- Jeffrey Gitomer
Infobox Person
name = Jeffrey Gitomer
image_size = 220 pixels
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1946|2|11
birth_place =West Palm Beach ,Florida
death_date =
death_place =
occupation =author , professional speaker, business trainer
residence = Charlotte, North CarolinaJeffrey Gitomer (born
February 11 ,1946 inWest Palm Beach ,Florida ) is an Americanauthor , professional speaker, and business trainer, who writes and lectures internationally onsales ,customer loyalty , andpersonal development . He lives with his family in Charlotte, North Carolina.Education
Gitomer attended
Temple University , but left after his freshman year to attend theGoethe Institute inBerlin ,Germany , where he studied languages. In aTime Magazine feature article, Gitomer quips about his college education: "I went on the six-year you-don't-quite-graduate program, which I completed successfully."*Sachs, Andrea. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1587261,00.html "Barnum Would Be Proud"] , "Time Magazine",February 8 ,2007 online,February 19 ,2007 in print. ] "The Charlotte Observer" describes him as "...a college drop-out who has built a sales training empire."*St. Onge, Peter. [http://legacy.charlotteobserver.com/115/story/701244.html "Aaron letter is history in his hands"] , "The Charlotte Observer",July 6 ,2008 . ]Author/Writer
Gitomer has written nine books, including New York Times best sellers, "The Sales Bible"* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/books/bestseller/200806besthardbusiness.html?scp=6&sq=Best%20sellers%20Jeffrey%20Gitomer&st=cse3. "Hardcover Business Best Sellers"] , "The New York Times",
June 1 ,2008 . ] and "The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude".* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/books/bestseller/200702besthardbusiness.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Little%20Gold%20Book%20of%20Yes!%20Attitude&st=cse&oref=slogin "Hardcover Business Best Sellers"] , "The New York Times",February 4 ,2007 . ] His most successful title, "The Little Red Book of Selling", has sold more than two million copies worldwide and has been translated into 14 languages. All his titles have reached #1 onAmazon.com , and collectively his books have appeared on major best-seller lists nationwide more than 700 times. "Gitomer has earned his bragging rights..." and has "...turned his blustery style into best-selling books."*Sachs, Andrea. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1587261,00.html "Barnum Would Be Proud"] , "Time Magazine",February 8 ,2007 online,February 19 ,2007 in print. ] On September 16, 2006, four of Gitomer's titles appeared simultaneously onThe Wall Street Journal best seller lists, the only business author to achieve this in the Journal's history. Of "The Sales Bible", business publishing expert, Jack Covert, comments: ""Every once in a while, one book defines a category."*Covert, Jack. [http://800ceoread.com/blog/archives/007957.html "New Version of Gitomer's Sales Bible"] , 800-CEO-READ,May 6 ,2008 . ] Gitomer has also co-authored three other titles with writers Ron Zemke, Greg Dinkin, andNikita Koloff .Author David Dorsey writing in
The Wall Street Journal comments: "What's especially solid about Mr. Gitomer's books is their grounding in ethics. Success, for him, comes from the heart. He reminds us that top sales reps don't peddle; they solve problems and make customers laugh while offering them something they genuinely need. If you want to be the best salesperson, first you must be the best person."*Dorsey, David. [http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB114660696262841842.html "How to Make Them Want to Buy"] , "The Wall Street Journal",May 3 ,2006 . ]Gitomer also writes a syndicated column, "Sales Moves", which is published worldwide in American and European business journals and newspapers, and is available online at [http://www.gitomer.com/ www.gitomer.com] . He has been a contributor to
Entrepreneur Magazine , and many other business publications.He also publishes "Sales Caffeine", a weekly, multi-media
e-zine (online magazine), which is distributed internationally to 250,000 subscribers.* [http://www.salescaffeine.com/Index.html "Sales Caffeine Free eZine"] , Issue 327,February 12 ,2008 . ]peaker
Gitomer has given more than 100 presentations annually for the past 15 years, including public and corporate seminars, annual sales meetings, and keynote addresses, and is ranked in the top 1% of non-celebrity speakers by the National Speakers Association.*National Speakers Association. "RSVP: 2007 NSA Membership Survey Special Report". Tempe, Arizona
February , 2007.] Gitomer's seminar circuit includes appearances in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. On August 4, 2008, at the National Speakers Association Convention in New York, he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.*National Speakers Association, [http://www.nsaspeaker.org/newsroom/08cpae.asp "NSA Speaker Hall of Fame Press Release"]August 19 ,2008 .]Business Trainer
Gitomer is the founder and president of TrainOne, Inc., [http://www.trainone.com/ www.trainone.com] , which provides classroom and online training in sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. TrainOne offers
e-learning on both a proprietary, customizableLearning Management System , as well as providingSCORM -compatible classes. TrainOne is comprised of a team of American and Canadian educators, designers, and programmers, and is franchised in the United States, Turkey, South Africa, and Singapore.Praise and Criticism
Gitomer's personal style is somewhat controversial, however in general he has received overwhelmingly positive response to his work as a writer, speaker, and educator. In a typical comment, Todd Horton, President of
D.R. Horton writes: "As the nation's largest homebuilder, we have seen our sales grow, our customer loyalty enhanced, and our people's commitment re-doubled as a result of Jeffrey's unique style, wit, and great ideas combined with real-world sales answers.” "Atlanta Business Chronicle" Publisher, Ed Baker, comments: "Jeffrey is a weekly staple for our readers. He's a dose of sales energy (and reality) that they can't find anywhere else. He truly helps people – in a very common sense way."On the other hand, Gitomer has been criticized for promoting selfishness without apology by author Barbara Ehrenreich. Her book "This Land is Their Land" (2008, Metropolitan Books) criticizes Gitomer for encouraging his followers to "ignore the news" in particular things about lay-offs, the Iraq war, or other such items that could make an individual feel negative about something.
US Airways Controversy and Resolution
Gitomer gained notoriety in November, 2003 for being the first passenger ever to be banned from
US Airways .*Huettel, Steve. [http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/17/Business/US_Airways_clips_wing.shtml "US Airways clips wings of frequent critic"] , "St. Petersburg Times",November 17 ,2003 . ] The airline cited chronic, unreasonable complaints, numerous confrontations with employees, and verbal abuse that allegedly brought employees to tears.*Chiames, Chris. [http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2003/11/10/editorial4.html "Gitomer's US Airways complaints go too far"] , "Washington Business Journal",November 7 ,2003 . ] In an interview, Gitomer described himself as a demanding, but not abusive, customer and cited only one time that he made an employee cry, several years prior. In October 2004, Gitomer was quietly reinstated as a customer and passenger, having learned from the experience and documenting the positive outcome.*Gitomer, Jeffrey. [http://www.businessrecord.com/main.asp?SectionID=40&ArticleID=1919&SubSectionID=75 "Showdown with Airline Teaches Sales Expert a Lesson."] "Des Moines Business Record - BusinessRecord.com",October 24 ,2004 . ] All his frequent-flyer miles were restored.Honors and Awards
* 2008 National Speakers Association's CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. One of 146 living members.*National Speakers Association. [http://www.gitomer.com/about/Speaker-Hall-of-Fame.html "CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame"] ,
August 4 ,2008 . ]* 2005 IPPY Top 10 Outstanding Book Award “Business Breakthrough Book of the Year” for "The Little Red Book of Selling".*Independent Publisher. [http://www.independentpublisher.com/department.php?page=985 "Independent Publisher Book Awards 2005] ",
March 5 ,2005 . ]
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