Cydcor is gearing up for fun with our annual R&R event only weeks away! We have had a stellar year so far, due in large part to everyone in the business. We plan to celebrate and reward our organization’s success by holding our R&R 2014 event in the beautiful Bahamas! We have some amazing things planned!

For starters, we’re kicking off R&R 2014 with a Bahamian-themed postcard caption contest on our Facebook Page. To enter, go to www.facebook.com/CydcorLLC , and submit an original caption in the comment section. Cydcor will select the winner with the best caption. The winner will receive $100 toward food and fun during R&R 2014 in Nassau, Bahamas!

As such, all entrants must be a primary registrant to the R&R event (primary registrants’ guests and Cydcor employees are not eligible), however, we greatly encourage ‘likes’ for contestant entries and shares among friends and family!

Contest begins Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 12:00 PM PST and closes Sunday, September 28, 2014, 11:59 PM, PST. Our winner will be announced on Monday, September 29, 2014, on Cydcor’s Facebook page.

With the dedication of valued teams, we continue to grow and expand our business and our family. We truly wish to recognize and appreciate all of their hard work!

Complete Contest Terms and Conditions:

Valid entries are comments that caption the related post on Cydcor’s Facebook page.  To be eligible, entrants must be (i) at least 18 years of age and (ii) a primary registrant attending Cydcor’s Bahamas R&R event (primary registrants’ guests and Cydcor employees are not eligible). Only one comment per participant is allowed. Profanity or inappropriate language, as determined by Cydcor, in its sole discretion, will be disqualified. The $100 non-transferrable credit will be awarded onsite at the event and can only be used during the event. Contest begins at 12:00 PM, PST on Wednesday, September 24, 2014 and ends at 11:59 PM, PST on Sunday, September 28, 2014. The winner will be selected by Cydcor, in its sole discretion, and announced via Cydcor’s Facebook page on Monday, September 29, 2014.  This promotional offer is not intended to create a partnership, joint venture, co-ownership or other association between Cydcor and the participant. This promotion does not have a connection with Facebook in any way and is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. By entering the contest, participants agree to fully release Facebook from any and all liability.

Want to learn more about Cydcor? Head to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CydcorLLC.

Here is Cydcor's review of Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn By John C. Maxwell.

About Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn: This book looks to tackle the universal fear of failure. Whether big mistakes or small missteps, author John C. Maxwell takes you through how to learn from experience and apply that insight into the future.

Why Cydcor recommends it to future leaders: When we hear about books on leadership, most of the time, we think about big companies, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. However, Sometimes you Win, Sometimes You Learn deals more with the topic of losses, as that is an experience that goes across all cultures and types of people.

Author John C. Maxwell shares personal experiences about his own losses and their consequences in his own life: financial, emotional and professional. He uses these as examples that can also point towards the lessons learned.

The main point the book tries to convey is that it doesn’t matter if you’re in a position of leadership or if you believe you’re a leader or not. If you’re a student, worker, parent or just someone who is willing to take action and start learning in every situation, good or bad, this book is for you.

Our favorite part: Overall, the best parts of the book are the incredibly helpful and practical frameworks Maxwell provides the reader, offering solutions that everyone can apply to their unique situation. The best part of the content is that one can learn from the stories in the book and see how someone can take a negative situation and launch it into a power opportunity for success.

Watch Cydcor executives define what makes our company different from the rest on the Cydcor Sales YouTube page.

What makes Cydcor the recognized leader in outsources sales services?. We interviewed Cydcor CEO, Gary Polson, President Jim Majeski and Chief Operating Officer Vera Quinn, to describe what makes Cydcor stand out in a changing sales market, and what qualities Cydcor has in both its team members and culture that makes it a world-wide powerhouse in sales.

“We are hard-wired as a ‘people-helping-people’ business. Developing our people, unleashing their potential is what excites us the most, we have a passion about, and we got to learn to be great at that,” says Cydcor CEO Gary Polson.

Learn for yourself about Cydcor’s commitment, quality, and integrity and how we wow our clients and employees. Watch and listen to members of the team leading Cydcor - a worldwide powerhouse in professional outsourced sales!

Learn more information about Cydcor by heading to our website at https://www.cydcor.com/

Here is Cydcor's review of Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

About Confidence: The book’s title, Confidence, is a tad misleading, as the author focuses more broadly on how to capitalize on a winning streak and how to work around a losing one. Kanter talks of how confidence is only a part of a true leadership formula.

Kanter examines in detail the collective strategies and behaviors of companies and sports franchises. She has traveled around the world to interview leaders of great corporations, as well as observe and interact with them at their most basic operative levels.

Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this book to future leaders: The author acknowledges that leading a turnaround in regards to a company can be a tremendously complex task. However, she identifies and provides the framework to reverse the cycle of potential failures.

1. Invest in people and their work environment. Show confidence in the future, set attainable goals and start winning one step at a time.

2. Promote collaboration and free flow of information and decision-making. (Winning teams are data rich)

3. As the first two improve the ethos of the group/individual, risk taking (innovation) potential is released which further helps build successful products and fuel cycles of growth.

Confidence is a great book for all leaders committed to their personal growth and the success of their organization's mission.

Our favorite part: Kanter speaks at length regarding baseball, by using sports examples and analogies in regards to the business world. She tells the story of the Chicago Cubs during the 2003 pennant race. This was the infamous moment in baseball where a Cubs fan wearing a hat and headphones reached out over the railing and caught a baseball that an outfielder was attempting to reach. The fan inadvertently knocked the ball out of the player’s glove and perpetuated the idea of a “demon curse” which left the Cubs out of the World Series in 2003.

This caused the fan to become a pariah among Cubs supporters; however, Kanter states that there is something far deeper in the losing mentality of the Chicago Cubs, and it can’t be chalked up to one misstep by a fan. She demonstrates how a team can’t throw off decades of losing in one season, as it’s a long struggle that takes time and the correct approach.

Take a look at these Team Testimonials regarding what it's like to work at Cydcor to get a bigger picture of our company.

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In 2010, Wayne State University began a research project that examined the baseball cards of players in the Major League from 1952. The study found that the researchers could predict the lifespan of the players based on their smiles. The players who smiled in their cards lived an average of 79.9 years. Those who didn’t smile lived an average of only 72 years.

UC Berkley did a similar study, examining the smiles of students in yearbooks versus their general well-being and success. The thirty-year study found that researchers were able to predict how successful a student would be based on how wide their smiles were in the photos.

The concept of smiling is universal, with studies conducted in Papua New Guinea with tribes completely disconnected from Western culture. These tribes were found to also attribute smiles to happiness, security and confidence.

So how can this knowledge help someone in a real world or workplace setting? Timothy Ketelaar, an associate professor of psychology at New Mexico State University that has run similar studies says, “Smiles can put you in a positive light by signaling that you’re friendly and trustworthy, and that you aren’t a threat to others.”

In fact, even sounding like one is smiling can be beneficial to building trust. Many call center companies train their employees to smile while they speak, as the act of smiling can alter one’s voice to a happier, pleasant tone which can translate over the phone to clients.

The act of smiling is also contagious, as one Harvard University study found. The research showed that when a person is happy or smiling, a person nearby has a 25 percent higher chance of becoming happier themselves.

These studies and results show that if you want to appear confident, calm and competent, smiling is a straightforward and universal way to display it. Tap into the simple superpower of smiling, and you’ll find yourself feeling better, building trust and establishing long-lasting, positive relationships.

Check out the Cydcor Sales YouTube page for more information about the work that Cydcor has done to benefit Operation Smile.

Here is Cydcor's review of Launching The Innovation Renaissance: A New Way to Bring Smart Ideas to Market Fast By Alex Tabarrok.

About Launching The Innovation Renaissance: Launching The Innovation Renaissance is a short read, and examines how innovation is important to economic growth. More specifically, the book is authored by academic economist Alex Tabarrok and delves into how the US performs on innovation and how it can be improved.

Why Cydcor recommends it for future leaders: The main point Tabarrok looks to convey in his book is that the focus should be ending the period of innovative stagnation by improving polices and culture in five core areas: Education, global markets, cosmopolitanism, prizes and patents. He addresses each of these topics, showing how the US could improve if we had more appropriate laws and principles in place.

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The book does not offer solutions, but will allow future leaders to create their own ideas and suggestions, and create their own paths for reaching them. There is no step-by-step instruction on how to generate innovation for these topics, however the framework is provided along with thought-provoking questions that look to inspire the reader.

Our favorite part: Tabarrok speaks at length regarding the US education system, and how an increase in college attendance is not necessarily a benefit to the United States. He shows that while college graduation rates have increased during the years, they have not generated creative majors in the realms of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields for the growing demand in the job market.

Are you in the job market? Cydcor is currently hiring! Head to our page on CareerBuilder to see our current openings.

For more information about Cydcor, check out our profile on CrunchBase.

Jack London once said of creativity, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Waiting around for a spark of motivation or creativity isn’t always an effective option when you have clients to attend to. Sometimes you need to go out and find the inspiration yourself.

Being creative can be exhausting, and sometimes the best way to recharge is to step away from the project or task for a while. You might be surprised at how stepping away can aid in your creative flow. Focusing on one task can sometimes lead to a narrow-minded view and can impede your creativity. Exiting the task for a short while and returning to it can often lead to new ideas and a fresh perspective.

In the same vein, break away from your usual routine if you’re finding yourself stuck. See a movie in a theater you haven’t been to before, read a new book or visit a local park or beach in a different area than the norm. You might find upon your return the sense of familiarity can make it easier to sit down and pick up where you left off.

If you find yourself struggling with an idea, share it with someone else. Seek out a new creative perspective by having a team member comment on how they’d envision the project heading. Sometimes sharing the details of your idea can allow others to aid you in connecting the dots in new ways.

There are also many apps to help promote creativity. Take advantage of new technology and tools available, such as ways to store your notes, visuals to display your presentation, and brainstorming exercises to help you break away from mental roadblocks.

Always remember to take care of yourself, and rest when needed. Sleep can do amazing things for the mind, and some challenges are better undertaken after a good rest. Avoid tackling important projects until you get a proper sleep, so your mind can be up to the task.

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We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services.

An effective sales presentation is more than show-and-tell. You need to be strategic about how you present and illustrate an understanding of your client’s needs and wants. You also need to analyze the possible competition that client might be speaking to. It’s vital you have a clear pitch to present that demonstrates why your service or product is better, and why it is in the best interest of the customer to go with you.

The first step to a winning sales presentation is to know when to best present it. A common mistake is to launch into your pitch immediately. What needs to occur prior to a pitch is a brief discovery phase. Even if you’ve spoken to the client previously regarding their wants and needs, it’s important to clarify in person prior to the presentation to see if anything has changed. Perhaps they have recently met with a competitor or a part of their process has changed since you last spoke.

Speak directly with your client and ask questions to understand their challenges, desires and methods. You can determine from this conversation the best way to approach your pitch by understanding fully what they need, and whether you are able to adequately provide the solution.

Don’t get so wrapped up in your presentation that you stop paying attention to your client. Remember to look up, make eye contact, and look for body language that might signal they have a question or aren’t following you, such as a slightly raised hand or facial expression. Stop your pitch and let them ask a question. What they have to say is more important than what you have to say.

Always be courteous of your client’s time by being concise and to the point. Rambling at great lengths can often lead to an aggravated customer. Get to your key points and illustrate why the client will benefit from what you can offer.

Find out more about Cydcor by visiting our page on YouTube.

Dan Pink’s Puzzles of Motivation TED Talk asserts that the ways of “sticks and carrots” motivation is outdated and that people’s reaction to incentives has changed. To achieve peak efficiency in tasks, Pink suggests three tactics: autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Autonomy, in Pink’s definition, is “the urge to direct our own lives.” Mastery is “the desire to get better and better something that matters.” And purpose is “the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.”

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Pink references the early 1900’s, speaking on the scientific management premise that worked during a time period when work more than likely consisted of simple, boring tasks. Back then, managers deduced that in order to get people to take on these tedious tasks they had to incentivize them properly and monitor them closely.

Put even more simply, Pink says that business owners knew that in order to get the most production out of your workers, you rewarded behavior you wanted and punished behavior you discouraged.

As Pink notes, this suggests “human beings aren’t much different from horses – that the way to get us moving in the right direction is by dangling a crunchier carrot or wielding a sharper stick.” But according to Pink, this is no longer the case, and today people are motivated differently.

So what does motivate modern-day people?

Allowing autonomy to workers lets them feel and be more in control of their production. Some studies have indicated that letting workers hold themselves accountable for finishing tasks (rather than being micromanaged) and allowing for ‘creative’ days results in workers that are happier overall.

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Mastery allows employees to become better at something that matters to them. People like to extend themselves and develop their skills, and they also often enjoy working in an environment where learning and development are encouraged.

Purpose means taking steps to fulfill one’s natural desire to contribute to a greater cause. A person who understands their company’s purpose and vision and knows their individual role contributes to this vision is more likely to be happy at work.

Dreamers and entrepreneurs are separated by one simple thing: the ability to successfully execute an idea. Assembling the right team to implement an innovative idea takes a strong leader at the helm to make it a reality. The term ‘leadership’ has various definitions, and everyone will have an opinion on the qualities a great leader should possess. However, there are universal key factors that the most successful trailblazers should have.

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Confidence: Those put into leadership roles might worry that showing too much confidence can come across as egotistical or arrogant to their co-workers. A reality is that everyone wants to know and feel that their leader is both capable and secure in their decisions and knowledge. Showing confidence in your posture and presence along with using positive language is also vital. There is also poise in those leaders who are capable of saying, “I don’t know” to their co-workers. It takes great confidence for a leader to admit to not knowing the solution; it also requires having trust in their team to kick into gear and help out.

Communication: A trailblazer can have a lot of ideas, but are they capable of clearly expressing their thoughts effectively to others? Honing communication skills is vital, as you want to be able to succinctly designate and describe what needs to be done in order to produce the idea and meet the goal. Being unable to relate a vision to a team can lead to severe miscommunications and misunderstandings.

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Create a productive atmosphere that focuses on everyone’s communication ability. Open door policies, daily updates and check-ins—and making those in decision-making and planning roles available for discussion—can all contribute to a healthy interoffice environment.

Obligation: Lead by example. A leader has an obligation to stay committed to their goals, and there is no greater motivation for a team than seeing their leader get down alongside them and muscle into the workload. Proving commitment to the brand and idea can earn a leader respect among their workplace. Create a reputation for working hard and keeping promises.

We are Cydcor, the outsourced sales leader providing clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results. Follow us on Twitter @Cydcor.

Here is Cydcor's review of That's Not What I Meant: How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships by Deborah Tannen.

About That’s Not What I Meant: The book explains the old saying “It’s not what you say, but how you say it that counts” with a revolutionary thought process about how words and their tones can make or break relationships.

Tannen looks to demonstrate how something very small and insignificant can turn an entire conversation upside down, bringing the opposite result of what was expected. Between family, co-workers, friends or partners, she shows how everything from how our body language, hand gestures and tone can bring successful communication with those around us.

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because:

The author looks to have those be aware of how they habitually communicate, and the reasons behind why they communicate in such ways and what to look for to correct them. A poor communication style can break a professional relationship, so it’s relevant to leaders to have each piece of communication broken down and to explain how it effects others. Tannen does a terrific job of providing clear, understandable information in an entertaining tone.

Our favorite part:

Tannen helps us understand how we don't just pay attention to the words spoken: in fact, we pay less attention to the message than what she calls the "metamessage": the implied and inferred meanings that each utterance evokes.

An example provided is the question, "Does this dress make me look fat?", as there is no right "yes" or "no" answer, as the question is not about the affect a particular garment has on one's appearance.

The real question, what Tannen calls “metamessages, is about whether the listener still finds the questioner attractive. Miss the real question, and conflict follows.