Go Behind the Scenes With a New Employee at NCG, Inc

NCG, Inc in Trumbull, CT is a firm that prides themselves on providing opportunities for their employees to grow personally and professionally in a team-based environment. We decided to see how one of their new employees felt about his experience thus far to see if the stories matched up. Spoiler alert: they did.

Gregory Benson, from Southport, CT has been with NCG, Inc for under a month, which, as he told us, ‘is hard to believe because I already feel a part of the team.’ He joined the team with a Bachelors from Sacred Heart University and is currently a few classes away from achieving his MBA.

“There was a multitude of reasons that I accepted the job at NCG, Inc,” explained Gregory. “I first met with Jolene through the interview process and realized that she is intelligent, ambitious and professional, all while being personable and funny. I am a believer that we buy into people more than ideas and it didn’t take me long to realize she was someone I wanted to be led by.”

Here were a few of the other reasons Gregory decided to pursue a career with the Trumbull firm:

The opportunity to control his own fate – “I came from a large corporation where it felt like my long-term goals were jeopardized by internal politics. The chance to feel as though my hard work would directly correlate to results was refreshing, especially when a timeline of my success was clearly laid out by the company. It was also made clear to me that personal development was just as important as anything else that the job entails, which was key for me,” explained Gregory.

The energy he felt during his interviews –  Gregory told us that was enough to convince him that he would fit in at NCG, Inc. “I have always been the one running around and yelling with passion whether the sun was rising or setting. While sitting in the lobby I would always hear people shouting with passion as they pumped themselves up in the morning (as I’m sure our neighbors love so early in the morning.)”

It was a chance to be around like-minded people – “I’m dedicated to building a successful career irrespective of the sacrifices it will take and I knew at NCG, Inc I wouldn’t be alone in that quest. I have found it challenging to find people that want to work really hard,” added Gregory.

“Iron sharpens iron, and I knew that being around motivated, hard-working people would only make me better.”

Gregory also discussed how the marketing techniques used at NCG, Inc are not flashy but are extremely effective. “They teach straightforward, disciplined marketing approaches that anyone can learn if they are willing to study and make the sacrifices necessary to succeed. That being said, I’ve learned these systems to the point that they are nearly thoughtless reflexes, which I consider an accomplishment,” added Gregory. He also highlighted the structured and detail campaign and client product knowledge he has gained in such a short amount of time, proving the training methods are working well!

As we wrapped up our time getting to know Gregory, he told us his goals moving forward. They started with continuing to grow personally and he is confident that he is in the best place to do so. This is what he said in regards to advancing within the company; “I am excited for my promotion to a leadership role. I want to be someone that can set an example on the team for future members to follow. Down the road, I am excited to develop my own team. The same way that my managers are dedicated to helping us grow, I want to serve my team, which will be extremely rewarding to me.”

Be sure to follow NCG, Inc on Twitter to keep up with Gregory and the rest of the Trumbull, CT team!

NCG, Inc’s Leading Lady Part 2

We’ve been in Trumbull, CT getting to know the President of NCG, Inc, Jolene Foor and it has been quite a journey! In our first of this two-part blog series, we got to know her background, why she left the medicine field to start a career in sales and marketing as well as her beliefs on hiring. (You can check it out here if you haven’t seen it yet.) Well, now we wanted to learn a little bit more about her company culture as well as the direction that she plans on taking the company in the coming years. Check it out!

Q: Following up from Part 1 of your interview, you explained that you do not require Business, Marketing or Sales experience for your employees and that you were willing to train 100%. Why is that?

Foor: We have an amazing training program that everyone goes through when they are hired. I also went through the same training program and it got me to where I am today. The system we have in place, as well as the consistency in our training, makes our employees much stronger and in turn, NCG, Inc stronger than many companies in the area. We start training someone from their first day on the job to help mold them into future business leaders and Managers.

Q: What you do you feel makes NCG, Inc different from other companies?

Foor: I believe that, in addition to the training program, our company culture is what separates us from other companies. We work as a team and are really more like a family; a very close and tight-knit one at that! Everyone’s opinion matters to me and I love hearing all of the ideas my team has about how we can make today better than yesterday. We also have a ton of fun at work. We do things like Pajama Day Fridays, play office Jeopardy, and have daily challenges to hit our goals. We also do a lot to help the community and give back as much as possible.

Q: What are your personal goals this year?

Foor: To buy a house! I’ve been looking for a while now and I’ve been saying for five years that I’m going to do it so I think it’s time.

Q: How exciting, congrats!! What about your goals for your company this year?

Foor: Thank you! We will open two new offices this year and continue to hit our five new offices within two years (a goal that was previously set). I want to focus on developing a great core group of leaders and provide them with as much knowledge and success as I possibly can. I also want to empower my team to be able to run this company the way they want to so that they can get as much development and experience as possible.

To keep up with Foor and the rest of the NCG, Inc team, be sure to follow them on Facebook!

NCG, Inc’s Leading Lady

NCG, Inc in Trumbull, CT has started off 2017 impressing clients left and right. Their sole purpose is to increase market share for some of the most recognizable brands throughout the United States. Not only have they been achieving this feat, but this privately-owned marketing and sales firm is also rapidly growing!

President Jolene Foor took the time to sit down with us and discuss her background, what she looks for in her employees, goals for the company and much more in a two-part blog series. So, let’s get to know the woman closing deals in heels behind the scenes, shall we?

Prior to beginning her career in business nearly a decade ago, Foor was a Veterinary Technician and a Nurse! Like all careers, this too came with likes and dislikes for her. “I loved medicine and learning about how the human body operates but I disliked the clinical part. Learning about it all was great but I decided that what I truly loved was being able to help people, so I decided to do so in a business setting,” explained Foor. Luckily for Foor, she was not required to have experience in the sales and marketing industry when she began. This is something that now holds true for her company as well. Foor provides the same intensive coaching and training that she was given, hoping to provide those coming from different industries with the same opportunity.

Since Foor has stayed true to not requiring industry when it comes to hiring new employees, we were curious as to what she does look for when hiring a new member to join NCG, Inc. Foor explained that, to her, it was more important for her people to have certain personal characteristics rather than a specific degree or work experience. She went on to highlight a few:

“I am looking for someone who is high energy, self-motivated, hardworking, has high integrity and a killer attitude! I will put 100% effort into developing the right person with these characteristics because they will motivate me to do so!” explained Foor.

As NCG, Inc continues to exceed client targets and grow, Foor continues to keep her eyes open for potential contributors who possess the above qualities. If you are looking for a new career opportunity around the Trumbull, CT area, be sure to check out their CareerBuilder profile for all the latest job openings. Don’t forget to keep a look out for Part 2 of our interview with Foor to hear more about the future and direction that this firm has!

NCG Inc Prepares For Annual Kick-Off Event in Texas

NCG, Inc (Trumbull, CT) is committed to the growth of their clients throughout Connecticut. Over the past five years, they have increased market share for some of the most well-known companies around the country and continue to help their employees reach professional success. Every year, industry professionals from coast to coast get together to kick off a new year of exciting results!

This weekend, January 26-29th, the President of NCG, Inc Jolene Foor, is taking one of her pillar employees, Gabby, to this event for the first time!

“I have heard that this is the most exciting conference so I can’t wait to see what I can learn and what lies ahead for my career!” says Gabby.

The goal of this event is for clients to be able to clearly define their goals, measurements, and targets as well as celebrate the successes from the previous year. Attendees like Gabby and Jolene will be able to learn from other professionals about best practices and how to increase their effectiveness in the upcoming year. The most exciting part of the weekend is the black tie event on Saturday night where huge bonuses and awards are given out. Gabby told us she plans on wearing a long, formal black dress to the big night! We can’t wait to see the NCG, Inc ladies all glammed up for the show.

Jolene and Gabby will be arriving in Austin, Texas for the event on Thursday to give them some extra time to sightsee before the action-packed weekend.

“Jolene is more than a boss, but a friend as well. Not only does she help me prepare for the trip but we will have fun as well,” said Gabby.

Meetings with clients will get underway on Friday afternoon followed by a welcome mixer for attendees to hang out and meet one another. Saturday is jam-packed with high-energy seminars, peer learning groups as well as the long awaited for awards dinner and show. It will be a weekend to remember for sure! Be sure to follow NCG, Inc on Twitter for all the updates and photos to follow.

NCG, Inc Employees Receive National Recognition

NCG, Inc in Trumbull, CT recently had two of their top employees selected to attend a private weekend seminar in California for up and comers in the sales and marketing industry. Emily Ngaopraseutsack and Chris Hurylovich earned this huge recognition through their ability to deliver high-quality results for clients as well as their leadership within the company. Emily shared her experience with us about their recent trip, check it out!

After their direct flight from Boston to LA, Chris and Emily waited at the airport for another seminar attendee who was coming in from St. Louis around the same time. They all took an Uber together to the Palm Garden Hotel in Thousand Oaks, CA, where they were staying. That night the only thing open was Del Taco, so they enjoyed late night tacos before finding personal goodie bags in their hotel rooms provided by the host of the seminar.

The following morning’s breakfast was held at Brendan’s Irish Pub and was followed by a bus ride to the seminar. Their day of meetings consisted of hearing successful business leaders speak on varying topics, learning about new technology coming to the sales and marketing industry, as well as learning about the personality evaluation, DISC.

Emily’s favorite speaker was a female CEO because “she is a woman and she can run a business as well as be with her family. I love her intensity and conviction when speaking to people. She likes to keep us engaged and thinking. She doesn’t tell us what to do but she asks us what we think and we answer the questions ourselves,” explained Emily.

That afternoon they were able to have professional headshots taken before attending the “social sip” for cocktails and networking with everyone. Dinner was held at Twisted Oak Tavern and the attendees ended their night back at Brendan’s Irish Pub at the hotel.

Saturday was a fun filled day! Once in Hollywood, the NCG, Inc duo along with their peers, took a double-decker tour bus to learn about the history of Hollywood. Some highlights were the famous Chinese theater, Paramount Pictures, Marilyn Monroe’s old and new apartment, Cross Road of the World, and Beverly Hills. The tour bus dropped everyone off at the Saddle Ranch for lunch and drinks in Hollywood where they got to ride the mechanical bull! From Hollywood they traveled to Santa Monica, sightseeing at the Navy Pier, having dinner at Bubba Gump and finishing out the evening at a local hotspot, The Bungalow.

Emily told us that after this trip she is extremely proud of herself for how far she has come in developing as a professional but is even more excited to get back to NCG, Inc to share all of this knowledge with the rest of the team.

“I realized how my mentality affects my life’s choices. I choose to do what I want, no one can take anything away from me. Anything is possible if I just put my mind and hard work into it. The quote I like to live by is ‘What I put into it is what I get out of it.’ This is, in fact, true because if I am hardworking, determined, and highly motived, I will go far in life because I know I will keep my eye on the prize. This truly was a changing experience! Thank You to Jolene Foor of NCG, Inc for sending me to this seminar because she believed in me and achieving my goals.”

Employee of NCG, Inc Reviews the Company Culture

At NCG, Inc the company culture is just as important to us as the results that we bring to our clients. Because, in our opinion, they go hand in hand. If employees are comfortable in their workplace, enjoy what they are doing and who they are doing it with, odds are their performance will reflect that. Now, there are a lot of companies who preach a positive culture, but we decided to take it one step further. Don’t just take it from us… get the opinion of an employee who currently works with us!

Christopher Hurylovich has been working at NCG, Inc for 5 ½ months and describes the atmosphere within the office unlike any other! He went on to talk extremely highly of the people that he works with.

“The people I work with are just as fantastic. Everyone is so supportive and always ready to lend a hand. It’s pretty tight knit and we all get along well and balance each other’s personalities. They are motivated by the opportunity to advance within the company, just as much as I am.”

With a no seniority policy for internal promotions, it’s easy to think that the office would be filled with a lot of cutthroat competition, but as you can see, it’s exactly the opposite!

So the team at NCG, Inc seems to be pretty great in Christopher’s opinion (and ours) but what about the boss lady?

“My manager is all around amazing. Not only does she lead from the front but she values the opportunity that she offers to everyone. She makes sure it’s a professional and fun environment at the same time. The best part about working with her has got to be her knowledge. It’s amazing how much she knows and is willing to pass on.”

Since every senior level Manager has to start entry level and work their way up there is a higher level of respect gained by the team. Additionally, the Managers are able to relate to every employee and help them with any obstacles because they have already gone through any challenge their team may face!

So far, Christopher’s favorite company event was a night where our entire office went to karaoke at Sweet Basil. There were quite a few new employees at the time so it was a great opportunity for everyone to get to know each – and what better way than belting your favorite song out of key? “Everyone gets along so well that no matter where we go or what we do, it’s always a good time,” added Christopher.

Learn more about the amazing culture that we continue to create at NCG, Inc by following us on Facebook!

3 Pearls of Wisdom You’ll Need if You Want to Be Successful

The management training program at NCG, Inc is a great way to learn about business — but it’s also a great way to learn about life. Here are some pearls of wisdom that our management trainees in Trumbull, CT have picked up:

1. You’ll never change whatever you make excuses about.
“It’s not my fault, it’s my upbringing… genes… family… past… friends… emotional issues… busy schedule… the weather… the economy…” Making excuses is an extremely self-sabotaging habit. Every time you make an excuse, it takes you farther and farther away from your goal.

Think about it: while an excuse takes you off the hook in the short term, it does nothing for your end game. If you want to actually make positive changes in your life, you absolutely must be honest with yourself about where you need improvement.

It’s time to look yourself in the mirror and be honest about whether you’re giving 100% or making excuses. At NCG, Inc we believe that the moment you decide to own up to your actions is the moment you start moving forwards instead of backwards. Ditching excuses is a non-negotiable part of earning success in your career.

“You can have results or excuses. Not both.”
-Arnold Schwarzenegger

2. Make your integrity your calling card.
There are few things more important in life and in business than integrity. Doing the right thing is everything. It’s also a quality that will immediately set you apart from the majority.

There is a tremendous difference between doing what’s right when it’s convenient or being publicly acknowledged — versus doing the right thing when it’s a hassle or when no one is looking. Integrity is not only a character trait, but it’s a decision that each of us must make every single time we are faced with a challenging situation. “How do I want to handle this… the easy way, or the right way?”

“Would you want to do business with a person who was 99% honest?”
-Sydney Madwed

3. Don’t stop working on yourself.
It happens to all of us: we work really hard, earn some success, ride the wave, get comfortable… and stop learning. Life gets busy and sometimes it doesn’t feel like there’s enough time to eat breakfast, let alone worry about self-improvement.

How many times have you thought to yourself, “I really should read more,” “I’d love to learn how to play the piano,” “I wish I knew how to ballroom dance,” “I’d love to be able to run a half marathon”… and then just as quickly as you fantasized about your new skills, you dismissed them, telling yourself that you can’t afford the time or the money. One of the key differences between successful and unsuccessful people is that the former see self-development as a priority. When is the last time you expanded your horizons and learned something new?

“Every year, I take on a personal challenge to learn new things and grow outside my work at Facebook. My challenges in recent years have been to read two books every month, learn Mandarin and meet a new person every day.”
-Mark Zuckerberg

Success is rarely a coincidence. The better you become at putting these words of wisdom into action, the greater your chances are of reaching your goals.

NCG, Inc is on Twitter and we’d love to connect! Follow us @NCGIncMarketing.

You’ll Never Be Successful Unless You Can Master This One Thing

There’s one key habit you’ll need if you want to make the most out of anything in life.

The management training program here at NCG, Inc in Trumbull is centered around preparing our participants for a successful career in business. The topic of this blog post is one we discuss frequently at our firm, and something we consider crucial for any professional in any field.

Question:  What differentiates the people who earn above average success from those who fall in the middle? Why do some people become total rockstars in their fields and others remain totally unknown? Why do some entrepreneurs run thriving businesses while others struggle to pay the bills? Why are some individuals constantly growing and improving while others are stagnant? There’s an answer that is all-encompassing and actually quite simple. Are you ready for it?

Answer:  Successful people do the things unsuccessful people don’t want to do. Successful people don’t want to do them either but they do them anyway.

BAM! You can take a moment to take that one in!

We’d argue that those 2 sentences contain the key to success in any aspect of life.

By nature, human beings steer clear of anything that is uncomfortable, anxiety-producing, difficult, or painful in one way or another. While perhaps this makes sense from a biological evolutionary perspective, avoiding “pain” is actually one of the worst things a person can do in life. Why? Because often, the right thing to do is actually the hardest.

Most people don’t feel like waking up extra early in the morning to exercise before work; yet, this would be a healthy habit for any individual to establish. Most people don’t particularly enjoy going to the dentist; but, doing so prevents unnecessary tooth decay. Most people would rather not put on sunscreen at the beach, but the SPF helps prevent skin cancer.

Perhaps you noticed that there was a common coupling of words in the previous paragraph. “Most people.” The majority of the population feels a certain way about uncomfortable tasks, but only a small minority pushes past those feelings in order to do what is best for him or her. So, it goes without saying that if you want to achieve “above average” success, you have to be willing to do the things that most people are not.

So the next time you are fretting about whether you should take the extra time to plan your week even though you’d rather be watching Orange is the New Black; or the next time you stay late at the office helping your team instead of meeting your friends for happy hour; or the next time you move your paycheck into a savings account instead of spending it on a new outfit… stop and ask yourself if you’d be happy having the average success that most people have.

We invite you to take this on as a personal challenge. The next time you are struggling with the decision to do something difficult, go ahead and tell myself “that is exactly why I should do it.” Tell yourself, “most people wouldn’t do this, so that is exactly why I will!”

Let us know how it goes!

NCG, Inc is on Twitter and we’d love to connect! Follow us @NCGIncMarketing.

You Need to Master This One Thing if You Want to Be a Sales Rockstar

Never — we mean NEVER — start a sales pitch without establishing a rapport.

In order for any business to succeed, it must master the art of driving revenue, AKA sales! We consider sales training to be an essential part of the management training program at NCG, Inc because it prepares our future branch managers for the necessary business skill of making money. Here you will find some great tips that will help you become the rockstar at sales that you’ll need to be if you’re seeking a successful business career.

Building rapport and establishing a mini relationship before discussing your product is an absolutely essential element of the sales process. If you’re struggling with this psychologically or you’re unable to put this into action, NCG, Inc is here to help!

“In theory, I’d like to build rapport, but the customer would rather that I cut to the chase…”
If you’ve had this thought before, in many ways you’d actually be right. Anyone you are pitching likely wants you to be efficient with your words. He’s busy, he doesn’t care what you have to say (YET), and he wants you to get a move on. HOWEVER, if you actually just cut to the chase without establishing a connection, you’re almost guaranteed to get a “no.” So yes, skipping the rapport might be faster, but your customer will miss out on a great offer and you will miss out on a sale.

It’s important to remember that establishing trust is 99% of the battle when it comes to sales. To give yourself even a modicum of opportunity to close a sale, you need to start your interaction off on the right foot. If you come across as pleasant, likable, and genuine, your customer will form a positive impression of you — which in turn, sets the stage for an extended conversation, and eventually a sale.

“That sounds easier said than done… How do I actually come across as pleasant, likable, and genuine?”
The easy answer here is to simply be yourself. Understandably, some people get nervous when they’re getting ready to make a pitch, so they feel unnatural and uneasy no matter what. Here are some specific things that you can do to make a positive impression:

• Smile and laugh! Don’t be so serious.
• Keep your volume and tone of voice friendly, but never overly so. Pretend you’re talking to someone you’ve known forever. A customer will spot immediately if you sound overly cheerful.
• Make eye contact. Looking down or to the side will create distrust.
• Practice relaxed body language. Keep it professional but don’t be too stiff either.
• Pro tip: Share something personal.

“Why should I share something personal… and what should I share?”
The reason to share something about yourself is because it builds trust. Unless you’ve known your customer for many months, they probably know very little about you. Especially if you’re making a cold or warm pitch, it’s important to recognize that your customer views you as a “salesperson” and not a “person.” That is, until you change that! It’s easy to turn yourself into a “person” by telling the customer about yourself. Here are a few ideas to get you going:

• You walk into a customer’s office and see a picture of his family on vacation. You say, “That makes me so excited for the vacation I’m going on with my family next month during my little sister’s school break!”. Now your customer knows that you are family-oriented and that you have a younger sister.
• Fourth of July weekend is coming up. You say, “Are you getting excited for the 4th? My fiancé and I are going to see the fireworks in New Haven this weekend!” Now your customer knows that you live in the same community and that you are getting married.
• You’re working with a customer at an accounting firm. You say, “I’m sad to tell you that Accounting was actually my worst subject when I was at Yale!” Now your customer knows that you went to a great school and that you’ve studied (or attempted to study) what they do for a living.

So why do these work? First, of all, it paints a small picture of you and reminds the customer that you’re a regular person with a life like she has. But second of all, each of these examples are just enough information to lead to questions from your customer, which will turn into a nice conversation! “Where are you going on vacation?”; “When are you getting married?”; “What did you study at Yale?”; and so on. You get the idea!

The more natural and normal of a conversation that you can have with your customer, the faster you are able to build trust. Instead of asking awkward questions and getting short answers and eventually a “no,” try these tips and challenge yourself to build a real and genuine relationship before getting to business. Happy selling!

NCG, Inc is on Twitter and we’d love to connect! Follow us @NCGIncMarketing.

 

Recognizing the Difference Between Skill and Will: An Essential Task of Leadership

The Management Training Program at NCG, Inc provides hands-on training and leadership experience to all of its participants. In learning how to manage a group of people, whether small or large, there are common obstacles that all leaders face. For this week’s blog post, we decided to delve into an interesting topic of leadership.

Credit: Bizior Photography

If you’ve ever led a team, the following scenario will likely look familiar to you: You’ve got a team member with loads of potential. Let’s call him Ed. He seems bright, he’s got a solid education, he comes from a great family, he dresses sharp, he’s got tons of charisma… BUT… he doesn’t perform. You monitor his progress and he seems to be consistently dropping the ball. You wonder to yourself: “How can this be? Suzie, who doesn’t have half of his attributes or advantages, is totally kicking his butt!” Now it’s time to play doctor and diagnose Ed. Why is this apparent stud not getting the job done?

Our natural instinct, more than likely, is to assume that he lacks motivation. He’s sharp, he’s been successful before, so he’s simply failing because he isn’t bringing a strong work ethic to his current role. Right??…

NO! Not necessarily!

What we’re less likely to consider is that Ed is struggling with his new responsibilities because he lacks the essential knowledge to perform. He’s outside of his comfort zone and doesn’t know what he’s doing. What Ed needs, in this scenario, is most definitely not a pep talk. What he needs is actually a lesson. He needs the information and the practice necessary to perform at a higher level.

The ability to correctly distinguish between “skill” and “will” when it comes to the Eds of the world is a trait that all successful leaders possess. It’s easy to get frustrated with the members of our team for not carrying their weight, simply because we forget to verify that their toolboxes are filled with what’s needed to complete the job.

What are the consequences of failing to coach Ed correctly? This part should be obvious! We miss out on getting to work with them in their full glory. Not only do we fail to unleash their potential, but we often lose them as team members altogether. This is a lose lose situation that is easily avoided by an accurate diagnosis.

This is a phenomenon expertly addressed by Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership theory. Here at NCG, Inc we are big fans of this framework, and we highly suggest it to anyone looking to improve his or her leadership abilities.

As we head into the new week and the final week of May, we encourage you to think about this concept in regard to the people you manage. Our Trumbull-based team wishes you a successful week and we can’t wait to hear your feedback about how an awareness of “skill” versus “will” affects your coaching style.

Follow NCG, Inc on Instagram @NCGinc (easy to remember, right!)