Company: The Efficiency Sales Professional Institute
Entry Submitted By: EEFG
Company Description: The Efficiency Sales Professional Institute, led by renowned expert Mark Jewell, focuses on teaching people how to drive efficiency by connecting the dots for decision-makers.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Training or Education Leader of the Year

Nomination Title: Mark Jewell, co-founder and CEO

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since the beginning of July 2013 (up to 650 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

This nomination is for Mark Jewell, co-founder and CEO of the Efficiency Sales Professional Institute, headquartered in San Francisco. Mark has revolutionized the way energy projects are sold. His unique blend of efficiency-focused professional selling empowers manufacturers, utilities, distributors, contractors, non-profits, and many others to become more effective at selling their efficiency solutions.

With Mark as the Instructor, the Institute focuses on teaching people how to reframe the benefits of efficiency to capture a decision-maker’s attention and motivate action. Mark’s workshops teach a pioneering blend of efficiency-focused “elevator pitches,” one-page proposals, and one-page financial analyses using metrics that help get more projects approved. In a world where most energy professionals generate overly lengthy technical proposals that fail to capture attention, and where most efficiency initiatives are merely “promoted” as a greater good rather than actually being “sold,” Mark’s approach is both refreshing and revolutionary.

Selling efficiency is not the same as selling photocopiers, insurance, or houses. Applying general sales principles to the efficiency industry is tricky since “efficiency” is a high-dollar intangible, even if the purchased solution has a tangible dimension. Mark’s training artfully combines instruction on professional selling, financial analysis, segment-specific business acumen, and the energy efficiency industry. With 20 years’ experience influencing efficiency decision-making in over 3 billion square feet of real estate and a wealth of noteworthy client engagements to call upon, he is adept at creating value at the intersection of energy management, real estate, finance, operations, sustainability, and professional selling.

Since July 1, 2013 Mark Jewell has taught over a hundred one-day, two-day, weeklong, and online workshops to an estimated 5,000 students. Highlighted trainings include nine iterations of the award-winning, weeklong Efficiency Sales Professional™ Certificate Boot Camp hosted by San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas, Energy Trust of Oregon, and others. Mark conducted one and two-day efficiency-focused professional sales training campaigns sponsored by American Electric Power, Belimo Americas, Hawaii Energy, Hill York, Honeywell, NYSERDA, PECO Energy, and others. He also delivered keynotes at CalTech’s Energy Summit, SDG&E’s Trade Professionals Launch, HARDI’s National Conference, and other venues. Hundreds of testimonials gleaned from attendees at these and similar speaking engagements provide ample evidence of increased closing ratios and shortened sales cycles in the wake of his training.

Mark’s success as a sales trainer extends beyond the podium. On September 1, 2014 he released his book Selling Energy: Inspiring Ideas That Get More Projects Approved! which quickly reached the Wall Street Journal best-sellers list. Selling Energy is a compilation of more than 80 essays that highlight his approach to selling efficiency and renewable energy projects. The book has been lauded as “a must read for energy sales professionals, real estate owners, brokers, architects and engineers.” The energy efficiency online trade publication, EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com, calls the book “an entertaining read that uses accessible language and provides concrete advice about marketing and selling energy efficiency to customers.” Selling Energy has been so well received that Mark’s training/speaking clients now typically order copies for their entire staffs.

Mark’s sales training approach is also innovative in providing “drip-irrigation” content reinforcement through a variety of channels to ensure that even the busiest professionals receive the ongoing support they need to help them apply these concepts.

First, Mark publishes his daily Jewell Insights blog in both smartphone app (“ESP Ninja”) and email versions. Jewell Insights offer bits of wisdom, tips and strategies for improving sales skills taken from the in-person workshops and other sources.

Next, Mark provides online/on-demand continuing education-accredited courses on SellingEnergy.com that demystify complex topics like the financial analysis of efficiency projects.

Finally, he provides ongoing support through live monthly coaching conference calls where participants can ask questions and submit “elevator pitches” or proposals for constructive critique.

The plethora of testimonials he has received (a sampling attached to this application) make it clear his trainings work! Thank you for the opportunity to nominate Mark Jewell.

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