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Leadership development is an important tool to running a successful company. At Cydcor, we like to share motivation and success advice. You can check out the Cydcor Pinterest boards for inspiration if you need it. For now, learn about these charismatic CEOs who are changing the way we do business and leading the world into a new generation.
1. The Showman- Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com. Benioff was voted by readers of The Street as the number one tech CEO of 2013, winning a whopping 54%, compared to Amazon Titan Jeff Bezos with 8%. Benioff has driven the push to cloud computing more than any other leader in the industry, and the success of Salesforce.com has been the payoff. Benioff is one of the few CEOs active on Social Media, and also leads a powerful sales conference called Dreamforce every year, attracting some of the top leaders in the industry.
2. The Bleeding Heart- Howard Schultz, Starbucks. Schultz recently appeared in an interview with Oprah and openly discussed his emotional ups and downs. Schultz has been famous for emotional reactions in the past, and while to some that may seem negative, no one will ever doubt his commitment to his company. After returning as CEO of Starbucks during the economic downturn, Schultz led the company to its biggest profits yet.
3. The Idealist- Blake Mycoskie, TOMS. After encourntering impoverished families around the world, Mycoskie called in every favor he had to start a shoe company that would provide aid to needy families. Solving a problem with an economic solution using his one-for-one model, Mycoskie has become a leader in fashion and social enterprise when he was barely over thirty years old.
Leadership development is part of the company culture at Cydcor. Who is your favorite CEO to follow? Tell us who inspires you!
It’s very common for a business to set goals to achieve positive results in the beginning of the year. It can be a challenge for businesses to execute goals and stick to the plan. No matter the size or magnitude, the success of the business depends on setting and achieving goals. Be prepared for the New Year by following this advice on how to create and follow through on business goals for the next 12 months. At Cydcor, we put a lot of emphasis on goal setting, including financial and professional development goals.
Find out what’s not working: Could meetings be more productive? Should your potential customer size be larger? Sit down and see what goals you really want to achieve this year. It doesn’t mean finding everything wrong with your business; instead, focus on things that you want to see fixed or created soon.
Make sure goals are achievable: There’s nothing worse than setting a goal and never being able to achieve it. If you are planning on setting a company goal, make sure that it is actually possible to do. Set people up for success, not failure.
Are the goals relevant?: You may want to have the best year of business you’ve ever seen, but if new competitors have opened in your market, this goal may not be relevant to reality. Dream big and aim for the stars but keep one foot on the ground.
Use numbers: By utilizing numbers in the goals you create, you have a measurable way to identify if the goals were achieved. A white board in the office can help as a daily reminder as well. Numbers are an essential part of business and sales, so why not apply them to your goals too?
Apply the right time frame: Company goals could last a years long, weeks long, or even days long. If you’re setting a new goal, make sure you give an ample amount of time that works well with all parties involved. Too much time can have employees stretching out and wasting time, while goals with a short time period may discourage some from attempting to try to achieve it.
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Many people are natural born salesmen. Building relationships and convincing people of their side of story is something comes easily to them. At Cydcor, we are happy to nurture young talented sales people with a gift for gab and laser focus abilities. However, some great sales people learn their skills from the college experience, for those looking to gain a broader perspective and refine the necessary skills. Here a few ways you can use your college classes to create a successful sales career.
Psychology teaches you about the human mind. You can learn how people will react to the things you say, how to gain trust, and what makes people want to buy your product or services. You can focus your abilities to read people into convincing them to come to your side.
Business will give you a broad overview of management, operations, and communications. Business majors are well rounded and have a solid understanding of how to identify needs and solve problems.
Finance or accounting degrees are useful for understanding numbers and efficiency. Finance majors will still need to focus on people skills but will understand what needs to get done in order to make the business profitable.
Communications is a great modern degree in order to study means and methods of communication. These skills will create savvy social media and email marketers as well as develop a solid understanding of how to get a message across. Communications majors can tap into what is important and popular, and put their particular spin on the situation.
While theater or drama may sound like a strange major for business, some of the best sales skills come from being able to act confident and knowledgeable even in situations where it is not truly the case. Actors know how to be charming and make friends with anyone, and can gain trust easily.
What do you think is helpful for a salesperson to study in college? Learn more about the skills necessary to be a sales rock star on Cydcor’s career page.
The job market is competitive today. Employers often get dozens of applicants for positions. Imagine being a simple line in a queue of applications, with a similar resume to ten other qualified candidates. Sometimes, it takes the extra effort to get called in for an interview. Here some ideas from the Cydcor sales blog to make an impression that will get you where you want to go when job hunting.
What are some great things you’ve done to get noticed in the past?
There is nothing like a perfect song to get pumped up for the morning. At Cydcor, we know working in sales takes energy and motivation. Here is a list of some of our favorite songs to get you ready for work.
What are your favorite songs to fire you up for work?
In sales, people have to have to interact with each other all day. Success in sales comes from being able to feel confident and comfortable in most situations. At Cydcor, we do our best to present the most effective sales teams around. One way to easily improve your sales confidence can be as simple as taking two minutes to stand powerfully.
Nonverbal communication has a lot of value in society. How we interact with each other can lead to very important decisions in life, such as whether someone is hired, sued, or accepted for a date. One second of political candidate facial expressions can predict election outcomes 70% of the time.
In addition to using body language to judge others, social psychologist Amy Cuddy has reported research that the way we move and carry ourselves also affects the way we judge ourselves. Further, many body expressions and postures reflect similar positions in the animal kingdom. When we are afraid we make ourselves small and meek, trying to appear insignificant. When we want to display power, we make ourselves big and open.
Power stances are known across the animal kingdom. Also, that powerful people express power chronically as well as in moments of victory. Even people who were born blind have been showed to display the upward v shape with the arms after winning something, the way racers do when they cross a finish line.
When powerful people and fearful people interact, body language reflects this as well. People unaware of fear will often shrink in the face of an open power stance without realizing it. Professor Cuddy realized the difference in power stances in the classroom, and decided to try an experiment to see if grades would improve on students she trained to stand powerfully.
The results were stunning. It turns out that powerful stances for two minutes actually increase hormones that contribute to self-confidence and assertion. So the fake-it-till-you-make-it strategy actually has a physiological affect that helps people be more confident and assertive. See the amazing talking by Professor Cuddy below:
Health and wellness are an important part of Cydcor company culture. We value our team and want them to the be the best fleet of sales people in the business. We also want Cydcor team members to feel like their best selves.
Confidence and good moods are key building successful sales relationships. There are some good personal exercises to build confidence, but the best practice for mood boosting is to incorporate foods that will energize and provide balance. We all know nutrition and exercise play a huge role in our overall health, but did you know that eating for good moods is possible as well?
Getting essential nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, antioxidants and omega fats are great for feeling good and getting out into the world. While they may not provide super powers right away, some great foods to keep on hand might just give that competitive edge in the world of sales.
Avocados are high in fiber, vitamin K, and folic acid. Fiber and the healthy fat in an avocado will make you feel invigorated and full. Vitamin K keeps your skin fresh and bright, and folic acid is helpful for mood boosting. These green fruits are ideal for bringing out your best self.
Hazelnuts are also rich in fiber and good fats, but their secret ingredient is their high magnesium level. Magnesium helps to keep stress levels low by regulating blood pressure and helping with calcium absorption. It can also help regulate heart beats.
Eggs are an excellent source of choline, protein and omega-3 fats. Choline is a micronutrient that helps to regulate the brain. They are also one of the few foods that contains vitamin D, which helps fight against depression and ward off disease.
What are your power up foods to get you ready for the sales floor?
According to Oracle, sales people spent 78% of their time looking for leads. That leaves very little time for actual selling, especially when relationship building is so crucial to making the sale. So how can one manage leads and spend more time selling? Here are some tips from Cydcor Sales Blog.
Start by organizing your leads into categories of likelihood. One for people who have bought from you before. Two for people who have expressed interest. Three for people you think would really benefit from your product or service. And four for completely cold leads. Categories one and two should take up most of your time, building relationship.
Think of the 80/20, which says that eighty percent of sales come form twenty percent of our clients. Many sales people and entrepreneurs alike are happier and more profitable when they make the most time for happy, enduring customers. That is why it is crucial to structure and evolve your business in a way that will bring in streams of income from your best customers. Whether that is a continued service, multiple services or new products, one must keep core clients happy and interested.
When generating new leads, stay within your network. You may need to cold call sometimes, but be smarter about it. Instead of spending time making calls to a list of a thousand, do research on a hundred and know why they need your business before you call. You will come off as more diligent, certain and provide your lead with information more relevant to them than a script. It also gives you time to ask questions.
If you need new perspective on what your customers are looking for, take a few past customers or customers of your competition out to lunch. Ask them what they like about their experience as a customer. Focus on the traits you hear in positive feedback and make them your main selling points. Take the time to build strategy around who your customers are and what they really need.
Cydcor is the leading expert in outsourced sales. To learn more about Cydcor, click here.
The Heavy Hitter Sales Blog recently reported on the seven types of sales managers. We wanted to review the types and then ask you what type you may fall under and which manager you prefer to have. So here they are!
For more detail, read Steve W. Martin's post on the seven types of sales managers over at the Heavy Hitters blog.
One of our sales office owners has made a big impact on me with a mission statement she wrote to capture what the purpose of her business is. She and her statement are such a great example of the best in our business – what makes us unique, and why we attract the best and the brightest.
In her mission, she talks about making sure that every person who comes into her office is given equal opportunity to be successful by creating meaningful and genuine relationships with each individual, constantly working for her people by setting the pace from the front and providing them with time and attention. She also places “importance on transferring knowledge to each person, personally, that’s necessary to open, operate, and grow a business.” Most importantly, she makes a “positive impact on every person that comes in contact with her, her staff, and her company.”
Her perspective on business is one that I feel applies to all of us. A successful business is run by successful people who are committed to achieving great things. In just a short time, she has managed to do extremely well and is one of our top office owners.
Her mission is one that should inspire all of us - good sense for great business.
Listening to a book on tape recently reminded me of George Washington's great vision, leadership, and sacrifice. Every time I learn about Washington, I appreciate his leadership and ability to balance short- and long-term goals. He held true to his vision for our country, which focused on representative government, civil liberties, religious freedom, and each person being able to control his or her own destiny. The biggest obstacle to achieving this vision was King George III and British dominance over the Colonies.
Washington faced a difficult choice. He knew that creating the vision that would prove best in the long-term for our country would require short-term sacrifice. He would have to sacrifice personally by risking his life and all his personal wealth, being seven years away from his home and family. The country would have to sacrifice by experiencing short-term economic suffering as well as the deaths and raids caused by war.
Most people shy away from making such a difficult choice. Knowing that short-term sacrifice facilitates long-term success, however, makes the difficult choices easier. Thankfully for us, George Washington was willing to make the necessary sacrifices in the short-term to ensure a better future for America.
Gary