Jeffrey Gitomer
Jeffrey Gitomer (born February 11, 1946 in West Palm Beach, Florida) is an American author, professional speaker, and business trainer, who writes and lectures internationally on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. He lives with his wife Jennifer Gluckow in Charlotte, North Carolina. Education. Gitomer attended Temple University, but left after his first year to attend the Goethe Institute in Berlin, Germany, where he studied languages. In a "Time 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." "The Charlotte Observer" describes him  as "...a college drop-out who has built a sales training empire." Author/Writer. Gitomer has written fifteen books, including "New York Times" best sellers, "The Sales Bible" and "The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude". His most successful title, "The Little Red Book of Selling", has sold more than five million copies worldwide and has been translated into 14 languages. It was also chosen by business publishing experts Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten to be listed in their book of "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time." All Gitomer's titles have reached #1 on Amazon.com, and collectively  his books have appeared on major best-seller lists nationwide more than 750 times. "Gitomer has earned his bragging rights..." and has "...turned his blustery style into best-selling books." On September 16, 2006, four of Gitomer's titles appeared simultaneously on "The Wall Street Journal" best seller lists, the only business author to achieve this in the Journal's history. Of "The Sales Bible", Covert comments: "Every once in a while, one book defines a category." Gitomer has also co-authored three other titles with writers Ron Zemke, Greg Dinkin, and Nikita 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." 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 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. Speaker. Gitomer has given more than 100 presentations annually for the past 19 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. 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. BIG CORPORATE CUSTOMERS. Jeffrey's customers include Coca-Cola, Adecco, Caterpillar, BMW, AT&T Wireless, MacGregor Golf, Ferguson Enterprises, HP, Kimpton Hotels, Hilton, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, AmeriPride, NCR, Stewart Title, Comcast Business, Time Warner Cable, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Principal Financial Group, Wells Fargo Bank, Baptist Health Care, BlueCross BlueShield, Carlsberg, Wausau Insurance, Northwestern Mutual, MetLife, Sports Authority, GlaxoSmithKline, AC Nielsen, IBM, The New York Post, and hundreds of others. Online Training. Gitomer has created Gitomer Learning Academy, which provides online training in sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. Praise. 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 testimonial, 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." US Airways Controversy and Resolution. Gitomer gained notoriety in November 2003 for being the first passenger ever to be banned from US Airways. The airline cited chronic, unreasonable complaints, numerous confrontations with employees, and verbal abuse that allegedly brought employees to tears. 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 perma-banned as a customer and passenger, having learned from the experience and documenting the negative outcome. All  his frequent-flyer miles were restored. After American Airlines merger and name change, Gitomer now stands as the only passenger ever banned on US Airways.