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Don Hutson
Honored as "Sharing Ideas"
1998 Consummate Speaker of the Year

Congratulations, Don! We are proud to choose you as this years Consummate Speaker of the Year for your brilliant and enthusiastic co-operation with bureau clients and bureau owners. You will join our Consummate Speaker Hall of Fame.

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  1. Don, you were the third President of NSA at age 30, How did you get such an early start in the world of professional speaking?

  1. At the age of 20, fresh out of the University of Memphis majoring in sales, I went to work for the late Dick Gardner selling enrollments in sales seminars. We had to give 30 minute talks to small sales meetings of 5-15 people to sell our product which was the venue for my first 1,500 talks.

  1. What countries has your fabulous career taken you to?

  1. Spain, United Kingdom, Peru, Australia, New Zealand and, of course, Canada. I enjoy the periodic international appearances, but always relish most touching down in America on the return.

  1. Tell us about your jet. What are the advantages of having your own air transportation?

  1. I started flying at age 15 and have owned a propeller driven airplane for 20 years which I have used extensively in my travels. We (I have partners) are in the second year of having the Citation Jet and it really revolutionizes the travel experience. Typically when I use it, I will make 2 or 3 speaking stops. It enables me to have the flexibility to accept engagements I often couldn’t when at the mercy of airline schedules. I have a passion for it and it’s working well. I wish I had gotten one sooner. There is some additional expenditures, but I absorb that and the client pays my customary all-inclusive fee.

  1. When you spoke for the International Speakers Bureau Association, IGAB, we were all very impressed that you took a survey of the bureau members before the program, and gave each bureau owner a copy of it. Do you often go the second mile like this?

  1. Dottie, I continue to believe in, and teach the principles of differentiation. Anything we can do to separate ourselves from the pack in today’s competitive marketplace will give us an edge. At the top of the list of differentiating efforts is in-depth, well-researched tailoring that exceeds client’s expectations. It was rewarding to be able to tell the IGAB members things about their business they didn’t know. Due diligence like this pays off with every audience.

  1. As CEO of U.S. Learning how does your career vary from that of other speakers/trainers?

  1. Good question. This year I will do about 110 traditional fee-paid engagements consisting of speeches and seminars for corporate and association clients. Additionally, I will probably do 25 contract training dates for our U.S. Learning clients consisting primarily of customized video shoots in the creation of training programs to address their specific needs.

  1. Your credo, as published in Memphis magazine: "My job is to do everything I can to make the client happy and deliver value." Would you give us a few things you add to this to create a team spirit with speakers bureaus and their clients?

  1. We consider our bureau-partners as special wholesale customers. Last year, I addressed three bureau sales meetings to share my thoughts about cutting edge approaches to selling the meeting planner. I also assist bureaus (upon their request) in gaining clients’ commitments which is a nice value-added touch. I enjoy this because it works and helps the bureau shorten their sales cycle – and, it ties in well with the skill-sets I teach salespeople. Bureaus are our alliance partners and we value the relationships highly. On the client side, I donate tremendous energy to focusing on their needs to create a program that is ‘on target.’ I feel it is also critically important for a speaker and his/her staff to always be easy and pleasurable to do business with – making it a painless, comfortable process for the client.

  1. What person and which book were the greatest influence on your speaking career?

  1. Dr. Kenneth McFarland had a profound impact on me in the early days. He was an incredibly articulate, spine-tingling orator, as well as a great patriot. His book, Eloquence in Public Speaking, was quite valuable to me in my formative years as a young speaker. I must also give mention the incredible impact Bill Gove, Cavett Robert and Tremendous Jones had on me in the early days.

Don Hutson, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Learning, has addressed over two-thirds of the Fortune 500 Companies, is featured in over 80 training films, and makes over 120 speaking appearances each year. He is the author of The Sale and co-author of three other books. Don is the former President of the National Speakers Association, has received its prestigious Cavett Award, and was the 1991 recipient of the International Speakers Hall of Fame Award.

"Sharing Ideas" June/July 1998, Vol. 20, Issue 5, Royal Publishing, Walters Speaker Services, P.O. Box 1120, Glendora, CA 91740 (626) 335-8069, fax (626) 335-6127

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An Affiliate of The Don Hutson Organization
1045 Oakhaven
Memphis, TN  38119
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