“Excellent speaker! Outstanding program! Don is enthusiastic, understands motivation, and relates well to the audience. His program deals with sales in a very earthy, basic way. It’s authentic and has real ideas that help you deal with difficulty. We all get down and Don helps you find your way to get up again.”
Larry Lipton, Agent – Allstate
Jerry D. Hope, District Manager – IBM
“This was the best program I have seen in 30 years!. I’ve attended a lot of conferences and this program really hit a nerve. I’m not interested in boxing, but the way Don relates his stories to life is so entertaining – he has the gift for holding people’s attention, being serious and funny at the same time. The program was incredible, touching!”
Joyce McGarrigle, Corporate Sales Manager – Abby Office Centers
“Excellent speaker! Our audience was very engaged and I heard a lot of good things from our people. Don is very motivating and offers unique ideas on building confidence. He made the program relate to the situation in our business and hit a lot of points that our people can relate to. We laughed a lot and folks went away with a lot to think about.”
Michelle Wilganowski, Diversity coordinator – Shell Global Solutions
“I’ve heard hundreds of speeches – they come and go. This one stuck with me! Since hearing Don Akers I’ve been running again for the last three weeks! I was unhappy with the company thinking “when they decide to open up the business, I’ll get back to work”. I’ve realized that there are many things I can do and stopped focusing on what I can’t change.”
Pat Cunningham, Agent – State Farm
“I have seen all the top speakers; Zig Ziglar, Les Brown and Tony Robbins. Don Akers is one of the best!”
Keith Lindstrom, Sales Manager – CBS Affiliate KWGN TV
Don did an excellent job and really connected with the audience. In my opinion, definitely one of the best speakers! He’s down to earth, right to the point, and very pertinent to business. He is very inspirational. I talked with lots of our people and they all liked the program!
Sybil Horn, CMP, Director or Meeting & Events – Administaff
“I enjoyed Dons’ program tremendously! It was so UNIQUE! The program is totally different than any I’ve seen, but so relevant to our business. Life is a fight and it was so motivating to hear about getting in there from a fighters position. The ideas apply to all of us!”
Michael Rivera, Vice President – Texas Health Underwriters Assn.
“Very impressive program! It brought new light and energy to my perspective of my business. I liked the story and the way that Don tailored the message to our audience. It is high energy, enthusiastic and very motivating!”
Jim Waldron, Agent – Farmers Insurance
Kelly Merritt, Director – Houston Association of Health Underwriters
“Excellent presentation! Don Akers had me so pumped up after our morning session that I didn’t even have to drink coffee! Don is on target, very funny and brings real world experience in a way that makes you think about how you can overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. I got more business done in the next three days than in the whole month before!”
Bob Hancock , Vice President – Omni Bank
“Don is a dynamic speaker and very funny! The whole presentation was fabulous. I usually talk to my friends during the speakers, but our whole table listened to every word. Right after the program I started a marketing campaign I had toyed around with for months. After Dons’ program I decided “I’m gonna go for it!”
Cathy Schneider, CEO – C.A.S. Benefits Company
“Fantastic speaker. Don Akers is more than an athlete, he is a great story teller and a keen observer of life, professional and extremely well spoken. We’ve had big name speakers in the past that were really a bust. The members always give us a review on our speaker selection, and with Don we heard great feedback from everyone in the room. Personally, I’m always impressed when someone does their homework and that is exactly what Don did. He learned about our association and our industry, then tied his program in so the message resonated within our group. I would recommend Don Akers to any business or association that wants a dynamic speaker to lift their meeting up and send their people out the door on a real high. His story is fun, entertaining and filled with real life take-aways for all to enjoy….I truly did”.
Jeff Techmanski, Past President – Houston Electric League
Best speaker we’ve had in a long time – great humor and very entertaining! We have a tough audience, technical people who are skeptical, and Don captivated them the whole time. Everybody appreciates humor and our people laughed a lot, but what I liked best is his intensity – when Don makes a point it’s very intimate, like he’s talking directly to you. Even better, people walked out saying “That’s information I can use today”.
Dave Dempsey, Group Leader – Shell USA
“Don Akers gave us a stellar breakfast program that really got our members pumped up. His program is inspiring with just the right amount of good clean humor. We got lots of really positive comments. Don is easy to work with, low maintenance and funny. Don did the research to make the program really fit the group and people really liked it – it got everyone moving! I was a hero for finding Don Akers.”
Ted Sullivan, Meeting Planner – AWRF
“If you get a chance to see this guy, do it! Don Akers is the best and most interesting speaker that I have heard in a long time. His practical message really resonates. He made me want to get up and “run the race”.
Dr. Robert Hruzek, President – Mars Hill Group
Rhonda Ryan, President – American Women’s Society of CPA’s
“Don’s enthusiasm and common sense approach are very motivating. His message applies to all of life!”
Gwen Timmons, Financial Services Manager – Sterling Bank
“Terrific program! Our guys really enjoyed it and left charged up. Don completely justified the decision to bring him in. We had three more days of meetings and our team got the boost and inspiration that we needed. Everyone from our CEO to the staffers were well pleased – we got exactly what we wanted and paid for. We’ve had other speakers use some of our terms but our people said Don Akers really understood our business – he does his homework and delivers!”
Mike Hughes, Vice President – WRCA
“I have seen and heard a lot of speakers and the experience with Don Akers is different. With some it’s just a lot of rah rah – Don gives you something that you can take with you. The program is funny but the message is relevant and soul searching, easy to identify with and very motivating!”
Robert Dwyer, Private Banker – Wells Fargo
“I was thinking what I could I possibly learn from an ex-boxer? – I was amazed! Don Akers really knows how to connect with the audience and get them involved. The program was funny, very entertaining, and made excellent points about what we deal with every day. I left feeling great and really motivated to get back to work!
Stewart Loftis, Sr. Engineer – Getronics
“Very inspirational, outstanding message. Our guys needed a high-energy speaker and Don really deliver that and more.”
Carole Waiter, Director – BJM
“Great presentation! Excellent blend of personal experience with the message!”
Mark Tiggleoven, Vice President – Central Bank
“Great presentation, the best motivational speech I have ever heard!”
Alan Feinsilber, Controller – Grant Prideco
“You are unique in your ability to speak from experience. This program was excellent and brought my thinking to a deeper level.”
Susan Hildreth – 3M
“Your approach to non-verbal communication is really cutting edge. I had an idea that wouldn’t wait and I was able to contact 400 clients in three days and get 70% to move quickly. These results speak for themselves.”
Alan Battles, Vice President Investments – UBS Paine Webber
Jack Cummings, Vice President – NexTran
“Excellent seminar… a sense of excitement and feeling of purpose were evident immediately after… The real test lay in how long the effects would continue inside the high pressure environment of Silicon Valley.
After three months, the morale of the company is at an all-time high. So are sales!”
Jack Marshall, CEO – Altavista Technology
“Excellent material with a very professional and upbeat presentation. This material is perfect for technical people who move into sales. They need to learn to listen and hear their customers better – this program really teaches them how.”
Fred Zaziski, National Sales Manager – Loomis International
“We have strong people, with valuable skills who were filling our workplace with tension. Don got our top performers to work together, make decisions that we all support, and above all, he got each member of our team to make a personal commitment. The difference is night and day! Our members and even our association executives have said the change is dramatic.”
Verline Davis, CEO – Wyoming Central Federal Credit Union
Bill Knickerbocker, Store Manager – Gases Plus
“Your closing technique is awesome! Within 24 hours of learning your method of closing, I landed a $40.000 account that I had been chasing for 6 months.”
Patrick Coan, Sales Rep – Industrial Information Resources
“Your sales training is excellent…. We were able to immediately use the techniques and tools that you created for us. My own sales have grown from $1.4 to $4 million a year, with the economy shrinking and the stock market dropping. I am happier, healthier, and more motivated than I have been in years.”
Paul Copello, Vice President – IIR Energy
“After 25 years in sales you think you’ve heard it all. Don’s ideas about non-verbal communication are really unique and they make selling easier!”
Jim Peterson, Sales Manager – Gases Plus
“Don’s approach to non-verbal communication is really cutting edge. I had an idea that wouldn’t wait and Don showed me how to cut to the chase and get to 400 clients in three days. We got 70% to move immediately – That’s results.”
Alan Battles, Vice President Investments – UBS Paine Webber
Ray Mapels, Former Director – Wyoming Association of Broadcasters
“This is the best sales course that I have ever been to. It’s not a bunch of theory and jargon. This stuff is real, down to earth and it works.”
Dan Petumanus, Sales manager – Airgas
“This program works!”
Gary Craft, Sales manager – Sheridan, WY
“Don’s course is well presented and full of useful information. It will benefit any distributor to have their people attend.”
Larry Aarsby, Director – IWDC
“Before Don worked with our people, we had only one account under contract. In three months we signed 5 new contracts. Two years later we have 37 gas contracts. Don got our people to change the way they thought about a contract and that has made all the difference. Even better, he followed up with me to make sure our people stayed focused.”
Tim Wahe, Vice President – Gases Plus