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 family in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gitomer attended Temple University, but left after his freshman 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."*Sachs, Andrea. "Barnum Would Be Proud", Time Magazine, February 8, 2007 online, February 19, 2007 in print. The Charlotte Observer describes him as "...a college drop-out who has built a sales training empire."*St. Onge, Peter. "Aaron letter is history in his hands", The Charlotte Observer, July 6, 2008.
Gitomer has written nine books, including New York Times best sellers, The Sales Bible* "Hardcover Business Best Sellers", The New York Times, June 1, 2008. and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude.* "Hardcover Business Best Sellers", The New York Times, February 4, 2007. His most successful title, The Little Red Book of Selling, has sold more than three 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.*Covert, Jack. [1], 800-CEO-READ, Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Red Book of Selling: one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, November, 2008. 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."*Sachs, Andrea. "Barnum Would Be Proud", Time Magazine, February 8, 2007 online, February 19, 2007 in print. 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. "Best Selling Books", The Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2006. Of The Sales Bible, Covert comments: "Every once in a while, one book defines a category."*Covert, Jack. [2], 800-CEO-READ, The Sales Bible, May 6, 2008. 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."*Dorsey, David. "How to Make Them Want to Buy", The Wall Street Journal, May 3, 2006.
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.* "Sales Caffeine Free eZine", Issue 327, February 12, 2008.
Gitomer has given more than 100 presentations annually for the past 15 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.
Gitomer is the founder and president of TrainOne, Inc., www.trainone.com, which provides classroom and online training in sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. TrainOne offers e-learning on both a proprietary, customizable Learning Management System, as well as providing SCORM-compatible classes. TrainOne consists of a team of American and Canadian educators, designers, and programmers, and is franchised in the United States, Turkey Satis Factory TrainOne, Turkey., South Africa Sales Guru TrainOne, South Africa. , and Singapore.
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 typical comment, 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."
Gitomer gained notoriety in November, 2003 for being the first passenger ever to be banned from US Airways.*Huettel, Steve. "US Airways clips wings of frequent critic", St. Petersburg Times, November 17, 2003. The airline cited chronic, unreasonable complaints, numerous confrontations with employees, and verbal abuse that allegedly brought employees to tears.*Chiames, Chris. "Gitomer's US Airways complaints go too far", Washington Business Journal, November 7, 2003. 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 reinstated as a customer and passenger, having learned from the experience and documenting the positive outcome.*Gitomer, Jeffrey. "Showdown with Airline Teaches Sales Expert a Lesson." Des Moines Business Record - BusinessRecord.com, October 24, 2004. All his frequent-flyer miles were restored.
2009 Audie Award for The Little Red Book of Selling. Awards recognizing distinction in audiobooks. Best Business/Educational title of the year.*Audio Publishers Association. "The Audies 2009", May 29, 2009.
2008 ASTD Award for Excellence in Workplace Learning and Performance, Solution Sales Elite, Hewlett Packard & TrainOne, partners.*American Society for Training & Development. "2008 ASTD Award Winners", May 15, 2009.
2008 IPPY Axiom Book Award Gold Medal Winner in Sales for Customer Loyalty Concepts.*Independent Publisher. "IP FEATURE 2nd Annual Axiom Business Book Awards", February 20, 2009.
2008 National Speakers Association's CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. One of 146 living members.*National Speakers Association. "CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame", August 4, 2008.
2005 IPPY Top 10 Outstanding Book Award “Business Breakthrough Book of the Year” for The Little Red Book of Selling.*Independent Publisher. "Independent Publisher Book Awards 2005", March 5, 2005.
1997 Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) Award by the National Speakers Association.*National Speakers Association. "Certified Speaking Professional (CSP)".
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Little Red Book of Sales Answers: 99.5 Real Life Answers that Make Sense, Make Sales, and Make Money. Unabridged. (Pub date: March 10, 2009) New York: Simon & Schuster
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of Success. Unabridged. (January 6, 2009) New York: Simon & Schuster
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness. Unabridged. (September 9, 2008) New York: Simon & Schuster
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Sales Bible New Edition: The Ultimate Sales Resource. Unabridged. (May 6, 2008) New York: Simon & Schuster ISBN 978-0-7435-7266-8
V-Books (video)
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Little Red Book of Sales Answers: 99.5 Real Life Answers that Make Sense, Make Sales, and Make Money. Unabridged. (Pub date: March 10, 2009) New York: Simon & Schuster
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of Success. Unabridged. (January 6, 2009) New York: Simon & Schuster
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness. Unabridged. (September 9, 2008) New York: Simon & Schuster ISBN 978-0-7435-7376-4
Gitomer, Jeffrey. The Sales Bible New Edition: The Ultimate Sales Resource. Unabridged. (May 6, 2008) New York: Simon & Schuster
The 10.5 Commandments of Sales Success. (2008) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
The Fiction and Non-Fiction about the Book Business. (2008) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Jeffrey Gitomer's Boot Camp. (2007) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
The Best of Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty Is Priceless. (2005) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Customer Loyalty. (2004) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Power Networking: Real-World Lessons for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships. (2003 revised 2008) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
The Force: How to Find, Hire, Train, Build, Pay, and Keep a First Class Team of Salespeople on Fire. (2003 revised 2008) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Instant Sales: A Condensed Sales Course. (2002) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Got Attitude? (2001) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Position, Don't Compete: Strategic Positioning in a Competitive Market. (1999 revised 2008) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Cold Calling: How to Break the Ice and Get the Money. (1999 revised 2008) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Teleseminar/CDs
Sales Revival Teleseminar. (2009) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
What Are You Giving Yourself For Christmas? Teleseminar. (2006) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Voicemail Teleseminar. (2006) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Sell Value, Not Price Teleseminar. (2005) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Sales Manager Teleseminar. (2005) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Objection Cure and Prevention Teleseminar. (2004) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Making Powerful Connections Teleseminar. (2004) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Local Market Dominance Teleseminar. (2003) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
How To Have Your Best Year Ever Teleseminar. (2003) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
How NOT to Lose the Sale to Price Teleseminar. (2003) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Mining for Prospects Teleseminar. (2002) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
How Different Are You? Teleseminar. (2002) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Getting the Appointment Teleseminar. (2002) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Close the Sale Teleseminar. (2002) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Creativity Teleseminar. (2001) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
C-Level Selling: Insider Secrets Teleseminar. (2001) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Customer Loyalty Live! Teleseminar. (2001) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Overcoming Holiday Objections Teleseminar. (2001) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Bids, Quotes, Proposals Teleseminar. (2000) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Buying Motives Teleseminar. (2000) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Asking Powerful Questions Teleseminar. (2000) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
The 12 Most Important Answersl Teleseminar. (2000) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Video/DVDs
Jeffrey Gitomer's Las Vegas Success Weekend. (2007) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
C-Level Secrets: Selling at the Highest Level. with Gerhard Geschwandtner. (2006) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
Little Red Book of Sales Answers iPod Video: 99.5 Real-World Answers. (2005) Charlotte, North Carolina: Buy Gitomer, Inc.
