Client Spotlight – MVP Seminars

MVP Seminars - Business Training Speakers

Client Spotlight – MVP Seminars

At WebRanking we believe that our success is best measured by the success of our clients.  In my 8 years with the company, I have had the privilege of working with a diverse range of amazing clients, and I am happy to say that we have played a small role in helping many find online success.

For our first Client Spotlight post, we are extremely lucky to speak with Dr. Ron Marquardt, co-owner of MVP Seminars.  Ron has been a client with WebRanking since September of 2004.

Ron, can you give us a little background about yourself?  What did you do before starting MVP Seminars?

I’m a former New Orleans Saints wide receiver and also have a Doctorate in Ed. Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, (Go-Bears)

Can you share with us how and why you decide to start your own business

Ron at the Home of the 49'ers

Years ago, I had a breakthrough vision. The same basic skills that create winning athletic teams can be applied directly to improving your business. Like any coach would, I can improve teamwork, polish leadership skills and enhance communication. My workshops & keynote presentations are sprinkled with constructive and humorous real life stories about managers, famous coaches, and CEOs, many with whom I consult with, or played for.

In just a short time I can share secrets that some business professionals never learn in a lifetime. Throughout my college & professional football career I played for an astounding 8 different head coaches! Some were stressed-out failures, many were mediocre and a few achieved professional greatness in the NFL; a pattern very similar to the many managers and supervisors in the world of business.

What makes MVP Seminars unique?

Customizing courses to a client’s needs is not the standard when it comes to continuing education, business training and seminar presentations in corporate America. MVP Seminars was formally created in 2000 in response to this lack of individualized training available to businesses.

As a self-employed speaker for almost 30 years, I was frustrated with the traditional speaker bureaus. I knew I could do a better job and deliver a better product with better people than the larger companies. We started very small but have really grown over the past years, thanks in part to the marketing of Webranking.

My wife & co-owner, Barbara who is a Nurse Practitioner, paid the bills during our formative start-up process, and has been a tremendous inspiration & source of knowledge.  We both recognize that we are only as good as our speakers and we have really added some fantastic speakers/trainers, these past few years, in all parts of the country.

Being a former educator I have a nice understanding of the importance of quality training to an organization’s bottom line. Every business training seminar offered through MVP Seminars is developed and delivered by a speaker with a significant amount of knowledge in their field. Many speakers work in their field daily and develop courses with the goal of helping others excel. Some of the more popular business training seminars include: Team Building, Leadership, Stress-Management, How to Become a Great Communicator, & Customer Service.

These courses are of a higher quality because they are personally developed by professionals who have a personal investment in their success or failure.  In fact, each course can be customized to address an organization’s needs based on information and materials that are provided in advance. Additionally, MVP Seminars offers customized course notebooks, a post-program evaluation, and a free, six-month follow-up monitoring program. Affordable and unique, MVP Seminars is a great example of why an organization should do its homework before deciding on an educational training solution.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced being a start up company?

The economy certainly has created difficulties in our business. However, we have increased our marketing budget this past year & developed new clients, i.e. colleges, event planners, & smaller companies. We strive to provide more services & topics for less money than our competitors. A concept which is “Customer Service 101”, & our speakers & trainers are almost always invited back. The concept of sales & promotion is changing so rapidly due to the Internet; WebRanking has become a major asset in our game plan. 

What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of owning your own business? What do you enjoy most about your job?

Probably the satisfaction of doing a good job and providing a service which genuinely improves other companies & their employees. I relish the many thank-you notes of seminar attendee’s, which we receive. It also is a business which keeps me young at heart & increases my vitality. I am very competitive, tough & transfer my former athletic lessons front & center to the world of business, which I’m sure most of our competitors don’t do. I’m still playing a game; just not catching passes anymore….. (Big-Smile). 

What future goals do you have for MVP Seminars?  Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years?

We have developed with the marketing guidance & search engine expertise of WebRanking, from a very simple start-up, to a major force in this business. We are the largest seminar company in the western states and in 5 years will probably be a national leader. We add selective speakers & trainers each month, & have consistently generated more business for them. As they say……”Only in America”!! 

Any advice for those looking to start their own business?

Dr. Ron Marquardt founded MVP Seminars in 1978

1. You must have the brain power to understand & develop your business idea.
2. Once, you have an idea, you should love what you do.
3. You can’t take no for an answer….ever. You can never give up or think of quitting…Hold on to your dream at all costs.
4. You must have a tremendous confidence in your ability. You really have to believe that you dream can become a reality
5. You need to understand stress, & remain cool under fire, because it is very easy to become consumed by business problems & stress. 
6. You must work well within your team. Team-Building is an integral part of putting together a business model.
7. Customer Service is king….You must believe this. It gets difficult given our electronic age, but will always be front & center.

How has Search Marketing helped you grow your business?

Since we are a web based business, search engine placement is everything. WebRanking gets the phone to ring, and then it’s up to our MVP staff. I can’t overemphasize the benefits of direct communication with Chris, Tony & James. They are honest, will give you quality monthly reports, & customize your ideas, within your budget.  This aspect of the business requires patience, patience & more patience. Results always happened, but not overnight. Chris has been phenomenal keeping me focused on our main goals & objectives, not trying to get us to take short cuts. It has worked very well!

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