Terry Healy-Lemke

Manager Search and Placement - Celerity Staffing Solutions

Dear John,

It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. Your approach to Sales Training is very refreshing, motivating, and produces excellent results. Thank you very much for all of your wonderful ideas.

The marketing letters and tips for strengthening customer relationships have been key to accelerating my success. I am very happy to tell you that within two months of implementing a few of your suggestions, I experienced the best month that I have had in my 15-year career as a Recruiter!

The giving attitude and the passion that you bring to your consulting is clearly illustrated in your approach to clients. Intuitively you were able to tailor your training to my particular situation and help me distill my sales techniques. Since working with you, I have been able to transition my direction to more of a focus on Executive Placements, which promises to be a rewarding and fulfilling avenue for my career.

Your sales training/consulting methodology is inspirational, and it is very clear that you truly do want to help your clients and make a difference. I am very pleased with the positive transformation you have helped me realize and would highly recommend your services to anyone interested in achieving the sales results they know they are capable of.

Wishing you continued success in 2009!

Van Nutt

Executive Director - Middleton Chamber of Commerce

I have had the pleasure of working with John Russell, principal of The Business Source, for over a decade. We have served together in Middleton Chamber of Commerce leadership capacities, on multiple committees, through the best and worst of situations. He is a committed, highly skilled, sales and marketing professional.

I have participated in The Business Source’s Customer Development program, and found it to contain great information for a broad range of businesses. Given John’s professional and Chamber leadership experience, the expectations were high. From some Marketing 101 perspectives to a great 20 Action takeaway, John delivered valuable insights.

Spend some time with John and The Business Source. You’ll appreciate his passion for creating successful, affordable, sustainable business practices. He’s done his homework, and is a terrific resource for good business.

I can highly recommend The Business Source, and would be happy to share my specific experiences with you.

Diane Walder

Director of Communications - Badger State Games

Dear John:

On behalf of the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, I want to thank you again for your outstanding work in developing the Badger State Games billboard campaign.

I approached you with this job with very little time and resources to develop a comprehensive and effective campaign. But through your generous hard work, diligence and considerable expertise, the billboard design was gorgeous, the organization and follow-through were superb and the locations were excellent. It's remarkable to me how you put this difficult project together so quickly, effectively and economically.

In addition, you performed this miracle cheerfully and seemingly without effort. Your customer care was magnificent and you made me feel like your only client.

Please know that I will recommend you and Adams Outdoor to anyone needing these kinds of services. You do really fine work, and I thank you very much.

Mary Claire Lanser

Lanser Public Affairs - On behalf of United Ethanol LLC

Dear John,

My firm manages public affairs for many clients in rural communities, including United Cooperative. We have been involved with securing approvals from the City of Milton for United Ethanol LLC and, more recently, soliciting investors for the ethanol plant.

We'd held investor information meetings since June 20, relying on mailings and word of mouth to draw attendees. We were disappointed with the turnout we saw. Frankly, I called you out of desperation because we only have until August 17 to raise enough money for financial closing.

I remember the day I called you. You told me this is your specialty and that, even though I wasn't giving you even the minimum amount of time that you usually need to put together an ad campaign, I was talking to the guy who could get it done. We committed to a round of advertising for our July meetings.

You were right. Once the ads ran, attendance at our meetings (and investment checks written) increased dramatically. We owe a debt of gratitude to Pam Jahnke for producing the ads, talking about United Ethanol as part of her news segments, and including us on her website. Everyone I talk to is a huge "Pam fan".

We have now exceeded 83% of our goal. Are we using your services to advertise our remaining meetings? You bet. You've made a believer of using radio to get the message out to our target audience.

Thank you for your wisdom, professionalism, and for getting this done for us on very short notice. When this plant starts operating, you can take pride in having been a partner to make it happen.

Kurt Sipple

President - Applied Tech

John has been instrumental in helping us develop our sales process. He is a master at facilitating a thought provoking and motivational discussion. His breadth of experience and no-nonsense approach allow him to ask pertinent questions that quickly get to the heart of the matter while allowing us to head in the direction best suited for us.

John has taught us that a good sales process can create a predictable outcome from something as seemingly random as sales. He did this by asking us to describe our unique value proposition. I had HEARD the word "value proposition" before but had no idea how to define Applied Tech's. When he asked me to "define what a good prospect looks like", it hadn't even occurred to me that I could define an ideal client for my company. It occurred to us that we had defined a target audience but not an ideal candidate. Our sales process is still not perfect but we are well on our way to creating a repeatable process that we can rely on for years to come.

Marv Holewinski

WeatherTime Radio Network

I am writing this letter in reference to John Russell.

For nearly 30 years, our weather consulting company has been providing radio stations throughout the Midwest, with customized, on-air, weather reports. Our weather reports have been heard on over 125 radio stations. Nearly all of our income is generated selling radio ads, adjacent - to, our reports.

Due to significant, on-going changes in the radio business, and heightened by the 911 disaster, our company's stability was threatened by several years of declining revenue.

I sought the help of John Russell, who I knew was involved in sales and marketing for more than 20 years. At the time I didn't know he was the sales manager at a renowned sales training company. John was eager to provide me with personalized training and real-time (dealing with real clients) coaching.

The results were almost immediate. With John's help and coaching I quickly learned that I was able to secure meetings with potential customers that I could never get in the past. And with John's step-by-step sales system, I was able to develop relationships during the sales process, which is the key to sales success.

To make a long story short, one year after beginning my coaching sessions with John, my confirmed sales are already double what they were a year ago. Further, I am engaged in other transactions that could triple my sales volume from last year. And I have another 10 potential customers in my "marketing system pipeline", that John has taught me.

If you are considering using John Russell for professional or personal coaching, I invite you to call me personally (608) 833-1515, and I will be happy to share my experiences with you! John's coaching has turned my professional and personal life around! There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he can, and will, do the same for you!

Tricia Johnson

General Manager - Wheeler Deeler

Wheeler Deeler is a weekly Michigan newspaper with a statewide circulation of 100,000. Our advertising base encompasses automotive, auto related, furniture, pets, livestock, heavy equipment, recreational vehicles, farm equipment, real estate and many other items, both new and used. Commercial as well as private party classifieds are also a large part of our content.

With the economic downturn Michigan it was time for our outside sales team to have some training. Staff members are basically veterans, but only a few of them have been at it long enough to understand what it is like to sell in a down economy. They also have historically relied upon the auto market so heavily that to learn to sell additional segments has been difficult for them.

I asked Bill Kendy to come and do some training for our thirteen sales executives. Bill did a fantastic job stressing the points I needed him to. We developed a plan and he honed in on them.

The feedback I received from the staff was excellent. They felt Bill was straight forward and to the point. He addressed real issues with them and was flexible in his presentation. His format was very interactive. He engaged the staff, got them talking and sharing experiences with each other and broke down barriers. He helped us build camaraderie, teams and eliminate the "Lone Ranger" scenario.

When I was the General Manager of Lansing Community Newspapers, I had Bill do sales training and had similar positive feedback from the staff. After-all, in my opinion, that positive feedback is the real testimonial for a selling consultant and trainer.

Thomas B. Scott

Vice President Public Affairs and Communication - Michigan Retailers Association

Dear Bill,
Thank you very much for your enlightening, hour-long seminar on how to "Stretch Your Marketing Budget with Co-op Ad Dollars," held during our Michigan Retail Education Conference.

Your seminar delivered on its promise of opening retailers' eyes to the opportunities available for taking advantage of co-op dollars, as well as providing retailers with specific examples of ways to access these dollars. I believe everyone in attendance gained practical knowledge from the session, information that can pay off in both the short and long term.

E. Larry Dobias

Hot Prospects Direct

When it comes to direct mail, direct marketing and mailing lists, we've found that Bill Kendy knows exactly what he's talking about. He's the pro that companies like ours turn to for guidance on individual projects and long term planning. Bill's knowledge of lists, demographics, marketing, sales and creating messages that work has increased response rates and brought success to many projects. Over the years Bill has served as a valued partner, guide, counselor and consultant for Hot Prospects Direct.

P.S. I've really enjoyed Bill's writing over the years, too. His insight into marketing and sales comes through in his entertaining, easy to read articles.

Janet Keller

Vice President of Public Relations, Communications and Advertising - Accelerated Genetics

I would like to share with others the great working relationship that Accelerated Genetics has experienced with the WeatherTime Radio Network. Accelerated Genetics is a sixty-seven year old agricultural cooperative, based in Wisconsin that provides genetic products and services to over 82 countries around the world. Our core membership customers are located here in the upper Midwest, which makes WeatherTime a perfect match for our marketing efforts through their coverage.

Karl Klopotic and Marv Holewinski have worked with Accelerated Genetics for over 20 years, seven of those years with me. Their commitment to providing regular personal contact and service has been "top notch". In my capacity I work with only four contracted radio media partners and WeatherTime has earned the position as one of our leading media sources. Karl and Marv initiate regular meetings with me in locations that work for my busy schedule. They make the effort to learn about our specific industry and the business atmosphere that affects our potential customers' purchasing decisions.

They look for new and unique promotional opportunities that might work for Accelerated Genetics. Marv even assisted our Accelerated Genetics Marketing Division as we developed a software based PDA data acquisition system for our field reps. Marv's experience and advice assisted our company in avoiding major PDA pitfalls.

Even though the advertising programs that we have chosen are affordable, they are very effective. I know that this investment is working as I often hear comments from farmers in Wisconsin and Minnesota that have heard our ads in conjunction with WeatherTime's weather reports. Our Accelerated Genetics representatives are also often excited when they hear our new products, Affirm and Bovitel, promoted on various radio stations in their locale, helping to support their sales efforts. We would not be able to reach the many rural locations through print sources, and this is where WeatherTime Radio excels.

Our market share has been growing for the last ten years so we know that our WeatherTime Radio marketing partnership, along with the rest of our advertising strategy, is working well.

Our record year, just completed, showed an incredible 12% unit growth and record net profit. We are one of only five major artificial insemination companies in the Midwest, so we know we are taking market share from our competitors.

WeatherTime over the years has included literally thousands of bonus ads on their network, an added benefit with our advertising package... so we are getting a great rate per aired ad.

Our next step in advertising will be the incorporation of WeatherTime as our source for an exclusive audio "extended ag weather forecast" on the Accelerated Genetics public website. We feel that this extra farm management tool will assist our producers and give new potential customers another reason to visit our website and choose Accelerated Genetics as their genetic product and service customer. Capturing the interest of as many potential customers is always an important consideration when we choose to invest in various advertising and promotion. Since we are a cooperative we do not make major investments without careful consideration and they are monitored to ensure results. WeatherTime gives Accelerated Genetics great results!

On a personal note, I find that I can be honest with Karl and Marv. They are a professional, efficient team that provides prompt and courteous service whenever we ask for information. Marv and Karl understand how to get the best value for our marketing program, a rare thing these days.

As the person that oversees all of the advertising, communication, public relations and cooperative member contact, I really appreciate having them as valued marketing partners. They produce results that make me look like a hero to my CEO!

Richard Pfister

CEO - Midwest Stihl Inc.

For 18 years The WeatherTime Radio Network was the major media for advertising for Midwest Stihl, Inc.

We felt WeatherTime was a major factor in all the growth at Midwest Stihl, both in market share and sales increases. In 18 years of our joint advertising venture, we saw increases every year, and over half were double-digit increases, in spite of a downward trending industry. With WeatherTime, we were able to steadily increase our market share from competitors, and quickly gain new customers, as new Stihl power equipment and products were introduced.

With the increase in sales, STIHL Inc. allowed us to add the state of Minnesota to our distribution territory, which includes Wisconsin, the U.P. of Michigan and Northern Illinois.

WeatherTime was very flexible and easy to work with, as they took care of all the details of the advertising campaign, including ad production.

We felt WeatherTime Inc. was a very effective and cost-efficient way to advertise to the customers we were trying to reach. They allowed us to advertise year around, over a large geographical area, at a very affordable price.

If you are a business that would like to do the same, I would highly recommend advertising with The WeatherTime Radio Network!

Hank Woznial

V.P. - R.L. Ryerson Co., Inc.

The R.L. Ryerson Company was the sole distributor of Polaris snowmobiles, ATV's, and watercraft, for most of Wisconsin, the U.P. of Michigan, and Northern Illinois, for 15 years.

During that time, we utilized the radio advertising services of the WeatherTime Radio Network, with great success and satisfaction. Within 5 years of advertising on the WeatherTime Network, our Polaris snowmobile market share grew from approximately 35% to over 50% in Wisconsin.

When Polaris began manufacturing ATV's, WeatherTime again was our main media source, and again, our market share grew to over 50% within 5 years, while the average in other states was 38%.

We felt our association with WeatherTime's daily weather reports, in prime morning and noon drive times, was a perfect fit for advertising Polaris products. Their weather reports targeted snowmobilers, hunters, fishermen, farmers, contractors and construction workers, all major snowmobile and ATV user groups.

Since WeatherTime had been providing weather reports to radio stations across the Midwest for several decades, we felt the stability, longevity and notoriety of the WeatherTime staff was an added bonus, so we had them produce our ads, as well.

Advertising on The WeatherTime Radio Network offered us many advantages:

• With only one contact, we covered a 3-state area with ads on 50+ stations covering our regional sales territory.
• The WeatherTime staff was professional, knowledgeable, dependable, friendly and easy to work with. They developed and maintained an effective advertising plan and network to meet our marketing needs, within budget guidelines.
• Costs were very reasonable.

We had a great deal of positive feedback from both our dealers AND our customers.

I can confidently say that advertising on The WeatherTime Radio Network really works!