Development

Networking events can be a bit overwhelming, and if you don’t know what you're doing, they can feel like a waste of time. Follow these 5 tips in order to get the best return on investment at a networking event.

Be Prepared

Look over the list of attendees if possible. If a name strikes your eye, Cydcor recommends checking out their LinkedIn profile, or other social media or website and find out a little more about him or her. It’s easier to strike up a conversation with someone you’ve never met if you come prepared and can ask them specific questions about their time working at Apple or if they enjoy being a sales manager.

Make sure you have several business cards on you to hand out when you meet people that you’d like to chat with again. You can even go higher-tech and use apps like Bump to share contact information. Also remember to bring pens and a small notebook or tablet; they can be helpful if you need to take notes or jot down a piece of advice.

Come Prepared with Goals

What are you hoping to get out of the event and learn from the people you meet? Whatever it is, make sure you figure this out before you attend the event – that way you’ll know what to bring up and the type of people to talk to. Since some networking events cost money, only attend the ones that will help you reach your goal.

Show Up On Time

Unless the event is a “come as you please” event, don’t be the one that shows up late. Chances are that if you are going to an event at a place you have never been before, it is going to take longer than Google Maps estimates. Look at the route beforehand, and give yourself an extra 10-15 minutes to find the place—and parking.

Check out our job openings on Cydcor's LinkedIn for more information on joining our company.

Don’t Throw Yourself at Everyone

No one likes the person who talks with everyone in the room for two minutes, gives them their contact information, and heads to the next person. Networking is about making real connections; it’s not a contest to see who can pass out the most business cards. If you don’t think someone will be a good connection, you don’t have to give him or her your card. On the other hand, take your time talking and getting to know people that could become valuable connections. You don’t need to spend a half hour chatting with someone, but learn a little more about the people you talk to than just his or her job title.

Follow Up

This is by far the most important tip for networking. Who cares if you dressed well and came prepared – if you don’t follow up, that relationship means nothing. Connect on LinkedIn or send a quick coffee invite.  Relationships take time to cultivate so make the most out of what you started.

Motivation, despite our best intentions, is never a constant state. Everyone wants to achieve something in their life, but sometimes one can struggle with the desire to stay committed or to make the changes they know they need. Cydcor is a firm believer that getting your motivation back is key to achieving any goal. Here are five tips to help you whenever you feel stuck:

Inspiration. Find the source of your drive. Figure out what gets you fired up and in tune with yourself. It can be family, friends, music, exercise or even inspiring stories of others who have achieved a similar goal. Once you identify your source of inspiration, you can be assured in times of doubt that you know what can get you going again.

Realistic goals. One of the biggest reasons people find themselves setting up goals and not achieving them is that they set the bar too high. Don’t sabotage yourself by not being realistic. Set your major objective and have smaller steps along the way that can help you get there. Breaking it down into smaller, more manageable goals will help motivate you. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being able check off a goal from your list and track the progress you’ve made.

Anticipate. When setting your objective, anticipate potential pitfalls that might occur and create solutions before the problem arises. A study done in 2009 regarding goals found that those who were taught to foresee obstacles were able to quickly find workarounds by having a back up plan already in place. By knowing in advance of potential hurdles, those who anticipated were then mentally committed to following their backup plan instead of becoming discouraged and giving up.

Step Back. While you move forward with your goal, sometimes stepping back can help you. You can gain clarity by stopping to re-evaluating your goals and remembering why you set them. This can help motivate you to move forward, and you’ll make better progress.

Find encouragement. Make a commitment to those around you by letting them in on what you’re trying to achieve. Telling others can get them excited for you and keep you accountable. Friends and family are excellent sources of motivation because they generate enthusiasm for your project. Most people are better at keeping promises and commitments to others than they are to themselves. Committing to others can make it more likely that you will reach your goals even when faced with challenges along the way.

While Cydcor knows there isn’t one way to achieve goals and become successful, there are certain truths about a successful career that remain. Especial for those choosing a career in sales, these ten laws will guide you through to generating a good income for your clients, your company, and yourself. These laws are based on classic clichés you are tired of hearing, but there is still value behind them.

1. Fake it till you make it works as a strategy. This doesn’t mean you can slack off, but rather refers to confidence about your abilities. Even when you don’t feel like the strongest candidate or the most skilled sales representative, acting like you are will help you feel better about your journey, and you may surprise yourself.
2. It’s lonely at the top, bring a team. Don’t forget to lift others up with you and surround yourself with equally ambitious people. There is no room in your life for those who wish to naysay or weigh you down, you have to keep moving ahead and realize those who are not rising with you are not acting in anyone’s best interest.
3. Burning bridges is never pretty. Leaving something with a bitter taste in your mouth can come back to haunt you. Remember not to speak ill of anyone you meet in your professional life, as you never know when paths will cross again.
4. Eye on the prize keeps you in perspective. Every decision you make should be getting you closer to your goal.
5. Try, try again, because what other choice do you have?
6. Success breeds success, so don’t forget to keep going! Once you have achieved one goal, set another right away.
7. The sky is the limit when you set benchmarks. Setting high in the sky goals can be lofty and overwhelming. Make sure you get where you need to go by creating stepping stones and benchmarks.
8. Weather the storm when times are rough. It will get better, inevitably. Life goes through cycles, and bad times are just bad times. Stay focused and you will pull through.
9. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, so take what you can get at each moment. Bigger fish are on their way, but celebrate your small success as well. How’s that for multiple clichés in one sentence?
10. A stitch in time saves nine, so don’t ignore your problems. Take care of things as they come up. It will save you a headache later.

What are your laws of success? Let Cydcor know on Facebook or Twitter!

Cydcor is a leading outsourced sales company. We specialize in dealing with people and convincing them we have the right product or service for them. While Cydcor knows the best way to win customer loyalty is to always do the right thing for the customer, new prospects are often suspicious of sales representatives. Beginning new customer relationships takes effective communication to help your prospect feel comfortable around you. Here are some tips for building an effective customer relationship from the very beginning.

DO:

Be upfront about who you are representing. Start the conversation with “Hello, my name is _______ and I am here to tell you about ________ company, offering you a great service.” Also add in details about the service or product that will pique interest, such as money saving deals or upgraded features.

Take an active interest in the customer’s needs. Know why you are selling your product and why you customer should want it. Be sensitive to new customers’ current challenges and see if you have something that will make their lives easier.

Assure them that they are getting the best you can possibly offer. New customers like to feel like they are getting special treatment, that because of their interaction with you they are getting something no one else has access to. You can do that by offering exactly what they want, as long as it is within the boundaries of possibility.

DO NOT:

Be pushy. If someone says no it is okay to offer one or two more pieces of information that may change someone’s mind, but it is important not to push customers too hard, or not only will you lose them, but they may get annoyed and tell others.

Lie. Do not tell customers you can give them something that doesn’t exist, or twist the facts around so that they will be disappointed. There is a fine line between emphasizing the positive and just making things up.

Get emotional. Stressing too much or getting upset when someone says no will give you a reputation for being unprofessional. Always be kind, courteous and gracious.

In a sales-driven environment like Cydcor, meetings are powerful tools. Bringing people together to share energy and announcements is a good team. Since our business focuses so much on building personal relationships, our team members benefit from face to face communication whenever time allows. Sales meetings are the best vehicles to unite and energize your team, and make sure that important information is conveyed.

So how do you conduct effective sales meetings for your business? You must start by defining the purpose and structure of the meeting. Time is an investment from your team, so it is important to make an effort to make the meeting worthwhile. A solid agenda and time budget will keep meetings productive and focused. Sales meetings should not last more than an hour in order to make sure all information is retained and your team has time to get back to serving clients. Always make sure to start the meeting on time instead of waiting for stragglers. If everyone knows the meetings always start promptly as scheduled, they will make sure to hustle. This will also reward punctual team members with respect instead of making them wait.

Start the meeting with a high energy, encouraging talk. Be sure to thank your team for being there, and incorporate positive reasons why the meeting works. This will wake people up and make them feel appreciated. Express gratitude for the stand out performers. Let your team know how your vision is being executed and celebrate the things that are good. Do not focus on the challenges during sales meetings, rather focus on the purpose of the meeting, which is to motivate the team.

Move down the agenda in a timely manner and then reserve 5-10 minutes for questions or appreciations.

What’s the best meeting you’ve been to? What did you like about it?

Follow Cydcor on LinkedIn for more tips and inspiration.

As a leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor knows how to create winning relationships with clients. Building trust is the foundation of a sales relationship. Trust takes time, effort, honesty and hard work for clients to feel comfortable with your delivery. Even in your career, moving up at work takes the ability to build trust and sell yourself to future managers or employers. Here are some tips from the experts at Cydcor for building trust in your professional life.

1. Get to know your prospect. Ask questions and take an interest in what they are up to.
2. Deliver on your promises. If something goes wrong, make up for it by offering a discount or added goods or services.
3. Remember names, birthdays and specific client needs. It shows that you are thoughtful and care about them as people rather than just a source of money.
4. Only offer what is good for your clients’ needs. Don’t sell anything just for the sake of selling.
5. Be persistent without being annoying. Check in periodically with clients and ask if they need anything from you.
6. Offer helpful advice to your clients. This will establish you as an expert and someone who is invested in their success.
7. Be honest and open. Boasting or pretending to know something when you are not sure will only be taken as disingenuous.
8. Think about the long term. Don’t focus on the instant gratification, but rather come up with plans and solutions that will make you and your prospects happy in the long run.
9. Throw out unnecessary adjectives. Don’t play up your product so much that it sounds too good to be true.
10. Respect the word no, and understand that it can also mean, “not right now.”

What are some ways that you build trust in the workplace? Tell Cydcor on Twitter!

When an entrepreneur gets an idea for a business, investments need to be made into the idea to make it a reality.  Investment is not only a reference to financial backing, but personal time, planning and energy.  At Cydcor, we believe today’s job seekers should look to entrepreneurship for inspiration on making career decisions.  Treating your resume like a business plan is the best way to create a career that is fulfilling.  Starting out can be overwhelming, so it is important to plan and build a winning resume that will get the attention of the employers you want to work for.

Start out by deciding on the job you want the most, then work your way backwards.  For example, if you want to be a chief executive officer of a sales and consulting company like Cydcor, then trace the step of the current CEO of the company you like and of its competitors.  Learn what skills you need, such as leadership, communication, finance and project management.  You can improve those skills through school or various projects.  Make a list of skills you need, and the various job titles that will get you the necessary experience, all the way back to the beginning.

Here are some tips on investing in your resume and creating the career you want:

1. Keep a record of every accomplishment.  Certificates, projects, volunteer work can all help you showcase any skills you develop along the way.
2. Join relevant professional groups.  Meetings of Young Professionals or other industry related associations can improve your network and give you more ideas about what career paths to pursue.
3. Take initiative.  Start a website or club, write a book or organize an event to get the experience you want.
4. Treat every job like it is the best job you’ve ever had.  Taking pride in your work will project reliability, good work ethic and capability to others.
5. Read plenty of books by people in your field, keep up with industry news, and become an expert in your industry.

Want more inspiration, support or advice?  Check out Cydcor on Pinterest for our all of our posts, reviews and other things we like to share to motivate our community.

In the digital world of today, most people are checking you and your business out online. Using social media can be an excellent way of building trust and supporting your brand. Cydcor uses a wide variety of social media platforms to reach various audiences and spread ideas. Here are some of our favorites and why.

Twitter is a great business tool. For no cost, businesses have access to a high performing platform to connect to your audience. As you work to establish yourself as an accomplished leader, with Cydcor or otherwise, social media can be a good tool to establish a strong network. Twitter is a great real time tool that will allow to easily spread news, ideas, blog posts and expertise to a wide variety of people. You can also use the # sign (a hashtag) to facilitate chats and answer questions related to a specific topic. You can follow Cydcor on Twitter here.

Facebook has a more relaxed feel to it. This platform is more about building community with people who already feel a connection to your brand. Facebook allows users businesses to post a variety of media and allows for each post to have comments, likes or the ability to share. Like Cydcor’s Facebook page.

LinkedIn can be great for recruiting an excellent team and finding other businesses to partner with. Built to be a professional networking site, LinkedIn shows information about companies and the individuals’ work experiences. LinkedIn shows to have a higher rate of interaction if you are promoting your blog or business related articles. Connect with Cydcor on LinkedIn.

Pinterest is a great place to collect ideas, inspiration and blog posts and present them to an active audience looking to share save those ideas. Cydcor has a variety of career-related Pinterest boards that are fun and interesting. Check out the Cydcor Pinterest Page.

What’s your favorite social media and how do you use it to promote your brand?

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.

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?

 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!