Jeffrey Gitomer | |
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Born | West Palm Beach, Florida | February 11, 1946
Occupation(s) | author, Motivational speaker, business trainer |
Jeffrey Gitomer (born February 11, 1946, in West Palm Beach, Florida) is an American salesperson, author, and speaker who writes and lectures on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development.
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."[1] The Charlotte Observer describes him as "...a college drop-out who has built a sales training empire."[2]
Gitomer has written fifteen books, including New York Times best sellers, The Sales Bible[3] and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude.[4] 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.[5] 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. 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.[6] Of The Sales Bible, Covert comments: "Every once in a while, one book defines a category."[7] 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."[8]
He also publishes Sales Caffeine, a weekly, multi-media e-zine (online magazine), which is distributed internationally to 250,000 subscribers.[9]
Gitomer is a frequent speaker at public and corporate seminars and is ranked in the top 1% of non-celebrity speakers by the National Speakers Association.[10] On August 4, 2008, at the National Speakers Association Convention in New York, he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.[11]
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."[12]
Gitomer gained notoriety in November 2003 for being the first passenger ever to be banned from US Airways.[13] The airline cited chronic, unreasonable complaints, numerous confrontations with employees, and verbal abuse that allegedly brought employees to tears.[14] In an interview, Gitomer defended himself as a demanding, but not abusive, customer and explained that he had only made an employee cry once, several years prior. In October 2004, Gitomer was permanently banned as a customer and passenger.[15]
After American Airlines merger and name change, Gitomer is the only passenger ever banned on US Airways.[citation needed]