Testimonials from Satisfied Customers

"I can tell you personally that I have received many calls from the AES team telling me that they have tried several of the subjects taught and have already, in less than one month, seen results. In fact, one of the reps in the Detroit area used the Preferred Vendor techniques and is now being asked by the client to help them lay out a strategic plan for all of their IT needs for the next two years. Now that's a powerful statement."
D. Moore, Director North American Sales, Dassault Systems

"Regarding the sales opportunity...I will close that this month, $101K plus additional purchases down the road! Using your techniques I swayed the customer back to our camp!...I had been told "NO" on three occasions. A big win for us and a big win for you as well. Thanks."
C. Hawkins, International Sales Manager, Multigen-Paradigm

"GDA teaches you a system ... not just tips or tricks ... it's a system that has high impact on your attitude, your perspective, your habits and behaviors - inside and outside of work. The training is practical, intense, dynamic and extremely challenging ... a mix between an Anthony Robbins and Zig Ziglar seminar and a good Sunday morning sermon ... and as such, it sticks with you ... at all levels: head, heart, and hands."
Emmitt Summers - Vice President, Human Resources - BDS Marketing, Inc

"The information you provided on Preferred Vendor and Demand Generation is incredible! I have not had to actively sell for three weeks, why; clients are coming to me and saying they do not want to use anyone else. It is exciting to come in every morning and know that I will have business waiting for me...Thanks for showing me how it is done!"
B. Wiggins, Integrated Systems Technologies

"This is the most useful and practical sales training I have encountered. The measure of my success based on the information learned will be phenomenal."
K. Barger, DPI Inc.

"GDA's programs is among the best of the professional sales training courses...I would heartily recommend your programs to any group to maximize its potential"
American Express

• Mustafa Patni, Altair Engineering
• Marc R. Surette, Marconi Federal
• Heather White, Thomson FindLaw
• Kristian Scott, Thomson FindLaw
• Will Ziacoma, Thomson FindLaw

Mustafa Patni, Altair Engineering

Hey Randy,

We're having a great holiday, I gather the same must be true for you. It's always nice to have a few days to reflect on the past year and the year to come. In that context, I'd be more than happy to provide a testimonial. Here's my perspective on the value you and GDA have provided to myself and Altair as a whole.

Prior to our engagement with GDA we had two main problems. First, we lacked the tools necessary to execute an effective strategic selling process. Second, we lacked the tools necessary to manage an effective strategic sales force.

By training us in the LSP, you provided myself and my team with the tools necessary to have strategic level 'business' conversations with our customers. My team and I have learned the importance of demonstrating to our customers the means by which we can make them more: profitable, effective, efficient, and productive. We further understand the means by which we can quantify the benefits of what Altair offers to its customers so that we can assure them that by working with us they can have predicable and measurable business outcomes.

After the training, I was faced with the challenge of reinforcing the concept of 'sales change' within my team. I knew it was not enough to simply learn the LSP and the QB tools. I knew that putting those tools into practice immediately was key. I had to manage and lead my team to effectively use those tools. By working with you and Ed Harper I was able to implement a 'performance plan' for my team and continually reinforce the importance of the LSP and QB tools in everyday practice. As I continue to learn how to put the LSP and QB tools into practice, I see the benefit of doing business at a strategic level and I am able to demonstrate to my sales team the absolute necessity of change. The change process has been difficult, but having you there to help me manage this process of change has been a must.

By working with you, I have realized that the key to 'exponential' growth is simply a matter of securing a few strategic business relationships. Securing these relationships is simply a matter of having 'business conversations' with your customers to understand their goal and objectives and uncover their needs. Through the strategic level interactions we are having with our clients I can see the potential of doubling and/or possibly tripling our business projections for this coming year.

The relationship you've helped us establish with Agilent and the presentation you helped me to build for Microsoft have been key to reassessing my business projections for this year. If we are successful in executing these projects at an organizational level at Altair we have the potential of tripling the amount of business I manage for Altair over the next 6 to 12 months. Without GDA's guidance, I (along with my entire team) would still be caught up in the 'feature' trench warfare with our competition and losing the battle. Selling 'results and outcomes' is the key to overall success because ultimately that is what the customer is buying. If you don't sell 'results and outcomes' and 'quantify the benefits' of those results and outcomes, why should your customer spend any money on your solutions!?

Once again, I appreciate all of your coaching and help in this continual process of change we are experiencing here at Altair. Strategic selling is the key to my future success and the success of Altair as a whole. I look forward to our continued working relationship throughout the New Year. I truly believe that the sky is the limit for 2001!

Hope you have a Happy New Year!

Regards,
Mustafa Patni
Director of Sales
East, Midwest and Pacific Northwest Regions
Altair Engineering

Heather White, Thomson FindLaw

The following testimonial is provided by Heather White of Thomson FindLaw. FindLaw develops and markets world class quality Internet services to the legal community. This testimonial was provided at the very beginning of a sales training engagement between FindLaw and Growth Development Associates (GDA) of Naples, Florida. While the sales training methodology is internationally recognized for its adaptability to a broad range of industry segments, it is perhaps best known for how quickly students of GDA training quickly find profitable results.

At the time I first spoke to Kim Harp of Berger, Ducharme & Harp I had not yet begun using the GDA techniques. In our first meeting, which did not include all of the partners, I did my typical probing and needs analysis without asking the "Home Run Question." In this meeting I was able to uncover her needs and recognized that considering the structure of this firm I needed all partners present for a constructive meeting.

We set a follow-up time and as usual I went home doing research into the wee hours, trying to put together a package based on our conversation and quite honestly, on my assumptions of what they wanted. Her budget was in the $500/month range, so I put together a solution that came to about $700/month.

Then shortly before that follow-up meeting, I learned about the GDA approach and immediately adapted the "Home Run" question to my routine. (I adopted a slightly different version because I am not a huge sports fan. I relate more to [shoe designers] Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik.) When I walked into that meeting I knew what I wanted to sell and was convinced that it was appropriate for the firm. After shaking hands with the other partners, I realized quickly that this was a diverse bunch and I needed to be on my game. They had researched other web designers and really needed a consultant to hold their hands.

Within the first five minutes of the meeting, I put away the proposal I originally crafted and I put away my pitch book. I took a deep breath and asked all of them "If one year from now I came into your firm and it was absolutely perfect, your 'dream firm' so to speak, what would that look like to each of you?" Each of them answered individually while I took my time and listened carefully to each of their desires and goals. Each attorney had a different set of practice areas and a different set of dreams. They each wanted something totally different, but they knew they wanted a website, they just didn't know how to facilitate all of their distinct needs in just one place. I went on to ask each of them to prioritize their goals, and to share their strategies for reaching these goals.

By asking only these questions the floodgates opened and soon they were talking as if I wasn't there. It was great. At one point, two of the partners began to bicker a bit while the third looked at me and rolled her eyes. I knew then I had made an impact and I was "in." This went on for almost three hours. The whole time I did not once talk about product. They are the ones who asked me "Can you really help me reach these goals, knowing that our needs are so different?"

I knew that was my signal to show them what we are capable of. I then demonstrated examples of FindLaw sites that proved our ability to handle all of their challenges. I totally scrapped my original proposal and went straight to a more expansive solution! The only thing that would work for them was a custom site! I did ask for the order, but for the sake of time (this is now four hours later and we had already lost a partner to a real estate closing) we needed a follow-up appointment.

The next meeting was easy as pie! They began with a myriad of questions about implementation before signing an order for $11,500 per month. If it wasn't for me taking a step back, and asking that "Home Run" question, I would not have gotten the sale-period. I would have tried to put them into something that did not suit all of their diverse needs, and I would also have shortchanged myself on about $5,000 in revenue!

The more I approach people in this manner, the more comfortable I am. The more comfortable I am, the more at ease they are. They recognize that I am an asset to their business and not about to give them a "cookie-cutter" product like so many of our competitors. Bottom line-this GDA stuff works!

Heather White

Kristian Scott, Thomson FindLaw

Thomson FindLaw develops and markets world class quality Internet services to the legal community. In September 2004, FindLaw joined a long list of well known companies who have embraced Growth Development Associates (GDA) of Naples as their sales training provider. Instruction teams were dispatched to regions around the country to deliver simultaneous training courses. Immediately, a flood of success stories and testimonials of newfound business attainment began to pour in. The following testimonial provided by Kristian Scott in Dayton, Ohio is one such example.

This morning I met with a law firm in Dayton that focuses its practice on Business/Commercial Law and Employment Law. This firm currently has a generic website with Law Info, as well as a high-end, custom website that was built several years ago by an independent contractor. I arrived for the appointment a few minutes early and had a chance to review some of my notes from our two-day training session with Growth Development Associates. Specifically, I reviewed the "funnel" so that I could properly determine this customer's real needs. I wanted to make sure that I had a good visual image of the funnel in mind so that I could maintain focus during the meeting. (Sometimes I get thrown off and end up forgetting to ask important questions.)

When the decision maker showed up, he introduced himself and stated that he only had 15 minutes to talk because a very important client was on his way to see him. After a brief "Rapport" session about college basketball (he had a UD team photo on the wall) and a brief discussion about his two sons joining him as partners in the firm, I used an Initial Benefit Statement that referenced the largest business/commercial law firm in Dayton. I described the success that this particular firm is having with our FirmSite, SEM, and Directory Products.

He reacted by saying that he would never spend any more money on the Internet. He said that he had wasted $4,000 with Law Info and was planning to cancel the service. Of course, I encouraged him to do so. He also told me that his custom website serves its purpose and that he was not interested in partnering with us to develop another website. And of course, I agreed with him. I started to explain in more detail that my purpose in meeting with him was to discuss the possibility of a "marketing partnership" that would help draw more potential clients to his website.

He asked me to explain how FindLaw could help him do that. In the past, when something like this occurred, I would go right for the kill and present the solution. And in many of those cases, I would walk away without an order and without an opportunity to meet again. But not this time!

In the back of my mind I could picture the funnel and I decided to stick to my guns and use the system that we spent two days learning. I asked him questions about his current state of affairs, his goals for the firm, priorities, etc. I followed every step of the funnel until I heard everything that I needed to hear from him. The conversation lasted about one hour, with him talking about 75% of the time. (Remember, he only had 15 minutes to meet with me because a very important client was on his way to see him.) He shared a lot more information than I expected. This system really allowed me to break this guy down and get him to open up. I was pleasantly surprised. When I used the "reverse funnel" technique and followed it with the "qualification question," he looked at me and said that there was no doubt in his mind that he would partner with us if he could be convinced that our services would help him achieve his goals.

The point of this story is that I had been prepared to sell him some baseline products without ever having a conversation with him and I would have more than likely walked out with a lost opportunity. I honestly believe that because I was able to use the funnel system effectively, I now have the information I need to prepare the proper solution to meet his needs. I have a meeting scheduled with him next week and I plan to present a solution featuring five individual product offerings.

(I am eager to "Present the Solution" using the FAR (Feature Advantage Reaction). I can't wait to see the results!)

Here's one last interesting note. On my way out, I asked him about the client who was supposed to meet him and he admitted that he lied to me about it. He simply wasn't interested in hearing a sales pitch. Lesson learned: GDA's CONSULTATIVE SELLING APPROACH REALLY WORKS!

Kristian Scott

Will Ziacoma, Thomson FindLaw

Dear GDA Staff,

I would like to take a few moments to express my gratitude for introducing me to your Consultative Selling program. This program has completely turned my career around. In order to understand the impact of GDA's teachings, consider the following.

I began learning GDA's selling techniques in July 2004. At the time, I was 37% of my year to date quota and was seriously considering a career move. My sales manager had just returned from an intensive sales training session and was visibly excited by the new techniques. He decided to teach the method to his sales team. Realizing that I had to make a change I decided to absorb what he was telling me and give the new techniques an honest chance. I was very uneasy at first as the GDA method required that I completely abandon everything I had been taught about sales for the past 12 years. This was clearly a very different approach to the sales process. Shortly after that my manager gave me another overview of the GDA process before joining me for a day in the field. At the end of the day he mistakenly left one of the GDA tapes in my car. When I first listened to that tape I was immediately struck by how very effective this method would be in my business field. I listened to that tape 4 times in a row, working though how I would apply what I was hearing to my sales calls. The results were striking and immediate. The very next day I began to put what I had learned into practice. The result was my biggest month in a year and a quota attainment of 128%.

Hoping it wasn't a fluke, I continued to hone my new process the following month and achieved similar results; 101% of quota. My third month after employing your techniques was my best ever at 159% of quota. To reiterate, I was 37% of quota for the six month period prior to GDA and 129% of quota during the three month period after learning the GDA techniques. Keep in mind, to this point I had only learned a portion of the program's teachings. This month I attended a training session by one of GDA's superb instructors. This is significant because for the first time I was able to hear specifically how the entire method works. I can tell you now that learning the entire method has allowed me to yet again set a new personal best month as I am 175% of quota with two weeks left in the month! The critical factor in the live training session was that I was able to hear specifics as to how the techniques apply to my situation.

What has become clear to me is that GDA has taught me how to extract critical information from my prospect that clearly puts me in the position of a trustworthy consultant and business partner as opposed to being viewed as just another sales rep. This enables me to properly present my products as a true solution to the prospect's needs.

To anyone who is considering implementing the GDA methods I say, "Don't hesitate! Embrace this revolutionary method and realize the benefits."

With warmest regards,

Will Ziacoma
Client Development Consultant