Testimonials

Doubled our business!

“I began working with Jeff in 1998 and he helped double our business at Burns with a blend of great ideas, structure and ongoing accountability—ensuring we followed through on the plan he helped create. I highly recommend Jeff to any company wanting to grow their business quickly. As good as Jeff is as a business-growth specialist, he’s an even better person, who I call a friend.”

Bob Williams,
former CEO & COO
Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Inc.
& author of The Brand Agent, (Bob is now the founder and owner of Love Real Estate Solutions)
more of Bob’s success

Will double revenues!

“There is little doubt, with discipline and work, to implement the many excellent strategies for improving our business development and sales processes taught by Jeff, that it will have a substantial impact on our efficiency and effectiveness in BD pursuits, sales closures and bottom line. Embraced and executed by our team, I would expect this training to be the most significant factor in doubling our revenues over the next 5 years.”

Steve Hill,
President & CEO
The AEgis Technologies Group

Roadmap to success!

“Jeff’s results-oriented sales and personal development program provides individuals and organizations with can’t miss tools and strategies to drive true bottom-line results and great personal development. When you and your team put the time and effort in, to make positive changes in ethical and logical ways, then Jeff is your roadmap to great success.”

Rob Stern,
Vice President of Business Development
Werner Electric

Significant improvements and results!

“My firm, a commercial insurance program management company, engaged Jeff as a sales training advisor in June, 2014. He initially worked with our leadership team to understand our needs and then designed a customized training and reinforcement program for our sales team. Jeff’s interactions with my team are always very positive. This creates a more constructive learning environment.

In addition to his people skills, Jeff is consistently prepared for meetings and has excellent follow-up, with our team and even 1:1 counsel. We’re extremely pleased with his approach and most important, our team’s significant improvements and results. That’s why we have an ongoing relationship with Jeff, and I enthusiastically recommend him for your professional sales training and coaching.”

Chris Randall,
CEO
Ultra Risk Advisors

Highly impactful! • A new direction!

“At DUKAL we have an experienced team, exposed for many years to individuals and speakers who can help us. Yet when Jeff Blackman spoke, (a half-day results-session with reinforcement), I received comments like, ‘Awesome!’ ‘Highly impactful!’ ‘Learned things I never knew, even after 25 years of selling.’ ‘I’ll now take a different direction on how I present our value and work with customers.’—and much more.”

“Jeff changed and improved what we all do daily. And he made us think in more positive and creative ways. Our team now has better skills and is better prepared to deal with our daily challenges. Plus, take advantage of opportunities.”

“Jeff’s attention-to-detail and fact-gathering, made him better prepared in learning about our culture and team—than any previous speaker. And it showed! I highly recommend Jeff as an impact-player who can make any individual or company better!”

Gerry LoDuca,
President
DUKAL Corp.

Winning wheels!

“By far, the best training experience since I got into this business. Everyone is learning and using these new skills. All of Jeff’s materials are perfect for what we’re doing. It’ll pay us all huge dividends for years to come. We’re experiencing increases by individuals who have never (in all their years in the business) produced as many sales as in the past few weeks. Unbelievable! I’m seeing a new level of professionalism and pride.”

Doug Dunn,
Chairman and CEO of Alliance Bus Group,
to his fellow CEOs, who are members of the North American Bus Dealer Alliance

Fantastic kick-off!

“From the moment we met Jeff, he was interested in knowing our business at a fundamental level. He spent multiple sessions with our team, learning our merger challenges, interviewing customers and suppliers, and tailoring his “change” message. He then set our conference tone with a fantastic kick-off. I highly recommend Jeff to anyone looking to launch a new initiative or jump-start their organization with new energy and direction. We value his hard work and preparation and were thrilled with his presentation.”

Paul Dean,
Executive Vice President
LBM Advantage

Entertaining, thought-provoking!

“We engaged Jeff as our keynote speaker at our annual national sales event. We’re embarking upon a challenging time in our history, and Jeff’s assignment was designed to resonate and inspire. Jeff was by far, the most engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking speaker we’ve ever had. So much so, elements of his presentation are still, (weeks later), reverberating around our organizational communication chain, at all levels. Thanks Jeff for a job well done!”

Michael J. Kelley,
President & COO
Glantz Holdings, Inc.

Energized. Quickly leveraging. Jeff gets it!

“When we hired Jeff, I was lucky enough to have already known him for a few years. My confidence in him was already high. And when he started working with our team, I realized how he had developed masterful methodologies based on his experience and ethics. From the first day of the program and learning-system, our team was energized, eager to prepare for ongoing meetings and quickly leveraging the techniques. Knowledge builds confidence and practice builds skills. Jeff gets it.”

Tim Padgett,
CEO, Founder & Eye Candy
Pepper Group

Positive impact. Ideas have stuck!

“Jeff has had a powerful, positive impact on our company. We reference his teachings on a daily basis. And his generous and ongoing email and phone availability, plus counsel and support have kept us engaged. Most important, Jeff’s strategies and ideas have stuck!”

George Couris,
President
Pepper Group

Valuable tools!

“Jeff, your dedication to learn about our business was apparent. Because you were so well prepared and committed to delivering a strong negotiations message about how we can build our business, your presentation was a success. Your performance was informative and humorous. Our team gained valuable tools. Thanks for your contributions and for being a great partner!”

Brenda Gaines,
(Brenda served as President and CEO of Diners Club
North America, a subsidiary of Citigroup, from October,
2002 until her retirement in April, 2004.)

A catalyst for proven and relevant results.

“Jeff is a catalyst for proven and relevant results. We observed immediate benefits, within a business day. Our people have improved their preparation and listening skills in ways deeply satisfying to our executive leadership, our prospects and most importantly our clients. For our senior people the lessons shared were an overdue refresher of tried and true disciplines that Jeff brings to life in new ways relevant to today’s business climate. For others more junior, Jeff created a foundation of professionalism that’ll serve their careers faithfully for years to come. With so many unmistakable challenges facing today’s business community, I’d highly recommend Jeff now more than ever.”

Derrick Van Grol,
Vice President of Global Sales
IDI Billing Solutions

Celebrate the results!

“Jeff, the seminar was a hit! Thanks for putting in the time to make this relevant to ACPT. My gut was correct to make this investment, I plan to celebrate the results. We’ve seen folks respond immediately. Very encouraging! I want to ride this forward. I’m meeting with the managers to outline how we make this live the rest of the year. We have many tools to use, so I expect we’ll be able to do this easily. Great job!”

Dr. Steve Gough,
CEO
Allegheny Chesapeake Physical Therapy

Exceeded expectations! A home run!

“Tremendous. Exceeded expectations. A home run! I can see why you’ve never lost your “money back guarantee” bet! Your content was great and your delivery was exceptional. I very much appreciate that you worked with me ahead of time to ensure your presentation was relevant to our company’s focus. Our people, (typically skeptics), haven’t stopped referencing your talk. By the way, I was reading the comments back to you, trust you saw how many made mention of the impression you left. These folks aren’t all that touchy/feely or expressive, so those comments are meaningful!”

Erik Isernhagen,
President and Owner
LINX

Revolutionized our sales!

“Jeff, to say your teaching has revolutionized our sales would be an understatement. The principles are being repeated and internalized, and I’ve seen both company growth and personal rewards from adopting the approaches you advocate. The second time through the CDs, I got even more out of the points, which is the earmark of a quality training program. It has an unexpected density without seeming “heavy” or complicated. The sales team has more tools at their disposal than ever before, with an intense effect on perception, morale, and team spirit.”

Monica Bower,
Marketing and Communications Manager
TERiX Computer Service

Awesome! A wake-up call!

“Awesome! My people and I were blown away with your preparation and delivery.”

Comments included:

“As an old dog, it takes a lot for me to change and you helped me see my way to that.”

“I used probing questions and changed my approach with two dealers who have been a challenge to get in the door to visit. Both dealers agreed to a visit. I owe these meetings to your training.”

“Refreshing to hear Jeff’s promotion of ethical business. Thanks to Jim and our leadership team, for bringing Jeff to us! Thanks to Jeff for sharing his knowledge!”

“Jeff, you had a room full of people with limited attention spans and you kept them engaged for four hours. Thanks!”

Jim Starin,
CEO
Starin

Focus and results!

“Our Prager Pros have been in a training program designed by Jeff. We’ve been very happy with the results. Jeff’s process is focused on asking questions to gain insight…and always with integrity. I highly recommend Jeff.”

John Puscheck,
CEO & President
Prager Moving & Storage

Absolute success!

“Outstanding job Jeff! Our users’ conference was an absolute success, thanks to your tremendous contributions with our “TV show.” The positive feedback continues from both our customers and Nielsen associates on the impact of your session. My colleagues weren’t quite sure what to expect. Changing from our “tried and true” panel discussions to a more dynamic and interactive program made a few folks nervous. But given the combination of your exhaustive research into our customers, the wonderful mix of “guests” and your motivating style, these same people are the ones asking if we’re planning to repeat your show next year! It was personally and professionally rewarding to work with you!”

Lori Buss Stillman
is a former Vice President with the A.C. Nielsen Company
and the current Vice President of Research at NACS

Increased profits, easily six-figures!

“Having built sales organizations for over 25 years as a CEO and business owner, I’ve tried several sales training programs and consultants, none come close to the immediate impact and results realized from Jeff Blackman. The increased profitability from using Jeff’s strategies and techniques is easily in the six-figure range. Wish I found him sooner!”

Jay VanOrden,
CEO
Worldwide Supply

A real winner!

“We were inspired, motivated and laughed, all in the same hour. Your presentation was a real winner. Your ability to integrate real IBM-specific names and occurrences was amazing. Thank you for being such a valuable asset.”

Tim McChristian,
General Manager
IBM

Substantial order at a very high margin!

“Jeff, I have high expectations. I immediately implemented several of the techniques I learned, in a very tough sales cycle I was engaged in with a customer…well known for being notoriously cheap and grinding their vendors. They always start each project pricing discussion with, “You’re killing me with your prices…!” Armed with the recent knowledge your course taught me, I held my ground and reinforced our value. Looks like this customer will be giving me a substantial order at a very high margin! Longer term, I see where I can optimize my selling techniques to grow my deals larger, make them more profitable, and bring them in sooner! Jeff, you kept me riveted the entire day!”

John Lapadat,
Senior Account Executive
ZENTRA

A great investment!

“Jeff, I enjoyed last Friday. Business is very much about relationships. If you can influence, create, or build new and stronger relationships every time you touch a client, a student, a prospective inquirer, then you can change our business forever. Your program has changed our relationships already. The time and money was a great investment.”

Ken Bingham,
Principal and Chief Technology Officer
ACM Facility Safety

Greater success rate!

“Jeff, you’ve had a great impact on sales, can’t begin to thank you enough. In the past we’d show up and throw up. Now we tailor our projects to customers’ specific needs and are having a greater success rate. Your training has definitely made us a better selling organization.”

Mike Urquhart,
Vice President – Sales
Amcon

A hit!

“Thanks Jeff for the great work with our team. Very pleased with the results and also the thought, time and research you did in making this a hit.”

Steve Niesman,
President & CEO
itelligence Inc.

Quick application, measurable results!

“Wow Jeff! In the past, I’ve experienced a short-lived high from motivational speakers, so I had a tall order for you. I asked for a long-term strategy, with measurable ROI and specific tools our team could use to grow our business. Having your customized message, with direction, and how to apply your recommendations…resulted in quick application and measurable results. Jeff, I’m impressed with your follow-up, the longevity of your message, and your ability to effectively communicate to a diverse group. The results you enabled my staff to achieve, exceeded my expectations.”

Dan Cologna,
Director Sales & Marketing
Liturgical Publications, Inc.

Greater Chicago…is greater!

“Thank you for making our annual meeting a great success. You received terrific praise from our newest and most experienced advisors alike. Your ability to tell stories, connect and give concrete examples kept them engaged and attentive. To a person, they were able to take away very practical, easy to implement ideas and techniques.”

Alan Levitz,
CEO – President
GCG Financial – Greater Chicago Group

Increased sales by 25%!

“For four consecutive years, while Vice President of the Correspondent Lending Division at the Principal Financial Group and CitiMortgage, we engaged Jeff for customized training for my Management Team, Account Executives and Operations Leaders. Our results-sessions were custom designed to offer “the Team” advanced sales, negotiations, referrals, service and account management skill-building. Along with metrics for goals, performance, sales and profits. Jeff also created a follow-up reinforcement program, to monitor our progress and results.

With Jeff’s help, we:

  1. increased sales by 25%
  2. became the lender or partner of choice with many of our clients
  3. improved Account Executive and Operational effectiveness by 30%
  4. executed an overall strategy to become a dominant player in the market
  5. increased market share and profits
  6. exceeded short and long-term strategic goals

Jeff and his “results” format are well thought out, strategic, ethical, and obviously, highly effective. I received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our people.”

Phil Kuhn,
retired Vice President, Correspondent Lending Division
Principal Financial Group and CitiMortgage

Overachievement!

Here are verbatim excerpts from e-mails, sent to Jeff and Craig Kephart, CEO and President of Centric Health Resources, (following the “advance” Jeff led, and in response to, “What results/economic impact do you expect?”)

“Thanks for a great Advance. I’ve attended numerous strategic programs and yours is the BEST! Helps us stretch beyond our comfort zone.”

“The economic impact will be overachievement of revenue goals based on a coordinated team effort. Invite Jeff to speak to our headquarters team.”

“AWESOME! It’s so important for Jeff to next train our internal staff.” (Jeff did! Plus, he began working with the support and service teams too.)

Valuable. Resonated!

“Thanks for your program at our National Distributor meeting in Montreal. It was very entertaining and provided a lot of energy at the end of a long day. More importantly, the distributors and employees thought it was valuable and even expressed interest in going beyond the 90 minutes. I’ve heard much talk from our distributors and team, about creating their ‘power probes.’ That certainly resonated!”

Tom Watson,
President
Petro-Canada America, a Suncor Energy business

Focused on results!

“Our experience with Jeff Blackman has been nothing less than excellent! Jeff is the consummate pro. His focus on results is coupled with intuitive people skills, providing an insight unique to his craft. Our team has greatly benefited through Jeff’s natural style and adaptable strategies and tactics. We highly recommend working with Jeff to get your company focused on results you deserve!”

Dan Gabriel,
Manager of Sales
Petro-Canada America
A Suncor Energy Business

Energized to the next level!

“Jeff, we’ve had great comments. Every participant left more energized and armed with the skills and knowledge to take their game to the next level. And my senior team is committed to reinforce the learning. Thank you for your help.”

Tom Atchison,
CEO
National Corporate Housing

Jeff delivers…to FedEx!

“Outstanding! Our Senior Managers were genuinely surprised that an “outsider” could know and understand so much about Fed Ex. Many expressed the feeling they were “listening to someone who has worked at Fed Ex for years.” This is a real tribute to your professionalism as one who really does his homework and skillfully builds on this to establish rapport and connect with his audience. I appreciated what you said and how you said it. Your topic was an ideal fit, credible and relevant to our personal and business needs. Thanks for your significant contribution. You added great value!”

Diane Stokely,
Vice President
FedEx

Life-changing!

“Jeff, thank you for a life-changing session. We’ll earn more sales and improve business. You imparted extremely useful information about communications and creating powerful inter-relationships in all of our business and personal dealings.”

Jim Caldwell,
President & CEO
Caring Communities

Secure a future revenue stream!

“Jeff, what a great day! Everyone was pumped-up and impressed. We have a series of take-aways and the feedback/follow-on action items have been tremendous! As you know, someone said, ‘This will set the foundation for long-term relationships that’ll allow us to secure a future revenue stream.’”

Greg Rokos,
CEO
ESI Information Technologies

Stupendous. The hit of our conference!

“‘Stupendous, exciting, motivating, refreshing, current and personal!’ Those words and more are what I heard from our AT&T professionals following your program. Jeff, you were definitely the hit of our two-day conference!”

James Croll,
Vice President
AT&T

Dividends for years to come!

“We brought Jeff in to speak to our entire company, some who have gone through training sessions in the past and others who were experiencing their first event. The feedback was unanimously positive and the skills learned are being applied throughout our organization. Changing the way people think is not an easy task, but in a short time, we took big steps. I love hearing from our sales reps the lessons learned are paying off and am confident the behavior changes will pay dividends for years to come.”

Ben Crown,
President
Mutare

Better each and every day!

“Mutare is about 45 days removed from our session with Jeff Blackman. We continue to use the learned strategies to make ourselves better each and every day. The very best short-term outcome has been all disciplines within Mutare thinking differently about our value proposition. We have all associates, sales and non-sales, challenging each other, “Did you get a referral?” – “Did you sell our value, not our price?’”

“Jeff has made us look at ourselves in a different and more meaningful way and we are excited to see results that reflect our new approach to our brand, our culture and our customers. Every organization in every industry looking to improve results, would greatly benefit from spending time with Jeff.”

Scott Brown,
Director of Sales and Marketing
Mutare

Exactly what we needed!

“Jeff, your energy, enthusiasm and humor was exactly what we needed. I’ve had more compliments on your program than any other meeting in the past 5 years.”

Patty Chambliss,
President
Whirlpool Management Club

Message is contagious!

“As expected Jeff, our 2,500 managers thought you were informative and entertaining. Your enthusiasm and message are contagious. We especially appreciate your extensive research. For two days, you made a very successful contribution to our meeting.”

Jeff Brummett,
Vice President
Enterprise Rent-A-Car

The best in 9 years, a grand slam!

“Jeff, the feedback is the best I’ve received in 9 years of coordinating our Forward meetings. Not like your beloved Cubs, you scored a Grand Slam! Thank you for doing such a great job, in preparing and motivating our team.”

David Wallach,
President
Barclay Street Real Estate