The case for getting your CSDS
September 6, 2012
As announced later today in NAIDDirect, training for the next round of Certified Secure Destruction Specialists (CSDS) examinations starts at the end of this month, marking the beginning of the third round of training and testing for the secure destruction industry’s only professional accreditation.
With that in mind, I’ll take this opportunity to share my perspective on the program. Most readers have heard the saying, “He/she could sell an ice cube to an Eskimo.” I am not a big fan of that sentiment nor do I believe that approach to sales is effective.
Earning a CSDS does two things I believe are important for success in the secure destruction industry. First, it is a source of confidence. Nothing is a more effective persuader than confidence. Customers respond to confidence. When secure destruction professionals know the real value of secure destruction, vendor qualifications, NAID Certification, and legislation, it shows in the way they talk and write. Whether secure destruction professionals even talk about those things with prospects, they have the knowledge to conduct themselves more confidently.
The second benefit of earning a CSDS is that it provides context that helps industry professionals retain – and put into perspective – new industry information. It provides a knowledge foundation to which new information can be added. Without the base knowledge, new information has nothing to stick to. If there is no frame of reference, there is no way to interpret it. So, in providing this foundation, the CSDS better prepares industry professionals to integrate, understand and relate to their world.
The knowledge required to pass the CSDS examination is extensive and comprehensive. And, while the examination is challenging, close to 150 industry professionals have already successfully achieved it. It is said that the only way someone grows is by stepping outside their comfort zone. I urge you to challenge yourself. Passing the exam and maintaining the accreditation is a lot of work but so is anything worth achieving.