Vernon Hills Award Program Honors the Achievement

VERNON HILLS April 4, 2023 -- Go Thrive Events has been selected for the 2023 Best of Vernon Hills Award in the Marketing and Sales category by the Vernon Hills Award Program.

Each year, the Vernon Hills Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Vernon Hills area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2023 Vernon Hills Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Vernon Hills Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Vernon Hills Award Program

The Vernon Hills Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Vernon Hills area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Vernon Hills Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Vernon Hills Award Program

CONTACT: Vernon Hills Award Program

In order to make sure that your team is performing at its highest level, your employees must respect you. If they respect you, they are more likely to follow your rules and do what you say. Managers can earn the respect of their employees by standing up for their best interests and demonstrating professional leadership. Here are three tips to help you gain your employees’ respect:

Don’t be afraid to take risks and admit when they don’t pay off: Respected leaders are bold enough to anticipate changes in the market and make calculated business decisions for the betterment of the organization. Under that methodology, leaders are also the first ones to publicly admit when these decisions don’t work out.

Be consistent: A good leader is consistent in their approach and expectations of their team so that the team always knows the standard. If your leadership style changes from time to time, employees will be confused and unsure of what you need from them. Being consistent builds trust which is the base respect is built upon.

Have their backs: Leaders earn respect when they take the time to appreciate the unique ways each of their colleagues contributes to the organization, and publicly reward achievements.

Earning respect is a journey that requires leaders to focus on how they can deliver above and beyond what is expected of them. You should always be mindful of ways to make the workplace better while making sure that the organization is staying relevant and competitive.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/07/22/5-ways-leaders-earn-respect-from-their-employees/?sh=7b6c80691bb5

https://www.freshbooks.com/hub/leadership/gain-respect-from-employees

If you find yourself feeling sluggish, or needing multiple cups of coffee before you can officially get your day started, you are not alone. Fortunately, there are plenty of healthy actions you can take that will reduce that midday or early morning fatigue and boost your energy levels. Here are three ways to keep your energy levels high:

Drink water: When you are constantly pushing products and interacting with customers, drinking water can be the furthest thing from your mind. However, low fluid levels are one of the biggest causes of fatigue. So fit some extra time in to drink water between sales interactions.

Eat for energy: Following a nutritious diet that provides your body with an ample amount of vitamins and minerals will help you function at your highest level. Also, make sure that you are finding time to eat to keep your energy levels high. Too many people skip out on meals because of how busy they are during the day, which isn’t healthy for your body either.

Reduce stress: Find time in your day to relax, read, go for a walk, or practice mindfulness or meditation. Try a few different relaxation techniques and allocate time every day to take part in the activities that work best for you.

If you always feel tired or lethargic, it’s worth taking the time to look at your lifestyle and see which healthy changes can make you boost your energy levels and help you feel like you are able to perform at your best.

Sources:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/energy-and-fatigue/9-tips-to-boost-your-energy-naturally

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-boost-energy#TOC_TITLE_HDR_11

Every organization has people who are naturally inclined to lead regardless of their current job status. As an entrepreneur, it’s your responsibility to identify those with leadership capabilities early on and cultivate their growth. Helping leaders develop their skills can help you improve your retention rates, make your employees feel valued, and provide a positive outlook for the future of the company. Here are three ways you can better identify who the leaders are within your team:

They motivate others to achieve success: Encouraging others to succeed is an essential part of being a good leader and shows a high level of emotional intelligence and empathy. Some team members are focused on their own personal earnings, but there are those who openly praise their peers when it’s deserved and avoid taking credit for work that wasn’t there's. These people will help keep your team motivated and united toward achieving big-picture goals.

They are proficient in handling multiple tasks at once: A successful leader is able to handle multiple responsibilities while providing support for the rest of their team. They are able to sustain their own motivation to accomplish all their tasks while inspiring others to keep going with a high level of enthusiasm.

They ask for help: Think about how your employees respond when they don’t know the answer to a question and look for the individuals who admit when they aren’t confident in their answer but make an effort to find the correct answer anyway. This shows a willingness to learn, and a commitment to act in the best interest of the company.

In conclusion, the sooner you can identify the potential leaders in your organization, the sooner you can help them develop into larger roles and the better your company’s outlook for success will be.

Sources:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/potential-leaders

https://www.yoh.com/blog/smart-ways-to-identify-leaders-in-your-organization

Collaboration is pivotal in building success for any business, but not every team is the same. A leader needs to understand the dynamics of the group, what each team member’s strengths and weaknesses are, and what individuals pair well when going into the field. It’s important to have a good mix of all personality types with people who excel in a variety of different areas. Here are three ways a leader can be effective in building a well-rounded sales team:

Assess their personalities: A recent study showed that having your team take a personality test and then discuss the results in a morning meeting helps the team understand and engage with each other better. This helps stimulate conversation and improves collaboration.

Being positive and full of energy: Constantly implementing positive feedback and starting each day with high energy are great ways to keep the team motivated and effective. No matter what the individual’s personality type is, they will feed off the energy around them, and in turn, each individual’s strengths will unconsciously shine through.

Invest in your people: Find people that wish to grow in whatever role they provide to the sales team. Take the time to offer online classes and support your team members’ drives to better themselves. If they need to take a course on public speaking, encourage it. This is also another great way to make sure that your team is well-balanced by pairing up team members based on what classes and development pathways they choose to pursue.

Sources:

https://builtin.com/sales/build-and-scale-sales-teams

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2019/06/21/11-tips-for-building-an-effective-well-rounded-sales-team/?sh=173061f4776b

Your career is a huge part of your life and takes up a lot of your time during the week. With so much time spent at work, it’s important to enjoy the work that you do. If you are beginning to dread going to work and find yourself constantly watching the hands on the clock tick by until you’re day is finally over, then a career change might be the best move for you. Here are three telltale signs that you need to change your career:

You dream of a different career: If you spend your time daydreaming about what it might be like to work from home, or what it might be like to work in a different field, then you need to get out of your job and find a career that interest you. The moment that other careers begin to distract you from your work is a blatant sign that what you’re doing right now is not what’s best for you.

You constantly lack energy and are always bored with the work you do: There are always going to be days when you simply don’t have the energy like you usually do. We are human and we can’t always be going at 100 percent all the time, but if you constantly feel depleted the minute you get to work, it’s clear that something isn’t right.

You have low confidence: When you don’t enjoy the work you do, it is easy to start thinking that you’re the problem. If everyone else loves their job, why don’t you? Just because your job doesn’t feel right, doesn’t mean that you’re bad at it. It just means that it isn’t the right fit for you.

Look out for these warning signs as clear red flags that it’s time for a change on the job front. If you are dealing with one or two of these feelings, it’s time to leave the job you have and find something you truly enjoy doing.

Sources:

https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/career-change/career-change/

https://intercoast.edu/blog/top-10-signs-its-time-to-make-a-career-change/

Generation Z is the future of consumerism, so it’s important to understand how to market to them now. But what appeals to them does not necessarily align with what has worked for those in the previous generations. Gen Zers are more progressive on and tend to take more time to evaluate their options before making a purchase. So if you want to land that “Yes” when you pitch to them in the field, here are three tips to grab their attention:

Make your pitch quick and effective: Recent studies have shown that the average attention span of someone in Gen Z is eight seconds. If you can’t captivate them in eight seconds, odds are you won’t make the sale. Start with your hook or a joke to draw them in before actually explaining what the product is and diving into developing a deeper relationship.

Implement interactive content: Research shows that using a combination of creativity and interactivity is the best way to appeal to this new audience. Younger customers want something they can be a part of, so implement visuals and questions that make the prospect feel like they are a part of the sale.

Play into time sensitivity: Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a critical aspect of Gen Z, so drive home that time-sensitive part in the close. Conveying that if they don’t purchase now, these young people will miss out on buying the product completely will motivate them to commit to purchasing more than those in the older generations.

Marketing to Generation Z is going to be completely different than marketing to other generations, but paying attention to some of the strategies above will reward you with more success than your competitors.

Sources:

https://www.revlocal.com/resources/library/blog/how-to-reach-generation-z-with-these-5-marketing-strategies

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/marketing-to-gen-z/

Urgency is such an important aspect when it comes to sales. Understanding how to create a sense of urgency for your product is a great tool that can be used to increase your conversions. People are more likely to commit to buying something if they think that the product will be off the market soon. Broadly speaking, there are two types of urgency, real and implied. Both can be used to your advantage but it’s beneficial for you to understand the difference:

Real Urgency is when you specify a deal or promotion that is going to end at a specific time and date. When you add a specific time, it puts pressure on the person since they will perceive they need to decide to buy the product now or lose out forever. Real urgency is often more effective than implied urgency, but it’s hard to implement real urgency into everyday selling if there is no actual promotion or deadline for product removal coming up.

Implied urgency is when you convey the idea that your offer is going to end using broader words like soon, or now. Those words will more gently push customers to commit through subliminal messaging. You aren’t specifying an exact deadline, but customers will infer that the offer is on the market for a limited time. There is no real urgency, but the suggestion of acting now will be implemented into the buyer’s mind and can motivate them to make a purchase.

Creating a sense of urgency is a great way to get people to make an on-the-spot decision and for you to convert at the moment. Using urgency wisely will encourage table visitors to stop overthinking, and successfully get you more customers now.

Sources:

https://blog.wishpond.com/post/104158262102/5-ways-you-can-create-urgency-on-your-landing-page

https://cxl.com/blog/creating-urgency/

When you are outlining your goals and aspirations for your career, it’s important to land on something that truly gets you excited. But it can be quite difficult to determine what you are passionate about. The first thing you need to do is be honest with yourself and not settle on something just because it’s safe or convenient. Building beyond that, here are three tips to create a career goal you are passionate about:

Ask yourself important questions: Asking yourself: “Where do I see myself in five years?”, or “In which areas can I improve in terms of professional development?” can be great building blocks to set you up for success. It’s asking broad questions like these that can get your mind thinking in many different directions until you narrow upon a path that really gets you excited.

Think about your passions: Along with asking yourself thought-provoking questions, think about what has gotten you excited in the past. Maybe there was a class in school or an extracurricular that you enjoyed. Think about why you enjoyed that activity and how it might translate to the jobs you are considering.

Adjust accordingly: People change with time, so your long-term goal might look very different five or ten years from now. You will experience a lot of personal growth in the interim, so be willing to make adjustments to your career path as needed.

Clearly communicating your passions to yourself is the foundation for setting yourself up for true success. At the base of success is happiness, so finding what will make you happy is essential to achievement.

Sources:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/career-goal-statement-examples

https://www.themuse.com/advice/what-are-you-passionate-about-interview-question-answer-example

Most people who travel often would agree that it’s a great way to gain life experiences, while also sharpening your leadership skills. You have to map out and plan the trip for it to go smoothly, adapt to unexpected outcomes, and also communicate with the other people in your car to work towards reaching your destination. Here are three points to build off those ideas that further describe why going on a road trip is essential for building leadership skills:

Need to communicate clearly with other passengers: Communicating your goals and plans is important to keeping everyone on the same page. In business, it’s so important that your team understands what the company’s direction is and any changes you make at all times so that they can continuously perform at a high level.

Gain an understanding of when to be patient: When a plan falls apart, sometimes the best idea is to take a step back and wait the situation out. Traveling for a long time through places that have absolutely no signs of life can be boring and challenging. Getting through those stretches and understanding the importance of waiting out those situations even though you know they are coming, can be implemented when things go awry in the workplace.

Have to own and learn from your mistakes: On long road trips, it’s normal to take a wrong turn here and there and you might even get lost. Owning those mistakes, and learning from them is a great way to help you not make the same mistakes in the future. It also adds to your problem-solving skills, because you will need to find a way to get back to your route.

By going on a road trip, you have a plethora of new opportunities to see, experience, and appreciate different aspects of everyday life more. Using what you learn in your ordinary life, and committing it to your work life, can be a great way to lead you to success.

Sources:

https://www.lifehack.org/431976/5-reasons-why-you-should-absolutely-go-on-that-road-trip

https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/why-a-road-trip-might-be-a-good-idea-for-leadership-development

The skills section of your resume shows employers what abilities you have that can help you succeed in your role. Employers pay a lot more attention to your skills section than you think, sometimes even using it as a deciding factor when determining if you should move on to the next step in the hiring process. Here are 3 skills that are musts to have on your resume as well as tips on how to best craft them for your resume:

Active listening: Being able to fully comprehend information shows your employers that you are constantly engaged and have a genuine interest in the projects that are given to you. It also shows that you have a good ability to learn and can take in a lot of information at a consistent pace.

Customer service: Demonstrating an aptitude for dealing with customers shows that you have good problem-solving skills and communication. Customer service is good to have, following active listening, because it shows that you are able to take what you have learned from situations and find a practical way to solve the problem that is raised to you.

Flexibility: Flexibility does not mean that you need to be available all the time; it means that you can adapt well to situations, and are able to calm yourself when burdened with stress. It’s a high-desired skill set especially in smaller companies where you will have to wear many hats even if it doesn’t necessarily list them in your job description.

It’s important to pay attention to the job description, insert key skills related to experience, and keep a running list of skills that you can plug in and out of your resume depending on what the job requires. However, it’s good to have several commonly sought-after skills that can be used in almost every application, and this should be a good starting place for you.

Sources:

https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/20-must-have-skills-to-put-on-your-resume/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/best-resume-skills

Recruiting agencies are looking to help their clients fill a specific need, and there is a good chance that you fit that role. But even if you fall in this specific category, how do you still manage to stand out against others who also fill this role. Recruiters often use social platforms like LinkedIn to identify talent, so creating a LinkedIn profile that highlights how you would specifically fit into a role can be a great tool. Here are three tips to help boost your LinkedIn profile to stand out to these recruiters:

Think of the keywords that will get a recruiter's attention and work them into your profile: Since you know what market you are looking to get hired in, do some research online to what keywords come up the most. Pull a few of the job descriptions for positions you applied for and look for common themes. If specific words and phrases are being used uniformly across job postings, implementing those in your “about” section and summary can help you come across more highly on a recruiter’s radar.

Keep your page active: People often overlook that LinkedIn is more than just a recruiting tool; it’s a social networking site, so engaging with posts from your connections, and pages that you follow will help your profile come up more often. You can also join LinkedIn groups relating to marketing, sales, or whatever your job of choice is and interact with members of that group.

Ask for recommendations: Think of people who you had a good working relationship with in the past and ask them to write you recommendations relating to skills that translate to the job you are applying for. Having a good list of recommendations from qualified individuals showcases your personality and plays well on your credibility in the proficiency of certain skills.

People often overlook LinkedIn as a resource, but there are hundreds of new job postings each week. By putting in the time and effort to optimize your profile, you can stand out to the top recruiting agencies.

Sources:

https://www.themuse.com/advice/linkedin-profile-tips

https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/10-ways-to-create-a-winning-linkedin-profile

Over the past several years, there has been an increase in companies who allow their staff to bring in their dogs to work. Although your dog probably can’t help you do your job, having your dog around can be beneficial for you, your dog, and your employer. We imagine you can probably think of a few reasons why on your own, but here are four benefits on the top of our list:

Reduces stress: When you cuddle or pet a dog, it’s a scientifically proven fact that your body releases oxytocin, a stress-reducing hormone.

Increases teamwork: Dogs do a great job of lightening the mood in any situation and making people smile which would increase every employee’s mood in the workplace. They also work as a great icebreaker which encourages more interaction amongst team members.

Promotes creativity and problem solving: Dogs bring really fun-loving energy to the workplace that can motivate workers to be more creative. Walking and just being around the dog is a great way for workers to take mental breaks to stimulate breakthroughs and different approaches to ideas.

Saves employees money: On the practical side, hiring a dog walker or leaving a dog at daycare can be quite expensive especially when it is for 8 hours a day during work. Taking a dog to work is one less expense that employees have to worry about; it can help them relax and be more productive.

The bottom line is that there are many practical and personal benefits to having a dog around the office. Just as much as your employees’ work days are 10x better with a dog around, dogs love being around people and it will make their day 10x better as well.

Sources:

https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/resources/benefits-of-bringing-your-dog-to-work/

https://allwork.space/2020/01/5-science-backed-benefits-of-having-dogs-at-work/