, which monitor the health of your network 24/7. AN INNOVATIVE INDEPENDENT PRACTICE If you depend on your computer network to run your business, this is one report you DON’T want to skip! As such, it’s not hard to see why we love working with Desert Sage Medicine. But how do they feel about us? In Dr. Pamela Dowell’s own words, here is how Desert Sage describes their relationship with AZCOMP. We have been with AZCOMP since mid-2015 for Medisoft and EHR support. Late in 2017, we got going on their Managed IT Services plan, and now we use their VoIP phone system too. Our previous IT people weren’t a good fit for us. They didn’t know anything about EHR, and they were more geared toward dealing with much bigger companies. With AZCOMP, we have a one-stop shop that is perfectly suited for us, and I’m just ecstatic about it. AZCOMP is always available for us. They are just really good and work so hard to keep everything working great. They know and understand our needs, and it has just simplified everything for me and my staff.
NEED NETWORKING OR COMPUTER HELP?
Call our direct support line: (480) 730-3055 Create a support ticket via email: ithelp@azcomp.com
Your confidential credentials might be for sale on the Dark Web. Find out and gain peace of mind with our 100% confidential Dark Web Scan.
Go to azcompit.com/darkwebscan for more details.
Thank you for the kind words, Dr. Dowell. We’re thrilled to work with you and all of our wonderful clients.
2 • (855) 556-4677 AZCOMP Technologies, Inc. www.azcompit.com
MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER’S ‘THE COACHING HABIT’ Turns Bosses Into Leaders Ember mugs were named a Time magazine “Invention of the Year” in 2017, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re elegantly designed and offer an easy solution to an all-too-common problem. If you’re the type of person who can’t start their day without a warm cup of coffee or tea, you’ll be an Ember convert from the first sip. EMBER SMART MUGS Enjoying a hot beverage is an essential part of many people’s mornings, but it’s also something of a guessing game. Take your first sip too early, and you’ll end up with a burnt tongue. Wait too long, and your drink will be tepid and unenjoyable. With Ember smart mugs, you’ll never struggle to find the perfect middle ground because your mug will find it for you. Ember mugs allow you to precisely control the temperature of your beverage using an app on your phone. The ceramic models use a charging stand, cleverly shaped to look like a saucer, to regulate heat and alert you when the liquid is at your preferred temperature. They’ll also warn you when a beverage poured into the mug is too hot. The travel models use the same app, but the charging unit is integrated into the mug and includes an LED thermometer display. Keep Your Beverage at the Ideal Temperature
Over the past decade or so, the number of people developing a passion for sophisticated home cooking has exploded. Plenty of companies are trying to take advantage of this culinarily curious populace by producing an array of kitchen gadgets. The problem is most of these tools are useful for one or two tasks and spend most of their time gathering dust. Eunice Byun and David Nguyen, passionate home cooks themselves, grew tired of cluttered drawers and cabinets. Their direct-to-consumer kitchen supply company, Material Kitchen, stands in direct opposition to the one-trick ponies made by so many of their competitors. “We don’t feel pressure to keep selling customers more and more products,” says Byun. “We’d rather they own a few Material products that they really need and love.” Material’s signature offerings are nine- and six-piece sets called the Iconics and the Fundamentals, respectively. Each includes only versatile, everyday tools like spatulas, tongs, and chef’s knives. Material also sells some of their items individually, in the event you are looking for just one item. Home cooks struggling to decide between cheap, off-the- shelf sets from big-box retailers and professional-grade, insanely expensive alternatives now have a third option. If you’re the type of cook who favors practicality, Material Kitchen can help you whittle down your culinary arsenal to only the most useful weapons. BY OFFERING LESS, NOT MORE DECLUTTERED AN INDUSTRY HOW MATERIAL KITCHEN
Early in “The Coaching Habit,” Michael Bungay Stanier succinctly lays out the premise of his investigation into leadership styles. “If this were a haiku rather than a book,” he writes, “it would read: Tell less and ask more. Your advice is not as good as you think it is.” Stanier believes that leaders, especially in business, have a lot to learn when it comes to coaching their staff. The biggest
problem, in his eyes, is that leaders don’t take the time to ask questions and learn from the answers provided by team members. Instead, they simply tell people what to do and expect them to do it. This method, which has little to do with coaching, creates animosity and limits the potential for employee growth. To help reverse this trend and give leaders actionable tips to improve their coaching, each of the book’s seven main chapters explores a type of question that fosters dialogue and builds relationships between managers and their subordinates. “The Coaching Habit” demonstrates a common problem and provides a framework to fix it. If you can’t remember the last time you asked a team member a meaningful question, you should pick up a copy ASAP.
(855) 556-4677 AZCOMP Technologies, Inc. www.azcompit.com • 3
Give us a call! (855) 556-4677 www.azcompit.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
2500 S. Power Rd., Ste. 117 Mesa, AZ 85209 i nside this issu e
Business Lessons From a Shark PAGE 1 Get Our Free Cyber-Protection Report PAGE 2 Spotlight on Desert Sage Medicine PAGE 2 Material Kitchen’s Radical Approach PAGE 3 The Best Temperature-Controlled Mugs PAGE 3 AZCOMP Leadership Library: ‘The Coaching Habit’ PAGE 3 Improvement Never Stops PAGE 4 Benjamin Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” I think this quote resonates so much with me because it gets at the same message as one of AZCOMP’s core values: We Surf Jaws. To us, that value is all about finding ways to innovate and improve, whether at work or outside of it. It informs every aspect of our approach and reminds us that complacency is the enemy. On a recent trip to All Things Metal, one of our managed services clients, I had the chance to speak with the company’s CEO, Timothy Rock. We were there to discuss a few aspects of his business, but I couldn’t help notice the well-stocked bookshelf behind his desk. I mentioned to him that I’d read and enjoyed many of the titles on display. Instantly, Tim’s face lit up. It was clear these books weren’t just behind his desk for show; he’d read them carefully and absorbed lessons from each.
A CLIENT WHO SURFS JAWS By Byron Adams
excited about. The books — “The Ideal Team Player” by Patrick Lencioni and “Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!” by Greg Crabtree — were both hugely important to Tim. He told me how he applied the concepts from the books to make himself a better leader and CEO. I was so impressed with Tim’s drive for constant learning. A lot of CEOs suffer from thinking that because they’re the boss, they’ve got nothing to learn. Tim is just the opposite. He realizes that improving his business starts with improving himself. I walked away from my visit completely inspired, and I think Ben Franklin himself would be proud of Tim’s approach. Personal growth doesn’t have to come in the form of business books. What’s important is finding a way to follow Tim’s example of innovating and improving what works for you. So, I ask you, how will you surf Jaws in 2019?
Moments later, Tim reached into his desk and pulled out two books he had finished recently and was
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
4 • (855) 556-4677 AZCOMP Technologies, Inc. www.azcompit.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog