3. Think about consequences of an attack on your company.

Could it take strain financially? Would it knock your company back to a damaging degree? At what point would very survival of company be put into question? Would your company’s reputation suffer irretrievably? (Reputations are very easily damaged, which is why banks seldom admit to fraud they suffer).

4. Decide on a plan of action to counter threat.

This could mean a full security review of all your procedures. This could mean checking again background of your employees. This could mean cutting down on temporary staff. This could mean taking out insurance to protect against greatest threats.

5. Put your plan into action.

It is no good carrying out a review if you don’t act upon it. Don’t just take note and put it to one side. Once you have weighed up risks and decided what must be done, do it.

The law of averages is against you. Sooner or later someone within your company will try to cheat you. You may be lucky. It may be a small insignificant attack. But you may be unlucky. It may be big one. Be vigilant, be ready, be prepared.

To begin with, Paul and Richie explained to me that they had both done some basic research as to which groups of consumers made up store's most common customers.

Paul explained, "We've got a simple system. In essence, this store has basically three types of buyers: Computer nerds, small business owners and a group fondly known as "Carol Bradys" .

Each of three groups required different approaches when it came to selling them computers. A solid understanding as to unique needs, concerns, and desires of each customer group is essential. By doing so, both were able to understand in intimate detail what motivates each customer when it comes to making a purchase decision.

For example, Carol Brady's are essentially mothers that come into store wanting to buy computers for their children that are at school. Paul explained that there was no point in discussing technical features of each computer with these women. "It just confuses them; makes them feel anxious and ultimately, frightens them away".

"Most Carol's have little or no understanding of computer jargon and they basically are only interested in two things:

Given that family budget is extremely tight, will I be able to afford to buy this computer?

If I buy this computer for my little boy Johnny, will it make him smart enough to pass all of his exams and get into university?". "So long as we can show them how they can afford computer on a family budget as well as being able tell them a few "success" stories of how other people's children used these computers to become doctors and lawyers etc, most Carol's will buy.

The computer nerds on other hand don't care so much about price as do Carol's . They want features. They want speed, cutting edge technologies, latest and best. that's what they want, that's what we give them. Business owners want reliability and to a lesser degree, technological longevity. Price is important, but not as much as important as knowing that your computers are going to be reliable.

When I asked Paul and Richie what made them so much more successful than all of other sales people combined, Paul and Richie were unanimous. "We have best systems. The other guys have none. That's' difference".

And you thought it was great breeding!