Check out Gary's videos on YouTube, including the story behind "Battlefields to Business"

Also, be sure to check out Gary's articles on EzineArticles.com, where he has achieved "Expert Author" status on sales, personal branding, hiring the skills, and customer service:

 You can also follow Gary on the Training for Winners facebook page, including a gallery of photos with some of his various training and speaking clients and groups.

Our theme for 2012:

"The Road to Recovery"

Though improving, it's still a tough marketplace in many places... so less is more?

Fold up your sales tent? Pull in all sales expenses? Take your salespeople off the road to save money? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Time after time, in cycles like this, it is proven by solid sales organizations and experts like Jack Welch and Warren Buffett that you cannot cut your way to long-term growth. SELLING POWER magazine just covered the dangers of a strategy like this in a recent issue.

Think about it: If there is LESS business out there, that means there is MORE competition for it  -- and MORE effort needs to be made to land a fewer number of prospects. Are your salespeople equipped to suddenly meet new challenges, try new things? What are they doing DIFFERENTLY?

Simply pounding on them to make more mediocre sales calls doesn't make them better calls. "Hope" is not a strategy.

Our Promise: Engage Training for Winners and your team will be a better sales force, a better management unit!

Why? Because we go beyond the "light touch" and coach salespeople and managers in areas that other training programs don't even touch --The subleties, the nuances, the reasons behind why buyers buy or don't buy, etc. We don't think making people remember mechanical lists is helping them with long-term excellence.

Getting your team together for a training experience, workshop, or a retreat to re-focus, re-charge, and re-invigorate will reap benefits to help you meet market demands and challenges. It is very cathartic to your team to do this, even if you think everything is A-OK. We ALWAYS uncover things that need to be worked on, no matter how great the organization is. If you aren't getting better, you're getting stagnant. Don't kid yourself -- most things don't improve, and most people don't improve, simply by osmosis. We can help you!

Members of the Mandalay Bay Resort (Las Vegas) sales team (top photo) and Chris Kennington, Director of Engineering at the Georgian Terrace Hotel (Atlanta) enjoy the fruits of their labor as "Eagles" in their TFW workshops. The Mandalay Bay "fire fighters" earned their hats by eliminating the most "fires" in their daily roles so as to improve their time & priority management skills. Chris gets the "Steel Eagle Hammer" award for coming up with the most sticky note ideas (new ideas & ways to improve things) over a two-day span. Fly, Eagles, fly!

EAGLES? So... what's up with the "Eagle" anyway? Why are Eagles everywhere on our website? It's our logo for a reason -- They are special! In our workshops, we congratulate our "Eagles" -- those people who come up with the "ooh and aah" ideas that soar above the other 90% of the crowd. These are the ideas that stick in customers' minds, that make things better, that do what the rest of the crowd doesn't do. On the other hand, we try to re-direct the "Ducks" who quack and make noise complaining without a better idea. We all have heard that quacking noise before. Go sit near the water cooler and you'll see.

Ask yourself -- Who are the Eagles and Ducks on your team?

The competition to earn "eagle" status during our skillshops gets quite exciting. We take very good care of our eagles with exciting incentives and fun giveaways...Why not, they earned it!

Pheasant Run (Oakbrook Hotels) keeps the Eagle flying!

The folks at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL (just outside Chicago) have kept the spirit of their Training for Winners sales workshops alive by adopting the "Eagle" idea at their property. An eagle statue is given to those that go above and beyond in various ways -- taking care of guests, meeting planners, etc. John Santangelo, the resort's director of food and beverage, enthusiastically wrote us, "Gary, I really enjoyed your training -- very informative and educational. And, hey, I won the Eagle! What a great teacher you are!"

Well, thanks, John, for the compliment, but you deserve most of the credit for taking the training beyond the workshops and helping yourself, your team, and your customers move forward in some way. It's all about taking action and being accountable. Congratulations to John and the Pheasant Run Resort management team for keeping the spirit and concepts of the training program alive.

Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association brings forth "Leonard the Duck", as inspired by their TFW sales training program

VP of Sales Michelle Travis of the the Indy CVA reports that they have grabbed on to the concept of "eagles & ducks" from their TFW sales training program and have introduced their own resident duck, naming him "Leonard", into the office. Leonard (a dog-toy duck that quacks when you squeeze him) is meant to be a visible reminder and inspiration to the sales team not to quack, but to find a solution when faced with a dilemma or challenge. What a fantastic way to bring the training home and put it into practice, Indianapolis!

Gary has supported the Meeting Industry Ladies Open (MILO) annual golf tournament for 20 years as a sponsor and scorekeeper, surviving rattlesnakes, hailstorms, hundreds of lost golf balls, rain & hailstorms, and sunburns! He has also been honored by Jo Ann Hoffman/MILO as a recipient of the coveted "Venus De MILO Award" for his long-time support of ladies golf in the meetings industry.

Here is the 25th Anniversary MILO first place golf team! Held in Las Vegas in 2010, the silver anniversary event was won by Carrie Harris, Pam Lackland, Linda Painton, and Laura Smith. As the team's scorekeeper/caddy/"boy toy", Gary finally got to experience being on the winning team after 20 years of helping the ladies.

Good to Great... Gary's "kick-start" got Straw Hat Pizza moving in the right direction!

Gary recently was the featured keynote speaker assigned by the company president & CEO to infuse momentum and enthusiasm into the kick-off address for Straw Hat Pizza's annual meeting of its owners and operators. The group's theme was "Going From Good to Great." Gary jumped right in and got the convention rolling with three solid suggestions for the attendees:

* Listen to your customers, as they are in your restaurant by choice;

* Look to improve the "little things" that make a big impact (cleanliness, etc.);

* Ask each employee for at least one idea per week on ways to improve the business, which will get them involved and give them a sense of ownership. And, don't forget to reward their thinking!

The group then responded enthusiastically when he challenged them for new ideas and "WOW's" to be written on empty pizza boxes at each table, sharing the collective braintrust in the room. Then they "delivered" their table's pizza box ideas to the other tables so they could share the ideas, and by the end of the session over 250 new ideas were shared amongthe attendees!

Indeed, it doesn't always take $10,000 to go from good to great. Often, it's more about paying attention and some old-fashioned sweat equity. Like Gary's direction for Straw Hat Pizza, we can help you find those areas in your organization's quest to go from good to great.

A "No-brainer" for CVB's (We didn't say that, our CVB clients did!) -- the Training for Winners CVB Boot Camp!

...The San Mateo County CVB (CA) recently held its third "Training for Winners CVB Sales Boot Camp." The idea originally sprang from hearing how often our many CVB, hotel, convention center, and meeting planner clients cited many of the same obstacles and challenges to doing better business together.

Thus, Gary developed a roll-your-sleeves-up kind of workshop that brings CVB salespeople together with their members to tackle the day-to-day procedures and working templates for site inspections, handling VIP's, RFP's, communication between each other, setting up sales calls, utilizing satellite offices, and working trade shows together.

In San Mateo County, over 80 people attended the event for great in-depth discussions on how best to work together and become more seamless for their customers.

Five meeting planners (combined experience: 120 years!) generously agreed be part of a frank panel discussion and interaction with the salespeople on what flies and what doesn't in site inspections, RFP's, site selection, etc. The discussion was lively and everyone got to hear from the buyers on how to improve and work better together as a community, plus how to sell against the competition. Real issues and circumstances were discussed, plus many members got their first in-depth understanding of how the CVB works. The hard question was asked -- "How easy are we to do business with?"

The reviews from the Boot Camp were fantastic...

"We have a jump start on the year because of the Boot Camp," stated Bill Rizzuto, General Manager of the Hyatt Regency SFO and SMCCVB Chairman of the Board at the time, "The workshop enabled us to hit the ground running."

"The Boot Camp was a HUGE success!", exclaimed SMCCVB's Director of International Sales Nina Ramos (916-294-0289), "I've already heard from one sales director that her department has turned over a new leaf and will be doing things differently because of what they learned at Boot Camp!"

The SMCCVB Eastern Regional Sales Manager located in Washington D.C., said The Boot Camp really helped her and those seeking Washington business for San Mateo County: "Satellite offices sometimes face the challenge of being out of sight, out of mind. Gary's Boot Camp helped our hoteliers recognize what an invaluable and often untapped resource we are. I've already seen an increased interest from our hotel partners wanting to discuss sales strategies and do joint sales calls, thanks to Gary's great suggestions on ways we can reach out to each other and create a more powerful sales front."

The Tri Valley CVB (Northern CA) recently held its 3rd CVB "Boot Camp" Sales Education Day to great applause. "You did a great job," commented Linda Robles, General Manager of the San Ramon Courtyard Marriott. "It was great to get together as a selling community and hear it straight from planners on what we can do better in order to create stronger relationships and gain their business." The day consisted of a general session on personal branding, breakout sessions on selling, negotiation, and niche markets, and finished up with an interactive Q & A with a panel of 3 experienced meeting planners. "Everyone always gets a lot out of these programs," said Karie Geiger, Director of Sales of the TVCVB, "because it makes a huge impact to hear directly from the planners on how they want to be pursued and treated. The salespeople have their shot at asking the tough questions and hearing the tough answers."

A similar program was also designed by Gary for Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg (VA), drawing over 100 members of local businesses, chambers of commerce, national parks, and hospitality businesses. The theme was Making Everyone a Salesperson, and it was a "certified success," said the organizer Bonnie Smith, formerly Director of Tourism for Spotsylvania County.

"Gary delighted the audience with valuable information, and gave them the resources to become enthusiastic salespeople, customer service fanatics, and over-achieving performers, said Bonnie. "We received nothing but praise from our attendees, and many requests to bring Gary back again."

Between the sales educational workshops and an opportunity to hear from experienced planners on a no-holds-barred panel, Boot Camp attendees have made comments such as, "I received invaluable advice here today ", "As a planner I was very impressed with the organization and educational content for the members...", "...definitely time and money well spent", "I'm glad I came because had I missed this, I would have missed a ton of what to do and what not to do from the planners", "Gary's program puts all of us members, our CVB, and the planners together for a full-spectrum of learning, and we're all better off for it. When is the next one?"

If your CVB or hospitality community wants to become more seamless and work on the REAL things that help book more business, contact Gary now!

Another CVB Sales Boot Camp Home Run!

The San Mateo County-Silicon Valley CVB held its 4th "Training for Winners CVB Sales Boot Camp" in January 2011. Drawing over 40 hospitality salespeople, CVB sales team members, and hotel general managers, the program included a training workshop and planner panel (see flyer below).

(Left to right) Gary Hernbroth, Training for Winners, Angelina Preza, Sales Mgr;  Karalee Adams, Senior Sales Mgr;  Casey Miller, Acumen Meetings & Events;  Artrice Smith, Sales Mgr East Coast;  Julie Moore, CA Community Colleges; Teipo Brown, Director of Sales  SMC-SVCVB, Crystal Spencer, State of CA Department of Justice;  Mickie Duan, Great Holiday Tours; Elaine Rothenhaus, Sales Mgr; Nina Ramos, Dir. International Sales; Adrienne Nudo, Sales Mgr Midwest.

“I really enjoyed Gary’s Training for Winners Boot Camp, which contained some excellent tips for making sure your sales efforts are based on the needs of the customer and not your own.  And it was presented in a straight-forward manner, accessible to both senior sales people and newcomers alike,” reported Scott Panco, Director of Group Sales for the San Mateo Marriott.

Even the meeting planners were inspired by the event. Crystal Spencer, Conference Manager for the State of California Department of Justice, remarked, “I would like to applaud the San Mateo CVB for putting on this event.  I think every CVB should be doing these. As far as I know, they (SMCC-SV CVB) are the only one in California doing this type of program. It speaks very well for them as a selling community.”

“I really enjoyed being a part of this”, said Casey Miller of Acumen Meetings and Events and one of the planner panelists. “We as planners don’t often get the chance to help a group of salespeople as a whole like this, and to speak directly to them on why we buy or don’t buy. This was a great forum for that.”

 “Salespeople who took a half-day out of their schedule to come and sharpen their skills, gain some new selling techniques, and hear first-hand from customers on how to reach them better, work with them better, and what they do or do not respond to when prospecting, definitely walked out of here better salespeople than when they arrived,” commented Teipo Brown, Director of Sales for the CVB. “And the fact that our panel of planners took time out of their busy schedules to give back to the industry and help move it forward speaks a lot for them, too. It was a big win-win.”

Here is the flyer for the 2011 event:

Back by popular demand:

The SMC-SV CVB presents its 2011 Sales Boot Camp!

WHEN:           Wednesday, January 19, 2011,  8AM – NOON

WHERE:         San Mateo County Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo

Come join your CVB sales team, fellow hotel members, and meeting planner customers for a unique, value-rich Sales Boot Camp that promises to “rev up” your sales engine as we set out on 2011 and the road to recovery.  After almost three years of recession, signs point to improvement in the meetings and hospitality landscape for 2011. But success won’t come by magic. The successful salespeople and organizations will be those that invest in improving their sales skills, their prospecting efforts, and their alliance partnerships.

Facilitated by Gary Hernbroth, CVB member and chief motivating officer of Training for Winners, this Sales Boot Camp will expose you to new sales ideas, give you an opportunity to further develop powerful alliances, learn how to make the most of your CVB sales partners, and to hear straight from experienced meeting planners just what it takes to get their business. Our planner panel will “tell it like it is” in an interactive Q & A on how to make your proposals stand out from the crowd, how to prospect more effectively, and what it takes to show superior salesmanship over your competition.

Who should attend?

General Managers, sales team leaders, and salespeople, no matter their experience level, are welcomed. Anyone who is responsible for selling and creating results through sales will find this Sales Boot Camp an eye-opener.

Every vehicle, no matter its make, model, or age, needs a tune-up regularly to stay sharp on the road and operate at a maximum level. Don’t miss this workshop and be left behind on the road to recovery. Give your “sales engine” a jump-start on 2011!

RSVP:  Monday, January 17 to Lisa Kesler, lisa@smccvb.com or call 650/348.7600

*** THIS IS A COMPLIMENTARY WORKSHOP ***

Training trends -- How do you stack up? What keeps you up at night?

Training magazine recently published its annual report on training trends. Lo and behold, the so-called "soft skills" are finally getting their due and are back on center stage! They were listed in order as:

1) Soft Skills (which encompasses leadership development, management development, customer service, team-building, interpersonal skills, and diversity)

2) Business Strategy (made up of alignment of business strategies, culture and change management, and measurement)

3) Sales Training (With an emphasis on high touch & high tech strategies)

We believe that Training for Winners is perfectly suited to meet these needs with the types of modules and topics we have to offer. We don't consider ourselves "trendy", it's just that this survey validates that we are right on with what we have been doing for our clients since 1995.

Are you positioned to meet this new thrust? Call us and book Gary for your next training program, retreat, or speaking opportunity!

Gary kicks off the 2007 Marriott Global Customer Appreciation Week for the Northern California Marriott contingent with an exciting sales training workshop for the area sales teams (as published in USAE).

Hoops for Haiti scores big!

Gary Hernbroth (left), Chief Motivating Officer of Training for Winners, conceived and developed a "Hoops for Haiti" fund-raising event at his son's high school (San Ramon Valley High) in Danville, CA, involving the school's basketball program. At its men's and women's basketball games during the week of February 11, 2010,  parents, fans, and spectators were asked to donate $1.00 for each point the SRV teams scored, to be sent to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund to help in the relief efforts for the earthquake victims. In total, the school raised over $7,000 in its Haiti relief programs held at the school. Joining Gary are members of the school's cheer squad and leadership class, and John Raynor (far right), athletic director and head varsity basketball coach.