Let’s get real for a moment. Safety is not sexy; despite the overwhelming data on the importance of cyber-security, it is still hard to sell a security package only on the premise of safety. Many businesses still hold that “it won’t happen to us” mentality and don’t want to “waste” their money on security experts and programs. Money and profits, now those are sexy and easy sells. The following are the top two things you can share with your clients to remind them that their business’ profits rely on cyber-security:
New technology and design mean nothing without security
The constant influx of news stories pertaining to hacking and internet security issues has the general public very nervous. Many people are hyper vigilant about what websites they visit in order to avoid any chance of a security breach. A business can invest thousands in updating their website with new technology and design, but it will do them no good if people don’t trust (and thus don’t visit) their website.
You can’t hide your lack of security
Many businesses think the above problem will not affect them because people can’t tell whether a website has security or not. False. Even internet novices have plenty of tools to tell them the safety level of a website – the three most common tools being instinct, anti-virus software, and public forums.
Our society has evolved to point that a majority of people have an internet safety detector built right in. Many of us can tell before even clicking into a Google search result whether or not we should trust a website.
Even the most basic computers now come stocked with anti-virus software and most retailers will upsell people to a more secure option. Many of these programs rank the safety of a website on the search results page and will offer a “are you sure you want to go here” prompt when someone enters an unsafe site. Most people will not be entering a website after this warning.
If someone’s built-in detector or anti-virus software fails, the masses won’t. If a website gives a couple people security issues, a business better bet that those people will take to the internet to spread the word about the safety issues the business caused them. These public statements of distrust spread like wildfire and often will end up on the first page or two of Google search results for the company name – aka dangerously close to the link to your website.
What it all boils down to is this: if customers can’t trust a business’s website, they won’t trust the business. So next time you are trying to convince a client they need a cyber-security package for safety reasons and their eyes begin to glaze over, remind them of the customer confidence and monetary benefits.
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