Texas Event a Success for NCG, Inc Team

Some of the Management team here at NCG, Inc (Trumbull, CT) recently got back from a huge industry event in Austin, TX. This was the annual kick-off meeting for the year and over 500 sales and marketing professionals from around the United States and Canada were in attendance. It’s always a great event but this year it was better than ever! When they got back to Trumbull, CT they shared the main themes from the weekend and here they are!

GOALS – The previous year are recapped, industry trends are discussed, most excitingly, the plans for the upcoming year are announced. Large corporations attend this annual event to explain their targets as well as meet with some of their key representatives.

DEVELOPMENT – The event is all about professional development — both celebrating it and facilitating it. Attendees meet with successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders to help increase their overall leadership and business knowledge. NCG, Inc believes in the ongoing development of their people and such is true for the management staff as well!

RECOGNITION – Awards, bonuses and more! Some of the top performers in the industry left Austin a little richer than when they arrived, in a big blown up check form! Clients shell out extra incentives to those going above and beyond their goals. There were also new bonus criteria laid out for 2017 by several companies that everyone was pumped about!

GIVING BACK – What’s better than being surrounded by hundreds of like-minded, driven people who also love the ability to help others in need? Nothing! This year there was a 50/50 raffle to raise money for Operation Smile. In previous years, the winner ended up donating the money back to charity so this year they changed the rules. There would be no “cash” prize. Instead, the winner would get an all-expense paid trip and the location was based on how much money was raised. Well, after over $13,000, which is enough money to provide over 50 surgeries for children with cleft lips and palettes, that winner is headed to London!

It was an exciting weekend in Austin and our management team came back to Trumbull, CT fired up and ready to dominate 2017! Be sure to check us out on Facebook to see the best photos from the event.

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 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.”

How to Make New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Stick To

At NCG, Inc in Trumbull, CT, like millions of other people, we are looking ahead to 2017! Christmas is over, and with the new year just days away, the countdown has officially begun! We are committed to our clients and our employees more than ever, and we’re ready for a huge a year. As we are setting our goals for the up and coming year, we have decided to share with you some of our best practices for achieving your New Year’s Resolutions for once!

1. Choose something that really motivates you – The reason most people don’t follow through with their New Year’s Resolutions is because they don’t choose something that they truly care about. We mean absolutely-100%-no-ifs-ands-or-buts. Usually, people choose something that they’d like but are not necessarily committed to. To ensure that you follow through on your resolution this year, choose a goal that you’re obsessed with achieving and ditch anything you’re luke-warm about.
2. Have a plan – How are you going to do it? Set an action plan that will literally lay out the steps to making it happen. And then follow it like a recipe! This is the biggest step that people miss when setting resolutions. We’re already planning our year at NCG, Inc, are you?
3. Set checkpoints – Start from the end result and work backward, setting smaller ‘checkpoint goals’ quarterly or even monthly! This will help keep you on track to reaching your resolution at the end of the year.
4. Have accountability – When you write down your goals and involve other people, the likelihood of achieving said goals, or in this case, “resolutions”, becomes much greater! Tell someone what you are working towards who will keep you in check and help you stay the course throughout the year.
5. Don’t give up – It’s easy to give up on things when times get tough, and times always get tough when you are trying to change a habit. When they do, remember why you started. Remember your “why” by having little reminders all around you. Be it a vision board, a picture on the background of your computer or cell phone, a sticky note in your bathroom… whatever works best for you! But just keep reminding yourself of why you made your resolution in the first place.

At the end of the day, a New Year Resolution is simply a goal that starts on January 1st with a catchy title. These are best practices that we teach our employee all year long on how to achieve their goals. To learn more about our company and the training that is provided, be sure to connect with our NCG, Inc Facebook page.

NCG, Inc Trainer Tom Allen on His Favorite (and Most Detested!) Teams

Healthy competition is the name of the game at NCG, Inc. We’d be lying if we told you that we didn’t enjoy some smack talking or throwing down a good challenge here in Trumbull, CT. With many members of our team hailing from athletic backgrounds, it’s only natural for us! In fact, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Competition has been a big key to success in 2016.

We pulled aside one of our trainers, Tom Allen, a former Division 1 soccer player, to hear about his favorite and least teams.

Commence smack-talking…

Who is your all-time favorite championship team in any sport?

Hull City in the English premier league. This was the city where I was born and raised in England. Football (soccer) is a huge part of the English culture. When I first started following Hull they were a small club who grew rapidly. I enjoyed supporting them when they were a small club because the fan base felt family-oriented; however, the growth was also nice as I was able to see my team win championships.

What’s one NFL team you would get rid of right now?

I would remove the Cleveland Browns. Their performance has been terrible this year and last year, and I believe it would be time to start a team in London.

What’s one player you cannot stand in any sport?

I cannot stand any athlete who leaves a club for money purposes or cares more about themselves rather than the success of the team. In that case, I would say I cannot stand most NBA players, especially Lebron.

Do you have a favorite player?

David Beckham, he is a hero to all English people. He was a role model on and off the field and carried England to multiple World Cups.

What’s your favorite sports memory of all time?

When David Beckham scored a last-minute free kick against Greece to make the game 2-2 and made England qualify for the World Cup.

What is one sports venue you want to visit before you die?

I want to visit the Camp Nou in Barcelona

Commence response to smack-talking…!!! Do you love Lebron? Tell us!

For more from NCG, Inc in Trumbull, CT visit us on Crunchbase!

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!

10 Absolutely Essential Tips for Building a Successful Career

At NCG, Inc we believe that building a successful and enjoyable career is a significant factor in having a happy life. Here in Trumbull, we provide our team members with many of the tools they need to grow in a professional capacity — mentorship, continuous training, networking opportunities, and a clear path for advancement. Whether a person has NCG, Inc in mind for a thriving long-term career, or she uses her employment with us as a springboard for future business opportunities, we strive to provide value to all who join our team. Here we’ve gathered 10 of our favorite quotes with some common themes: perseverance, work ethic, a no-excuses mentality, preparation, goal-setting, and growth.

1. Don’t give up, even if you’re struggling.

“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” -Julie Andrews

2. Sometimes you have to just get to work.

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” -Stephen King

3. The only way to grow is to step outside your comfort zone.

“Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” -M. Scott Peck

4. Give up excuses and focus on your own choices.

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” -Stephen Covey

5. Talent is overrated, it’s all about the preparation.

“The harder I practice, the luckier I get.” -Gary Player

6. Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you too can become great.” -Mark Twain

7. Stop worrying about what others are doing.

“When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may be that they take better care of it there.” -Cecil Selig

8. Continuous learning and growth will make your goals a reality.

“You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.” – Jim Rohn

9. Be ready to pay your dues and set yourself up for the future.

“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you.” -Tony Robbins

10. The only real “security” is investing in your own development.

“Most people never feel secure because they are always worried that they will lose their job, lose the money they already have, lose their spouse, lose their health, and so on. The only true security in life comes from knowing that every single day you are improving yourself in some way, that you are increasing the caliber of who you are and that you are valuable to your company, your friends, and your family.” -Tony Robbins

If you’ve enjoyed our collection of quotes and business lessons, you’ll find a great deal more on our curated LinkedIn feed. Check it out!

A Culture of Appreciation: The NCG, Inc Workplace

At NCG, Inc we know that if our people feel appreciated, enjoy what they are doing and have opportunities for growth within the company they are more likely to perform at a higher level. This is precisely why we put our team first and do everything in our power to create a culture that allows just that.

Have you ever worked tirelessly at a company where it didn’t seem like anyone even noticed your effort? Or worse yet… you go above and beyond and the person beside you does the bare minimum, yet you are equals in position and pay? Not at NCG, Inc.
Recognition is at the heart of our culture. Doing a great job never goes unnoticed, by peers, Management, or even the clients. Whether it’s a high five, a letter from the client, a bonus in pay or an all-expense paid trip, we notice and we show it!

Our president, Jolene Foor, recently organized a Halloween scavenger hunt, which was a total blast for all who participated. Then there was our most recent office pajama day complete with energy drink flip-cup — and yes, you read that right! Coming in December is an incredible trip for the person who earns it: an invitation to an exclusive seminar in California, followed by a day of beaching in Malibu, touring Hollywood, and dinner in Santa Monica!

In any job there are going to be things you enjoy and things you do not. It’s called life. However, at NCG, Inc we do our best to highlight and celebrate the things we enjoy and it seems to make the things that are less enjoyable also less noticeable. One way we do so is to maintain a very positive, high energy and fun office environment. Another is by frequently getting together as a team outside of the office. A BBQ, a charity event, laser tag, golf, or dinner and drinks… it really doesn’t matter. What matters is building relationships with coworkers without the suits and pressure of the day to day grind.

Many people seem to get bored and complacent in jobs where there are limited growth opportunities. Our goal at NCG, Inc is to avoid that at all costs. This is why we provide a structured advancement plan for every employee. The best part? Opportunities for growth with our company are completely based on proven results and commitment rather than years of seniority or experience. As employees advance, they are also provided training, coaching and mentoring to ensure that they are fully equipped to take on their new roles successfully!

Learn more about the company culture at NCG, Inc by checking us out on LinkedIn.

She Earned Four Promotions This Year — How Did She Do It?

NCG, Inc in Trumbull, CT is the poster company for the phrase “behind every good company is a great administrator.” Okay, so maybe we made up that phrase… but it is completely fitting when you have someone like Gabrielle Lofaro on the front line of your administration, human resources and recruiting! In just a short 10 month period of time, she has just earned her FOURTH, yes FOURTH, promotion with the company. We caught up with Gabby to learn more about her success and the moves she’s making within her career.

Four promotions in under a year…seriously, how have you done it?

What really keeps me motivated is having clear goals and knowing what opportunities lie ahead! Working at NCG, Inc I know that I’m not stuck in a dead end job, I have a career path! And by reaching my goals on this career path it will allow me to create a life that I’ve always wanted. I also have a team that backs me up 100%. Jolene, Management and all of the guys in the office have always pushed me to be great. It really makes a difference when other people want to see you succeed just as much as YOU want to succeed.

You mentioned that with NCG, Inc you actually have a career path. What do you think is the difference between a job and a career?

To me, a job is something you go to everyday to simply make money. There is no future (or a very limited one), there is nothing exciting about “what comes next”, and you’re ultimately there just to survive. A career on the other hand, is something that makes you excited to get up in the morning… to move up and advance within. It is something that has the opportunity to change your life for the better. There’s growth, and you know that you are not wasting your time being there because every day gets you closer to your goal! One my first interview with NCG, Inc I recall having to fill out a questionnaire about what I was looking for in a position and I actually wrote, “I do not want another day to day job, but rather a career that I can be happy with!” And guess what? I found it.

And there you have it. That, folks, is how you get promoted 4 times in less than one year. Congratulations on all of your success, Gabby; and on behalf of the entire NCG, Inc team we want to thank you for all that you do.

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