Biography of Jeff Tobe

Certified Speaking Professional Jeff Tobe's credentials are impressive. Insider Magazine recently dubbed him "The Guru of Creatively Thriving from Change." As one of the most sought after speakers and consultants in Corporate America, Tobe has earned this title through his trademark presentations, "Coloring Outside the Lines."
Using humor, wil and a contagious energy, Jeff presents more than 100 programs each year and consults with organizations that urgently need to stay ahead of their marketplace. His client list reads like a Who's Who in Corporate America and Canada and includes IBM International, Nestle USA, ReMax International, Ethicon Pharmaceuticals and many others. Jeff's background as an award-winning sales and marketing entrepreneur, has made him the leading authority in creativity-in-business. Having owned his own advertising business for over 10 years, Jeff gained his perspective on creativity from both the agency and vendor side. Combine that with his insight into a changing business world and you have a winner!

Jeff is the Primary Colorer at Coloring Outside the Lines. He is one of only 400 speakers in the world to have earned the designation of Certified Speaking Professional, the highest accreditation of the National Speakers Association. Tobe was also named one of the top 15 speakers in North America for 2003 by readers of Conventions & Meetings Magazine.

Jeff believes in the power of creativity to manage the change that is inevitable with innovation, and to look at what one does from an entirely new perspective. He helps participants not only to cope with transition, but to creatively embrace and thrive from it. He teaches organizations that to grow and increase their bottom line, they must first implement strategies that have a fresh approach.

Jeff is the author of the best-selling book "Coloring Outside the Lines: Business Thoughts on Creativity, Marketing & Sales" and the audio series "Listening Between the Lines." He is also the co-author of the books "The Sales Coach II" and "The Communications Coach."

If your organization needs to learn critical career skills for the new workplace AND they want to have fun doing it, then join Jeff Tobe in Coloring Outside the Lines.

Speech Topics
C.O.L.O.R. Selling: Put a Little C.O.L.O.R. in Your Selling
Jeff Tobe's energetic, humorous and motivational style is combined with his innovative approach to the sales arena. What this means to your sales force is a comprehensive 'road map' to increasing productivity and your bottom-line. This unique and proprietary program has won accolades from major companies around the world. C.O.L.O.R. Selling is a five-step sales process developed by Jeff. It is based on research with salespeople representing diverse industries conducted over a period of 7 years. During this research, Jeff discovered the common link between the most successful sales organizations regardless of their industry--THE USE OF A PROPER AND SEQUENTIAL QUESTIONING TECHNIQUE IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE CALL! There are 4 distinct stages to any sales call and, once salespeople understand this, they can determine whether or not they are spending an appropriate amount of time in each stage. Moving from stage to stage is directly related to the kinds of questions one asks.

Coloring Outside the Lines...Innovation and Creativity: The Tools to Thriving from Change
This humorous, energetic 'signature' keynote or workshop has received outstanding reviews from diverse audiences around the world. Certified Speaking Professional Jeff Tobe challenges you to step outside your comfort zone in positioning your product, your service or yourself more creatively than ever before. He provides the insight you require to capture the competitive edge we all strive for in any profession. Thriving from change means looking at the challenge from a whole new perspective. Jeff shares the "Harvey Principle" with all of his audiences; "The ability to look for invisible opportunities where everyone else sees only limitations." Jeff shows participants how to re-evaluate themselves from a fresh new perspective. Coloring Outside the Lines leads participants in utilizing their innate creativity to benefit both their professional and personal lives. Jeff is not just entertaining--he provides real 'tools' to being more creative. The focus of Coloring Outside the Lines is on creatively managing the change that is inevitable with innovation. Jeff Tobe believes that it is time to revamp our traditional belief system in business. He urges you to "stop looking in your rear view mirrors to see how things have been done in the past." Instead, he focuses on what is coming down the road ahead in your specific industry." What makes you and your business different than anyone else out there? Attendees tackle the issues of VALUE vs. THE PERCEIVED COST of doing business with you, working with you or consulting with you. Jeff offers techniques to get 'internal' and 'external' clients to buy into your innovative ideas once you do develop them. Jeff addresses the fear and, consequently, the risk involved in accepting change in any environment. "People are not necessarily afraid of change itself. They are more fearful of the short time frame in which they are asked to change." Whether it's a keynote or a workshop, Jeff's participatory style gets audiences involved, laughing and having fun while they learn.

DiSC...Who are you dealing with anyway?
All of us have developed behavioral patterns--distince ways of thinking, feeling and acting. The demands of the work environment often require different responses that evolve into a work behavioral style. The most effective professionals are those who know themselves, recognize the demands of the situation and adopt strategies to meet those needs. Whether or not your people are managers, salespeople, CSRs, administrators or executives, this program will help them discover their own unique behavioral style. They will begin to understand how to relate to the 4 universal styles which will enable them to better comprehend the other person's mindset right from the beginning. The DiSC profile is a self-diagnostic tool that has been validated by professionals around the world. DiSC is a fun, interactive way to discover "who are you dealing with anyway?"

Listening Between the Lines...Effective Communication Techniques
Asking the right questions of our internal and external clients is a key to effective communication. Jeff Tobe, co-author of the book THE COMMUNICATION COACH, suggests that just asking questions is not enough. A common thread among successful professionals is their ability to LISTEN. Effective listening is one of the most powerful communication techniques and yet, it's probably the best kept secret of top professionals in the country. Jeff claims, "We have to immediately establish our role as the seeker of information and the buyer as a giver, in this new environment of relationship selling." Research shows that most of us often think ahead of the client to figure out what we will say next, rather than thinking along with them. Conscientious listening is a learned behavior. We have never had formal 'listening training' in our school systems and rarely in our work environments. Yet, we know the value of effective and responsive listening when it comes to sales, customer service, conflict resolution and management. Effective listeners are able to concentrate and find the most vital information in whatever they hear. Good listening habits save time and money. LISTENING BETWEEN THE LINES will give attendees nine techniques for more effective listening and communicating. What this means is that, with practice, participants gain that 'competitive edge' that will set them apart from everyone else.

Outside-the-Lines Marketing
This high-energy, fast paced, humorous marketing workshop has received outstanding reviews from organizations around the globe. Jeff challenges attendees to step outside of their comfort zone and position their company, services and themselves to give them maximum exposure and the competitive edge for which we all strive in this crazy marketplace. Jeff shares how to create a marketing "blueprint" that applies to any size organization. He then takes participants through a 5-step process of re-evaluating their marketing and advertising techniques. Finally, Jeff shares many of his 101 secrets to gaining marketing prowess and increasing their bottom line.

Outside-the-Lines Teambuilding
A recent study of 160 top global companies revealed that within a decade, the greatest influence would not come from individuals, but from teams. Effective teams increase workplace morale and productivity. Teams that are innovative make fewer mistakes, save money and are more efficient. The number one challenge that teams face is that of blending together due to varying degrees of knowledge and skills held by the individual members. Jeff's creative teambuilding fosters group collaboration. His fun and participatory session teaches that all contributions are important to the whole team. Jeff explores the creation of interdependence and how the most powerful teams foster self-motivation among their members. In the end, participants will learn that the best teams do not have one great leader, but are instead, a team of leaders.