BBB Bulletin Central Illinois Exclusive Business News & Tips

BBB Bulletin Central Illinois Exclusive Business News & Tips October 2019 Ways Cyber Security Can Creep Into Your Home And Business October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the Better Business Bureau is scaring up the latest on cyber security risks and ways to avoid them. Watch out for these spooky dangers lurking in the corners of our everyday digital lives. Dangers ·     Hacked "smart" devices ·     Sneaky phishers ·     Cryptocurrency or "crypto" Tips ·     Secure smart devices ·     Be weary of Improbably good deals ·     Change passwords often Check out the full article and resources here Scam Alert! BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU® NEWS RELEASE What’s in a domain name, really? For small businesses, it’s the best way for customers to find them and for vendors to network with them. But what if a suspicious-looking email appears in your inbox threatening to take over your company’s domain name because it conflicts with a trademark, or the sender has filed a registration ahead of you for the same name? BBB advises to stop and think before sending a response.  The practice is called domain squatting or cybersquatting, and it’s defined as the act of registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name in bad faith. It’s been on the uptick for the last decade, as businesses started creating websites and registering their names associated with them. ·     Protect your company’s domain by doing a domain name search for your company’s website and checking the status of the domain registration. ·     Avoid selecting any of the links in the email to protect your computer and any other devices connected to the network. ·     Research your rights, and learn more about anticybersquatting by visiting ICANN. Another resource available is the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), a less costly way to pursue cyber squatters and an optional way of consulting professional domain name strategists. To check out this full article and ways to report this kind of phishing email click here. BBB Balance If there is one piece of advice I could offer to anyone, it would be to always show gratitude.  You’ve seen the articles out there. The ones that talk about people don’t leave their jobs, they leave their managers. The articles about how to be a better co-worker, manager, leader, etc. To me, it comes down to communication and gratitude. Saying ‘Thank you’ regularly- with meaning of course- or other recognition is a foundation of trust in your business. You need to show your team that you see the work and effort being done and recognize it as valuable. The return on this investment is ten fold and yet not investing the time and effort into saying thank you could cost you dearly. People take notice when you don’t show gratitude and it begins to build some resentment. It’s simple, “Thank you for communicating that change to the team.” “Thanks for making sure I saw that message.” “Thanks for being a team player today.” As I have spoken with college students this year, I’ve asked them “What kind of environment do you want to work in? What kind of benefits are you looking for?” They offered different variations, but the bottom line was 1. They want to be recognized and 2. They want to be appreciated. Start with gratitude. Is simple but powerful. One way you can show recognition and gratitude to someone on your team as a BBB Accredited Business, is to nominate them for the Better Business Bureau’s Service Award. This award is exclusive to you and we recognize your hard working member on your behalf at our Torch Award event (December 11 this year) Here is a link to submit your nomination and here is a link to get your tickets. Thank you for making the effort to be better each day. Thank you for never settling for mediocre. Thank you for striving towards excellence in your business. All of these characteristics build trust with your employees and your customers. Keep going. I hope to see you on December 11. Sincerely, Jessica President/CEO  Storyteller/Facebook Lives Every business has an incredible story, and we are working to get those stories out in the community, through Storytellers and Facebook Lives. Our first Storyteller is on Air Ace Heating and Cooling! Check out their video here.

BBB Serving Central Illinois on the Air

Our very own Jessica Tharp hit the radio waves this last month to answer questions that listeners like you and talk about how the BBB is getting involved in the community. Listen in! Play it here.

2019 Torch Awards

Nomination your favorite Business for a Torch Award here. Deadline for nominations is November 10th, 2019. To find out more about the Torch Awards visit our Facebook Event or call (309) 670-1186

In the Community

Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center to begin serving UnityPoint Health hospitals in Peoria and Pekin Effective January 1, 2020 MVRBC will be the sole provider of Blood Products and services in the Peoria area as well as the majority of the Central Illinois communities. See the full press release here. MVRBC is also planning on opening a Donor Center in Peoria in mid to late December. This is on top of the numerous mobile blood drives in Peoria. You can schedule your own mobile blood drive and support your local community by contacting Jim Watts by phone at 217.241.7546 or email at jwatts@mvrbc.org.

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