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Clutter is anything that prevents you from achieving your goals, learning new skills, and getting your job done. Follow these five tips and get your clutter under control.If you’re drowning in clutter, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Don’t go there. Clutter makes you less productive, but it’s not a reflection of your character. With a little concentration and some hard work, you can fix your clutter problem. We’ve put together five tips to finally get your mess under control.
Schedule a monthly review of your paper and digital files. And don’t just think about doing it—actually do it! Pick a date and mark it on your calendar to make this procedure a regular part of your workweek. Review everything in your inbox, on top of your desk, and in your smartphone. Get rid of any files and documents you no longer need. File or scan and save documents that matter.
Pick a time at the beginning or end of your day for a 5-minute review of your workspace. Go through your inbox, review paperwork on your desk, and identify any items you can resolve with immediate action. If there are items that you can recycle or file, then take care of them right away.
Get familiar with the items in your workspace and how often you need them. Make sure that your tools have a place to call home and that they don’t migrate around during the week. To work efficiently, you need to be able to reach your supplies easily; make sure that all your most frequently used supplies are close at hand.
It’s great to keep personal knick-knacks on your desk—family photos, Star Wars action figures, or snow globes from all of your vacation—but if your collectibles get in the way of getting things done, then it’s time to reduce your collection. Also, be aware that this kind of clutter may send the wrong message to supervisors--it could tell them that you’re not the serious person they’re looking for to advance in their company. Have a friend or colleague take a look at your workspace and ask them what they think it says about you.
Schedule one day per quarter to go through all of the drawers, file cabinets, and storage areas in your workspace and clean them out, one at a time. Have a roll of paper towels and some spray cleaning fluid on hand. You’re going to empty every drawer and wash it out. This task will force you to decide whether to keep, recycle, or discard the items you find. Clean and wash your work surfaces. When you are finished, you will finally have a clean place to work, and that will motivate you to keep your workspace free of clutter.
How do you keep your workspace free of clutter? We want to know your secrets to staying organized and maintaining order with your print and digital files. Please comment here, share your tips on Twitter, and follow us @Cydcor. Invite your friends and colleagues to participate in this discussion so we can learn to do better together.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Even if you’ve been born with a friendly personality, you may find yourself stuck when you’re in a situation that requires you to start a casual conversation. If you’re a naturally quiet person, these social situations might be uncomfortable experiences. When you’re nervous you lose your confidence and find it difficult to focus. Follow these suggestions and learn how to turn small talk into a new skill!
Don’t Just Say Hello!
Saying hello is a standard introduction during a social encounter. It works, but it leaves the conversation with no place to go. Instead, get the conversation rolling with adding open-ended questions.
Small Talks Needs a Big Brain and a Big Attentions Span
Once you’ve asked an open-ended question, pay attention to what the person is saying. At the same time, think of one or two follow up questions based on what the speaker says. Pay attention to their eyes and facial expressions. You can nod your head to show that you’re listening. It’s okay to smile, laugh, or become serious depending on the conversation. When there’s a natural pause in the conversation, make a comment and ask another leading question. If you get nervous, just take deep breaths and try again.
Common Interests Build Common Ground
As you continue your conversation, you’ll discover shared professional interests and concerns, which will help you build a conversational connection. If you’re attending a business conference, you have the topics related to your business in common. This can be a great confidence builder when it comes to improving your casual conversation skills.
Know When It’s Time to Go
After a certain amount of time, you will know that you’ve reached the end of your conversation. At that time, let your contact know that you have other people to speak to. Simply say, “I’ve really enjoyed speaking to you, and I appreciate all the information you shared and getting to know more about your business. Here’s my card. Can I have your business card too?”
If you say that you’re going to follow up or provide some kind of information—do it. That’s how you turn small talk into big success—one conversation at a time.
Here is Cydcor's review of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman.
About The Personal MBA: This is a pocket version of what you would learn in business school. Getting an MBA is a big commitment of both time and money. One book can’t replace an education, but The Personal MBA provides tools and resources to get you in the right direction to become a successful business leader. Josh Kaufman founded PersonalMBA.com as an alternative to the business school boondoggle. His blog has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to the best business books and most powerful business concepts of all time. Now, he shares the essentials of entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, negotiation, operations, productivity, systems design, and much more, in one comprehensive volume. The book argues that true leadership comes from self-driven individuals and not from school.
Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because: It explains the big concepts of navigating both the corporate world and the path of entrepreneurship. These concepts include The Iron Law of The Market (being limited to the size of your market and how to identify large, unsaturated ones), The 12 Forms of Value (many ways to create value for customers), The Pricing Uncertainty Principle (knowing how to support charging more), and 4 Methods to Increase Revenue (the ways in which you can earn more money for your business). The book covers the nuts and bolts of running a company, large or small.
Our favorite part: Kaufman provides a long list of examples of people who did not need an MBA to succeed in business. Quotes from prominent businessmen to motivate you is also a great help, and when you want more information, the book also contains a list of the “99 Best Business Books” for further learning.
Cydcor is the global leader in outsourced sales. Follow Cydcor today for more information on careers, sales and other business information.
This week Cydcor wanted to post a round-up of our favorite content on Cydcor Reviews, our book review site. Recommended for team members by team members.
Linchpin was written by marketing expert Seth Godin, who believes that finding career success today depends on learning how to market one’s self. Linchpins are an upcoming role in the world of tech, start-ups and the age of entrepreneurship. The linchpins are those that come up with new solutions, break the mold, and foster creativity in companies. Linchpin is about learning how to break out of the systemic roles traditionally in the workplace and implement new ideas where you work. Often, the linchpins are the indispensable people in the background, empowering others, but staying out of the spotlight. They often have a less specific role in the company, but rather focus on specific needs as the work scape morphs and changes. Godin believes everyone has something brilliant to offer, and being able to harness that brilliance and bring it to the workplace can equal success and happiness.
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell is an in depth look at how ideas get made into wildly popular companies, books or trends. Everything from television shows to teen smoking, popularity of ideas is modeled like an epidemic. There are carriers, those that evangelize the idea and get people excited about it. Malcolm Gladwell explains that there are three types of people involved in spreading an idea: connectors, mavens and salespeople. Connectors are people with a wide social network that are good at creating communities to rally for the concept. Mavens are knowledgeable experts that enjoy educating the public on their area of expertise. Salespeople are gifted at drumming up excitement for new things.
Lincoln by David Herbert covers the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln was raised in rural Indiana in a poor household. The book follows Lincoln’s perspective as he picked himself up through poverty and through political savvy made his way into prominence quickly. The book examines his character, his key advisors, and reveals his human flaws as well as his greatness. Biographies and autobiographies are excellent sources of inspiration for anyone looking to achieve professional goals. Lincoln is an especially beloved figure for Americans because he was raised in poverty and came from a disadvantage to well educated men raised in wealthy homes in cities.
Competitive Advantage is a model for creating and managing an enterprise successfully. Porter offers tools for analysis that are taught in MBA programs around the country. Michael Porter is a professor at Harvard Business School, and lectures and writes prolifically on managing a business. Tactics such as the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis teaches critical thinking that is crucial to successfully leading a company. Porter also discusses strategy at length, and helps businesses to either produce a scale economy or define a niche that will keep them profitable.
Onward is the story of how Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz turned Starbucks around after a downturn in financial performance. Schultz explains that while the recession definitely had an impact in the loss in profits for the massive international coffee and specialty company, the biggest factor was a shift in company culture. Onward explains Shultz’ decision to return to the CEO position after a departure to implement a hands on strategy to bring his company to its most profitable year ever. Between 2008 and 2011, Starbucks was able to find its way again and Schultz continues to lead it to record profits every year.
Want to learn more about Cydcor? Check us out on the Cydcor LinkedIn page for our career advice, job news and more.
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.
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:
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.
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.