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This website receives quite a lot of questions about business development, marketing, and sales from all levels of management and ownership of companies, of various sizes, and from numerous markets.

Teachers and students in business and marketing also frequent the website.

The two most common questions asked are;

"Who is the business doctor"? Is the extensive experience, trainings, education, and knowledge all from one individual or are several individuals making up some type of a team called "The Business Doctor"?

The answers to these two questions are;
My name is Michael Marshall.
I have dedicated my business career of 25 + years to learning and gaining extensive experience in business development, marketing, and sales.

To obtain this, I have taken on the challenges of position advancements; new products, and services to market and sell, continual business travel both national and international; and personally relocating numerous times for new assignments and to new companies.

In addition, I have sought out continual education and trainings at a large financial expense and investment but a worthy one.

Yes, the information, experience, education, and trainings come from me.

I have been fortunate in my business career to have had the opportunity to work with some very talented business, marketing, and sales professionals.

In addition, I have been fortunate during my college years to have learned from some very talented and brilliant field research professors; plus the many talented trainers from continual education and training programs that I have participate in and learned from.

I will share with you a summary of my personal background and business career.

I am honored to be referred to as;

"The Business Doctor" because I listen closely to customers' and markets' needs; explore, evaluate, and diagnose. This leads me to develop effective business and marketing treatment plans similar to medical doctors utilizing targeted questions, appropriate test results and a stethoscope to develop a diagnosis and treat individual needs

"Rain Maker" which means someone that has the expertise to find and obtain substantial business

"Change Master" who is someone that can positively influence attitudes and unite a team effort for substantial business growth

"Business Relationship Guru" who is someone that can seek out and develop strategic alliances and referral networks for business growth

My ability utilizing "Creativity" and "Out of the Box Thinking" is critical

EDUCATION

PhD in Business concentrating in Business Development, Marketing, and Sales
MBA
BS Degree - double major in Psychology and Social Human Behavior
Two Year International Business Certificate, Federally Certified
Associates Degree in Corrections & Law Enforcement
3 years of formal education in engineering concentrating in mechanical, structural, and architecture
Graduate of the Realtors Institute with GRI designation
Over 35 continual education trainings with formal accredited CEU Certified Educational Units that equal two additional years of college credits. (These are listed later in this background summary)
Cross Country Education 2006
- Effective Healthcare Marketing
Rockhurst University 2006
- Excellence in Customer Service
Graceland College / Skill Path Education 2006
- Advanced Customer Service

PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS POSITIONS HELD

Vice President of Marketing & Sales
Vice President of Business Development and Marketing
Director of Sales & Marketing
Director of Sales Support, Advertising and Marketing
Customer Service Manager
National Account Manager
Training Manager
Regional Sales Manager
District Sales Manager
Area Sales Manager
Inside Sales Manager
Field Sales Staff

Prior to my business career, I was a staff psychiatric counselor for a few years with my psychology degree.
Here I learned the dynamics of people skills.

what motivates people why people act and think the way that they do how to understand & influence others

I then moved into a business career.

I started out by obtaining my first fundamental sales & marketing experience early in my business career as a real estate broker becoming top sales person quickly. Here I learned the importance of asking strategic questions, probing, and being prepared.

After a couple years of being top sales person in real estate, I moved on into higher levels of business advancing to professional positions as listed above.

MARKETS WORKED WITH & SELLING TO

Chemicals
Clothing
Collectibles
Computer Data Sites
Computer Peripherals
Consumer
Education
Electrical
Electronics
Engineering
Environmental
Food Processing & Distribution
Government
Healthcare
Internet Providers
IT Information Technology
Industrial
Manufacturing
Medical
Power
Processing
Real Estate & Architectural
Retail & DIY's
Scientific
Services, Repairs, and Service Contracts
Service Trades
Sports & Entertainment
Telecommunications
Test Equipment
Utilities
Warehousing & Distribution
Water & Waste Water
And Others

SALES CHANNELS WORKED WITH

Catalog
Consumer Direct Sales & Marketing
Direct Sales Staff
Distribution Multi Tier
Independent Sales Representatives
International
National
Local
Retail
Special Accounts Partnering Agreements
Telemarketing
VAR's Value Added Resellers
Websites & Internet
And Others

The cross pollination of such extensive experience is truly beneficial in so many ways.

PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS

Have included:
ACG ~ Association for Corporate Growth
AMA ~ American Management Association
AMA ~ American Marketing Association
DMA ~ Direct Marketing Association
ISA ~ Internet Society
SCIP ~ Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
SMEC ~ Sales and Marketing Executives International Association
TDA ~ Training and Development Association
TMA ~ Turnaround Management Association
WWIBP ~ Who's Who of International Business Professionals

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

• AMA American Management Association Divisional Certificate/Award in Marketing

• Numerous business, sales and marketing articles published in professional publications

• Contributing writer to "Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management" Pi Sigma Epsilon Publication, National Fraternity for University Business Professors

• Numerous certified trainings in Business Development, Management, Sales, Marketing, Contract Negotiations, Strategic Alliances

• Participated/membership in professional trade associations in many key vertical markets

• Special guest teaching engagements on various business subjects

• Formally trained in public speaking and training

• Formally trained in contract negotiations

• Formally trained in "Creativity" & "Out of the Box Thinking"

• Formally trained in Acquisitions & Mergers, Finding/Buying & Selling Businesses, Positioning & Preparing a Company For Sale

• Achievement award for engineering design from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)

• Achieved Eagle Scout Rank, Boy Scouts of America

ADDITIONAL STRUCTURED EDUCATION

The following CEU (certified education units) were earned and is equal to 2 additional years of college.

American Management Association
- Advertising: Strategy and Design
- Competitive Strategy: How to Develop Marketing Plans, Strategies, and Tactics
- Creative Problem Solving
- Creating a Winning Marketing Campaign
- Finance and Accounting for Non-financial Managers
- How to Analyze the Competition
- How to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
- How to Develop Successful Trade Show Presentations
- How to Get Products to Market Faster
- How to Manage Successful Sales Promotions
- How to Market Your Product Through Distributor Sales Networks
- How to Plan and Manage a Telemarketing Operation
- Keeping Customers for Life
- Marketing Value-added Services and How to Compete Against Price
- Motivating Sales People Through Incentives and Compensation
- Niche Marketing
- Pricing Strategies
- Strategic Planning
- Successful Planning
- Successful Product Management: How to Make Your Product a Winner
- Value Added Selling
Career Track Corporation
- How to Build and Manage Your Team
- In Search of Excellence II
- Management Effectiveness
- Practical Budgeting Skills for Managers
Dale Carnegie Institute 1980
- Effective Speaking and Human Relations
Washington Pacific University 1984
- Train the Trainer Certificate
University of North Carolina 1990
- Increasing Sales Force Productivity
Conway/Deming 1990
- Quality Management System of Continual Improvement
Dun & Bradstreet 1990
- Managing Multiple Priorities
AIMS/Oxicon Group 1990
- Recruiting, Selecting and Retaining Top Sales Talent
Xerox Corp./Learning International 1990
- Professional Selling skills
High Yield Management Inc. 1991
- How to Make Your Prices Stick
Keye Productivity Center 1991
- Coping With Difficult Customers

Ask the Business Doctor^TM
8621 South Erie Avenue ~ Tulsa, Oklahoma 74137