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Effective Time Management Techniques

Oct 18, 2014

0 min read

Cydcor-Time-Management-Tips
Flickr CC via RHiNO NEAL

When you think of productivity, being constantly active might come to mind. But while always being in motion can improve your productivity at times, it can also lead to mindless “productivity” where you waste time doing something that you don’t need to do.

The real trick is to work intelligently. Great time management skills are the first step to becoming a smart worker. Here are some helpful time management techniques that will help increase your productivity.

  • Track your actions to see where you are wasting time/being less productive, and then make changes to address any issues you discover.
  • Instead of a to-do list, try an appointment book. For important tasks, make an “appointment” with yourself—complete with a start and end time. Do your best to stick to these appointments!
  • Plan time for distractions and breaks.
  • Take time every day, even if it’s just thirty minutes in the morning, to plan your day. Prioritize what must be done each day and which specific order each day’s work must be done in. Stick to your daily schedule as closely as possible.
  • Schedule time each day for answering emails and phone calls. If you constantly check emails and take phone calls, they can be a significant source of interruption.
  • Utilize the Pomodoro time management technique:
    • Decide on your task.
    • Set a timer for X time, usually 25 minutes.
    • Work until the timer goes off, then take a 3–5 minute break—this is one Pomodoro.
    • After four Pomodori, take a longer (15–30 minute) break.
    • Repeat as necessary.
  • Complete your most important task first. This way, you eliminate the risk of burning out your productivity on less important tasks—hit the ground running and complete your most important task right off the bat.
  • Leave time between projects to relax/decompress.
  • Group similar tasks together, and complete them all before changing gears to some other type of task.
  • Have a dedicated workspace, like a workroom at home or a workstation at your office. Avoid relaxing, eating lunch, or doing anything aside from work in these areas. Eventually, you’ll associate that space solely with work and your focus will likely improve as a result.

Do regular reviews of your productivity and take action to resolve issues with your productivity. You might want to do reviews either weekly or monthly—not so often that you begin wasting time evaluating everything, but not so far apart that their benefit is diluted.

Be sure to follow Cydcor on Facebook to keep up with our latest news and updates, including our upcoming Bahamas event, R&R 2014!

Cydcor Reviews 'Thriving in 24/7'

Oct 7, 2014

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We are Cydcor, the leader in outsourced sales services. Check us out on Facebook for our latest company updates.

Here is Cydcor's review of Thriving in 24/7: Six Strategies for Taming the New World of Work by Susan Helgesen.

About Thriving in 24/7: Thriving in 24/7 takes a look into the “new” work rules in today’s 24/7 environments. Cheap and portable networked technologies have made communication in the professional landscape simple and fast, but at the cost of being flooded with options that can interrupt our own personal lives. Thriving in 24/7 looks to show another way of setting forth new strategies for working and living appropriate for post-industrial lives.

Why Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders: It’s incredibly easy to be on-call 24/7 with cell phones, tablets and laptops coupled with free wi-fi in nearly any public area. This book looks to help one to be successful while still establishing personal boundaries by setting concrete ways of working. The book emphasizes the importance of locating your inner voice and taking inventory on a regular basis.

Thriving in 24/7 demonstrates ways to create your own work by articulating your values and integrating your passions. It also demonstrates how to incorporate renewal into each day by identifying the true sources of your joy, practicing mindfulness, and cultivating the elements of Slow.

Want to learn more about our company? Check out Cydcor on CrunchBase for additional information.

Our favorite part: The author’s first strategy is to start at the core. If someone wants to create work that suits their individual needs and talents, they must be aware of the forces at work in the world. She also explains that we must also develop a thorough knowledge of ourselves and an understanding of what we have to offer.

“We have to know our priorities, values, temperament, character and ambitions. We have to understand where our blocks life, what emotional legacies might be holding us back or pushing us forward. We have to understand what we fear, what makes us feel stuck or overwhelmed.”

Helgesen also states that starting at the core is crucial in an area of new technologies, as we have so many choices to make every day. By narrowing in on ourselves, we can place an emphasis on the niche that gives us more opportunities to create work that reflects our individual interests.

Cydcor’s Annual ‘Thank You” R&R Event Is Headed To The Bahamas!

Oct 3, 2014

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Cydcor is gearing up for our annual R&R event, and this year we are looking forward to several days off for fun in the sun for attendees from the network of independent sales companies!

This year’s R&R Owners Weekend is being held in late October  in Nassau, Bahamas, at the beautiful Atlantis Paradise Island. Our primary focuses are on rest and relaxation for the hundreds that will be in attendance and celebration of the successes of the past year.

Sales company owners will enjoy a weekend full of events, including themed meals, a Junkanoo-themed dinner, our 3rd Annual Talent Show, a private pool party with a DJ, and our 7th Annual Charity Tournament and Carnival! There will also be a beach volleyball charity game, which will fundraise for Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity treating cleft lips and clef palates around the world.

Cydcor-R-R-Event
Congratulations to Ryan Caugherty!

We’ve already kicked off R&R 2014 with a Bahama-themed postcard caption contest, with the winning entry from Ryan Caugherty. Ryan won $100 toward food and fun by participating in our Facebook contest. Thank you to all who entered!

With water parks, nightclubs, “Paradise” beaches and dolphin swims, there’s no lack of fun options for our owners and their friends and families. We can’t wait to start packing!

For more information about Cydcor, head to our page on CareerBuilder.

R&R 2014 Postcard from the Bahamas Caption Contest

Sep 24, 2014

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Cydcor-RR-Bahamas

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.

Cydcor Reviews 'Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn'

Sep 16, 2014

0 min read

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.

Cydcor Executives Define The Difference

Sep 12, 2014

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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!

Cydcor Reviews 'Confidence' by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Sep 11, 2014

0 min read

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.

The Science and Power of Smiling

Sep 10, 2014

0 min read

Cydcor-Sales-Smile
Flickr CC via Rickydavid

We are Cydcor, the premiere outsourced sales service provider. Find out more about Cydcor on CareerBuilder.

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.

Cydcor Reviews 'Launching The Innovation Renaissance'

Sep 2, 2014

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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.

Connect to Cydcor on LinkedIn for more information about our company located in Westlake Village, CA.

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.

How to Recharge Your Creativity

Aug 29, 2014

0 min read

Cydcor-Creativity
Flickr CC via jef safi

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.

Cydcor is on Twitter. Be sure to follow us @Cydcor!

Top Tips for a Winning Sales Presentation

Aug 22, 2014

0 min read

Cydcor-Sales-Presentation
Flickr CC via (nz)dave

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.