Big bank accounts aren’t the only thing that millionaires have in common. In order to find success, millionaires have to fully develop traits including courage, vision, and passion. Millionaires use a different line of thinking than everyone else. It’s not just about money, but life as a whole. Since thoughts have an effect on actions, people who want to one day be a millionaire should have the mindset to do so. Here are a few traits that many millionaires share:

Vision

Millionaires are creatives who are constantly seeking the next master plan. These people not only have big dreams, but they also believe that those dreams will one day come true. As such, wealth seekers should set lofty goals and not be afraid of uncharted territories. Professionals need to be constantly scheming about the next step and never dwelling on the past.

Passion

In order to fully reach peak potential, people need to be passionate about what they do for a living. Being able to enjoy work allows a person to build discipline and work their hardest every day. Ask any millionaire, and they’ll tell you that they enjoyed their journey to the top, no matter the difficulty. They believed in what they were doing and knew they really had something to work with. Find that passion, and one day you will realize you’ve loved what you’re doing for years.

Salesmanship

How are your sales skills? Millionaires are constantly pitching their concepts and plans, trying to sell others on the idea. Many millionaires also have well-developed social skills. Being able to converse with anyone and tell their side of the story makes things a lot easier. Developing sales skills, either professionally or on the side, can add a lot of weight to their business abilities.

No Fear

No one wants to find out they haven’t been successful with their latest endeavor. Most of us are afraid of failure. The thought of failure brings about a negative reaction and immediately brings up our insecurities. However, being afraid of failure also creates a fear of changing things. Nothing ever grows in the comfort zone. Millionaires know that failure is an essential part of success. We learn many things from falling down, but what matters is how we get back up. For millionaires, failure is just one step closer to real success.

For more information about Cydcor, be sure to follow us Instagram to keep up with the latest from our offices!

About Choose Yourself! by James Altucher

This book stresses the point that with the way the world works today, it’s never been a better time to “choose yourself,” or make yourself into the success you’ve always wanted. The support and assistance that may have once been there for people to succeed is missing, and it’s up to us to choose our own destiny. Altucher has created the perfect guide through case studies, interviews, and his own inspiring story to get a person on track to where they truly want to be one day. By putting in the required effort to build one’s own personal path, a new future can be built from ways of the past.

Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:

Leaders will find value in this book whenever they feel a loss of confidence in their endeavors. Although success can’t be earned overnight, hard work and dedication are key to making it a reality. There’s a fire burning in every person, and you are the only one capable of cultivating it. The global economy has shifted, and it’s up to use to make adjustments to find success. Leaders will also find the combination of practicality and idealism valuable. Choose Yourself! is an approachable book with some teeth.

Our favorite part:

Altucher points out that in order to truly succeed, we need to understand the importance of mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional harmony. He offers useful advice on making these things possible for any business professional. The concepts presented are honest, challenging, accessible, and relatable to any aspiring entrepreneur. The book as a whole is encouraging due to its repeated focus on the importance of believing in yourself. Altucher also offers a daily practice routine for readers to mold to their own personal preference. All that is required is a solid amount of effort and belief that success can be achieved by working on ourselves.

Check out Cydcor's latest photos on our Flickr photostream.

Being inspired by a work of art is not unusual for many professionals. For example, finding motivation and inspiration in a film can lead to thinking bigger. The following are four films that can teach an entrepreneur the values needed to succeed in the business world. They also offer valuable life lessons on how to succeed when the going gets tough.

Glengary Glenn Ross

A film focusing the Chicago real estate scene, Glengarry Glen Ross is essential for anyone looking to get involved in the business and sales industry. Being an entrepreneur means volunteering for a brutal world, and this film gives good insight on what it’s going to be like. These real estate salesmen put it all on the line when stakes are high, and the pressure is on. Additionally, it’s worth watching for the motivational scene with Alec Baldwin giving a pep talk to the main protagonists.

The Aviator

Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for an Oscar for his take on famous movie director and aviator Howard Hughes. Facing huge obstacles to get his work made, Hughes spent massive amounts of time on his attention to detail and perfectionism, and it shines through his work. For an entrepreneur, this film shows that it’s never going to be easy or simple work, but it will be worthwhile. Howard Hughes serves as a shining example of the dedication required to make a name for yourself.

Risky Business

The movie that put Tom Cruise on the map, Risky Business is much more than one scene of a guy dancing in his underwear. Heading out of town, Joel’s parents leave the house and their Porsche to be cared for by their teenage son. Things go awry, and Joel finds himself in a situation where he needs cash fast. This is an interesting film about thinking outside the box when things get tough. Joel may not make the soundest decisions, but he goes with the flow and ends up succeeding. This is the path of an entrepreneur: taking chances to get the biggest results.

Rocky

Although not much to do with business, Rocky tells an amazing underdog story for anyone to enjoy. The rags to riches story of Rocky Balboa is heartwarming, emotional, and encouraging. Uneducated but with a heart of gold, this small-time club fighter gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. This film can teach an entrepreneur that you don’t need to be the biggest dog in the fight to succeed. All it takes is proper training and work ethic to outmatch the competition.

Learn more about Cydcor by heading over to the Cydcor Sales YouTube channel.

About The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

Hard Things is Ben Horowitz’s guide to things you don’t typically learn in business school. Most of this book is a summary of practical wisdom about handling the hardest problems related to starting a business. It may be exciting to jump into the business world, but it is difficult as well. Horowitz analyzes the different kinds of problems that leaders deal with today, even ones that people tend to not think about. This includes insights on managing, selling, investing, and developing a business. This is an ideal book for veteran entrepreneurs.

Why Cydcor recommends this to future leaders:

Horowitz never glorifies starting a business; he tells it straight that many people fail, and why. Many entrepreneurs or start up business owners will agree. It takes a certain type of person to succeed in this world, and that person must make hard decisions on a daily basis. Horowitz does great at defining what it means to be a CEO and summarizes it well. It requires courage to stand up for your decisions and to be able to sell others on your choices.

Our favorite part:

Although the book doesn’t make any guarantees, it’s still very insightful for anyone interested in seeing behind the scenes of the business world. What you hear on the news or read online is nothing close to the real thing. Someone would find a lot of value in this book if they planned to open a business in the near future. Horowitz is also a hip-hop fan, and he uses lyrics form his favorite songs to prove a few of his points. His playful attitude is a great way to understand difficult decision-making.

Keep up with what Cydcor is up to by checking us out on Flickr!

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the world today. Although it may have become harder to innovate and come up with the next big thing, there’s still a possibility that it exists somewhere close. The following are a collection of quotes to motivate any entrepreneur.

“It’s not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas.” —Edwin Land, Polaroid co-founder

This quote speaks to any person who likes to dream big. Nothing grows in the comfort zone, so be ready to put yourself out there and think outside the box. We don’t always require genius new strategies. It’s about looking at what you have, and moving forward from there.

“Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.” —Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder

It’s rare for a person to strike it big without putting in the hard work that’s needed. Biz Stone puts things in perspective. What really goes on behind the scenes of the world’s biggest successes? Often, much more than most people realize.

“Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.” —Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO

There is no reward without risk. Every day, a decision will need to be made that may not have a guaranteed happy ending. Dream big, and don’t be afraid to take the necessary chances.

“The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to every evening think what can be done better tomorrow.” Ingvar Kamprad, Founder of IKEA

Kamprad makes a simple point: never be satisfied. No matter how much success you have found, always look to the future and discover what else can be done to improve the world. By keeping focused on what else can be done, achievements can be that much sweeter.

“If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder and CEO of Facebook

Not one person in the world has a playbook of shortcuts in life. To really get to where you want to go, always keep in mind the things you feel passionate about. Every step toward that passion, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction.

What entrepreneurs have inspired you? Let us know in the comments below!

Pipeline management has become a major focus to organizations and salespeople throughout the years. This renewed focus has quickly highlighted problems that might have been hidden during ‘boom’ markets a few years ago, such as accuracy and a streamlined system. Cydcor is committed to examining these problems and finding solutions.

When polled, 44% of senior sales professionals found that a major cause of frustration at their workplace stemmed from stalled opportunities. So what part or parts of a sales pipeline can create a problem for you when trying to close a sale?

Some think of a pipeline as a bunch of steps put together in order to create a progress toward the end goal of achieving a sale. In fact, a truly efficient ‘pipeline’ should be more of a series of strategies that are redefined, modified and tailored to each individual client.

There are three critical factors when establishing your pipeline: Identifying an account’s budget, the length of the sales cycle, and who the key-decision makers are. If you or your team does not manage to establish these three pieces of information, you might find yourself writing proposals for leads that aren’t qualified, or being overtly optimistic about a closing date or budget available.

Coach yourself and your team on the language you use when speaking to clients. Collecting the information is key, however how you ask for it can sound professional or pushy, depending on your language.

Asking someone “Are you a decision maker?” can lead to an alienated customer. Instead, try a softer approach, such as “We understand that a purchase such as this can go through an executive team for a decision. The process will go smoother for everyone if we can gather some information.”

Additionally, prospective clients can often be reluctant on giving a firm number when asked for their budget. Offer a range of prices, such as, “Typically an account often falls between $X and $X amount. Where are you most comfortable?”

Follow Cydcor on LinkedIn to keep up with our latest news and job openings.

A sales number metric that often gets over looked, is how often it takes you or your team to respond to a customer. Data indicates that leads receiving a call-back within two minutes or less were four times as likely to convert. Start measuring response times for your new leads, as sales representatives often prioritize follow-ups over any new leads.

If you can begin to combine all these factors then not only will have you have shown yourself or your team members the problems, you will be able to come up with solutions and give yourself the competitive advantage.