Evantage, Inc.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed | Video on TED.com

Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed Video on TED.com

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Quote of the Day!

"You don't know what you don't know

Because if you knew but knew

You would have it

Because to know and not to have

Is really not to know!"

When you think about this quote, take a step back to think about your goals, life vision, career path, family, etc. It is a deep thought, but very simple and powerful at the same time.

Everyone is chasing something in life, a good family, happiness, freedom, more money, and many times we just say, keep working at it and you will get it. When you think about this quote, it also tends to show that you need to focuse on specific tasks and personal development to learn to be better at the things you currently aren't strong at.

Find a good mentor, surround yourself with people who are great at what you struggle to do. By focusing on what things are holding you back from your goals and taking the time to be honest with yourself about personal development, you will find that you can accomplish more.

Evantage, Inc. in an outsourced sales firm that specializes in helping Fortune 500 companies increase their market share through face to face sales. Since opening our doors in April 2006, we have expanded to 7 offices throughout 3 states.

For more information visit us online: www.evantageinc.net

Friday, May 6, 2011

Make 2011 Your Best Year Yet!

Have you ever stopped to think about what you have accomplished? So often with Today's economic hard times, we hear people talk about fustrations, fears, and worries. Because of this it can be hard believing that 2011 can become a great success. People don't realize that many millionaires are created during a recession. If you search online, you will find that companies such as Burger King Corp., Microsoft Corp., and MTV Networks to name a few were created during a economic downturn.

Take a few minutes or so to think about that, before you worry about how bad you think 2011 may be for you. To be successful in any time it takes a lot of dedication to your goals, hard work and vision. Keep in mind a few key principles to make this year your best.

1. Have a positive lookout on each and every day. Some days this might be harder, but a positive attitude can make you more attractive to customers you sell to, co-workers, and family and friends that you interact with on a daily basis.

2. Write down your goals daily. We all need a reminder now and then of what we want to accomplish. Keep your goals visible as a reminder of what you have set out to accomplish. Remember to make your goals as detailed as possible so they are easy to track.

3. Have a mentor. This should be someone whom you trust, who has great character and integrity. A person who will help you raise the bar and become better.

4. Lastly, make sure to reflect on your successes, even small ones. Sometimes we need to give ourselves a break and remember to feel good about all the hard work and things we have accomplished. Don't celebrate too early though, if you want to make 2011 Your Best Year Yet, it will take dedication and ambition to attain your goals.

Expansion and Growth!

Evantage, Inc. just celebrated our 5th year of successful business in Dallas back in April. Over the last 5 years we have helped our clients gain over 40,000 new customers in Dallas alone.

It was an exciting year in 2010, with expansion into 3 new markets. And we expect to double that in 2011.

There has been several key elements to the growth:

Teamwork: In a successful company, it is vital to know each others goals and help each other achieve them.
Integrity: Have consistant actions, values, principles and methods. Make sure you a sense of accountability in your work habits and what you tell others. Always follow through.
Passion: There are always elements of someones job that are more desireable than others, but the excitement and positive attitude you put toward your job will help you find happiness and success in it. Look to WIN daily!
Innovative: Being willing to change and adapt new ideas. Some of our best ideas have came from some of our newest team members.
Fun: Having a positive work enviroment, where people enjoy coming to work daily. The happier our team is, the happier our customers are as well.

We look forward to continued growth throughout the rest of the year. Great job team, and keep up the great work.
For more information about us: www.evantageinc.net

3 Keys to Public Speaking!

People always talk about the biggest fear people have is Public Speaking. Mastering the skill of public speaking can help you gain confidence in the workforce, make you a more valuable asset to the company you work for, and even help you become a better leader.

When it comes down to it, public speaking can be very simple, and here is 3 main keys to help you improve your skills. Each time you have to make a speech, or get up in from of a group keep in mind the 3 E's to public speaking. We teach all employees at Evantage, Inc. these keys.

1. Entertain: Have fun with it, make people laugh, tell a story. You want to start off by engaging your audience with something interesting. We have all been in a meeting or class when the person presenting their topic had no energy or enthusiam for their topic. How difficult was that to sit through. Take time to think about what you want to get across and then make it enjoyable and memorable for your audience.

2. Educate: Explain the who, what, where, and WHY! People want to know why it is important that they are learning something. Give real life purpose to your topic, and explain how it is used on a daily basis. You are the expert for the topic you are speaking about, and that is how people will remember you. This should be the middle of your speech, the basics of what you want to get across to the audience.

3. Empower: Before every New Orleans Saints game, you see Drew Brees in the huddle getting his team excited to go out and give it their all on the football field. When you end your speech, drive your point home. Recap the importance of what you were talking about, and be excited about what you covered. Have a strong finishing statement that your audience will remember. In Vince Lombardi's speech "What It Takes To Be Number 1." he closes with this line. "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."

Evantage, Inc. is a Dallas based sales/marketing firm. For more information: www.evantageinc.net

Key to Successful Communication

There are many key aspects to leadership. One big one is communication!

3 main keys to effective communication as a leader are: Engage, Encourage, and Energize. Let's look into each of those.

Engage:
Do you have an open door policy as a leader? Do you let others know that you want to be approached when they need something? Will you approach others when needed?
A key to being engaging with others, is to listen and let others know you care about their input. So many times, as leaders, we want to control the situation, and instruct what needs to be done. Instead, encourage new ideas, find people looking outside the box, share thoughts with others. "Coming together, working together, sharing together, succeeding together." - Author Unknown

Encourage:
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
Look to praise others and build others up. Catch someone doing something right. Make a big deal of it. Look to lift others up, encourage others when they least expect it. Use many forms, meeting, social media, email, etc. People will believe in and follow others who believe in them.

Energize:
Inspire others! When Sean Payton took over the New Orleans Saints, he had to get other coaches and players excited about what they could accomplish. The year before the Saints had to play all their home games outside the city of New Orleans. He had a huge task in front of him, but wasn't scared of it...his energy was able to bring in top players like Drew Brees who believed not only that they could win a championship, but also make a difference in a community. Even when you face daily struggles, strong leaders motivate others around them.