RESULTS

April 15, 2003

Mr. Manard Warren
Manard Warren & Associates
P.O. Box 271118
Flower Mound, TX 75027

Dear Manard,

It was absolutely the best!

The Fearless Prospecting sales training you and your team presented to our sales group last month was honestly the most productive and valuable “real market” training I have ever witnessed.  Not only was the two day course fun, the positive results are now starting to occur.

The sales team is actually “touching” the C-level executive, and legitimate appointments are being scheduled with qualified prospects and at the decision making level.  Prior to your training, this just was not happening!  And in addition to achieving these results, our sales group is approaching each sales call with the self confidence and positive attitude learned from your coaching.

We are also finding that the personal attention in your follow up program is a great ongoing motivator, and keeps us focused.

Sincerely,

Terry Stein
Vice President
ABM Family of Services

 

February 18, 2002

Dear Manard,

I want to thank you for conducting the Fear Free Prospecting training for my team last month. I have noticed a difference in the approach to prospecting that has certainly had an impact on our team PBR (prospective business). For instance, our team PBR has grown by 25% recently...highest dollar amount in two years! What is the difference? Do we have more people? No, we actually have less. Are we more experienced? No, we recently replaced a veteran with a new hire.  As I see it...the one major variable is your class! There are four areas that had an impact on the team. First, the personality profile helps participants realize their strengths and weaknesses toward prospecting. This gives them the ability to focus on what was causing the call reluctance in the first place and assists in changing their mind set to overcome this fear.  Second, your class dispels the myths that many people have about prospecting. For example "I don't want to bother the prospect" is a typical reason for not calling. Your instruction will force people to ask... "where is the proof that you are bothering" or is this a self created perception. The third benefit is that the class takes all of the guess work out of prospecting. When to initiate contact? When to call back a second, third time etc? How many times to call back? Leave a voice mail? Fax or email?  Letters? When? How many? These questions and more are all answered. Inevitably sales people don't have to think about these things; thereby, saving time and allowing them to make more calls! And finally the class gives you a turnkey solution that provides scripts, process and letters etc making your program easy to implement.

Thanks again. Not only have we increased our prospective business by 25% but you have made a difficult part of the job more acceptable, effective and fun!

Sincerely,

Tony Armando
ADP National Account Sales
Sales Director

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“By implementing your ‘7 Touch Method,’ (we) have increased net new prospect presentations by 35% per week. This process was one of the key sales programs we leverage to get those results. As a result, (we are) on track to increase sales by 46^ over last fiscal year.”

Michele Tomassetti, ADP Small Business Services
Division Vice President, Sales

 

"I think this is the best workshop our sales force has been offered in my sales career with CitiCapital Associates. In the past, we generally started from the bottom up. As a Transportation Regional Sales Manager I feel this is exactly the type of help our sales group needs for our new model in Transportation."

Ted Grant
CitiCapital
Regional Sales Manager

 

"Learning to focus, setting better goals, and eliminating my negative self talk are three factors from the training that are really going to make me more successful in my sales career. I liked how customized the training was too, which directly affects my position at Dice."

Shay Acheson
DICE Sales Representative

 

June 27, 2008
Manard Warren & Associates
P.O. Box 271118
Flower Mound, Texas 75027

It has been approximately two months since the Business Development Group at the Houston Chronicle attended the Fear Free Prospecting & Prospecting To The Top Workshop.

Since then, nearly everyone on the team has improved their numbers.  We now have more on-line sales than ever before.

As a matter of fact, we have improved our online numbers compared to recent months by 160% - 170%.  Much of that is attributable to the new prospecting philosophies we have incorporated as a result of working with Manard Warren & Associates.

As a result of this, we now incorporate some important concepts like having Business Impact Conversations with current customers.  Requests for testimonials and referrals are now part of our sales culture.  We have revised all our sales training for new hires to reflect the prospecting methodologies that we’ve learned.

One of the greatest benefits from our training is that it helped each of our reps to identify where their weaknesses are in terms of prospecting by taking the SPQ test.  After our team members learned about which characteristics affected them the most, they were able to focus on improving specific traits that were inhibiting them from asking the right questions on the call.

Thanks,

Craig Billig
Director, Hearst Business Development

 

"Approaching the end of the second year of using your sales programs, I still can't believe what a difference your programs have made in my career. In the first year I added 6 new accounts which increased my book of business by nearly 50% in revenue. So far this year I have added another 5 accounts, and my new revenue is up by 25% with 2 months to go. As a commissioned sales person, this directly affects my life style."

Gary T. Peterson
HRH Production Team Leader

 

"Excellent training class! I learned a lot about what prevents reps from cold calling and thanks to your new approach, I am excited to see the results."

Vito Migliazza
MCI Sales Manager

 

Workshop Comments from July 17, 2003

“It was good to understand the results of the testing and how we can overcome these issues with prospecting.  In the past, I took it for granted that the top prospects didn’t want to talk to me.  Now I will have no issue making these calls.”
-Tom Economou

“I’ve always gone directly after my intended contact.  I like this approach.  I can’t wait to use it whenever possible.  I’m confident that I will benefit more from this course more than any other sales course that I’ve ever taken.  There were many huge revelations!”
-Greg Lesko

“The most important point for me was understanding how much energy was being used through negative thoughts on prospecting.  It will help me to focus on channeling that energy towards the activities that will get me to my goals."
-Anonymous

"It will definitely help me more with accounts where I don’t have any contact.  It has also given me ideas on how to use my current contacts as leverage towards getting to higher levels within an organization without threatening my existing relationship.”
-Nick Galcello

“It helped me to identify which one of the 12 types of Call Reluctance® I had.  I now feel I have the tools to overcome the fears or issues I had with prospecting.  This workshop could not have come at a better time.  I have been feeling really discouraged this past quarter but now I feel this coming quarter is going to be great!!”
-Jackie Silverstein

“More than helping me overcome reluctance, it helped me personally re-emphasize prospecting importance."
-Anonymous

"I've never been evaluated on the personal aspects (emotional) of my reluctance to prospecting. This workshop was enlightening. This is the first time in my career that I've been introduced to a prospecting methodology. Now that I finally have an approach to getting to the right person at the right time."

Rich Ohlin
NEC Business Network Services

March 23, 2004

Manard Warren and Associates
P.O. Box 271118
Flower Mound, Texas 75027

Manard,

I am sorry it has taken me so long to send you this letter, but fortunately we have had a
tremendous amount of new sales activity which has been keeping me busy.  I can attribute a high degree of the activity to our Fulfillment sales team having participated in your ‘Prospecting to the Top’ program last year.

As you know, our industry has very lengthy sales cycles and we are now recognizing the revenue as a result of the prospecting initiative our team underwent last year. I can draw a direct correlation between revenue attainment and the increased effectiveness of our prospecting skills as a result of the training you and your team provided.

Typically, it is difficult to define an ROI for traditional Sales Training programs but the ‘Prospecting to the Top’ program provided minimum, 15%revenue to our top line. Our reps still make comments that it was one of the most beneficial training programs they have had in their careers. I would recommend it to any organization wishing to drive top line sales through new client acquisition.

Regards,

Paul Thompson
VP Sales Fulfillment SBU
Standard Register

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“Our current year’s sales have grown 50%...I can also tell you that we have has more new sales calls with C level individuals in the past year than ever before.”

Deb Cupp
Business Development Director for Fulfillment Services
Standard Register

 

September 21, 2005

To:  Denisse Goldbarg, VP Marketing – Commercial Services

Re:  Manard Warren & Associates – Fear Free Prospecting Workshop

Denisse:

The comments below are a very small sample of the feedback we are receiving from the divisions regarding the Sales Prospecting and Call Reluctance training.   I believe our team has hit a home run with this initiative and I am currently working with the divisions to measure its impact, and on tactics to reinforce the training for the long term benefit of the organization.

I also believe it would be of benefit for you to discuss ideas and opportunities with Manard to see if his team can assist us with taking our sales effectiveness to the next level.   I am going to suggest to Manard that he call you.  And I ask that between Keith, Lynn and yourself, you consider how we can further utilize Manard's expertise.

The Jackson Division was first to use this training.  Since the training, their monthly net revenue growth for HSD is 44.4% higher than it was for the 6 month period prior to the training.  Based on some rough math, the impact equates to about $156,000 per year in revenue growth at this higher growth rate.  The division is at 103% of its budget through August.   Trevor Drake, the Sales Manager there and I both agree that this training is not the only reason for these results but, we both agree it has made a significant contribution to their success.

Thanks in advance for your consideration. As always, I am happy to assist in any way I can.
  
Dan Jolley
Regional Sales Director

"Just as an FYI ... I had 2 AEs come to me today and state that this training was 100 times better than previous trainings (including Fast Start).  We have received a couple of testimonials today, had some returned calls from messages we left yesterday and are working hard to make these scripts second nature.  Thanks again for putting this on for us."
-Hunter Votaw
  
“This is one of the most useful seminars I have attended in years.  Not only did it motivate me, it also gave me practical solutions to roadblocks – sometimes self-imposed, sometimes from the prospect.”
-Mary Anne Ceraso

“Excellent course!  I have had several training courses related to sales and prospecting.  This has been the best.  I would recommend this class to any sales professional – new or seasoned.”
-Kevin Mahlberg

“These concepts will help me overcome self-imposed limitations when it comes to prospecting.  The process is different in the fact that it details how to go about it."
-Michael Weisbeck

“It will make me ask for the president or owner.  Before the training, I would settle for scheduling appointments with ‘non-decision makers”. I had a preconceived notion that the training would be like all other sales trainings that I have had previously.  I was totally wrong.”
-Richard Bucher

“I have tried (haphazardly) to do many of these things, but the way this is systemized into a coherent whole will help immensely.”
-Alvaso Gonzalez

 

"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your two-day workshop from last week. The information I took away from it on cold calling and prospecting was very enlightening. I have been very successful in sales for a long time in fact, 13 years in the telecom industry and have never been to a training session where I obtained so much knowledge."

Lori Kline
Major Account Manager
Verizon Wireless
Westlake, TX
2001 & 2002 President's Cabinet

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From: Christian.Gray@VerizonWireless.com
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 10:39 AM
To: Manard Warren
Subject: RE: Congrats & need a favor

Manard,

I wanted to share my excitement around the Prospecting To The Top workshop from the perspective of a Sales Skills Trainer. I've been facilitating sales skills training for the business channel in the West Area for Verizon Wireless since 2006, and this is in my opinion the best workshop we offer.

Why?

Prospecting To The Top is a lot like the Federal Government's "stimulus package" in that when we put the principles into the hands of our sales people and we see a direct lift in performance the following month. With out fail, after every class, I receive an email from the participants asking for additional templates and scripts to improve their call/appointments ratios. I can't seem to schedule enough of these workshops and the buzz from our leadership team has been fantastic.

In closing, when I have a member of the management team reach out to me and ask for help with respect to prospecting, I am empowered to make the right recommendation because the numbers speak for themselves!

Regards,

Christian P. Gray ~ Sr. B2B Sales Trainer - NoCal ~ Verizon Wireless ~
510-468-8044 Mobile ~ 925-279-6317 Fax ~ christian.gray@verizonwireless.com

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Good afternoon all!

I just received a call from my teammate Ed Fratz who is teaching PTTT today for the Huntsville, AL embedded BAE team. He says this is how they role in Alabama:

8 reps, 1 hour of calling existing customers for Business Impact Stories yielded the following:
35 referral appointments
100 line appointment with existing customer that may yield a total opportunity of +/- 1000 lines
6 testimonial letters
5 air cards ordered on the spot
2 instant referrals

Now get this…OVER $868,000.00 IN BOTTOM LINE IMPACT THAT OUR SOLUTIONS HAVE BROUGHT TO ACTUAL CUSTOMERS…BASED ON CUSTOMERS' STATEMENTS. They are awaiting return calls from 2 additional customers who are pulling numbers, total expected impact discovered to be OVER $1,000,000.00.

Imagine prospecting with this kind of story to tell. I'm thinking the C-Level cares about this kind of impact!

Congratulations to Amanda Franklin for scheduling PTTT for the South BAE teams for next week. Amanda also says we'll be bringing this to the rest of the BAE's in the region by Mid-May. This workshop can be great for any sales professional who is tasked with engaging prospects on the phone. I hope you'll consider bringing it to your team as well. Ed says we can't bring it like this in TX. I know better.

Please let me know any question, concern, or need you might have regarding this initiative.

Steve Patterson
B2B Performance Coach
Central Texas Region
Verizon Wireless

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Dean,

I piloted the new PTTT program for the latest BIT in Lewisville as our new hire prospecting module. It was presented to a new hire group of seven; 1 from Miami, 3 from Central TX, and 1 from the HGC region. It was phenomenal!

- I ran the class exactly as it runs in the LG; I had them break out in the morning and call on existing customers. I coached them to go to SFA in their Active Customers which lists customers in their geographic territory. I gave them the set up, which was to say something like: "This is Steve Patterson with the Verizon Wireless business sales team. I'll be working with you going forward. I wanted to call and introduce myself and try to gain an understanding of your relationship with Verizon Wireless. May I ask 3 or 4 brief questions to help me understand the relationship we have with you and your company?" Ask the questions on business impact. Then follow with "by the way, I'd like to set up a time to come in and meet you face to face and also to share some additional information about some of the newest solutions we're bringing to customers like you. When could we do that?"

From this we saw six of the seven get impact stories. We also saw about a half dozen appointments set. We also saw three testimonial letters.

- I had them make prospecting calls in the afternoon based on the impact stories from the morning practice. I had them go into their SFA in D&B and just pull out some mid to large suspects. In 45 minutes of this practice we saw 3 appointments set.

Albert Vasquez met with a VP of Sales who arranged a subsequent appointment for him with the CIO
Michael Shipman and Holly Fleenor, both of Little Rock, have set appointments this week. In fact, Amanda Franklin, their AD told me the only day they don't have full calendars was the day each was here for OM training. THIS WAS THEIR FIRST WEEK LIVE IN THE FIELD!

Michael signed his first deal this week for 5 lines with 4 more coming. He also has 3 proposals out!
Holly Fleenor called today saying that she is presenting a proposal early next week based on a meeting today (her first week) for 127 lines!

Jason Alford, their BSM tells me that this week these two brand new employees have a total of 300 lines in their funnels!

This is the impact of this program! Today, I had the opportunity to participate in a meeting with Amanda Franklin and her BSM team. I shared the impact that we're seeing with this program and reminded them that we must always focus on the fundamentals of not more activity, but better activity. Based on this I recommended that all of our embedded reps go through this program. Amanda stepped up to say that, based on the results that she has seen from Holly and Michael, we do need to do this. Based on this I will be scheduling 2 to 3 PTTT sessions within the next month for our veteran teams.

I'm excited about what we've already seen with this program, and I anticipate more great results in the coming days.

Thanks for your support sir.

Steve Patterson
B2B Performance Coach
Central Texas Region
Verizon Wireless

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Ed,

I had my first referral meeting today with one of my existing customer, Greg Brown, who is the President/CEO of B.R Williams Trucking

He was more than happy to give me as many referrals as I he could think of, which I counted 18.

The referrals were other presidents and decision makers that they do business with that he has a personal relationship with. I went a step further and asked if he could call them while I was there to alert them I would be calling on them and he was more than happy to do so. Out of the 18 he reached 10 and the other 8 he'll reach out to next week prior to me calling them.

I even found out that his brother is CEO of an oil company and his sister is a partner in a law firm and he said he'd call them this weekend and personally set up a time for me to meet with them.

He let me know that he appreciated the way they've been taken care of by us and would do all he could for me.

I've had several training classes but this one was invaluable.

Thanks.

Lester Williams