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During a USC class, we learned about a conference that was attended by 60 top business leaders. The leaders were asked to name their biggest fear. All 60 had the same answer, although not the same exact words. For each of them, their biggest fear is that people will find out that they are not so good.
Almost everyone struggles with confidence. Each of us has to realize that success comes from effort, discipline, work ethic, resiliency, preparation, going the extra mile, student mentality and treating people well. Talented people sometimes think that there is a magic formula of business skills to learn to become successful, or that you have to be like someone else. The reality is that anyone can do anything with will power.
All of us need to ask ourselves these questions: How confident are we in our effort? In our discipline? In our work ethic? In our resiliency? In our preparation? In going the extra mile? In treating people well? In our student mentality? If you are confident in these areas, you should be very confident in your success.
Team members at Cydcor recently came together and collected food for the company’s Thanksgiving canned food drive, which supported a local elementary school – and helped 100 families enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner. Cydcor donated 200 cans of green beans and 100 cans of corn and cranberries. They also donated 100 boxes of stuffing, 100 bags of potatoes, and 100 bags of homemade cookies – and provided a $15 gift card for each family to pick up a fresh turkey from the grocery store. An astounding amount of food…and an example of Cydcor’s commitment to giving back.
The Cydcor team members only had two weeks to gather all of the food and meet the company-wide goal, and they succeeded. They jumped at the opportunity to make a real difference in the local community. Two days before Thanksgiving, they went to the school and personally delivered the goods so that families could stop by throughout the day to pick up their Thanksgiving feast.
Cydcor is committed to improving the lives of others and consistently donates time and raises money for philanthropic organizations across the United States – most recently, the company, together with its network of independently-owned sales companies, raised $150,000 for Operation Smile – and were able to fund an entire mission!
What’s next in store for Cydcor?
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, recently received recognition from the American Graphic Design Awards for its monthly publication, The Leader, which is distributed to Cydcor’s network of more than 250 independently-owned offices throughout the United States and Canada.
“The publication showcases our people’s accomplishments, our passion for our clients, and our ongoing ‘student mentality’ that everyone in the field practices. “”
The Leader, a 16-page publication, is designed by Mustang Marketing, a full-service marketing agency in Ventura County, and written and produced entirely by Cydcor’s marketing team.
The publication was entered into the American Graphic Design Awards; out of more than 8,000 entries, less than 15 percent were recognized – and The Leader was one of them. As a result, Cydcor will appear in an upcoming issue of Graphic Design USA with a photo and small blurb.
“Awards for awards sake are not part of a valuable marketing program. However, awards that are an outgrowth of a well-planned campaign and teamwork between agency and client are always a highlight,” said Scott Harris, president of Mustang Marketing. “This one in particular resulted from focused effort by everyone involved and is a particular source of pride for Mustang.”
The Leader goes out monthly to field reps, office owners, assistant managers, and administrators throughout the United States and Canada. The sales statistics of the top sales reps and office owners are highlighted. Also included are interviews, feature articles, and important news items.
“The Leader captures the essence of what makes Cydcor so unique,” said Vera Quinn, chief operating officer. “The publication showcases our people’s accomplishments, our passion for our clients, and our ongoing ‘student mentality’ that everyone in the field practices. “
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc. is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail, energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of some 250 independently-owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices, providing clients access to more than 3,000 sales professionals. The privately-held company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com.
Cydcor, Inc.
Gail Michalak, 805-277-5500
As marketing executives focus efforts on the Internet, mobile devices, and other digital avenues to reach or expand their customer base, it becomes easy to overlook one of the oldest forms of outreach to spur business growth – and that is face-to-face sales. Even though face-to-face sales as part of the marketing mix has been successful for many businesses, the approach is often low on the list due to budget concerns and time constraints. It is difficult for businesses to find the staff, training, and resources to execute an extensive sales effort across geographies to target customers in their offices or companies. It is also challenging to find the kind of people with character and follow-through to represent businesses and products well.
The truth is that most companies do not have the internal capabilities to expand their sales force for targeted face-to-face campaigns. To gain revenue and market share, they frequently turn to partners who do. More Fortune 500 companies have hired outsourced face-to-face sales companies, which has unleashed hunters to better identify prospects and close deals. Well-known companies have turned to outsourced sales vendors like Cydcor to market their services and products to small businesses across the country. In addition to top-line growth, the companies are also experiencing bottom-line value by turning over the management and administration of the sales effort, reducing their need to recruit and paying only for successful conversions.
What is driving all of this success? Well-trained, courteous salespeople, the ability to answer questions and customize solutions on the spot, and the personal touch.
Not all face-to-face marketing companies are all alike. Businesses interested in the face-to-face sales approach should weigh the variables carefully before proceeding. Here are some important things to consider:
Track record of success. Like any business partnership, work with organizations that do not just share a vision for success, but deliver on it. Evaluate potential outsourced face-to-face sales firms on the strength of their clients, industry knowledge and relationships, past results and their tenure in the marketplace.
Strength of their sales teams. Pick firms whose business success lies in their ability to hire and manage the most talented full-time, professional sales people, as well as those firms that know how to motivate and inspire their sales teams.
Training and partnership models. Outsourced face-to-face sales partnerships should be just that: partnerships. Look for companies whose compensation is tied with their ability to deliver results. Importantly, the partnering firm should be able to readily translate and deliver training to its sales teams, and help ensure that the culture of the hiring company is presented well in all cases.
Reach. Speed to market is critical for most companies. Face-to-face sales organizations that have local market understanding, national reach and wide experience in myriad industries tend to be better partners because of their ability to incorporate best practices and limit the need for multiple outsourced relationships.
Integrity and Trust. Partnering firms will be your company’s representatives in the marketplace. Pick firms committed to helping your company build a strong and profitable customer relationship while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism to preserve trust, loyalty and integrity of your brand.
As emerging technologies and today’s economic downturn challenge businesses to develop creative marketing approaches, outsourced face-to-face sales as part of the marketing mix can be a sound way forward.
I’m constantly amazed at the dedication, perseverance, and commitment of the participating independent sales companies and internal Cydcor team members, and I’m extremely proud that we have met yet another goal. Collectively, we have raised a total of $150,000 for Operation Smile; the funds will be used for a medical mission to a remote locale in Peru, Cambodia, or Rwanda. Amazing work by amazing, dedicated people.
How did we do this? By coming together and working hard to meet this important goal. In 2010, during our annual R&R event, Operation Smile Ambassador Barbara Majeski announced that all of the independent sales companies throughout the United States and Canada were invited to raise funds for Operation Smile, a children’s medical charity that provides free cleft lip and cleft palate reconstructive surgeries worldwide. Barbara had put the program together and introduced everyone to this cause, which she was extremely passionate about. Many of the sales companies immediately jumped on the opportunity, planning various fundraisers and events to get us closer to our goal. In fact, companies would often compete against each other, showing once again that once they put their minds to something, they accomplish it. At Cydcor, internal team members were working hard as well, raising funds among their family and friends and planning events throughout the year that would help them get to their internal goal.
I’m so happy to announce that we were able to meet the $150,000 goal this month! We did it, and I am extremely impressed by the motivation that each team had to make this a reality. Think about it: Because of the perseverance of our people, we are able to make a significant difference in the lives of children across the globe. They will be able to lead entirely different lives as a result of our hard work. As a people-helping-people business, this is just another example of how we can work together and make tremendous things happen.
Last week, everyone at Cydcor participated in a team building exercise where we had to create a device that would protect a raw egg from breaking when dropped about 10 feet. We divided into groups of about 8-10 people and given a box of supplies to create the device. We had a limited amount of time and the pressure was on. As we were working on our design, gathering all of our ideas and getting all of our brains in the game, we noticed that other groups were creating a parachute-type tissue. We did not have the tissue. We assumed every team got something different in their box.
We ended up creatively using materials such as straws, string and rubber bands to enable our egg to drop as if unwinding a yoyo. What we learned was this: If we lured down the egg, it would never break. As we had seen earlier, many of the other groups had created parachutes. We realized after the time was up that our parachute material was stuck inside the top of the box and we had not noticed.
The lesson that was reinforced in the exercise is that it is possible to come up with superior solutions with fewer resources than we think we need. By putting our brains together, we will surprise ourselves by how creative we can be.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, has announced that they have been ranked one of the “Best Places to Work” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Cydcor was one of the 28 top mid-size companies that ranked the highest in Los Angeles County, one of Southern California’s major metropolitan areas.
Cydcor team members participated in a confidential assessment to rank Cydcor in workplace experience, culture, benefits, and policies. Each year, the Los Angeles Business Journal recognizes the best public and privately-held employers in Los Angeles County. All of the companies recognized have more than a 92.7 percent employee engagement level; on average, only 33 percent employee engagement is considered typical.
“This achievement demonstrates Cydcor’s commitment to the overall success and well-being of our team members,” saidVera Quinn, chief operations officer. “We have created a variety of programs, services, and initiatives that make us a great place to work. We also provide self-development programs so that team members can continue to learn and grow in their areas of expertise.”
Cydcor team members are offered a variety of competitive health benefits and have one paid volunteer day available per year. They also have numerous opportunities to raise money for issues that are important to them, such as Operation Smile, a children’s charity that treats facial deformities such as cleft lips and palates all around the world. Cydcor also recently entered into a partnership with BetterWorks, a company perks platform that rewards and motivates employees with top brand services.
“We’re honored to be recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal because we’re constantly taking measures to ensure that we create the best work environment for team members, including valuable programs and services,” said Cydcor President Jim Majeski.
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc., is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to approximately 3,000 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6837811&lang=en.
Cydcor, Inc.
Gail Michalak, 805-277-5500
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, has announced that the company recently held two conferences in Nashville, Tennessee and Montreal, Quebec to recognize and celebrate its network of nearly 200 independently-owned offices throughout the United States and Canada.
With the theme of “Dream XTreme,” the events were attended by sales representatives and office owners throughout each area. In Nashville, more than 1,700 were in attendance; in Canada, almost 300 were at the event. Attendees heard presentations from leaders in the business, attended invaluable training sessions, and participated in an awards ceremony. Awards were distributed to those who were achieving above and beyond sales targets and performing at high rates.
“The two conferences were an incredible success, and I’m so proud of all the sales representatives and office owners who work tirelessly each day selling on behalf of our clients,” said Gary Polson, chief executive officer. “We recognized dozens of sales representatives and office owners who have demonstrated excellence and growth. Both events were extremely exciting – and watching the award winners step up to the podium to be recognized for their achievements was inspiring.”
During the Nashville event, Cydcor recognized a top performing sales office owner with a 2011 Range Rover Sport. Nominees spoke to the group with great messages revolving around passion, commitment, and hard work. A video about Operation Smile, a children’s medical charity that provides free cleft lip and cleft palate reconstructive surgeries worldwide, was also shown to the group; field high rollers who have raised significant funds were recognized. Cydcor is one of the highest corporate givers to the organization and an official corporate ambassador for the organization.
“Our network of sales offices is the backbone of our business. Without them selling door-to-door and business-to-business for our clients, we wouldn’t be successful,” said Polson. “Our sales reps and office owners are our business. It was a pleasure seeing them receive their hard-earned recognition and watch their energy during the two events – everyone was enthusiastic and energized.”
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc., is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to approximately 3,000 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com.
In late June, more than 1,700 sales representatives and 200-plus office owners from Cydcor’s network of independently-owned sales offices came together at the 2011 U.S. National Conference, held in Nashville, Tennessee. Attendees had an opportunity to attend informative breakout sessions, organizational lunches, and an awards dinner that recognized their hard work and stellar achievements.
Other exciting highlights: A presentation from one of Cydcor’s top clients, who spoke about growth and the quality sales that Cydcor’s independently-owned offices have demonstrated, the “Promoting Owner of the Year” award winner, who received a 2011 Range Rover Sport, and numerous recognitions that were given to top performers across the U.S.
“The client excited the crowd by explaining all of the potential opportunity on his campaign,” said Vera Quinn, chief operations officer. “He comes from a sales background and was rejuvenated by the energy of our people.”
The conference was a great opportunity for sales offices throughout the country to learn, network, and be recognized for their contributions over the past year. Each day, in states across the U.S., they work tirelessly on behalf of Cydcor’s clients, going door-to-door and business-to-business to deliver tremendous results. The exciting, event-filled weekend was just an example of the excitement and passion that each office has for their clients.
Cydcor has been named among the “Best Places to Work” for area mid-sized companies by the Los Angeles Business Journal! The Los Angeles Business Journal and the Best Companies Group worked together to identify and recognize area companies with a strong commitment to workplace excellence. Both publicly and privately held organizations were selected based on benefits, corporate philanthropy, policies, work-life balance, camaraderie and support of employees’ personal growth. Selections were made based on company surveys and employee comments.
“We are deeply proud to be recognized as one of Los Angeles’s Best Places to Work,” said Vera Quinn, chief operations officer. “Cydcor’s culture is one of dedication to the well-being of our team members – including investing in their professional development, as well as to giving back to the communities in which they live. Our commitment to our employees reflects in the results they deliver for our clients and the service work they do in our local communities.”
Most people make excuses. They are usually very logical and true. Winners, however, find a way to win no matter what the obstacles and difficulties. The U.S. women’s national soccer team exemplified this fact yesterday in its comeback win over the tough Brazilian team.
The U.S. team had many circumstances that could have been viewed as excuses for losing that game. There was a controversial red card given to one of the American players that on replay looked very questionable. So for much of the game, the U.S. had to play with one fewer player. Although Hope Solo, the U.S. goalkeeper, saved the resulting penalty kick, it was retaken because of another controversial call in which the referee said she had left the goal line too quickly.
Being a first player down and having some controversial calls going against them would have been legitimate reasons for the players not to give their utmost. However, the team never gave up. Abby Wambach kept pointing her index finger, indicating that only one more play would tie the game. It happened in the last minute of the game when Megan Rapinoe made a brilliant cross to Wambach, who made an equally brilliant header for the tying goal. It was done.
The U.S. wound up winning the game in penalty kicks and taught the world a lesson: Regardless of the bad calls we may get or of the obstacles in the way, we must dig deep down to our inner strength and find a way to succeed.