To see more testimonials from each category click on [+] Michel, Wow! You were awesome and right on message for our convention. It could not have been better. Thank you for your contribution to our company's success. Mike Duffy What a fun-packed, inspirational talk you gave at the United Country convention. Thanks very much for sharing so many great ideas. I will try to implement as many as possible and have already successfully integrated one suggestion into my workday -- BREATHE! Mary Ellen McCue Hi Michel, We’ve heard nothing but positive comments regarding your keynote address…your message was perfect and dead on for this group. Thank you for coming to New Orleans!! Sincerely, Ashley Herman Thanks for an AWESOME presentation...not only was it valuable, it was timely as I am just getting started in building/promoting/speaking/marketing my business. Thanks Michel. Julie Henderson Michel Neray spoke at a volunteer dinner for The Learning Enrichment Foundation; a community based organization with 320 staff that weave together an elegant mix of programs and initiatives ranging from child care to settlement services, to language and skill training, to employment and social enterprises. The volunteers have all participated and supported new entrepreneurs in our community (a community struggling to get by). His presentation was relevant to our volunteers, relevant to our programming here at LEF, and relevant to the challenges of our community at large. He spoke of integrity - with integrity. From life experience. From thorough analysis. From compassion. Michel not only inspires - he leads from an elegant mix of thoughtfulness and heart and deep compassion. Authentic. Peter Frampton I was in the conference hall and i saw u . You was very good. Every one was very happy for your speak. thank you for come to this conference. We hope see u again, of course in Iran. Faezeh Farajpour Michel is a gem. He brings his best to every project he signs up for, delivering more and deeper than requested. He is a visionary leader and truly authentic in his interactions with others. I'm truly grateful for his talent and leadership. Shelly Frank I attended Michel's seminar during my visit to Israel in June 2009 and found it extremely helpful for any person in any position, but particularly for those who wish to run their own business and often dont realize how to position themselves best. In addition to my own learning, I was impressed by how quickly Michel's insight enabled him to identify the strengths of various professionals around me in the room and to provide them with critical guidance, which would be key to their success and satisfaction. I would strongly recommend attending Michels seminars and/or coaching, and having tasted that myself, I can easily relate to the other testimonials he has received. Oren Eliezer, PhD EE Hi Michel! I wanted to thank you for an absolutely amazing seminar yesterday! It was truly world class! Your insight and clarity is truly rare! What a gift you have! My friends, who are also business owners and attended with me, were floored. They have emailed me this morning to express their gratitude to me for having recommended your seminar, and to tell me of their many aha moments. So I'm a hero, thanks to you. And thanks to your presentation, I've gotten quite a few marketing ideas and insights myself! Wishing you continued success! Chris Mallman Michel is engaging and charismatic as a speaker and host. As our Master of Ceremonies for ICF-GTA's Prism Awards in June 2009 Michel demonstrated ease and confidence with his material, quick thinking on his feet with transitions and conclusions, and mostly, created a warm and comfortable environment for us to learn and laugh. Thank you Michel! Leslie Kennedy While listening to your beautiful lecture (on 21.6.2009) I suddenly realized, for the first time in my life, that most of the time (for 50 years, more or less!) I've been wasting my energies on trying to hide that I'm different, or special. I've also tried to avoid being special. That goes for everything, in private life and career. Now, after listening to you, I began believing in myself and my ability much more, which makes me much happier. I am also planning to present my lectures as special (as I believe they are) and stop trying to sell them as similar and resembling in features to other lectures. I'm looking forwards to see how it goes! I also noticed how your brilliant idea about 'your true differentiation' reflects Gause's Law: "In community ecology, the competitive exclusion principle, sometimes referred to as Gause's Law of competitive exclusion or just Gause's Law, is a theory which states that two species competing for the same resources cannot stably coexist if other ecological factors are constant. Either of the two competitors will always overcome the other which leads to either the extinction of one of the competitors or an evolutionary or behavioral shift towards a different ecological niche. As a consequence, competing related species often evolve distinguishing characteristics in areas in which they coexist. This aids in mate recognition, thus maintaining each species' superiority in exploiting slightly different ecological niches" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_exclusion_principle Thank you Michel. Your lecture came as a special gift for me at a very special week in my life. Your 'Essential Message'is miraculously already working for me and making wonders. Thank you from the depths of my heart, Liora Nethanel Dear Michel, On behalf of the ICF-GTA Coach Federation I would like to thank you for the substantial contribution you made to our Ninth Annual Prism Awards celebration. Based on all the feedback, this event was deemed to be a classic and professional in all ways. The gala set the bar higher than any of our previous celebrations of excellence. We fully expect to reap future rewards and attention from the coaching and corporate community as a result of the caliber of the evenings program. As Master of Ceremonies, you energized the room with your presence and your voice. We were especially delighted with the way you were able to bridge the many speakers and presenters. As liaison for the 2009 Prism Committee, I would also like to sincerely thank you for collaborative approach to helping us to achieve our goals including our ability to end on time! Please feel free to use the GTA-International Coach Federation chapter as a reference should you ever need one. We will highly recommend you. Sincerely, Brett McBurnie Dear Michel, I want to thank you personally... for your professionalism, your talent and your dedication to what you do. Your involvement as the MC at the Prism Awards 2009 for our organization had a profound effect on the level of professionalism for all of us, and Prism Awards have been elevated to a new level! With all my heart, Shelly Frank Michel, you exceeded my expectations with the way you emceed the Prism Awards event. I was initially skeptical about your ability to add your color commentary and stay within the tight schedule, but your professionalism, energy, warm sense of humor kept the event flowing wonderfully. That's not just me saying it -- that's also the feedback from the delegates. I was especially surprised to see that we ended pretty much on time despite schedule hiccups and the fact we started late. Thank you for helping us make it a great event. Colin Holbrow Michel: I just want to thank you for the marvelous way you handled the master of ceremonies at the 2009 ICF Prism Award Gala. Even though the program kept changing until minutes before it was to begin, you were professional, confident, entertaining (without stealing the show), and completely reliable. What really impressed me was the way you were able to bring up the energy level in the room by your presence and the way you spoke. I never before had such appreciation for the role of the emcee before last night. You were awesome. Thanks again for agreeing to work with us. It was a real pleasure to work with you. Brett McBurnie I have a background in branding, so figured I knew most of what I needed to know about finding and explaining your Unique Selling Point. And then Michel slapped me around the head with his brilliant work & processes to help you get to your essential message quickly and powerfully. Michael Bungay Stanier Michel Neray presented his mini-workshop "What Drives You Crazy Makes you Great" at our "Admit it. You're creative." evening program on behalf of World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15-21 (WCIW). I highly recommend Michel for his ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances, engage every person in the room, think - and present - way out of any box and for leaving participants with a positive attitude about themselves as well as specific tools for self-examination. Nellie Jacobs Michel's seminar are fun, engaging and highly enjoyable. He brings a keen sense of humour to the art of information transfer. In these days when everyone is short of time, Michel has a way of getting right to the heart of the issue. I highly recommend attending one of Michel's seminars. Daintry Springer Michel is a brilliant and talented speaker who generously shares his ideas and skills to benefit others. Working with him is an inspiring experience! Nabil Doss You rock with original and useful content! Stephanie Staples Michel is a terrific speaker who has a deep knowledge of his subject. I have watched him take audiences through complex marketing and branding issues and really convince them to take action. He's a supportive and delightful colleague. Chris Davidson Genuine. Welcoming. Helpful. Fun. Sincere. Giving. And of Course...Essential! Rich DiGirolamo, CAB Michel Neray is not only a deeply insightful subject matter expert, but also a dynamic speaker. I'd book him for my conference any time! Helen Wilkie His speech helped me to simplify my thoughts, thus simplifying my job. I'd never think about things that much simple, I always made them big for myself, so I had many problems to do them, but Michel's speech helped me to make my job easier and more interesting. Farid Moeinvaziri Michel is a man with integrity and a great message. He teaches practical ways to be successful, be real, while being happy. A great life recipe! Sandy Griffin Hi Michel, Just a quick note to say it's always nice to see you at HAPPEN, and I hope Jim books you for another presentation soon. You always do a great job for us! Greg Brown Michel is a 'passionista' around the message that defines you and your business. If you want to find the source, the reason, the purpose at the heart of why you do what you do and translate that into an even more powerful business message around your business - then Michel is the only man to turn to! Sean Weafer Michel is a cracker jack branding expert dedicated to the art and science of focusing our market position for greater prosperity. It is inspiring to hear him speak! Peter Davison Michel is an entertaining, energetic and thoughtful professional speaker. Joseph Palumbo Michel has a deceptively easy style of communicating with his audience which allows them to more easily discover what is so special about them - after all that is their "essential message". Mike Ogilvie Hi Michel, I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how much I appreciated that you were part of TheCoachMarket.com telesummit today I have heard quite a few comments that this was the best session of the week! Christiane Rivard Hi Michel, It is good that people change themselves but it is great if, like you, they are able to inspire change in others. You changed me just in an hour speech and showed me the ways of success. As soon as it is possible I will send notice to you of the positive changes I've implemented that you inspired! Thank you for everything. Arlen Tahmasian Michel, I saw you at the World Management Forum in Tehran. You are NO. 1! Arlen Tahmasian Dear Michel, Thank you so much for being with us in Aftabnet for this year's event. Your presence and your great lecture was so helpful for us and, through the feedback we have had by now, for our clients as well. We thank you from the bottom of our heart, wish you more success in your life and business and hope to cooperate with you again in the near future. Atussa Ghoreyshi Thank you so much for your great lecture in Aftabnet's advertising conference. It was very helpful and all our clients and attendees told us they liked your presentation very much. Banafshe Sadeghi Michel skillfully guided us in pinpointing the passion for what we do and then creatively transformed a handful of descriptive words into our unique message. Not only is Michel a marketing guru in his work as a consultant and coach, he also delivers content rich and enthusing keynote presentations. It has been a rewarding experience to work with Michel and I will gladly recommend his expertise to my professional network. Ulana Chabursky Michel Neray is both a great speaker, and great to work with. In my role as meeting planner for the Canadian Institute of Management (CIM) in Toronto, I found Michel to be highly professional. He arrived early at our event, delivered an excellent presentation and stayed afterward to answer questions. The audience loved him! If you need someone who is a great speaker, and also great to work with, I highly recommend Michel Neray. Mike Aoki We wanted our advisors to get a better understanding of their personal strengths. You gave us that. We wanted our advisors to learn how to leverage their strengths in their business. You gave us that. And you gave us much more than that -- you also gave us simple concepts that our advisors could use not just in their business but also in their everyday lives. And you gave us tools to help our advisors sell better right away. Six months after the conference our numbers are up --from all the feedback I received following the conference, you definitely had something to do with that! Great job -- thank you. Jaymie Bongard As a member of the Board for ICF-GTA (www.gtacoaches.com), I was asked to introduce Michel and participate in the wrap up of his presentation. In addition to generously providing relevant, timely and valuable information to our membership, he added a compelling and riveting extension to his teaching that touched me so deeply I was in tears during the close. I highly recommend Michel for any organization or individual looking for a compelling and relevant way to approach 'branding' in the next generation.....a MUST see! Shelly Frank Dear Michel, I want to personally thank you for your terrific presentation at Milana's Coaching Super Summit. I'm still trying to process the whole event, but what I can say for sure is that I'm so glad I was able to meet you and your lovely wife. I especially appreciated hearing your story about your Mom -- what a great way to honor her. I admire your success and I thank you for sharing your heartfelt wisdom with all of us who were fortunate enough to receive it. Joan Romeo Michel you are the best! Understanding my Essential Message has already helped me launch a brand new arm of my business that I spoke directly to a school principal about. I told you I'd keep you posted on the results of that, so here it is -- I did get that $10,000 contract. Here's why: when I spoke to the principal after your presentation, I was able to more clearly articulate to her my purpose for being there... my Essential Message. That was something I couldn't really put my finger on before and it made me nervous to even think about marketing my program. Now I'm looking forward to many more. Again, thanks so much! Kioni Carter If you want to grow your business - in good times or bad - you NEED Michel's message. He's a very special speaker and seminar leader that will change your business forever. Roger Harrop Dear Michel, Thank you for your exceptional workshop for our chapter on November 1st, 2008. There were a mixed group of people in attendance, and you accomodated them all, whether they were at the Professional level, Candidate level, or a new speaker. What was unique about your presentation was that you facilitated the learning to be very focused on the individual person. I have attended many workshops, but you have a special gift. You have exceptional facilitation techniques to help people self-discover, and your methodology gives them a learning experience that they will retain. You helped them to see how important it was to be specific when doing so. At the end of your workshop you provided everone an opportunity to ask a question that would help them. You answered all questions in such a way that each participant felt valued. Thank you on behalf of both Saskathcewan CAPS and myself. I left the room with knowledge that I will use in the future, and I believe all in attendance did as well. Pat Foley This is the second year we invited Michel to speak at the Coaching Super Summit, and for the second-year he was ranked by attendees as one of the top three speakers at the event. In fact, even days later, people in my mastermind group were still talking about the impact his presentation had on all of us. Milana Leshinsky I found this presentation to be exciting and informative. It was reaffirming and empowering, especially since I've had a handful of 'sneaking suspicions' that, up until this point, I've had a hard time articulating. Thanks. Ian McWalter Thank you for your terrific talk at the Professional Speakers Association convention. I was deeply touched and inspired by your story. So many of us find excuses for not being our best despite the safe, abundant environment in which we live. Its good to be reminded not to take our blessings for granted. Romilla Ready Surprisingly, I was on the tright track, but Michel showed me how to capitalize on my message to generate greater profitability. Michel not only delivered what he promised, he delivered it in spades! Carolyn Schur Your 60 minute session gave me such clarity that it gave me the momentum I needed, and I wanted you to know that inspiring and nothing short of amazing. Christiane St-Amour Rivard I learned to listen to what others say about me and that I am really, really, really good at what I do! The exercise helped me focus and see that what they've been saying is correct. Thanks! Irene Gaudet I learned a lot from your presentation. I will now really focus on my unique gift, use it to craft my essential message and re-tool my promotional material to reflect that message. Thank you. Phil Dyer, CFP, RLP Original - how often can you say that nowadays? Michel's essential message is that you have an essential message that will positively differentiate you from the crowded competition. If you already stand out from the crowd, Michel will help you to stay there - if you are stuck in the crowd - here is your escape route. Chris Barrow I learned that my core (essential) message is the foundation for my entire business. I'll continue to refine it until I have it "just right"! Thank you, Michel. Jacquie Damgaard, PhD When I focused on what made me crazy, I realized what I had been trying to articulate all along. Thanks Michel! Ellyn Enisman This is a great method to get to my core message! I was thrilled that by doing only the introduction to your marvellous method, you got my head thinking, and my thoughts focused so that I can start really honing in on my essential method. Brilliant. Thanks, Michel! Heather Markel, CPC Thank you Michel. It's nice to know I don't have to be everything to everybody - just be what I'm great at (it will bring me more joy anyway!) Fay Thompson I learned that I am really, really, really, really great at helping others to succeed, especially entrepreneurs. And so are you! Thanks! I'd love to bring you and your workshop to Israel. Shachar Perlman I want you to know that people have come to me with amazing feedback about your presentation. They were truly touched deeply and kept talking about you after you left. Milana Leshinsky Just heard you at the Coaching Super Summit... fantastic! Gregg Swanson; CPT, CMSC, CLSC, CLFC Thank you for speaking at our SOHO Oakville Women's meeting. The group loved you! What a fabulous, content-filled, and entertaining morning! The most common word to describe you that morning was "amazing!" Thank you for making our meeting such a tremendous success. Louisa Nedkov Wow! What a fantastic presentation you gave at our NSA chapter! You were the first speaker I booked because of meeting you at Camp NSA and I must admit, I was a little nervous since Id never heard you speak before. But not only were you the consummate professional through a difficult weekend of gas shortages, hurricanes, delays and changed arrangements, you were also upbeat, fun, flexible and informative. My chapter is still talking about your presentation a month later! The feedback that Im receiving is wonderful. Our members not only enjoyed the presentation but many of them actually implemented changes that you suggested during your program. Members felt that you gave them information that was real, practical, and easy to implement. Myself, I actually teach much of the same things you do and I was able to make one small change (only 3 words) to improve my essential message that has already impacted my business in a positive way and helped me to attract at least 1 new client since I implemented it just 3 weeks ago! I highly recommend Michel to speak at NSA chapters. As speakers, we arent always the best at recognizing our essential message. Michel will show your members how to ditch their pitch and make their essential message shine through. Raeus Cannon Excellent and inspirational! Your approach was logical, down to earth, understandable and easy to apply. In fact, I started to apply your techniques immediately and received positive results. Amazing! Thanks again! Debbie Baker-Longley THANK YOU! You were truly amazing yesterday. I can see why people rave about your programs. I would love you to speak to our Toronto group again...they would get tremendous value out of it. Louisa Nedkov Ba RNCP CPT CHt I have used various 'techniques' before, but have never been very happy with them. I'm really looking forward to using what I learned in your workshop today - it will really help me answer the question "What do you do?" Thank you. Liz Saunders I am now discovering (or getting closer to) my impact statement. Your tip about answering a question by ASKING a question that includes a scenario for my clients was excellent.Thanks Michel! Melissa Valentine I'm in the process of doing exactly what you're suggesting listening and learning from my clients. It comes naturally with residential clients, but after hearing you speak I now have the confidence to take the same approach with the corporate clients I'm just starting to target. Thank you. Clare Kumar Just thought I'd tell you how awesome I thought your seminar was. Loved the story with your mom and how I can relate my own line of work with my mom's contribution. Thanx for the contribution you make. Iris Benrubi Michel you were an awesome addition to our speaker line-up this year and a great facilitator for some of our sessions at the SOHO SME Business Conference & Expo! We received great feedback on your presentation and I want to thank you for bringing exceptional value to the event and to our attendees. Moe Somani Your presentation helped me ponder on who I am and what my business is. Your statement that my business and my life are one was very enlightening. Thank you! Loretta Hoi I havent taken any formal marketing courses, but am learning as I go. Your presentation helped me confirm that Ive been doing many things in line with your message. I know who I am already now I just need to merge that into my business. Thank you! Kathy Birkett Thank you Michel I am eager to put your tools to good use! Mandy Martin After hearing your presentation, I am going to stop using my usual sales pitch and start connecting with prospects the way you taught us to. Thank you! Marina Mironov I am very excited too that you are presenting/facilitating. You are always so clear, enthusiastic and make a fine contribution to people's thinking and their business. You also model so many other things that I hope people notice -- everything is always so professional -- yet the liveliness, fun & not taking ourselves so seriously is there too!!! Carrol Suzuki Thank you for coming to our chapter! I appreciate your time, talent, expertise and unique perspective. You did a great job. There was a nice balance between audience interactivity and discourse. Your handout rocks! You really helped me clarify my three-year vision, and for that I am grateful. David Humes Loved your Nashville visit! Thank you again for driving home the golden nuggets of good speaking...essential messages! Candace Asher As a fellow professional member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, I would wholeheartedly recommend Michel... he is passionate, professional and pulls no punches in his delivery or his engagement with his audience. Michel would be a great addition to your next event. Bob Michel is a dynamic speaker, a brilliant marketing mind, a detailed person and one of the good guys you'll meet out there. I totally recommend him and love his work. David Cohen I have struggled understanding just what it is about my business that compelled people to hire me. Marketing was painful, so most of the time I relied on referrals or word of mouth to get business. Now I know how to have a conversation that will drive results, and I have a clear message to tell people when they ask what I do. What can I say I love you, Michel! Youre a terrific speaker, and a terrific guy. Lea Brovedani Your session has helped focus me in the right direction. I may not have all the answers yet but now I know how to find them. Thanks! Mike Morrissey Wow! I learned what Im really passionate about, and how my services differ from those of professional organizers. This insight will make a huge difference in how I market myself and my Essential Message. Thank you! Lynn Fraser Your session helped me to realize that I need to stop trying to be everything to everybody, and instead focus on where I really want my business to go. From now on Ill be working smarter not harder! Dave Rodwell I loved it! Your workshop helped me identify many areas I need to work on, from speaking to clients to knowing who I am and what Im offering. I almost panic sometimes when people ask me what I do now I will master the art of asking questions and most importantly how to answer them! You are such a great speaker with great charisma. P.S. Your aura dances when you speak! Irene Martina Michel challenged me to dig deep into what it is that I do really well, and helped me unearth the hidden value in my business. Brilliant! Bob "Idea Man" Hooey I was finally able to put into words what Im really, really great at. Better yet, I can build my entire business model, website, cards and speaking topics around it! This was a really great way to start my public speaking career thank you so much! Terisa Adam Thank you so much for your presentation at CHMSE. Even before we get the feedback forms, we always know how well our members liked the speaker by how many handouts are left behind on the tables. At your event, I couldn't help but notice that almost everybody stayed right to the end -- and took their handouts with them. That's a tribute to how well you connected with the audience. Thanks again! Leanne Nicholl I thoroughly enjoyed Michel Neray's presentation during our association's lunch & learn. Every seat was filled to listen and learn. His style is fun and interactive. I was amazed at his ability to drive the message home. I left the session with a concrete plan to implement the great things I learned. Linda Stott As President of CAPS Edmonton, and on behalf of our members, I thank you for spending the day with us. The feedback I received from members was extremely positive. On a personal note, I must tell you that as a result of your presentation, I came to a moment of clarity about what I do and how I am really different from other consultants who work in my field. In fact, I discovered a way of branding what I do that helps potential clients quickly understand how I contribute to their success. Thanks for making this happen. Nelson Scott Thank you Michel! What a wonderful convention CAPS held in 2007. One of the highlights for me was the session you presented at the convention. It helped me identify my unique talents and abilities. In addition, I was able to focus on my core skills and the things that I do exceptionally well. These are the differentiating factors that account for my success in my professional and personal life right now. Thank you again for helping to sort through the words in order to find my essential message. Tamara Reis I've seen a lot of speakers on self-branding. In fact, I've been one myself and presented on the topic at the international conference of the International Coach Federation. So when I first bumped into Michel's work I was ready for some of the 'same old same old'. (Ironic how many speakers on branding all sound the same, no?). But when I sat in on his presentation at the CAPS National Convention, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised. The bottom line here? I don't speak about branding any more. And when people ask me to, I refer them to Michel. Michael Bungay Stanier Michel, we are so much quicker to come up with the negative messages vs positive ones; and I feel you harnessed this tendency very effectively in your 'What Drives You Crazy' workshop at the convention. Starting with what I don't like was a very effective way of tackling the issues. And I loved how we then turned things around and uncovered what our special talents and gifts are. In fact, I am going to suggest that we run through the exercise for our own company when we do our planning session for 2008. I think it is very valuable in solidifying our branding. Your message is very powerful and impactful, and it speaks for itself. I felt your heart was very much involved in delivering your message. Whoever is fortunate enough to attend your sessions will be coming away with very valuable information. Sheila Andersen Thanks, Michel. I finally understand that I need to get to the 'core' of what drives me crazy in order to find the unique skills and personal process I bring to all I do. Robert Monte Through Michel's excellent exercises, I realized how important it is to make digging deeper an ongoing process. I only wish Michel's presentation could have been even longer! Carrol Suzuki Michel has the most novel approach to marketing and sales that Ive ever heard, and Ive been to quite a few training programs. It is so practical that I will immediately put to use what I heard. To top it all off, his delivery made me laugh until I cried. His sessions are not to be missed. Helene Desruisseaux Michels message was extremely well received: professional, innovative, and highly relevant to coaches lives and success. Not only is he very knowledgeable, he keeps the audiences attention with an entertaining and interactive style. Organizing Committee, 2007 ICF Toronto Conference Through Michels presentation, I learned to think positively and look at what I do well. Sometimes I get so serious about my job that I forget why I came here. Thanks for the reminder. Vicki Pinkerton Michel's presentation was an integral part of my conference, and he over-delivered! I already knew that he was well-known for his great speaking and entertaining style, but this week I experienced him first hand. What a treat! Michel is an amazing story-teller and provokes a great level of thinking in the audience. He's an absolute must addition to a conference whose goal is to shift people to the next level. Milana Leshinsky Michel Neray is one of the best speakers I have ever heard. Irene Becker You blew me and the room away at the Visa Conference! The stuff you teach and do is so cutting edge. David Cohen Amazing presentation Monday. Thank you!! I received so many positive comments from members...and they want you back! Sue Lacher Just a quick line to say how much I appreciated your message this morning. I am always interested in understanding how people think so that I can better communicate and thus accomplish my tasks. Understanding the need to get people out of their internal noise is step one. Now I will continue working on effective ways that I can make it happen. Jake N. Floris It was great meeting you at the Visa conference, I enjoyed your seminar and probably took more out of that 45 minutes than I did from the rest of the day. Thanks again! Louis Trahan Please pass along our thanks to Michel for a dynamic and insightful presentation last evening to the AIP group (AIBC Toronto). Lee Weisser Thanks again for your wonderful presentation. It was very freeing for me personally, and I know it was for attendees as well. There hasnt been such a buzz going after a presentation in a very long time. Thats a sure sign you connected with our members and got them to change some of their deeply help beliefs about themselves. Elizabeth Paddon Michel you were outstanding! What a relief to get some practical advice about being natural and authentic at networking. Thank you! Darla Campbell Michel, in addressing our breakfast Rotary Club, you were energetic, clear and uplifting. You practice what you promote ... clarity of message, focusing on the other person, and letting your personality out to play. Thanks Michel for one of my most memorable Rotary Club's presentations ... one I will remember for a lifetime. Bruce Norman, CFP, CSA We always look to a speaker that brings value to our members -- we want them to walk away from our meetings feeling that they have learned something practical that they can impliment in their business immediately. Michel's presentation to our WHO chapter accomplished just that. Eva Sachs & Marilyn Cade Great energy and engaging speaker!!! I'm looking forward to implementing your suggestions. Helen Cordeiro Im in the process of re-thinking my website, and your talk was both clear and timely... Very enjoyable, thank you! Zora Jackson A pleasure to hear your presentation last Wednesday evening. I was particularly taken - when we are asked 'What do you do?' by a prospect or by anybody for that matter - by the dual nature of your suggested communicative process, i.e. the symbiotic interaction of both the directive and non-directive elements. The net effect on the prospect being the "gentille" experience of feeling accepted and validated while at one and the same time enabling us to actively align their essential angst to what it is that we essentially do, listen to our repsonse and then to intrinsically seek out our solution for their problem. Quite brilliant and very powerful indeed. Gary Burge I recently attended this years first AIC meeting and learned that you will be doing a presentation there in the near future. That is great news! Am looking forward to listening to you again and finding another one of your gems! Hurray! Oleg Kuzin I don't think I have ever heard it put so simply. Michel helped each person in the room reach the ah-ha moment about their essential message. He was real, funny and engaging and go to the heart of the matter and came out the other side with results. Deanne Kelleher Michels presentation on networking at our Toronto Board of Trade event provided attendees with a fresh and unique approach to communications. We were all able to immediately benefit from Michels practical exercises and fun games by putting our new skills into practice at the event. As one of the volunteer organizers of the event, I received very positive feedback from our members and guests. Karen Farley Mullen Your session was great. It gave us all a new way to think about our 'Essential Message' and the way we communicate with prospective clients - even those we meet in social settings. Thank you! Kim Lawton I want to thank you for your presentation to our BizNet group. You showed wonderful professionalism in the way you jumped into the breech when we needed a speaker at the last minute. I was also impressed with the excitement our members expressed when they heard you would be presenting. Your appearance contributed to the large turnout we enjoyed that night. The presentation itself was polished and our members felt they gained a great deal from the skills you shared. I saw people using the messages you helped them develop while they were networking during the second half of the program. That's a sure sign you've reached your target! Thomas Moss On behalf of IMPACs executive and members, I would like to convey our heartfelt thanks for your speaking engagement. Your informative session provided the group with a great start to the day, and you were able to examine an area most people have difficulty with in an entertaining and instructive way. I received many positive comments from our members. Annie Zurakowsky Your presentation "What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great" was especially well received by our members... your considerable experience in public speaking was clearly evident in the way you took a difficult subject and addressed it in a captivating and enjoyable fashion. Jim Brown Your talks here were always motivating and energizing, and I received many comments from people who attended the conferences that they were able to take a lot of valuable advice with them back to the studios. Margot Livingston You did a GREAT job and I shower you with kudos! Don Penny Your presentation was excellent, and this was echoed on many of the attendee conference evaluations...Thank you again for an outstanding presentation and presence (at our conference), and for responding to all my requests leading up the event with good humor and cheer! Sharon Malone Your talk was very interesting and instructional not only did I hear positive feedback at the end of the session, I have also received a letter of thanks from one of the participants. The attendees learned a lot from you and so did I! Rebecca McKenzie Your Dr. Credibility tool is AWESOME! Because of the support we get in class I had the confidence to go out and use this tool with several people right away. I think I've found my calling, and the outcome for my clients was way beyond what I could've imagined. I used it in a session with a woman who had been trying for a year to figure out the answer to, "what do you do?" In an hour and a half using that tool, I gave her that and a whole platform to stand on!! This stuff really works! (And you should see the testimonial she gave me!!) Kristen Beireis I have been a student of Michel's material online for some years now. His expression "distill your essential message" is a power phrase for me. It doesn't matter if you are preparing a presentation or setting up an advertisement online or on the street. Michel's advice applies. I've been in sales a long time and sold with some of the best on the planet, it takes a good man to impress me. Michel does that. Robert Polan Though I've learned a lot during the Certification program, I am learning so much more from you as a person and coach than I expected. One of the key learnings is to give of yourself in the way that you so beautifully and generously do. Imagine if we all gave like that - the world would be a much more peaceful and harmonious place. So thank you...big time! Ryina Chhabra We've worked with many other copywriters and marketing folks who think they help their clients define their differentiation, but they really don't go very deep. I've seen you in action with our clients - and I continue to be amazed by how quickly and precisely The Essential Message approach works to uncover the true core of the company's differentiation. It gives me a strong foundation and inspiration to design from – it's incredibly powerful.' Faith Seekings Michel, I needed a push to get me going and market my "unique" abilities in my real estate business. I never advertised before and I wasn't sure what I would get out of the session with you. As the Clarity Package session progressed you began to pull out my difference or differentiation that I naturally have. The work we did together has allowed me to develop a comprehensive marketing and action plan that has launched my business to the next level. Thanks -- I would be happy to tell anyone to do a Clarity Package with you, as you really have a talent of bringing out people's hidden gifts. Phil Beecher Michel, Thank you for a fantastic 2-day Intensive. I started the program not knowing what to expect, and came away having made a major decision regarding the focus of my business. The unique thought-provoking exercises you led us through, as well as the interaction with the other participants gave me fresh perspectives. Thanks to your insights, I had "traveled a great distance" by the end of day 2. I was particularly delighted with the EM card as you were able to articulate so well and so quickly the essence of what I do. I have followed up the program by joining the Bull Pen, where, with the assistance of you and the other members, I can excitedly continue to develop the work I started during the Intensive. The first Mastermind session was more than worth the price of admission! Ida Shessel I personally have seen marketing firms come into a company for a full month, charge ten thousand dollars and don't accomplish half of what we accomplished in the EM Intensive. This process is amazing! Michele Farley Unlike other corporate coaching programs I have participated in, we walked away from The Essential Message Intensive with tangible deliverables that are already helping our business move forward and fulfill our mission. The experience has opened our eyes and put a jump start on good things to come for FCS. On a more personal note, I find it really unbelievable that the process has even affected the way I think... I noticed the "personal and specific" thing has really stuck with me -- even my kids didn't know what hit them! Beth Harvey As a successful business owner for several years, I didn't think anyone could help me define my message. But after participating in the Essential Message Intensive, I was amazed at what I learned about myself and business! Michel, the clarity you provided will set us up very well for the new year. I highly recommend this process to every business owner -- you will benefit from this experience today, tomorrow and for years to come. I'll be back for more. Michele Farley Dear Michel, I have to admit, before the workshop I wondered how we'd be able to get results in a single day. But seeing you understanding our business after just two minutes was an amazing experience. You helped us drill down to the true value we offer our clients in a way that not only helps communicate it clearly to our clients -- it helps us appreciate it more deeply ourselves as well. I got home so excited and full of emotions that I couldn't even tell my wife what was it all about. Truthfully, I am usually very cool about business stuff, and I haven't felt that kind of excitement since I completed The Landmark Forum course. You have opened a hidden door for me and allowed me to enter a whole new domain. Thank you. Zeev Ben Zvi Michel, we have tried many, many times to come up with a way to describe what we do, and frankly, I didn't believe we could achieve it in a such a short time, especially in a group with other businesses. But yesterday was extremely powerful. I came into the office this morning and felt like I had an entirely new business in my hands, with endless opportunities for breakthroughs. Not only can I now describe my true purpose that drives the business in one sentence, I also have a product name I can trademark, and a clear, tangible vision that all our employees can support. Wow! David Elshtein Good morning Michel, I would like to thank you for a wonderful afternoon we had yesterday. The feedback I personally got from some of our team members was fantastic! Yaniv Fouks Michel, your Reverse Benefit Analysis technique is incredible. In the Clarity Session, you gave me a different perspective of my business turned upside down and sideways. It clarified what I dont want in my business and then helped me build what I really do want with focus and clarity. The session was intense, powerful, thought provoking and at times painful and absolutely well worth it. It left me with an exhilarating feeling of what to put into action. Thank you. Lisa Leitch, CSP MAS I wanted to pass on some of the reactions Ive been getting to my EM card: wow these look so good, do you sell them for $5 each?" oh, do you work for this [big] company now? (to which I have to respond, nope, this is my company) youve taken business cards to a whole new level great tag line, so how is what you do different from team-building? (which is the perfect question for me to differentiate myself and deliver my Essential Message) you really know how to market yourself So, many many thanks! Im so proud of the card. Having this is a competitive advantage for any company, so I can fully recommend it to others. Now Im just afraid of the time when everybody gets one and mine wont stand out as much anymore! Fernando Lopez, CPCC I have a background in branding, so figured I knew most of what I needed to know about finding and explaining your Unique Selling Point. And then Michel slapped me around the head with his brilliant work & processes to help you get to your essential message quickly and powerfully. Michael Bungay Stanier Michel is a great communicator and comes up with unique and creative concepts from a totally new fresh perspective on your business - whether it's a service or a physical product. Dmitry Buterin Michel has been elemental in the branding and marketing of the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada. He has been an energizing presence, and excelled at helping us distill our vision. Aside from benefiting from Michel's expertise, we also benefit from working with someone who cares, not just about the message, but also the overall success of the organization. We are fortunate to work with him. Anshula Chowdhury We began our session with Michel totally unsure about...well, everything. Our team has many strengths, but marketing & branding are not two of them. We didn't even know what questions to ask, let alone how to create a communications strategy. Michel's focus systematically unearthed what was at the core of our uncertainty. In one night, we travelled further as an organization and team than we had in months before, and we finally could visualize a destination. Armed with a rallying vision, we are now not only more apt to deliver our message, we are also more unified and energized as a venture. Assaf Weisz Michel is creative, enthusiastic and successfully entrepreneurial. We've worked together on numerous projects. I see Michel's greatest strength being creative marketing/ branding with a natural bent to sales building. His 'Essential Message' approach can help build businesses by honing marketing position with practical applications! Cheryl Sylvester Michel is a 'passionista' around the message that defines you and your business. If you want to find the source, the reason, the purpose at the heart of why you do what you do and translate that into an even more powerful business message around your business - then Michel is the only man to turn to! Sean Weafer Another testimonial for you! I have been doing some heavy cold calling over the last 2 weeks and the response to the new messaging/branding has been very positive. Yesterday, I spoke with a business owner who said he gets so many calls and marketing pieces from Advisors that he always ignores them, but he actually read mine and thought it differentiated me from the rest. It resonated with him. That was my goal in going through this process...thank you. Francesco Coccimiglio The past three months in the Bull Pen have been a great deal of fun, and Ive learned so much. It is so wonderful to have clarity on my niche, the value I bring and the business structure needed for a seven-figure coaching business. Your clarity process was key to starting off with a solid foundation and on which to build the framework. I feel like Ive graduated with my undergrad degree and am now working on my masters. Marie Guthrie Michel skillfully guided us in pinpointing the passion for what we do and then creatively transformed a handful of descriptive words into our unique message. Not only is Michel a marketing guru in his work as a consultant and coach, he also delivers content rich and enthusing keynote presentations. It has been a rewarding experience to work with Michel and I will gladly recommend his expertise to my professional network. Ulana Chabursky Michel, your Clarity Session was just what I needed to understand what I do incredibly well that is highly valued by my clients. The most amazing part was the transformation of my message and process into Workshops, VIP Clubs, Key Note speeches and much more. My 1st keynote a few weeks later generated a long line of people afterwards wanting to learn more definitely a first - and with 6 figure revenue potential! What a thrill it is that my business is now on a solid foundation and the message sells itself! Marie Guthrie Original - how often can you say that nowadays? Michel's essential message is that you have an essential message that will positively differentiate you from the crowded competition. If you already stand out from the crowd, Michel will help you to stay there - if you are stuck in the crowd - here is your escape route. Chris Barrow Michel initiates a process that is really counterintuitive. Most marketing/branding programs begin with a target market and then build a marketing strategy around that group. In a Clarity Session, an intense inside out process generates great ideas and innovative strategies that you may already be utilizing in your business, but you may not be allowing them to define what your business is about and who your business is really geared towards. I would highly recommend a Clarity session to any business person or organization. Just be ready for the intensity, the surprises, and the commitment to executing on the strategy after the Clarity Session is over. Francesco Coccimiglio Michel Neray's insights lead to breakthrough results. In just one meeting with Michel, I gained a powerful epiphany that changed my company's direction. Michel's advice is a strategic advantage for any business. Mike Aoki Working with Michel was a very useful exercise for me. With his guidance I was able to determine a new path that will take me to the next stage in my career. The Bull Pen will keep me on track as I move forward on that new path. Thank you Michel. Kaye Parker For an operation of our size, people say you're doing well if you add twelve million dollars in assets per year. Since doing the Essential Message Clarity Package, we added significantly more than that benchmark in assets to our business -- but instead of achieving that in twelve months, we did it in three! A significant factor in this achievement was the focus we gained from the Essential Message process.
Mark Parlee The way you draw on your experience with other organizations and apply it was very helpful. You were careful not to push too much on me but to go at my speed. And you're a pretty good guy to spend time with too - it was a pleasure dealing with you. Bob Cherniak The Clarity Package session I did with you helped me make a major shift in how I think, describe and position myself. I used to think primarily in terms of the category I work in -- which is non-differentiating. Now I focus on the problem I solve for my clients -- which points directly to the unique solution I offer. I can also see how I can use this new position to create and offer unique programs. The world needs more clarity - and you certainly bring it out! What's more Michel, you're just plain fun to work with. How often can you get things done and have a darn fine time of it, too?! Patricia Katz Michel,
Theresa Dowsett, CHRP Initially, we were skeptical that messaging would make such a big difference and we questioned whether we should allocate our budget to The Essential Message.
Paul McVeigh As a marketing strategist, I know that core messaging is the basis for everything I do with my clients. If we don't get this part right, it's awfully difficult to get the rest right. That's why I called in Michel and the Essential Message team to help me with a client I just started working with.
Neville Pokroy Our company has been in business for twenty years and we've been successful based on our personal efforts. But when we wanted to move into a bigger market, we realized we had very little in our marketing library to show for our efforts.
Judy Adler We were originally thinking of using the in-store video that you wrote the script for only in new stores. It worked so well, however, we decided to roll it out to all stores internationally. Our store managers have told us that it is the best piece of sales communication we have ever given them -- and the positive feedback continues to roll in everyday. For the first time in our corporate history, not only do our customers have a clear understanding of what we offer, but more importantly, all of our sales people and front line staff -- including delivery people -- now help to communicate our core messages consistently. Thank you Michel. Brent Atkinson Our new trade show booth has all the Essential Message elements you created for our brochure. Thank you for your smart, creative, hard work. Phil Neray The brochure you helped us develop is really excellent. Thank you. Ron Ben-Natan To be honest, we were skeptical that the Essential Message approach and specifically the Clarity Package would make that much of a difference. We knew we needed copywriting help but we werent sure about the consulting that went along with it. Well ... the truth is that we are now getting three times the response from our direct mail, and the response from our emails has gone up by 500%!! The net result is that our cost of new client acquisition has been slashed by a factor of four. Those kinds of results make both the bean counter in me, as well as the marketer in me, really happy. And, what we appreciate just as much is the fact that your team has helped us develop new and creative strategies to implement in our business. Thank you! Raymond Aaron Working with a list thats one-tenth the size compared to what other strategic partners had, you managed to bring in FIVE times the sales! Im very impressed my friend but I also know the quality of your work, so it didnt surprise me one bit! Daniel Saintjean As a global company with 22 offices around the world, weve hired copywriters before, but working with your company gave us more than simply good copy. The Essential Message approach enabled us to achieve something weve never been able to do get the entire company to rally around a singular, powerful corporate positioning. More important, The Essential Message was instrumental in helping us become aware of our core strengths and differentiation, and what our customers value most about working with us. And, your team of copywriters continues to help us turn that position into compelling content for our sales and marketing materials. Michel, your company specializes in exactly what we need, and I would think there are a lot of organizations like us who would benefit from The Essential Message. What is also very important is that we experienced very positive communication; all the employees of the company are very customer-oriented and flexible, and in close cooperation we achieved the best results in our projects. Aliona Geckler The guru is Michel Neray. He's considered by his 'almost peers' to be peerless. Translation: he's the best at what he does. Daniel Saintjean and Laurel R. Simmons Thanks for the new tag line you helped us develop. I know you tried to get us to do all the work but it was your genius that popped the tag line. Im also glad we took your advice to stick with it, because its only now after a year that we see how well it supports our sales and marketing efforts. Both we and our clients love it! Stuart Morley Michel, you are a genius! Your edits resulted in more than triple the response we normally get! There are really only 2 ways to do more business online one is to get your offer out to more people and the second is to improve your conversion ratio. You greatly improved my conversion ratio! I have already recommended you to my friends and associates, and I would recommend you to anyone who is looking for better response from their sales and marketing. Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP We all have to listen to Michel Neray - its critical that we do. He knows how to help us perfect the way that we move from obscurity to visibility in our marketplace. Chris Barrow Your help in writing the letter and designing the checklist helped us achieve close to a 5% success rate, when in fact, we were only hoping for about 1%. Thank you! Allan Blatt We contacted Michel to help us work through a decision making logjam. With skill, sensitivity and ease he led our management team through a creative process that yanked the answer from our collective minds. We should have called Michel sooner. Jed Goldberg As president of a company that specializes in sales prospecting and setting up sales meetings, I know that the script can make or break our results. Without the right message, we put in a lot of effort for little results. But, when the Essential Message is right, results skyrocket. Thats why I recommend that all our clients take the Essential Message Workshop first. Carrie Simpson I was somewhat skeptical about the importance of creating The Essential Message, but it quickly forced us to focus on what the message and benefits really were. By creating The Essential Message first, were we able to quickly develop a solid first draft of the brochure that needed little tweaking. Steve Kreth I had a phone meeting with a new prospect in an hour with a very demanding senior executive. I had one shot to catch this person's attention and I'd be out if I didn't masterfully guide the conversation from the very beginning. Marie Guthrie That was an awesome coaching session in the Bull Pen!!! I came to the session not knowing what direction our conversation would go in but knew I had to trust the process. What I had after 15 minutes with you was a solid directional focus to take my business to the next level. Wow! Thanks Michel! Pierrette Raymond Michel is a 'passionista' around the message that defines you and your business. If you want to find the source, the reason, the purpose at the heart of why you do what you do and translate that into an even more powerful business message around your business - then Michel is the only man to turn to! Sean Weafer I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you how much I appreciate you and your expertise. I have been a fan of yours since Milana Leshinsky introduced me to you at her Coaching Super Summit in 2008. I recently bought your "Don't Take Our Word for It. Take Theirs." It is brilliant. It takes a topic we all think we understand or think is simple and shows us just how rich and deep the topic is. Yet at the same time you make it simple to implement in our businesses. Lia Allen The past three months in the Bull Pen have been a great deal of fun, and Ive learned so much. It is so wonderful to have clarity on my niche, the value I bring and the business structure needed for a seven-figure coaching business. Your clarity process was key to starting off with a solid foundation and on which to build the framework. I feel like Ive graduated with my undergrad degree and am now working on my masters. Marie Guthrie Michel, I really find the work you do very interesting, and I love that I'm asking myself different questions. I got present today as to how much I feel your support with all the tools and direction you are giving me. I'm a bit on overload with so much newness, AND it all feels right. Lori Bateman Hi Michel, Here's a recent 2 1/2 minute live segment that I did on Channel 5 News in Boston last week. Thank you for all that you have done in our journey together to make this happen...things you may not even be aware of...the impact you have had! YOU have inspired me! http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/17981766/index.html Nancy Feth Great job Michel your stuff is excellent! Even though I havent gone through everything on the website, the clarity of my message is already starting to improve, and the feedback Ive been getting on it is great. People say they understand my business better, and Im developing a better message for my target market. Im looking forward to getting through more of the exercises! Jeffrey Doyle Michel, even though you don't think you do "coaching" and call it something else, what you do is actually really good coaching. I spend a lot of time looking at other coaches and thinking Im very different, and then not being able to really articulate why Im different. The Mastermind Call was really useful for starting that process off and I found that exciting. Thanks! Rob Rave At the breakfast club networking event I went to yesterday, I used what I learned in The Bull Pen. Three people came up to me and said it was the clearest I have ever described my company, and one person wants to talk to me about signing up. Yes, the EM approach really works. Jeffrey Doyle Your workshop made me aware of my need to focus, and your process helps me to do just that. I have purchased audio CDs of Monopolize your Marketplace, and I have found them helpful. Your exercises are taking me to a new level. Instead of differentiating my business, I am differentiating myself. Instead of my passion fuelling my talents, my talents are fuelling my passion. Thats the added value I receive from you. Jeffrey Hosick Hi Michel, I enjoyed the Bull Pen Conference call today. Thanks for your help in moving the clouds. Jeffrey Doyle Working with Michel was a very useful exercise for me. With his guidance I was able to determine a new path that will take me to the next stage in my career. The Bull Pen will keep me on track as I move forward on that new path. Thank you Michel. Kaye Parker The clarity I have received so far through your Essential Message process is priceless. It really helped me to get very clear about how I can get out into the world to share my "essential messages" through the songs I write and stories I tell. Thank you! Marilyn Rose Hey Michel, Things are rockin out here. Lots of momentum. Thanks for being such a great mentor, coach and rock star. Marco Iafrate I read a lot of books and I also took a branding course, but nothing seemed to help me actually bring in business. Since joining the Bull Pen, I now have an Essential Message that brings in clients. In fact, within a couple of months, I landed my first client at twice the hourly rate I was getting previously. Cheryl Scoffield Michel showed brilliant insight into helping me define what's different and better about me and my firm. After years of struggle in trying to define what I do, I now know why clients should hire my services rather than my competitors'. More importantly, my clients know it... John Corr What I appreciate about Michel is his ability to be concise and practical in working through tough issues, while still maintaining balance with a good sense of fun ! As a new Bull Pen member I have a lot of work to do, and it was great to converse with other Bull Pen members who are also growing with Michel. Elaine Froese Michel, thanks for your advice. I finally got my finger out and launched a 40 minute audio with downloadable mini-workbook Google ME! how to build your on line personal brand in 10 easy action steps. I then took them to a few speaking gigs and pitched it at $39.50 on the web site and $20 back of the room. And the best part is I am getting between 25 and 50% of the room buying!!! Thats all extra revenue that I was never getting before. Thanks again. Paul Copcutt Dear Michel, thank you so much. You consistently deliver more value than I expect. Claudia Gonzales The Bull Horn call was really helpful. There was a wide range of people on the call and the diversity of the topics enabled everyone to walk away with something. I for one, definitely have a game plan for my meeting tomorrow. Next day addendum: I used the Essential Preparation Worksheet and made the call. She agreed that we should meet and suggested that she pull her VP into the meeting -- perfect... a decision maker! And, even better, the second person I contacted got back to me as well and wants to connect tomorrow or early next week! A lot of success from just a single Bull Horn call!!! Thanks!! Karole Sutherland I made $7,000 in my new business coaching practice since I joined the Bullpen. Of all the help I had, you've helped me get my essential message honed most powerfully in my 60 seconds, workshops, teleclasses, and newsletters. They are confident, clear, and relevant. I would not have had the same results without you, Michel. That's why I send my clients to you. You are the best I know at this. Bess McCarty Thanks again for helping me move out of my comfort zone and see how to market my skills and expertise authentically. Thats really what has made the difference for me your ideas are ones I feel comfortable doing even though it is moving me into unknown territory. Your ideasmake me feel that I am genuinely looking to provide a needed and valuable service for people. And that is what connects to me on an authentic level. Marketing and business development will still remain on my list of more difficult things to do but I can see myself coming up with ideas and approaches that are comfortable and natural. So thanks for your support and your interesting ways of helping me learn how to do marketing and business development the Karole way. Karole Sutherland Thanks again for an amazingly valuable session tonight. I feel totally energized and jazzed about all the possibilities for my practice. And, I learned something else it is important to hire a coach who knows about the topic. I have been coached on my stuckness around marketing my coaching services and dont have much to show for all the effort that has been applied to the problem. But sitting in the room tonight literally moved my thinking from gloom Ill never solve this to WOW! I cant wait to get started. The lesson in this for me is more than just about marketing and business development. Its about the value my experience can bring to my clients because I have been where they are. Focusing on a niche that exploits my skills, expertise and experience in biotech truly does serve my clients. Your expertise was essential in helping to frame the right questions as well as giving me great ideas to get me thinking about what I can do with what I know. Many, many thanks. Karole Sutherland What I got from you on the last Bullpen call was the confidence that people *are* looking for exactly what I provide, and as I hone my own Essential Message, I will attract and retain those people. And here was a demonstration of that actually happening, right in front of me! Alexandra Macqueen Michel, your work has gotten me more effective in communicating what I do. I've been asked to speak, given referrals, and more. Thank you for your wonderful work! Bess McCarty I am extremely excited to work together. Your energy, passion and ability to call people forth is fantastic! Nancy Feth Last weeks Bull Pen conference call really opened my eyes and changed my whole way of thinking about the challenges I help my clients with. I have been focusing on MY challenges and not THEIRS very insightful. Having the opportunity to hear how others are meeting their clients needs is very helpful. I love your direct and to-the-point approach. You have the right questions to get me to think of the answers and you never mess around with them. While they may not always make me comfortable, in my hectic lifestyle, scheduling a few minutes with you is sure to get the results I need. Thanks!! Sharon Skaling Thank you very much, Michel. I've enjoyed your enthusiasm, humor, and expertise! Thanks too for being a role model of how to teach in bite-size steps and fun, simple ways so we can all get it. The Bull Pen makes it do-able for busy people.
Bess McCarty At a convention I attended recently, the response I got when I used the Essential Message approach you suggested really worked! Several prospects expressed a genuine interest in setting up a meeting -- that blew me away! Evelyn Budd Not only did being in the Bull Pen help me create a clear message for my business, it also gave me the personal confidence that came with being absolutely clear about my strengths and unique difference. Whats more, I love being part of the Bull Pen community. Connecting with Michel was and still is inspiring. Tzabia Siegel, BAPhEd, CHN I have gotten so much benefit out of the Bull Pen program. Just one indication of that happened this past week, when I received calls from two potential clients who in the past would not probably have resulted in anything. But this time, I turned both calls into business. More importantly, I felt totally natural about it! Joanna Jordan The workshop really helped me develop my collateral -- it's so much better now; in fact you can see the transition from the pdf to the word doc as evidence to that. Kudos to you, dude! Paul Goldenberg As a musician, it is so easy to falll into the kind of thinking that makes one feel unappreciated or unimportant. What a wonderful discovery it is to find out that by meeting my clients needs, so many aspects of my business will fall into place. I have a lot of homework to do! Thank you for helping me see things in such a completely different manner than I could ever have seen on my own. Joanna Jordan Thanks for the new tag line you helped us develop. I know you tried to get us to do all the work but it was your genius that popped the tag line. Im also glad we took your advice to stick with it, because its only now after a year that we see how well it supports our sales and marketing efforts. Both we and our clients love it! Stuart Morley Michel, I just wanted to let you know that the Bull Pen sessions have been a great way to help me focus and grow my business. They have really helped my company focus our marketing efforts; and the results are really started to show. More than that, its really nice to work with other entrepreneurs and very bright people for feedback and validation. Paul Goldenberg Michel is one of those rare professionals who knows what they're talking about and whose generous spirit helps him share that knowledge with others so that they can prosper. My Internet business has evolved to the point that my web site can make the first page on Internet search engines, even though it is still a fledgling operation. And that is out of 37.7 million other competitive sites. Now THAT is an Essential Message that is working! Anna Luca Im embarrassed to say how much money I spent with some of the better known sales & marketing gurus and all I got was lots of EGO and two bookshelves full of audio and video tapes that were now putting on eBay. My tapes of Bull Pen calls and Laser Calls are worth a ton more -- and cost a whole lot less. Since joining the Bull Pen, weve done a total overhaul of our materials that we actually feel great about. Perhaps most importantly, what weve gained from the program has helped us work much, much better as a team and were steadily getting more of the leads we want. Jerry McNellis Working on my Essential Message has given me greater clarity around what I do and who I do it for. The proof is in the results -- my revenue has gone up by 15%! Gail Voisin I loved your Bull Pen workshop! I now see how traditional marketing is stifling... your Essential Message approach is a lot more fun, creative and, yes, impactful! Marney Kaye Now that I'm finally back at my desk, I can get around to telling you how impressed I was by your workshop. It is easily the best and most useful workshop I've ever attended. I was impressed by everything -- your content, your delivery, your take home package and yes, even the participants. It has greatly energized me. Thanks so very, very much. Anna Luca I joined The Essential Message Bull Pen community about 4 months ago when my business had stalled and was on the brink of transformation. Since working with Michel, my messages are much clearer (as is my value proposition), and I now have more business than I can handle. I guess that says it all! Kelli Richards I have gone through a lot of sales training and coaching in the past 2 years, and couldnt figure out why none of it seemed to click. The Essential Message Workshop gave me the piece that I had been missing. Michel, you are an excellent, spirited and ethical facilitator. Janet Wilcox Despite being a successful consultant, Ive been struggling to get my companys story straight for 6 years. By the end of the first day of the workshop, I had a totally clear idea of the true value I provide to my clients. Now, when I talk to prospects, I am much more confident and effective! Stuart Morley Your Dr. Credibility tool is AWESOME! Because of the support we get in class I had the confidence to go out and use this tool with several people right away. I think I've found my calling, and the outcome for my clients was way beyond what I could've imagined. I used it in a session with a woman who had been trying for a year to figure out the answer to, "what do you do?" In an hour and a half using that tool, I gave her that and a whole platform to stand on!! This stuff really works! (And you should see the testimonial she gave me!!) Kristen Beireis I have been in sales for over thirty five years, made millions of dollars worth of agreements for a wide variety of products and services. Believe me when I say Michel is right on target with 'Everything Begins With A Conversation'. Robert Polan I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you how much I appreciate you and your expertise. I have been a fan of yours since Milana Leshinsky introduced me to you at her Coaching Super Summit in 2008. I recently bought your "Don't Take Our Word for It. Take Theirs." It is brilliant. It takes a topic we all think we understand or think is simple and shows us just how rich and deep the topic is. Yet at the same time you make it simple to implement in our businesses. Lia Allen Michel, I did your virtual workshop today and the results were stupendous. I now have three razor sharp key messages about what I do and have ditched all the old claptrap Id written before. Ive already done a new flyer for new clients based on what I learned from you. Thanks... to say the least!
Chris Roycroft-Davis I wanted to thank you for your amazing virtual workshop "What Drives You Crazy" from the ICF conference. Overall I found the exercises on differentiation extremely helpful in getting to my essential message. Since listening to your workshop, I gained more confidence in who I am and have found a new strategic alliance where I can offer my coaching services, so I am extremely excited about that!! Again, thank you for giving me permission to throw out my elevator speech that I could never bring myself to practice! Carolyn Hidalgo Michel, we finally had the opportunity and pleasure to work through your Virtual Workshop What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great! between your personal help finding our Essential Message and experiencing your virtual workshop you helped us clarify our unique positioning in the marketplace. Thank you! Ulana Chabursky Michel, in the last few weeks, I've helped some of my clients review and revamp their testimonials as per your recommendations in your Testimonials eWorkbook, and we have already seen the difference. For one client we fiddled with direct mail. After tweaking the one-shot direct mail piece that had 1.1% response rate, we created a four-piece letter sequence with three testimonials in each piece, and, even after minimum testing, the current response rate is 4.9%. So now the testimonials do the brunt of the sales work. Great stuff. Tom ''Bald Dog'' Varjan After listening to the testimonials teleclass and going through the eLearning workbook, I started interviewing my clients using the process you describe in the workbook. Not only am I getting phenomenal testimonials, I am also learning a great deal about how I can make my messaging even more powerful. Thank you! Jeffrey Doyle Dear Michel,
Bruce Renton Michel, your virtual workshop, What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great has changed the way we do business. It helped us understand how our prospects look at us, and what we have to do and what we have to communicate to bring out our differentiation. Thank you! Jacques Werth Using the Essential Message Sales Telepathy approach and your expert coaching in the Bull Pen, I got an 80% success rate in lining up meetings with C level executives!! These people are busy and skeptical, and never in a million years did I expect to do that well. Thanks Michel. Karole Sutherland Using the Essential Message Sales Telepathy approach and your expert coaching in the Bull Pen, I got an 80% success rate in lining up meetings with C level executives!! These people are busy and skeptical, and never in a million years did I expect to do that well. Thanks Michel. Karole Sutherland It looks brilliant! What I like about this and all of your other stuff is that everything is processed-based. So it's really 'how-to' material. Because the interesting thing is that I found with so many people's eBooks is that they put the 'what' material into the eBook and then if you want to learn the 'how' you have to join a super-expensive weekend seminar where they reveal the secret of how to do it... whereas all of your stuff is really step-by-step 'how-to' material. I love it. And your process has made it really easy because you broke everything down to small steps, and then we stitched the pieces together. And being an ex-embalmer, I'm pretty good at stitching things together. Tom ''Bald Dog'' Varjan I worked all the way through your Ditch Your Pitch e-book and found it highly productive time. The e-book is first class and the ability to do the work within it is really helpful. I have a positioning statement that really works for me as of now. Jerry McNellis In the What Drives You Crazy workshop, I loved the part where I learned to distinguish myself and my natural talents -- the 'really really' exercise. I found this empowering and focused me on my strengths and skills. Moira Sutton The What Drives You Crazy exercise made me realize that what I really, really, really love doing is synthesizing best practices, so that I can help someone else make a decision in the most honest, straightforward and helpful way possible. And now that I think back on instances where I have done that, not only did I get huge job satisfaction, but my input was key to getting the result the company wanted. Definitely a useful exercise. Rob Field-Marsham Time and again while listening to the Essential Message CD, I realized how I could apply this to my business.These techniques are subtle yet tremendously powerful. Unless you already are already swamped customers who are clamoring all over themselves to do business with you your organization can derive tremendous benefits from Michel's Essential Message. Jeff Mowatt, CSP I TOTALLY enjoyed the Crazy virtual workshop!! It's a great tool and I absolutely LOVE the Stereotype exercise you created -- THAT is an exercise all of us speakers, trainers and facilitators NEED to do! Michael Kerr In delivering and facilitating the Reach Certified Personal Branding Certification program I am constantly on the look-out for useful tools to help strategists build their businesses. Your eLearning worksheet, Ten Places to Look for Your Differentiation is exactly what I look for. Not only did it help me better understand my own differentiation, I am now going to use it in our strategist training program as a reference for all the strategists I work with. Thank you. Paul Copcutt As a business analyst and consultant, I seemed to be always comparing myself to my peers and found myself often envious of their skills. However, after working through the 'What Drives You Crazy' virtual workshop, I realized that I had unique and indispensable talents that others could not offer. My confidence and self-respect improved significantly. Thank you Michel for helping me recognize and awaken my 'Essential Message'. Anthony Nardelli I gained more useful tips from the Essential Message CD than virtually any other branding resource Ive come across. If you are serious about differentiating yourself in the marketplace, this resource is a must! Jeff Mowatt, CSP Thank you very much, Michel. I've enjoyed your enthusiasm, humor, and expertise! Thanks too for being a role model of how to teach in bite-size steps and fun, simple ways so we can all get it. The Bull Pen makes it do-able for busy people.
Bess McCarty As a new professional speaker, the virtual workshop "What Drives You Crazy..." has helped me answer the question, "what should I focus on when marketing myself?". The process that the workshop put me through has given me a flash of eureka - I've got it!!! Christopher van der Hoff I love yourWhat Drives You Crazy Makes You Great Virtual Workshop CD program. What awell-designed, user-friendly and powerful tool! When networking or conversing with potential clients, I've always haddifficulty articulating what I do. The WDYCMYG program is helping me define and express my core strengths and "point of differentiation".It's not only helping me craft a more effective marketing message, but also a more organic and authentic one. That's important to me and gives me renewed confidence in marketing my work. Thanks so much for creating this outstanding tool! Nadia Koligman The Audience Balance Sheet Workbook is great! It had a real "a-ha" factor for me because I had always heard about the importance of making letters more about the client and less about me, but I didn't know how to acutally do that. This was the step by step instruction I needed to make it work! Fernando Lopez I have just listened to your CD (What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great!) and I couldn't help calling you because I am just stunned at what you've done. I am your biggest fan now! The presentation is probably the most professional I have ever heard... and in terms of the content it's absolutely amazing! Milana Leshinsky The "What Drives You Crazy..." workshop is awesome! It was a fun and creative way for me to achieve clarity around my business and discover my personal point of differentiation. Leo Sdao I spent months trying to get a good positioning statement/USP/elevator pitch for my new business, but in less than two hours with your 'What Drives You Crazy' virtual workshop I had the beginnings of a much better tagline and a wealth of new material to use on my website. You're definitely not charging enough for this! Phillip Eby I love the virtual workshop What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great!. Turning what drives you crazy into the realization of what you are really good atbrilliant. As I went through the process, I finally discovered for myself what others have been trying to tell me for ages. The AHA was so loud you could probably hear it from Nova Scotia. Thanks for your Essential Message as I am learning to believe in mine. Sharon Skaling As an audio producer and engineer, I certainly record my share of motivational speakers, trainers and so-called gurus and frankly, the information does get blurry at times. But when I first heard What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great, I knew right away here was a gem Information of value delivered in an entertaining way! And after at least twenty listens during the editing process, I still pick up something new each time. Great stuff. Ed Majkut Michel, I thought you would be pleased to hear that only by listening to an interview with you on CD, I changed my sales approach and started closing more sales the very next day! Jacob Boshoff I love your non-writer's writing guide -- the workbook approach is terrific because it creates momentum and helps the writer through the process quickly. Steve Slaunwhite I've got all of Michel's booklets and I must say the guy is the bee's knees, the wasp's nipples and the ants pants. He is just unreal with this essential message stuff. He's a real master at creating step-by-step processes, and when you stitch the individual pieces together you hardly believe you did it. Tom ''Bald Dog'' Varjan Thank you for writing You Name It. And for the time you took to talk with me on the phone. I enjoyed meeting you. I thought youd appreciate hearing positive feedback about the experience I had using your product. Your book helped tremendously in providing the clarity to find the right name. It was especially interesting that you addressed the area most people have missedHow you shouldnt feel comfortable about the name at first-and thats a good thing. It took about 3 days, and my final choice feels strange- but Im confident its a winner. In fact, since I have the structure of the name right, I feel like the name proper could almost be anything, and it would be OK. Thanks for supplying the avenue for arriving at some clarity.. Your book really takes away the subjectivity. A great experience! As you can see, Im plugging your product like crazy! Psyche Wimberly As a result of following Michel's Bananas programme, I developed a brand new framework for my white papers and special reports. This three-step process is a goldmine for business owners who want to draw the attention of their target markets. Tom ''Bald Dog'' Varjan I have followed Michels commentary and guidance over time, and all I can say is that it works! He has a unique ability to cut to the chase on the importance of what we say and how we say it that makes you more impactful and relevant to your target audience. Its critical for us to develop authentic, compelling and relevant brands for our clients. We need to have great content and Michel shows us the way to achieve this. Krishna De I've been working with the materials. I like your outlook, and also the way you pack your products full of all the essentials without having to read a lot of extra words. You're a great distiller! Werner John I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about paying $20 for a relatively short PDF document but, so far, I'm impressed. I can see that this will be a very useful and versatile tool. I'm a life design strategist and self-publishing author. A few years ago I developed a six step life design process called Dreamnautics. Unfortunately, I arrived at my six step format by trial and error, and only after wrestling with the material for quite some time. I wish I'd had the Bananas framework back then...it would certainly have saved me a ton of time and effort! Nadia Koligman We all have to listen to Michel Neray - its critical that we do. He knows how to help us perfect the way that we move from obscurity to visibility in our marketplace. Chris Barrow I've been reading naming stuff on the web for a year or so and your little pdf (plus example) has all the high points of many much larger efforts, plus a few new aspects I'd never considered. Amazing! Werner John When I first saw the idea of 'Bananas' I thought it didn't make sense. Now that I've worked with them I see how useful they are. Using my 'Bananas' is the easiest way to talk clients and prospects through what we can do to help them. I wish I had them years ago. Jerry McNellis At long last I took a train ride to London today and had a chance to read through your e-product. I loved it and can see how helpful it would be in a variety of situations. Chris Barrow I'm a particpant in the CAPS Pro Track Speaker Academy class, and had the pleasure of your presentation last Sunday. I really appreciated that you were prepared to shake us down to the core of what we are about in order for us to come from that place in our business. I've been in many "personal growth" type processes and would have to say that spending time with you last week was right up there in terms of experiencing a transformative process! Thank you! Adrienne Crowder Thanks again for a wonderful session. It provided some valuable ah-ah moments. Janet Rouss Michel, thank you for the workshop you delivered at the client appreciation event. You gave us value and more... You are unique and your passion is unequalled. The feedback from everyone was very positive and you were a pleasure to work with. Raymond Soroka Michel: I cannot thank-you enough for the generosity you have displayed by sharing these enlightening sessions. Your teleclass and workshop have given us incredible insight into a seldom analyzed topic, our own business. As creative professionals, we are constantly developing strategies to help surpass the project goals of our clients, yet seldom find the time to apply these strategies to our own marketing efforts. For years I have been tirelessly reminding clients that a brand is not a logo or a written marketing statement. A brand is the promise we make our clients and employees combined with their perception of how well we live up to that promise. A brand cannot be captured in words. It is a consistent message and consistent actions. In my own marketing efforts I have spent far too much time coming up with that "magic line" that captures the essence of our brand. However, every client I meet tells me that it is our actions, and the unique way we do business, that keep them coming back. Today's teleclass (with Shachar Perlman) made me realize that we must force ourselves to take the time to put on paper the processes that distinguish us. It is only through these consistent processes that we will be able to impart our unique brand effectively to our employees in the future. Thank-you Michel for the reminder, and the figurative rubber mallet over the head. I look forward to your next enlightening topic. David Betke, B.A. January 25, 2010 Stephanie Staples Thank you so much for facilitating our CAPS Board Meeting, and then delivering a fantastic message to our members on discovering our 'Essential Message'! Your skill and challenging inquiry helped us to focus on our 'differentiating factor'; something that will certainly serve us (and our clients) well in the future! Deri Latimer At the CAPS Winnipeg Chapter meeting last night Michel Neray helped us hone our 'Essential Message'. Wow – what an helpful experience! Michel inspired us to dig deep inside and discover our 'genius' ... (what you do so well, you are not even aware you do it). We also learned ways to communicate our message effectively and concisely. No more 'elevator' speeches after this training! Thank you Michel for sharing these take home tools that work. Jacquie Nagy • Very informative, interesting and applicable. Anonymous comments from attendees Being in business for as long as I have been business networking still has to varying degrees a make-me-puke kind of events. Since it all generally starts with the elevator pitch, the queasiness builds from there. Patricia Weber Michel, of the 5 tables, you definitely gave us the most useful take-aways. You asked that we share with you our one focused ‘insight' that we learned -- for us it was the 'vital question', and you provided us with excellent examples which we have already implemented. By asking the vital questions, we are really able to engage the other person in conversation. Thank you for participating in the session. Christine Ho From the feedback, it's obvious that people got a LOT out of your table. As one person told me, 'I go to 1 -2 hour seminars all the time, hoping to get out one tiny piece of information that I can use, and here in 25 minutes, I got all of this - the larger questions to ask and the steps to take to answer them.' People mentioned that they liked being challenged by you; that by being put on the spot, it forced them to distil what their projects/businesses are about and how to communicate it better. So mission accomplished. Thank you! Maya Boritz I thought your get-real attitude was awesome. I liked your casual dress and casual way of communicating. You also instantly changed course from what you had planned to give us what we wanted. That's what good facilitators do... And when you didn't know something, you stopped and thought about it instead of rambling -- another good aspect of your presentation skills. Thanks again. Annette Lavigne I found your process on how to position and differentiate myself in the market to be really effective and definitely the best Ive seen. At the heart of it you helped me to define my purpose; the gift that Im here to share with the world! Sherry Waddingham I had doubts as to whether yet another session on marketing and positioning would be useful to me. However, your presentation not only provided great ideas, it helped me shift my thinking in valuable ways. Susan Abbott Michel, thank you for a very enjoyable and productive session. I wasnt sure what to expect and frankly I have participated in a number of sessions designed to help position oneself or business and so I was not convinced that another was going to help. Jennifer Spear I have worked with other branding experts in the past and I never would have believed that in an hour and a half I would experience a complete paradigm shift -- and come up with a compelling core message that would differentiate me from others in my field. Not only did Michel help me gain clarity, hes also given me a competitive advantage! Hellen Buttigieg Michel, you helped me see how to get beyond a generic USP, and customize my positioning for the sophistication of my audience. Thank you! Susan Abbott Your teleseminar Landing Pages That Sell with Steve Slaunwhite was simple, focused and brilliant. Jacques Werth I am writing a testimonial about Michel. Anyone who works with or is taught by this guy is extremely fortunate. Michel is topical, relevant, huge hearted and has your success clearly at stake. He's the real deal for sure. David Cohen Michel skillfully guided us in pinpointing the passion for what we do and then creatively transformed a handful of descriptive words into our unique message. Not only is Michel a marketing guru in his work as a consultant and coach, he also delivers content rich and enthusing keynote presentations. It has been a rewarding experience to work with Michel and I will gladly recommend his expertise to my professional network. Ulana Chabursky If you want to grow your business - in good times or bad - you NEED Michel's message. He's a very special speaker and seminar leader that will change your business forever. Roger Harrop Dear Michel, Thank you for your exceptional workshop for our chapter on November 1st, 2008. There were a mixed group of people in attendance, and you accomodated them all, whether they were at the Professional level, Candidate level, or a new speaker. What was unique about your presentation was that you facilitated the learning to be very focused on the individual person. I have attended many workshops, but you have a special gift. You have exceptional facilitation techniques to help people self-discover, and your methodology gives them a learning experience that they will retain. You helped them to see how important it was to be specific when doing so. At the end of your workshop you provided everone an opportunity to ask a question that would help them. You answered all questions in such a way that each participant felt valued. Thank you on behalf of both Saskathcewan CAPS and myself. I left the room with knowledge that I will use in the future, and I believe all in attendance did as well. Pat Foley Michel I loved your workshop. What I learned will help me be successful. You made marketing so easy and so much fun. You have a tremendous amount of knowledge and passion which makes you an amazing marketing guru!" Halina St. James I usually dread being sent on workshops, but you made this one very enjoyable! It really reinforced my true passions and skills, and I learned what differentiates my business from the competition, and how to communicate that difference and keep it real. Great session! Peggy Emberley Your workshop was on the money. I was confused with how to meet new people and tell them what we do. I no longer believe in the elevator speech. There is a better way that engages the person you are talking to. The best part is it totally natural once you know how to get it started. Thanks. Jeffrey Doyle Michel Neray has a unique way of engaging you about you - for your own benefit. A purposeful workshop facilitator, his session "What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great" made me answer the questions about myself that needed to be answered for me to move ahead. If you take on Michel's brand of teaching, don't expect to escape until you are firmly on the road to exceptional results. Paul du Toit Dear Michel, your step-by-step, interactive, imaginative approach to getting to the heart of our talents made me say "Wow!" In working with your 'What Drives You Crazy' handout during the session and afterward, I found myself digging deeper into my own creativity what fun! It's rare when a speaker can give you taste of his skill in a 50-minute session at a convention and make it enticing to know more. Your approach works so well, I say, 'bring on the crazy-making'! Barbara McNichol Michel, we are so much quicker to come up with the negative messages vs positive ones; and I feel you harnessed this tendency very effectively in your 'What Drives You Crazy' workshop at the convention. Starting with what I don't like was a very effective way of tackling the issues. And I loved how we then turned things around and uncovered what our special talents and gifts are. In fact, I am going to suggest that we run through the exercise for our own company when we do our planning session for 2008. I think it is very valuable in solidifying our branding. Your message is very powerful and impactful, and it speaks for itself. I felt your heart was very much involved in delivering your message. Whoever is fortunate enough to attend your sessions will be coming away with very valuable information. Sheila Andersen Thank you for the great teleclass. I found it to be very valuable, it gave me a whole new perspective about using case studies/success stories for business development. I can certainly see the benefits of them now and I'm walking away from the class inspired to start writing! Megan Raphael, CPCC Thank you SO much for the tele-seminars! Today was my first opportunity to attend. Steve was a fabulous, informative, guest speaker! I am inspired to get writing my own case studies! You are a gracious host. Your tone is very pleasant and you kept things well on track, even while you bravely encouraged us to "jump in" with any questions! Renee Boisvert So well done!!!! What a great service you offer. Your enthusiasm in particular was the best part of the teleconference and I am very grateful. See you next month!!!! Monique Howat I really enjoyed your tele-workshop which complemented the workbook very nicely. It gave my head the opportunity to go into different space -- instead of my brain "working" on the written words, while I was "just" listening to you, ideas were able to surface ... and some darned good ones at that! Thanks so much. I found it all very valuable. Lynne Jacob Thanks for adding tremendous insight and for delivering a workable approach to our sales challenges. You have a great, engaging style, it was a productive, positive learning experience and you gave us valuable content and strategies for success. Dave Valovcin Before the What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great workshop, I took what makes me unique for granted. I had a sense of what I do that's special, but I didn't discuss with with prospects because I didn't think it sounded professional enough. For the first time, I have a good idea how to bring that uniqueness forward and turn it into a selling point. I'm even developing it into a process that I can show clients. Thank you! Faith Seekings Thank you for offering your magic so that the co-creative synergy could emerge ... this from me, but I've no doubt to varying degrees for many (if not all) who were present yesterday at the workshop. Maralyn Cale I really appreciated the process used in the What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great workshop. The questions and exercises helped me get much clearer about my strengths, passion and purpose all of which set me apart. Birgit Langwisch I recently attended the What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great workshop. It was a gift to spend the day working on my business with this process, and with these people. Thank you for providing me with this opportunity! Alexandra Macqueen Your webinar had everyone totally engaged! In fact, the participation stats prove we had 0% drop-off right up to the end of the presentation. When can we book you again? Marguerite Mcleod-Fleming Thanks again for an amazingly valuable session tonight. I feel totally energized and jazzed about all the possibilities for my practice. And, I learned something else it is important to hire a coach who knows about the topic. I have been coached on my stuckness around marketing my coaching services and dont have much to show for all the effort that has been applied to the problem. But sitting in the room tonight literally moved my thinking from gloom Ill never solve this to WOW! I cant wait to get started. The lesson in this for me is more than just about marketing and business development. Its about the value my experience can bring to my clients because I have been where they are. Focusing on a niche that exploits my skills, expertise and experience in biotech truly does serve my clients. Your expertise was essential in helping to frame the right questions as well as giving me great ideas to get me thinking about what I can do with what I know. Many, many thanks. I look forward to my Bull Pen participation with anticipation! Karole Sutherland I applied the "what really drives me crazy" thing to a prospect this morning and BOY DID I GET RAPPORT, I watched her eyes light up as I made those comments!! Here is a potential sale 2x bigger than any previous sale and I plan to close it within the next 7-10 days. Thanks! Bruce Renton Thanks Michel -- the Ditch Your Pitch workshop was an excellent session. It completed the distinction between the elevator speech (which I noticed wasn't working for me) and it provided me with the the tools to define what I really do and the service I offer. Perhaps most importantly, it helped me focus on the customer/prospects concerns as the way to engage the other person. This is really tough for us accountants so you deserve a lot of credit for helping me get there! Mike Sproule I am participating in your "Ditch Your Pitch" workshop this afternoon, and this morning I am going through the materials in preparation for the call. And I'm writing to say - holy cow, this stuff is working! Alexandra Macqueen Thank you for the Ditch Your Pitch tele-workshop yesterday. It was a great reminder of the value of revisiting the positioning statement. More importantly, I am now clearer on the specifics of my target market. Tzabia Siegel, BAPhEd, CHN The Networking Workshop presented by Michel Neray was a fantastic workshop; well worth the time and money!! I've already recommended this to several of my associates. Participant of Target Solutions Conference March 31, 2007 I did the Essential Message 2-day workshop. Michel is great -- through him I was able to see new ways of looking at things and how to do them differently, and better. I highly recommend him and everything he does! Trudy Van Buskirk Using the Essential Message approach, I immediately set myself apart from the other candidates who were applying for the same position at a major firm. The interviewer became more interested in what I could bring to the company than what he saw in other applicants, even those who were more technically qualified. As a result, I landed the position after only one interview. Anthony Nardelli I attended your teleclass with Ali Brown yesterday and got several new business ideas regarding ezinesthat I could run with right away. Your teleclasses have been a valuable resource. The interview you did with Robert Middleton wasalso outstanding.I hope you will do a seminar in the Chicagoland area in the near future, I'd love to attend. Roger Matthews Michel, even after two years I still remember your presentation. That says a lot because I see so many trainers and facilitators come through our facilities. Your material is fresher and more meaningful than anything I have ever seen. Michelle Jullian Time and again while listening to the Essential Message CD, I realized how I could apply this to my business.These techniques are subtle yet tremendously powerful. Unless you already are already swamped customers who are clamoring all over themselves to do business with you your organization can derive tremendous benefits from Michel's Essential Message. Jeff Mowatt, CSP Michel you do amazing work! I have been on a few of your telecalls and they areinspiring and motivating -- they have challenged me to completely embrace my own creativity and think outside the box! Nancy Feth Great class yesterday... I found it very beneficial! Nadia Koligman Michel, thank YOU for the opportunity to speak in your teleclass and for the interesting angle you took with the interview I loved it! Milana Leshinsky I can't remember any meeting that I have ever had so much fun as the one in the afternoon session. And at the break 3 people approached me - 3 potential new clients! Robert Huisman I attend very few teleclasses these days--even being on the mailing lists of the "big names." I can count on your teleclasses to deliver new info on topics that I'm interested in. Carol Ross Michel, I was really really impressed with your teleclass with Alexandria Brown, The E-zine Queen. In fact, it was one of the best teleclasses I've ever been on -- if all teleclasses were like that, I'd probably take 10 or 15 a week! Daniel Saintjean I very much enjoyed the in conversation teleclass you held this past week. I appreciate the type of people you feature on these calls as well as the natural and curious way in which you interact with them. Lots of fresh wisdom with a generous spirit of sharing, which I think is due in large part to who you are. Carol Ross The Essential Message Branded Business Funnel summarizes on one page the activities and resources I need to focus on to get the business I want. But the real gem of this workshop was the clarity I got while building of the Funnel. Excellent teleworkshop, Michel, and definitely time well spent. June Li I got far, far more than my moneys worth. That way of connecting what drives us crazy with what our best clients are looking for is priceless. And given that we are in the middle of our annual business plan review, this workshop couldnt have happened at a better time. Lee Carter I went through the What Drives You Crazy exercise with my business partner and it worked very well. We now both have our top 10 list of what others do that drive us and how we are different. Excellent! Stuart Morley Your teleclasses are great. I got so many ideas from the one you had with Mark Levy I was flying! Jeanne Bullock Thanks for the new tag line you helped us develop. I know you tried to get us to do all the work but it was your genius that popped the tag line. Im also glad we took your advice to stick with it, because its only now after a year that we see how well it supports our sales and marketing efforts. Both we and our clients love it! Stuart Morley We all have to listen to Michel Neray - its critical that we do. He knows how to help us perfect the way that we move from obscurity to visibility in our marketplace. Chris Barrow His newsletter always contains original ideas or interpretations. He was instrumental in me modifying my 30-second 'commercial'. People immediately react positively to this approach and I get to speak about their concerns and challenges first hand. Oleg Kuzin I really like you workshop and your style of get-to-the-point. Thank you for your help! Charles Deng Michel, you are well-organized, energetic, enthusiastic and engaging! Your tools are useful too - I will definitely use them! Julie Inglis My big Essential Take-Away from the presentation was how to use Impact Statements and Provocative Questions to power up my Essential Message. Michel, you are dynamic, fun and very now! Michelle Julien Working on my Essential Message has given me greater clarity around what I do and who I do it for. The proof is in the results -- my revenue has gone up by 15%! Gail Voisin I really enjoyed the tele-seminar. It has already made a big difference in my approach to things and it's only been 40 minutes! You rock! Fran Rogers I loved your Bull Pen workshop! I now see how traditional marketing is stifling... your Essential Message approach is a lot more fun, creative and, yes, impactful! Marney Kaye Now that I'm finally back at my desk, I can get around to telling you how impressed I was by your workshop. It is easily the best and most useful workshop I've ever attended. I was impressed by everything -- your content, your delivery, your take home package and yes, even the participants. It has greatly energized me. Thanks so very, very much. Anna Luca I have gone through a lot of sales training and coaching in the past 2 years, and couldnt figure out why none of it seemed to click. The Essential Message Workshop gave me the piece that I had been missing. Michel, you are an excellent, spirited and ethical facilitator. Janet Wilcox The confidence I got from your workshop allowed me to present myself in a more relaxed way so I was simply talking about my business, not pushing a hard sell -- that made it pressure-free and actually fun to do. And it looks like I picked up a client from your Guest Event already! Ingrid Achtymichuk Your insights and exercises were powerful, motivating and fun!! I recommend your workshops for any entrepreneur, professional or self-employed individual. I am amazed at how much of a difference it is already making. Jason Cohen You, Michel Neray, are a gifted workshop leader. Cindy Stone Despite being a successful consultant, Ive been struggling to get my companys story straight for 6 years. By the end of the first day of the workshop, I had a totally clear idea of the true value I provide to my clients. Now, when I talk to prospects, I am much more confident and effective! Stuart Morley Thanks for a GREAT day yesterday - I'm already sharing the concepts with others - by doing it! Trudy Van Buskirk Your presentation "What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great" was especially well received by our members... your considerable experience in public speaking was clearly evident in the way you took a difficult subject and addressed it in a captivating and enjoyable fashion. Jim Brown I have seen a lot of facilitators over time and you are really great at it! Terri Carson Finally, a process that has sales and marketing working from the same songsheet! Having participated in many workshops and seminars over the years, I was struck in The Essential "Message, by how your work develops a common language for both sales and marketing people, helping them to align regarding their product or service. During my 15 years of owning and operating a national full service agency, we found that to be the single biggest hindrance to effective promotion for most brands -- sales and marketing could not 'work together'. Thanks Michel. Derek Lackey Sometimes, the most compelling thing that you could and should say to people about what you do is staring you in the face but you can't see it. That's what happened to me in the workshop. Now, when asked what I do, I pique peoples curiosity and am encouraged to tell them more. I know what to say to make more of an impact, both in speaking to people about what I do as well as in my actual presentations and seminars. In fact, as a result of what I learned during discussions in Michels workshop, I developed a whole new seminar presentation! Jeannie Boniface These days everybody and their neighbor seems to be getting into the coaching and training biz, and I have found it difficult to establish my point of difference right up front. The workshop helped me do that and more. Ellen Samiec The experience of being offsite with a professional coach allowed for the time to reexamine the assumptions behind our own marketing materials. So here I was, a professional marketer, taking a workshop related to sales and marketing, and what I learned astounded me. Bernard Hellen More than anything, the workshop has helped me, and is continuing to help me, find my true voice with my company and indeed my industry. That alone is very powerful and confidence-building. Cheryl Sylvester What the workshop did for me was heighten my consciousness about how people perceive my company and it taught me how to relate to them in a way that they understand. It also helped me focus on what the main messages for my business should be, and everything I learned in the workshop is having a big effect on all our marketing materials. Paul Carrington The quality of participants was very high, allowing me a unique opportunity to network for after-workshop opportunities and use the workshop as a mini-focus group of potential clients at the same time. I could never have achieved that level of learning and progress in my business with outside consultants. Stuart Morley Before the workshop, I was expecting to get tools and techniques to help me promote my business. What the Essential Message workshop gave me was in fact much more fundamental and powerful. I now have a truer understanding of the value my company gives our clients and I know how to apply that understanding to all the promotional materials we use. Carol Mair I loved this workshop! The fact that I could work with other participants and still have personal time with you was great. After 22 successful years in business I found myself in the odd position of not being able to articulate what I do. The workshop helped me figure how to position myself better within the market, without coming across as an aggressive salesperson or as a smartass. It has also helped me fine-tune all the marketing that I am doing. Most importantly, it has forced me to look at my own business in a lot more depth, spurring me to sit down and rewrite my marketing plan, and make some changes that will help me achieve my longer-term goals. This is something that is so universally needed by everyone in business. Linda Hanson Excellent value! As a result of the workshop, I improved the readability and impact of my companys website. The workshop was also extremely helpful in giving all of us a process to arrive at impactful sales letters and presentations. Another big plus - the quality of the other participants also made it a great networking event. Thanks Michel! Bernie Schmidt The Essential Message Workshop helped me connect our marketing with sales -- and to every activity where we have to communicate who we are and what we bring to the table. In fact, it has already helped me negotiate significantly better contracts with two of our strategic partners. Peter McQuinn As an accountant, I was very skeptical that I would be able to use any of the concepts from the Essential Message workshop, but after just the first day I was already getting a lot of value both for my company as well as for my clients. Hank Kates My friend asked me how it went last night and I told him that this appears to be one of the most effective and powerful workshops that I have ever experienced... The Essential Message Workshop has given me clarity, coherency, and consistency of my core competencies, enabling me to attract higher quality businesses and people that truly support the growth of my company. Paul Goldenberg We now have new tag lines and Impact Statements to use in our marketing materials. I have a wealth of materials to mine and share with other writers in the company. I also found the insights and feedback from the other participants to be invaluable. Catherine Nomura As a sales trainer and consultant for the past 14 years, I thought I had seen it all, but The Essential Message Workshop is not the same old marketing stuff weve all become familiar with. It gave me new insights into my business, and I highly recommend it for companies who want to increase sales, review key sales strategies, and grow their business. Brian Harrison Smith I am now getting a 90% close rate on the phone. Thank you for the wonderful workshop. It is also having a significant and positive impact on all aspects of my companys public "face" the website, advertising and of course our direct mail. Gabor Herczeg on The 'E-ssential Messages' Newsletter Michel! I am re-branding and you highly influenced me with your essential message material. Thank you. Edree Allen-Agbro Michel... your newsletter - one of the few that I read - never cease to entertain me. That plate of donkey penis got my attention... Tzabia Siegel, BAPhEd, CHN Michel, I've been a subscriber to your Essential Message newsletter for some time. I wouldn't have time to read long ones, (at least not regularly), so I really enjoy the valuable perspective you're able to pack in to a brief newsletter, and how your pleasant personality and positive attitude/outlook always come thru. : ) Samina Mariani About two years ago a friend of mine suggested that I sign up for a newsletter the Essential Message which I did. The word essential caught and has held my attention in the numerous newsletters that I have received, many of which I have saved. Michel has been true to his commitment to provide only what is essential in his well-crafted, conversational and often provocative messages. His style is that of a storyteller. I find embedded in his stories gems of business acumen mixed with honest communication. His messages have guided me in my own business communications. They have provided me with a hearty example of the strength of artistic communication. Megan Moore Michel, Just back from vacation. Your words are a great way to start the second half of the year and beyond. Jerry McNellis Good message -- thanks for the confidence boost. Karen Elkin Just thought Id let you know that yours is one of the few emails I subscribe to that I actually take the time to read thoroughly. I appreciate the thought you put into inspiring others. Clare Kumar I read your newsletters and I laugh. You're so freakin' irreverent and at the same time so authentic! Lyle Lachmuth I just wanted to share how creative and thought provoking your Speaker Magazine article is. It made such an impression that not only did I do the written exercise that you laid out for speakers, but I called my parents and asked them to do it with me over the phone. I found common themes and characteristics that I possess from my grandparents (they were amazing mentors!) and it has further validated the gifts I have received from the power of their example. Thanks again! Cate Gibson I often make it a point to read your E-ssential message. This one by far is the most powerful one to date - thank you for a most penetrating and introspective call to action. Harish Chauhan Michel, thank you for the way you encourage me to think out of the box and for reminding me to keep what is important front and center. Your messages always resonate in a positive way with me. Jane Morrison Thanks for this, Michel. You are absolutely right about probing and exploring the little questions rather than overwhelming with the big questions. It was great seeing you at the SOHO event. Just seeing you reminded me to ask the right kinds of questions, such that my rejoinder to the replies can be: "That's what I do." I practiced that technique with the lawyers I had come to SOHO to meet, and we have agreed to stay in touch and, maybe, do business together. Henry Lowi Wow -- OUTSTANDING message in today's EM mailing. Big kudos to you for that edge you display. William Stratas Hello Michel,
Paul Bunn Michel gets right to the heart of the matter. Of all the newsletters that come into my inbox Michel's nuggets provide insights and inspiration to put the next step into action. In addition his events are engaging and practical and rich with "take aways". I recommend Michel for help with distilling what's important for others to know about your work. Sandy McMullen Michel! I enjoy your newsletters -- most of the ones I get from other folks disappear into a "To Read" folder in my e-mail, but I love reading yours. They are informative, helpful -- and appropriately short! Thanks for your words of wisdom and your energy. Melinda Elliott, CPCC, ACC Your newsletter yesterday sparked a $1,000,000 idea for me. Not a bad return on a free newsletter! Chris Roehm Awesome newsletter. Great lesson, and timely for me professionally! Judy Asman Great message. Your newsletter is one of the few that consistently provides good info, concisely. (I guess thats your business, isnt it?) Carol Ross Michel, I thought you would be pleased to hear that your '57 second messages' live on for many weeks after - and even many thousands of miles across the Atlantic! I was trying to write my first ezine and bio for my website in recent days - but was really struggling. Then just as I was going to bed on night I remembered your E-ssential Message about consultants & coaches trying to sound so corporate. I got of bed, switched on the laptop - and went to your site to re-read it (yes very sad!). The next day I scrapped everything I had written and effortlessly wrote an ezine and a bio. For the first time what I wrote felt authentic and different. Thanks. Sital Ruparelia Your thoughts really clicked with me. Have you thought about pod-casting? The world needs to hear this! Sam Liss I love your E-ssential Messages and the ideas you present... and they bring a smile to my face! Sital Ruparelia These timely messages always bring me back to a thoughtful place and this one is "right-on"! Dianne Saunders I just have to tell you that your Essential Messages are incredibly valuable and "on the mark". I truly look forward to receiving them. Steven Nerayoff |
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