Reviews of Our Speakers
“A huge hit! Every single one of the CEO attendees and sponsors loved it.” –UBM Channel
“Sally’s ability to analyze the present to build a better bridge to the future is simply FASCINATING!” –Sidney Frank Importing Company
“The F-Score ribbons were a huge hit and helped set the tone for attendees to get to know one another.” –Katie Pereira, Event Planner
“Sally is a force of nature. When she walks in a room, the place lights up. When she speaks to that room, people learn.”–800CEOREAD
“Sally is an energetic speaker and educator, with a powerful angle on what motivates people to take action. Her style is engaging, entertaining, and sure to make any audience fill a notebook with ideas when she’s done.” –Human Business Works
“Fascinating! Sally showed our 1,500 small business owners how to use their unique individual strengths, and actively use them to grow their own businesses.” –Council of Small Business Enterprises
“Since hiring Fascinate, Inc., we’ve won every new business opportunity we have engaged in. We literally just signed more new business in the first month of 2011 than all of 2010, and more sizable business than any of the last four years.” –Performics
“Not only does Sally’s work provide us with new insights and creativity in developing our brand to the next level but it is also refreshing and fascinating to work with her.” –JÄGERMEISTER INTERNATIONAL
“I have worked with and around Sally Hogshead for well over a decade. I can say without reservation that she is one of the most talented creative people and business thinkers in our business. She is relentlessly upbeat, a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with. There is no problem too big or small for her prodigious talents.” –JWT North America
“An absolutely mesmerizing speaker… she had our global marketing audience totally riveted.” –Avon
“In a word, POWERFUL! We were elated with the response to her keynote.” –Michelle Smith, Event Planner
“Sally’s fresh approach to brand building and creating excitement about our brands stimulated a lot of us to re-think our approach to brand building and marketing our concepts.”–Sport Clips
“In one hour, Sally transformed how our employees think and work. The lasting results have been incredible.” –Performics
“Sally kept my audience fascinated from her first word to the end of her standing ovation. She delivers usable ‘street level’ value for business owners who want to attract, captivate and motivate their customers.” –Quantum Club
“I had well over 100 people come up to me and thanked me for bringing in Sally as the opening keynote for Content Marketing World. She set the bar high indeed. She is a true inspiration to me, as well as my team.” –Content Marketing World
“Sally’s reputation stretches around the globe. Yet when she came to Dubai and taught my company how to create more fascinating ideas, she exceeded everyone’s expectations. Sally has universal relevance.” –JWT Gulf
“Five years after Sally’s first keynote to our group of 4,000 creative professionals, people were still talking about her speech as ‘life-changing.’ We brought Sally back in 2011, and from the response I’m getting, I expect that people will still be talking about her speech five years from now!” –How Design
“Her information is concise, her communication is direct, her humor is off the charts, and her ability to connect with the audience is 110%. Hire Sally Hogshead NOW.” –Jeffrey Gitomer, Best-Selling Author- Sales Bible and Little Red Book of Selling
“Outstanding… Sally’s insights into how to be fascinating and represent a fascinating product will pay dividends for many months and years to co me. Our sales force walked out excited and with new ideas on how to do their jobs better.” –Wall Street Journal
“The radio business in Seattle has changed. We now need to prospect, sell, and create apostles in our industry. You hit the target right on. Your presentation addressed our needs specifically. In fact, I was most impressed with your personal touch…Talk about customer service! I am thoroughly impressed that you cared about our goals and did everything in your power to make the event a huge success.” –Puget Sound Radio Broadcasters Association
“I had so many great compliments about your presentation, but more important, your business message, they are too numerous to mention specifically to you!” –National Speakers Association
“It is hard to be the first speaker in the morning, especially after the meeting attendees had an “open evening” in Miami the night before. However, you drew people into the room until it was full, and no one even considered leaving.” –American Logistics Association
“Tony easily fulfilled our expectations. His presentation was a great way to end our conference, and the audience reaction was very positive.” –American Payroll Association
“Thank you for your most insightful presentation! You were simply awesome! Your ‘Relationship Strategies for Connecting with Anyone’ gave our attendees valuable tools that will instantly benefit them at work and in their personal lives. You are an amazing blend of educator and entertainer; helping our attendees learn through the laughter. Here’s a sampling of the many words of praise from our attendees: ‘I’ve never had so much fun learning!’ ‘Tony gave us great tools for communicating at work!’ ‘He’s a fantastic teacher!’ ‘This was one of the most useful presentations at Congress.’ We especially appreciate how you got the audience involved and excited about learning. Thanks again, Tony, for wrapping up our closing general session with one of the best presentations ever!” –American Payroll Association
“Your presentation at AIUM in Nashville was fabulous – everything I had hoped and more…There is nothing I would have changed. The overall reaction of the audience was unanimously positive on all fronts. Everybody was enthusiastic and many were still talking about your presentation all the way through the convention. In short – you were a hit!!” –American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
“Members and guests LOVED you. I received many, many, many unsolicited compliments about you. It’s a great feeling for me. Especially, you impressed the more seasoned members of our organization. They are a hard bunch to impress!” –Professional Edge
“Tony Alessandra delivers and then some! He’s engaging, entertaining and right on the mark when it comes to tailoring his presentation to the audience. His message works on a number of levels. It’s a talented speaker who can involve his audience right from the get go, and hold their interest throughout. When an audience is still talking about the presentation the next day, you know you have a hit. Tony is gifted.” –The American Automobile Association
“Dr. Alessandra’s knowledge of the subject matter, combined with an entertaining style and delivery, results in a presentation that leaves a lasting impression on the audience. The attendees couldn’t wait to get back to their business to implement Tony’s ideas.” –National Auto Auction Association
“Tony thanks for a great entertaining and educational presentation. You really got the attention of our home counselors and manager. It was an honor to finally get to know one of my real ‘HEROES’ over the years. You have been my mentor in so many ways. I’ve watched your video, listened to your tapes, and read your books! Now I got to shake your hand!” –John Laing Homes
“Dr. Tony Alessandra established immediate rapport with an audience of 225+ sales professionals, demonstrated a pragmatic approach to improving customer satisfaction and retention through collaborative selling and ignited my sales team exactly as I had hoped. Well done and certainly a curtain call is in order!” –REED Construction Data
“Your Program far surpassed my expectations. Your interaction with the delegates in attendance, your positive upbeat attitude, and your dedication to what you believe in truly shined on stage and off.” –Baan Americas
“Tony Alessandra excited our audience! He is a vibrant speaker that uses examples we can all relate as well as to clearly articulate his point. He mixes humor with real world experience and certainly can perk up an audience. His message was relevant to our needs and he does his homework. Not only was he a ‘Motivational’ speaker, but we all can walk away with something that can be applied in our everyday business transactions. Recommend to all, 2 thumbs up!” –Baan Americas
“Very thought provoking. Our attendees will benefit from the session when working with clients.” –Towers Perrin
“A great speaker…both his message and his presentation are truly first rate.” –Toys “R” Us
“Tony’s presentation had real impact. The points he made were not only relevant to our audience; they were delivered in a way to make them memorable and fun. It was great to have such an important topic delivered with punch as well as humor.” –Black & Veatch
“Tony is an outstanding speaker, both entertaining and educational. I cannot think of another speaker that can keep an audience fully engaged for three hours!” –The Standard, StanCorp Equities, Inc.
“Tony was wonderful to work with. He did his homework to ensure he understood our needs. His style was dynamic and his material was delivered at the appropriate level for our audience.” Vicorp Restaurants, Inc.
“Tony, you were very well received. I heard nothing but positive comments from our audience, particularly from more mature members who felt stimulated with new perspective.” –Medical Group Management Association
“Tony, it was a pleasure to meet you and hear you speak at Blue Cross’ Sales Conference! Thank you so much for adding your special expertise on client relationships, delivered with great stories and a sense of humor! You received rave reviews and contributed so much to the success of the conference!” –Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
“Our association needed a presenter that had meaty customer relations content and left you laughing. Tony Alessandra fit that to a tee. His approach to customer relations and empowering our members to be in control of the presentation process was the message we needed to hear.” –Florida Association of Insurance Agents
“Your presentation was just what the doctor ordered! The independent financial advisors appreciate practical suggestions on how they can build their practice.” –Integrity Companies
“Tony, I wanted to thank you for the work you put into your presentation. The early feedback I received has been positive. One of our marketing reps said, ‘It was the best VSP refresher I’ve ever had,’ going on to comment on its relevance and the clarity of the examples. Thank you for helping us end our meeting on a high note.” –Progressive Casualty Insurance Co.
“I found Tony to be a powerful speaker. His message was thought provoking, inspiring, and gave my team useful tools that could be incorporated immediately.” –Star Trac Fitness
“I think our president said it best… ‘Of all the speakers we have had, you’re the first person to listen to what we had to say and incorporate that into your presentation.’” –Carter Lumber Company
“Our managers thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. As always, it was both entertaining and educational. Since your presentation, managers have been talking quite a bit about their personality styles and analyzing the personalities of others. Thank you again for helping me in making this another great meeting.” –Cox Radio, Inc.
“Tony’s presentation was informative and entertaining. He provides great information that is useful both in real life and in the business world.” –Uponor (formerly Wirsbo)
“I really enjoyed working with you, and as I told you, your presentation inspired me because it showed me the easy answers to a lot of hard questions I’ve had for some time regarding sales. We received a lot of positive comments about your presentation and YOU! I’m really glad we chose you as the speaker for our event. Thank you Tony and hopefully we can work together in the near future.”–Talamanca Verde S.A.
“Your program was excellent! It exceeded our expectations and the audience expectations. You gave us very useful content and you explained it in a simple and very didactic way. The audience was really connected with you and your content. They perceived your presentation as a tool to improve their sales and their communication with customers.” –C.A. Editora El Nacional
“Tony, I was very pleased with your presentation. It was well received, the connection was made as I had hoped, and the ‘verbal’ responses I heard were very positive. Many of the presenters reflected back to your talk on a number of occasions.” –Boston Scientific
“Tony is a record holder in terms of average customer feedback scoring 4.97 in the scale of 1 to 5.” –Estonian Conference Center
“What a pleasure and honor to have worked with a professional of your caliber! On behalf of the American Fence Association, we would like to extend our sincere thanks. I do hope we will have an opportunity to work with you again.” –American Fence Association
“Tony Alessandra’s presentation was right on the mark! I have often recommended Tony to other groups, based on the outstanding presentation he did for a marketing conference I was involved in for another organization 15 years ago. It was a pleasure having the opportunity to engage Tony again for NPA’s annual convention this year. His presentation was perfect! (How do you make the ‘best’ better?) The overall audience reaction to Tony’s presentation was outstanding!” –National Parking Association
“Tony Alessandra totally engaged my sales team from minute one. He incorporated our language into his presentation and made the audience believe he understood everything about our business. There were a lot of ‘take-aways’ that will stick with my team for a long time.” –AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
“How do you translate typically mundane topics like Customer Loyalty and Embracing Change into a delivery using common words and levity that the entire breadth of an organization can understand and remember? Tony Alessandra. If you hear him once, then you will want to hear him again!” –Thermo Finnigan
“You delivered exactly what I had hoped for after an exhausting and emotional series of prior presenters. Quite a tough act to follow.” –Pfizer, Inc.
“Tony Alessandra delivers an exuberant presentation, one that captivates the audience from its inception and keeps them attentive and alert (and laughing) throughout the program. His ideas are easily adaptable to our operations in the field and will be easy to communicate to all levels of management with his easy-to-understand visual tools.” –Gameworks, Sega Entertainment USA, Inc.
“Tony Alessandra’s delivery was exceptional. His mix of business ideology and humor was perfect for our audience. It was a tremendous learning experience for our managers, who are eager to apply the ‘Apostle’ principle in the field. Thank you for an outstanding and customized presentation.” –The Davey Tree Expert Company
“We asked for and you delivered an hour to remember! You met and exceeded my expectations. You were well prepared, applied the material that we requested and delivered a high-energy presentation. Thanks!” –Corporate Communications
“The presentation Dr. Alessandra recently gave at our Top Producer Event was a resounding success. Not only was the information timely and relevant to our industry, it crossed to personal communication skills and individual development. Thank you… and we look forward to working with you again!” –SII Investments
“Thank you very much for a very well prepared and delivered Keynote Speech for our Conference. Your experience and enthusiasm get transferred from the stage to the audience and everyone leaves inspired. You have a special talent for connecting with your audience. Thanks again for helping us succeed with our Conference.” –Health Connect Partners
“Dr. Alessandra’s presentation was entertaining and the messages powerful. He brought to life the concept of “Moments of Magic” for our management team. The group was delighted by the presentation and left the conference eager to apply the concepts and learning’s. Overall the feedback from participants has been extremely positive. When doing a wrap up exercise many noted that the biggest surprise for them and/or biggest delight for them was Dr. Alessandra’s presentation. The messages and delivery were powerful and made a very strong impact on our team.” –Aviva Canada Inc.
“Tony’s program was a tremendous success at our event. I received many great comments on his presentation. What we particularly liked about Tony, was the value of his content for our audience. Most were able to take away information that they can put to practice immediately in their sales conversations. He was both informative and entertaining in his presentation. We would highly recommend Tony to any organization looking for a speaker that would be well received, entertaining, and interesting for their sales team.” –Herff Jones Photography
“Tony Alessandra turned me into a hero! After completing his session on The Platinum Rule, I immediately became the most popular person at my event. The high praise for Tony’s presentation was overwhelming and somewhat embarrassing. Thanks Tony! I couldn’t have done it without you! I am looking forward to working with you again.” –Chain Store Age Magazine
“Tony Alessandra’s presentation at our Wealth Management conference was an intriguing, motivational, and very applicable talk for our audience. We are very pleased with Tony’s presentation and its message. It was a motivational close to our conference.” –M & I Wealth Management
“We sincerely appreciated the pre-work and customization of Tony’s presentation. It was incredible and we could not have imagined a better presentation!” –CardioDynamics – The ICG Company
“I look back at my first introduction to your methods and not only did it save my sales career, it helped build the most successful privately owned residential alarm company in the United States. I always used what you taught me even after I sold that company and did construction and development work for ten years. When the economy took a turn for the worse in 1990 and 1991, I decided to start selling telecommunication equipment and the first thing I did was bring you back in to my life and introduce you to my sales team. Tony, the impact you had on them and the industry was also remarkable. We went from $700,000 to $18,000,000 in six years and started the company that I am now planning my succession with. We have 110 companies that you have lectured to, all of which have read and learned from your teachings. TAG National has made some remarkable changes in this industry and your methods have had a major impact on our members. I just wanted to thank you for being a part of my life and let you know when I am asked what or who has had the most significant impact on my life and success, I always say you.” –TAG National
“We sincerely appreciated the pre-work and customization of Tony’s presentation. It was incredible and we could not have imagined a better presentation!” –CardioDynamics – The ICG Company
“Tony Alessandra’s talk exceeded our expectations. He worked with our team to understand our company’s business objectives and business dynamics and his message was right on target. Tony skillfully taught our reps how to identify customer types and also drove home the importance of taking care of our customers and how it benefits sales reps and our company.” –Rhonda F. Rhyne, President, CardioDynamics – The ICG Company
“Tony they loved you. It was perfect. Our conference was successful and you were a big part of that. Thank you again.” –Case Management Society of America
“On behalf of the Board of Directors of the California Self Storage Association, I wanted to personally thank you for your inspiring presentations at our conference in San Diego. I look forward to implementing the Platinum Rule within our organization.” –California Self Storage Association
“I enjoyed your presentation at our National Conference. Thank you for joining us. I am always looking for ways to help shape our team’s mindset when it comes to making sure that we do things better than our competition in everything we do.” –Jan-Pro
“Thanks so much for a great evening! I took some notes and noticed that several others were doing the same. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, knowledge, insight — and your willingness to spend the day with us to learn more about Verizon Wireless. Your stories were illustrative, some humorous, but all sounded an alarm about what happens when customer service doesn’t focus on the customer. As a result, leaders will take certain key messages back to their teams and redouble their efforts to not just improve, but exceed customer expectations.” –Verizon Wireless
“Your presentation, “Delivering Exceptional Customer Service,” has truly made an impact on our associates. By tying your message to the work we in Service & Operations do every day to support our agents and policyholders, our associates felt that you understood them and the challenges they face on the job. Your blend of humor, enthusiasm, and real-life customer service experiences re-energized our group. Most importantly, I’d like to thank you for giving associates tools and strategies to continuously work on their customer service delivery skills and ensure they are wowing every customer every time.” –Mass Mutual
“Clearly, you were the hit of the conference. If there are any regrets, it is that we restricted you to a two-hour presentation.” –Carnival Hotels and Casinos
“You struck a chord everyone could hear and lifted our enthusiasm greatly. You understand clearly what it takes to satisfy your customers and you set a great example.” –Colonial Life and Accident
“Undoubtedly you put together the very finest customer service presentations I have ever witnessed.” –Don Rey Media Group
“You were grand! Your depth of knowledge in the customer service area, coupled with your presentation skills, timing and humor make you a super presenter!” –Salt Lake Community College
“Wow!!! I have had unanimous favorable comments—everybody wants to know, ‘When is Lisa coming back?'” –CSX
“Your program has received “Rave” reviews. It will be very difficult to book future speakers now that they have to live up to the expectations you have set.” –Arbonne International
“Although we didn’t ask the reps to grade the presentation, you would have gotten at least an A+++.” –Triple Check Financial Services, Inc.
“Once again, you were the overwhelming favorite of the conference—higher rated than either the opening or closing. You are one terrific speaker who has the ability to capture even the most critical listener.” –University of Illinois
“It’s a shame you do what you do so well… and get paid to do it… and have such fun… that is almost immoral. You truly are a professional.” –The Equitable
“You work CHEAP! You should be charging twice that amount. Your presentation was probably the very best we have ever had.”–Southern Farm Bureau
“To share a few comments, “It was the best conference – Red Cross or other wise – that I’ve ever been to. If this doesn’t inspire our staff, nothing ever will.” “Lisa Ford was great! Did you notice how everyone dashed back after break? No one wanted to miss a minute.” –American Red Cross
“The seminar exceeded my expectations- Lisa was very engaging and the presentation was not only informative but entertaining. Lisa made me take a close look at how I can better service the customers of GK. Any presentation that can really inspire me to think about personal improvement on a daily basis is a presentation well done.” –Global Knowledge
“We enjoyed Lisa’s presentation(s) very much. The feedback was very positive including things like ‘AWESOME;’ ‘Practical, challenging, upbeat and funny;’ ‘High energy, positive attitude – reinforces what we should be everyday.’ Lisa helped us kick off our long term goal – to be the best in our business. Her skill and enthusiasm brings the customer service message to life leaving the managers with high enthusiasm. More than that, her presentation is full of practical and down to earth points that we can implement tomorrow and share easily with others. We laughed and left with energy and motivation for our task ahead.” –Country Meadows Retirement Community
“As I told Lisa on site following her presentation, she exceeded my expectations and they were pretty high. We have received nothing but praise on her message and she did an excellent job in customizing her presentation just enough, that she connected with my group. I had a number of them advise me that they have heard a lot of speakers over the years, but she by far was the best ever on the topic of customer service. In fact, she did such a great job, that my Crawford Canada team would like to make an inquiry as to a possible engagement with her presenting to Canada insurance industry.” –Crawford Contractor Connection
“I wanted to let you know Lisa Ford’s presentation was wonderful! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. I had briefly talked with Lisa at the end of her presentation about possibly coming to speak and/or do breakout sessions at our national conference. I appreciate all your assistance in bringing Lisa to us here in Atlanta!” –Primrose Schools
“Lisa Ford has been the key note speaker at the past two Independent Payroll Providers Association Tax and Operational Excellence Workshops. It’s interesting to be the customer of a professional speaker. She definitely walks her customer service talk. She interviewed us prior to the events to make sure she understood what we were looking for in a Customer Service Key Note. She was able to tailor her delivery and her message specifically to the Payroll Industry. She gave us her full attention, 110% effort and then followed up with us to thank us and test for satisfaction.” –Independent Payroll Providers Association
“This is our 3rd JD Power Award, you will recall that our very first award was 4 years ago, then we missed it the next year by only 1 point. For the past 2 years we were fortunate to have the highest ranking. I truly believe that some of the concepts and training you have provided to our customer service folks over the years has paid dividends and has no doubt helped to instill within our employees the importance of delivering the BEST customer service possible.” –Jackson Electric Membership Cooperative
“Lisa raised our awareness and reminded us how vital Customer Service is in every business. She gave examples and showed how easy it is to modify and implement positive changes in the work place.” –Gulf Coast CEO Forum
- “Great information. The lack of a power point presentation was amazing.”
- “Lisa showed a lot of humor in her presentation and kept the room focused on her and what she had to share. She is a wonderful public speaker.”
- “A world-class speaker who kept the whole room involved and made the time fly. She delivers her content in a memorable fashion which leaves you wanting to hear more!”
- “Very Good Speaker and Session! Put into perspective how the “little” things we do can impact the perception of our customers.”
–Industrial Scientific Corporation
“Lisa Ford hit the bulls-eye as a speaker for our customer and partner conference. Her experience, insights, and engaging delivery contributed to a highly relevant, interesting, and impactful session on delivering extraordinary customer experiences. As a speaker, Lisa is a true professional and comes highly recommended.” –Sage Software
“It was such a pleasure meeting you and watching you in action. Lisa, I could have listened to you all day and then again Tuesday. You have such a fantastic way of sending out your message to the people. I can’t get enough of your energy not to mention your GREAT sense of humor! It really was such a pleasure to have you be a part of our conference! We are still receiving RAVE reviews! You are a wonderful woman Lisa and I really hope I have the opportunity to see you again.” –First American Title Insurance
“The conference was a huge success, capped off by your fantastic message that tied it all together. Thanks for your professionalism and for your expert contribution to our user base’s education.” –IDEXX Laboratories
“I have been around our group of great people for 7 years. Never have I seen them so focused and intent on a meeting presentation. Lisa had them from the first few words!!” –AgVenture Inc.
“Lisa is one of the easiest presenters to work with and doesn’t disappoint. She’s prepared, professional and wants to make sure your audience’s needs are met!” –Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE)
“The verbal comments I heard were all very positive and Lisa was (as usual) a delight to work with.” –WinWholesale
“Having you speak at our Management Conference exceeded my expectations and was the perfect way to wrap up two days of corporate result overviews. Our team here at AWG left uplifted, motivated and ready to embrace the change that they themselves will be creating. Continue your good work and I look forward to crossing paths in the future.” –Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
