Biography of Sig Hutchinson

Sig Hutchinson career highlights are distinguished by his passion and experience as a professional speaker, consultant, and community leader.
With more than seventeen years in sales training and leadership development, Sig’s experience includes working with thousands of sales professionals and hundreds of companies to increase sales and improve communication, as well as managing his own companies in such businesses as insurance & financial services, real estate & property management, newspaper publishing and radio personality for the entrepreneurial and technology community. Sig sits on numerous boards such as Leadership Triangle, Triangle Tomorrow and the Triangle Regional Air Quality Coalition; is a member of the National Speakers Association and has achieved the status of Million Dollar Round Table®.

As an community leader, Sig has taken an active role with environmental, recreation and transportation issues across the Triangle region. He chairs the Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee working to acquire and preserve the important natural areas throughout the county and has been acknowledged as “Tarheel of the Week” by the News & Observer for successfully leading three bond referendums for open space preservation and parks totally $88 Million Dollars. He chaired the Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force as part of the 25 year long range transportation plan, chaired the Wake County Air Quality Task Force and is President of the North Raleigh Mountain Biking Association responsible for more than thirty miles of single track trail throughout the region. As Past President of the Triangle Greenways Council, Sig has been instrumental in building 180 miles of interconnected greenways across three counties and numerous municipalities known locally as the “Circle the Triangle.” He has received awards from the City of Raleigh as “Greenways Volunteer of the Year,” and from Wake County, has received the “Environmental Stewardship Award” and “Volunteer of the Year Award.” He has been called “The Greenway Guy,” “Mr. Open Space” and affectionately by the business community, Sig is known as “Mr. Greenjeans.”

Sig has a BA in sociology from Texas Tech University and a M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina. He is married with one son and two grandchildren and lives with his beautiful wife Nancy on a greenway in Raleigh, NC.

Speech Topics
Sales Presentation: Selling with a Flair
Selling in today’s environment is as difficult as ever. With more educated buyer and more options than ever before; buying from another source can be as easy as a click of the mouse. Today’s buyers want to buy from a well informed professionals who asks the right questions, presents information in a way that meets the their needs from people they appreciate and enjoy. With all of this in mind, Sig’s seventeen years of sales consulting, training and coaching experience can give your professionals the information, techniques and ideas they need to close more business this afternoon. Whether it’s to “pump up the team,” roll out a new product or service or to give them a new set of skills or reinforce the old ones, Sig ability to listen to your needs and then tailor a sales presentation to your company, team and product is exactly what he does best. Sig has literally hours of material on all the parts of the buying/selling process and can create a presentation as general or specific and requested with an energy and freshness that your professionals will enjoy and appreciate. Sig also specializes in working with companies to identify what skill are necessary for success within your company and then has a set of instruments to objectively test for those behaviors, values and attributes. (See Assessments) Whether you need Sig for an hour, a day or a year, Sig has the skills, experience and objective instruments necessary to make your company, sales team and products a big winner. Perfect to kick-off your conference, introduce a new product or just to get the folks “fired up.”

Sales Presentation: Understanding the Motivation for Buying
“Sell a man what he needs, and you will make a living, sell a man what he wants, and you will make a fortune.” Frank Betcher As sales professionals, we spend out lives telling our prospects what we have rather than asking them what they want. However, in today’s selling environment, knowing want they want is no longer enough. Today, the real power is in the understanding of “why” they want it. In this keynote presentation, sales professionals will learn the hidden power behind a person’s real “motivation for buying.” From the sales professional just starting out to a seasoned professional, this one session will provide more insight, more power, more opportunity to take control of the sales than any other keynote designed for salespeople.

Sales Presentation: All You Need To Know To Handle Objections Like A Pro!
Your presentation is going pretty well and he sounds interested. Then the bomb drops! “It cost too much,” “I want it in blue,” “I have to have it by Monday.” Your palms start to sweat, you start thinking about your mortgage payment due in two weeks and all you see is this totally qualified prospect walking out the door as you face another rejected sales attempt. But the story doesn’t have to end that way. Most of the time, objections raised by our prospects are simply a request for more information and should be seen as moving you closer to the sale rather than a deal breaker. In this presentation, learn to handle objections like the professional you are. And it’s easier than you think. All it takes is understanding the types of objections your prospect could raise during the sales process and then leaning to effectively deal with them one at a time all starting with the right attitude. This is a fun packed session full of examples with lots of energy and information you can use that afternoon.

Open Space, Parks and Greenways Program: Greenways and the Reshaping of American Communities
“Greenways now have the power to change America as we know it.” Whether we’re talking economic development, public health, recreational opportunities, transportation, cleaner water and cleaner air or even reconnecting neighbors and neighborhoods; greenway are becoming the new corridor of successful communities. Sig Hutchison has been on the cutting edge of greenway development in the Triangle region of North Carolina for more than a dedicate creating a greenway grid that spans four counties, numerous municipalities and will ultimately extend more than 180 miles throughout the region. He has led three bonds referendums totaling $88 Million dollars, much of which is going to preserve corridors for greenways and helped build the coalition to complete a $3.8 Million pedestrian bridge linking the NC Art Museum and Meredith College that will soon be the epicenter for the entire network. Sig speaks to how to raise money, overcome disgruntled neighbors, influence elected officials, as well as how to develop a plan and work with staff. If you are thinking about greenways, wanting more greenways, wanting to start a greenway program, find money, influence elected officials and the public, then Sig is your man. His passion for greenways comes through as he speaks of successes and failures, funny stories of what people have said as well as how to run a successfully bond campaign. (78% approval rating for his bond campaigns) Called “Mr. Greanjeans” in the Triangle, Sig is known by the County Manager as “Our Secret Weapon” and has been recognized as “Volunteer of the Year” for Wake County. If you want to get energized so when you leave to go home, all you talk about is greenways; then bring Sig to your communities to spread his magic, which will look like a linear corridor of natural space with a beautiful trail running through it.

Open Space, Parks and Greenways Program: Open Space: The Time is Now the Place is Here.
“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.” Helen Keller “I will go anywhere, anytime, anyplace and talk to anybody if I can talk about Open Space.” That’s Sig Hutchinson mantra when it comes to talking about his passion. Since 2000, Sig has personally led three bond referendums totaling 88 Million dollars for open space preservation and has been recognized as “Tarheel of the Week,” by the local newspaper and “Volunteer of the Year” by Wake County. Then those dollars have then attracted even more funding literally transforming a region towards, cleaner air, cleaner water, more parks and greenways, wildlife protection and a higher quality of life for everyone. Sig understands the value of open space and knows how to sell it to the elected officials, staff and citizens including his own “Open Space Machine” that creates open space right in front of his audience. “People talk about my Open Space Machine everywhere I go and always want to see it again.” Want to energize your community, convince your elected officials that open space money pays for itself by creating communities where people want to live and businesses want to come? Want to be part of the new wave of green preservation and development that is defining where we want to live, work, and play? Then bring Sig to your community to see to power of Open Space. I promise with a shot of Sig, your community will never be the same and you will be on your way toward a cleaner, happier, healthier, more economically vibrant community all supported by the citizens as a number one priority their community.