Cydcor Blog

In honor of President’s day, Cydcor chose to review Lincoln by David Herbert to study one of America’s finest leaders throughout history.

Description of this book: This biography covers the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th president of the United States.  Lincoln was raised in rural Indiana in a poor household.  The book follows Lincoln’s perspective as he picked himself up through poverty and through political savvy made his way into prominence quickly.  The book examines his character, his key advisors, and reveals his human flaws as well as his greatness.  The author, David Herbert, is a Pulitzer Prize

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because: Biographies and autobiographies are excellent sources of inspiration for anyone looking to achieve professional goals. Lincoln is an especially beloved figure for Americans because he was raised in poverty and came from a disadvantage to well educated men raised in wealthy homes in cities.  In many ways, Lincoln is the best representation of the American dream, that hard work and persistence will always pay off.  Cydcor highly recommends any manager to take time to read and learn about prominent figures in our culture, not just for inspiration but to improve critical thinking skills and improve confidence.

Our favorite part: Herbert does an excellent job of making sure to incorporate the realities of being president into the book.  He explores how decisions were made based on the information available to him, rather than taking the traditional route of glorifying the historical figure retrospectively.  It is important to look at leadership objectively and understand that decisions must be made regardless of whether you have all the facts.  Leadership is about being able to make the best judgment calls you can at the time it is necessary.

Follow Cydcor on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest for more inspiration and leadership advice.

As a sales company, Cydcor knows it’s a noisy world out there.  Creating a strong network for a sales business is hard work, and takes persistence.  It can be tough to generate leads, and to get in touch with people.  Sometimes, making a good impression means standing out from the crowd and being different.  Here are some interesting strategies to make sure you get what you are looking for in your professional life.

Using Google Ads.  A few years ago, a job seeker gained national attention through buying Google ads targeted at an employer he wanted to work for.  In 2010, Alec Brownstein targeted executives of ad companies so that the right people would follow links to his portfolio.  See the video of Brownstiein’s tactics on CBS News.

Introduce yourself to everyone.  Use the term “elevator speech” literally.  Meet people in line for coffee, in the elevator, at the grocery store.  You never know who you are going to meet, and talking to strangers has become an unusual practice, especially in big cities.  Being friendly could get you the exposure you are looking for.

Volunteer your time for a local charity.  Do not be afraid to use giving back to the community as a networking opportunity as well.  Volunteer for tasks that are suited to your skills, or for organizations that reflect your interests and values.  Meeting like-minded people is a good networking tactic, and it is work that you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.

Plan an event in your field.  Brainstorm to find an idea that would attract people in your field to you.  Giving a seminar, hosting a networking event or throwing a charity fundraiser would be a good away to get attention and help others do the same.

Write articles to pitch to media sites.  Craft an intelligent, informative article for a site like Huffington Post, Fast Company or an industry blog and pitch the article to the sites.  Getting published on a high authority site can increase your visibility online and thus have more chops to show potential employers or business opportunities when they search for you.

What was the best connection you’ve made in your career? Let us know on the Cydcor Facebook Page or Twitter.

Professionalism is a way of behaving in a business or work setting that shows others you are reliable, knowledgeable and authoritative.  At Cydcor, we pride ourselves in instilling top standards of professionalism for our team members, especially when they are in the field representing clients.  Cydcor team members love to have fun at work but also know that basic professional behavior is a key to success.

Many employers refer to professionalism as “employability skills” or simply technical and verbal skills.  According to a survey by York College of Pennsylvania last year, many human resource managers reported that professionalism has decreased significantly in recent years.  Researchers cited that casual attitudes and a culture of entitlement are the main reasons why young people are coming off as less professional.

Generational gaps in the workplace may be to blame for the sentiment as well.  In the age of the start up, many young people are finding jobs where they can act as though they are spending time with friends instead of entering a professional setting, but that style does not work for every work environment.  Regardless of what is considered acceptable, being more polished and professional is always impressive, and it is advantageous to have a professional persona for business situations.

Being consistently on time and delivering expected results is the most important part of being professional.  Instilling confidence in employers and clients that you can be relied upon will improve your work performance and increase your good reputation. Being on time and delivering results are values that Cydcor champions for our workplace.

Wardrobe can be a touchy subject, but how you present yourself will say a lot about you to a client or employer.  Basic grooming and hygiene is important to appearance, but wearing quality clothes that fit well, are pressed and clean will also show that you take pride in your work.

Improving you vocabulary and grammar is also an excellent way to communicate that you are a skilled professional.  You can improve your speech by joining a local Toastmasters group and improve your writing skills with a class or by reading books such as E.B. White’s The Elements of Style.

Would you like to join the Cydcor fleet of sales professionals? Find us at the Cydcor Careerbuilder page for open positions.

The Cydcor team decided to review Permission Marketing by Seth Godin

Description of this book: Permission Marketing refers to what is now termed as “inbound marketing”, which is a way to build a business where customers are coming to you based on your presence, reputation and word of mouth.  Sellers use permission marketing to get the right message to the right people in a way that is desirable to them, rather than blasting a ton of generic content to a mass market.  Sometimes, making a sale is not about insistence, but rather respecting that customers choose to give sellers and marketers their precious attention, and understanding that their attention is a valuable thing not to be wasted.  The way to permission marketing is making promises for the customer and then establishing trust by following through on those promises.  

Cydcor encourages team members to take this message to heart- customers are to be respected and their needs met.Cydcor recommends this book to marketers and business people because: The best message of the book is humility and patience.  Permission marketing means sellers need to craft a message that is valuable to consumers and worthy of their attention.  This message has to be a genuine offer, and when that agreement is settled, it is important the seller not ask for more without also offering more.  Seth Godin writes in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner that makes his message simply make sense.Our favorite part: “A Permission Marketer goes on a date. If it goes well, the two of them go on another date. And then another. Until, after ten or twelve dates, both sides can really communicate with each other about their needs and desires. After twenty dates they meet each other's families. Finally, after three or four months of dating, the Permission Marketer proposes marriage.”

Cydcor is a leading sales company that specializes in face-to-face relationships and professional development.  Follow Cydcor on LinkedIn or Twitter for more professional development advice.  Want to work for Cydcor? Find our openings on the Cydcor Careerbuilder page today.

Incorporating email marketing into your business strategy is a great way to keep track of leads, follow up with contacts, and promote your business.  An email marketing web service is a great way to send branded emails, organize your contacts and represent your vision.

The Cydcor Sales blog recommends using email marketing services (Such as Constant Contact, Ace of Sales, Mail Chimp, etc.) as a way to send emails that are visually striking and keep in contact with your network.

Some email marketing services allow users to import their contacts, manage a limited number of  and send a variety of branded emails for no charge.  A paid account can get you more features and storage, but a small business should easily be able to meet their marketing needs for free.

Features you can find in email marketing software include being able to send pre-designed newsletters, greeting cards, updates and ads to contacts with pictures, company logos and links.  Connect your contacts with your website and social media in one, easy to build email.To create an account, just sign up with the email address you most frequently use for business and then confirm.  If you want to choose upgraded services you can.  Then import your contacts and choose which type of letter you want to send.  Newsletters are the most popular.  We created this one for Cydcor.

Features we like about email marketing tools include a “drag and drop” option in the design your own email step.  You can customize colors to keep your emails consistent with your branding.  You can also divide your contacts into lists, so you can send specially tailored emails to existing clients, prospective clients, and your extended network.  Email marketing services will also track who received and opened your letters, provide widgets to let people subscribe to your list on your website, and incorporate social sharing buttons into your templates.

Have you used email-marketing services before? What did you think?

The Cydcor Community chose to review Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Dr. Richard Carlson as a great book for personal development and stress management.

Description of this book: Dr. Richard Carlson has built a career on teaching people how to manage stress and let go of the minor pressures of a fast paced American lifestyle.  This is the original in a series of books on making life happier and more manageable by not “sweating” the small stuff, and pointing out even in the subtitle “it’s all small stuff”.  It is easy to get frustrated and hung up over things like bills, appointments, accidents and more hurdles in life, but the main message of this book is that stress and worry only make situations work.  Training your brain to think about solutions rather than fret is a powerful lifestyle choice.

Cydcor recommends this book to leaders because: Stress can be detrimental to your health and career.  Stressed out people also radiate negative energy and cause others to feel stressed or demotivated.  Good managers need to learn how to project productive and positive energy in order to maintain workplace harmony.  This book provides great perspective and can help you change your mental state to becoming a calm, happy and inspiring leader.  The book offers easy to commit to strategies that incorporate small changes that make a huge difference.

Our favorite part: "Without question, many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things all at once." Dr. Carlson writes with whimsy and clarity that makes this book easy to read and convey its message.  This is one that will stick with you for life.

Cydcor is a leading sales company that specializes in face-to-face relationships and professional development.  Follow Cydcor on LinkedIn or Twitter for more professional development advice.

 Everyone has friends that say, “Oh I just watch the Super Bowl for the commercials.”  Indeed, big game advertising is easily the largest ad-spending day of the year, up 70% in the last ten years.  Between production cost and airtime, one ad can cost a company $10 million to air.  As a sales company, the team at Cydcor is fascinated by the tactics companies take to build their brands, and the commercials are informative as they are fun. Here are our takeaways from Cydcor:  

Social Media is huge.  Brands and Twitter users live-tweeted the game, commenting immediately on the commercials, sending companies real-time feedback. Many were hoping to strike lightening and garner new followers and make headlines the way Oreo did last year.

‍Generation Y loves nostalgia and sarcasm.  From the hilarious “commercial that never was” online campaign from Newcastle to seeing the men of Full House on a Chobani ad, the marketing this year was clearly targeted to children of the 90’s.  

People will engage with your brand for a chance to win.  Esurance led the biggest post-game trend by announcing it was giving away $1.5 million to a tweeter using the hashtag #EsuranceSave30.

‍Puppies are still a viable tactic.  Even one of the most masculine brands could not resist using puppies as a ploy.  The adorable story of a puppy that is best “buds” with the iconic Clydesdale horse was enough to make anyone swoon.  Sometimes just being cute pays off.

‍The bigger the purchase, the bigger the ad.  Car commercials were the biggest production, featuring Jaguar comparing their product to the cunning and precision of British villains and James Franco being dramatically awesome for Ford.  It makes sense that companies asking consumers to make such a large purchase would have the most memorable ads.  It’s a good reminder that larger sales prospects require more effort.

What did you learn about sales and advertising this weekend? Did you have a favorite commercial? Let Cydcor know on Twitter!

The big game is this weekend, and the competitive of sports has a lot of parallels with sales.  Succeeding in both sports and sales requires strategy, winning, rewards and competing.  Whether you are looking for a career or another client, using your football fandom can help give you an edge that will help you achieve your goals.  The Cydcor team shares its favorite sales plays to attracting clients and building relationships.‍

The Ice Breaker. Seek out new prospects with a winning personality.  Cydcor recommends using the “SEE” principles: smile, eye contact and enthusiasm.  Find out what the lead enjoys and find some common ground in the conversation.

‍The Stat Push. Bring the facts.  People are often convinced by solid evidence that what you are offering is a better decision.  This includes making sure people recommend your work, testimonials of your success, and information about your product or service.  If you have an answer for everything, no one can argue with you.  But don’t be too pushy with your knowledge; it can turn some people off.  Just be ready for questions.

The Full Rundown.  Go through your entire contact list and send each person a quick email or give them a call.  This will keep your list fresh and relevant, and you can see if any former prospects have changed their minds about your service.  The full rundown can help you prioritize your strategy, and keep you organized

‍The Hail Prospects. Go all out.  Make a list of all ideal people you want to work with and find ways to contact them.  Go all out, reach for the top, even if you think it’s impossible.  Throw everything you’ve got at your search until something breaks through.

‍The Double Back. Make sure you follow up with everyone you talk to with a thank you note.  Remember as well that past clients may be interested in upgrades or additional products that you have to offer.

‍What’s your favorite play? You can join the Cydcor community and let us know!

The team at Cydcor had a great conference last weekend at the Keys to Success annual kick off event.  This year's theme was Back to Basics, and it served as a great reminder to all our hard working team members that keeping a solid foundation in the basics of business will get you far in your career.  The team traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to meet with our group of expert sales affiliates from all over the country.  We shared meals, inspiration, celebrations and ideas.

This was the second year that the entire network was invited to the annual kickoff meeting for Cydcor and the event had over 900 attendees.

Want to follow all of Cydcor's updates on how to succeed?  Follow the Cydcor LinkedIn page.

Description of this book: Cydcor knows Michael Porter has long been considered a top business expert and leader, and this book is his signature piece of work.  Competitive Advantage is a model for creating and managing an enterprise successfully.  Porter offers tools for analysis that are taught in MBA programs around the country.  Michael Porter is a professor at Harvard Business School, and lectures and writes prolifically on managing a business.

Cydcor recommends this book to leaders because: Tactics such as the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis teaches critical thinking that is crucial to successfully leading a company.  Porter also discusses strategy at length, and helps businesses to either produce a scale economy or define a niche that will keep them profitable.  The danger for companies is to get stuck in the middle- trying to hard to please everybody, not sticking to the chosen strategy one hundred percent can lead to high costs and low or no profits. The book is filled with many real life examples of businesses either failing or executing a strong strategy based on “market signals”, which indicate the way an industry is moving and allows good executives to anticipate opportunities.

Our favorite part: Porter stresses over and over that businesses need to focus on goals and strategy in order to be successful.  Business does not have to follow every trend of what is popular.  Shoe makers do not have expand into technology.  Strong business strategy and profits is not always about having the biggest or best idea, but rather identifying its place in a market and doing things different from the competition.

Cydcor is a leading sales company that specializes in face-to-face relationships and professional development.  Follow Cydcor on LinkedIn or Twitter for more professional development advice.

Back to Basics was Cydcor's theme for the 2014 Keys to Success conference in San Antonio, Texas last weekend. Cydcor holds the Keys to Success event every year as an annual kick off. The meeting announced awards and promotions for Cydcor team members, and recognized achievers in our network of independently owned sales companies. Cydcor team members and other sales professionals got the opportunity to network and see the sights in San Antonio.
The Back to Basics Conference for Cydcor reviewed what it takes to be successful in the sales and marketing business. Inspirational stories on staying persistent and effective at work was shared across tables and on stage.  Guest speakers encouraged sales teams to stick with it, take care of your people and never give up.

Cydcor had a great time in Texas and the team is looking forward to a great year!