Raving Reviews

I have indeed received very positive feedback from the team on Mary Jane Mapes’ program, You CAN Teach a Pig to Sing. In fact, one of my long term employees (40 years) said, “This was the first time I felt like an offsite was worthwhile!” This speaks volumes!

I have taught and listened to numerous lectures on leadership. Never have I heard it presented in such a simple and clear manner as Mary Jane presented it today.

YOU ARE A CHAMPION!!!! My mantra is “success breeds success” and with what the Aud & Arenas team learned and shared from your experiences will help us be successful in pursuing our goal of World Class. Last night was a great example of what the sports & entertainment business is all about…dealing with adversity, rising to the occasion and having fun while doing it!

Mary Jane Mapes presented at our annual HR Summit in September and clearly captivated the crowd. With her ability to engage the audience, keep you wanting more and deliver a message with humor and poignancy and hope, Mapes creates a positive memorable experience. My colleagues are still quoting Mapes’ presentation several months later and using the tools she provided. She is EXCEPTIONAL!!!!!

The audience thought your sessions were not only educational, but also practical. They felt that you exceeded their expectations in depth of content, knowledge of content, usefulness of content and objectives of session. In fact, 100% felt that it met their expectations.

Mary Jane kept her program lively and managed to get nearly 100 Type A salesmen [they were all men] with busy schedules to sit for an hour and listen attentively. The material was relatable and poetic in that her P I G theme flowed throughout. I especially liked the point about picturing what a good relationship with someone looks and sounds like if you were on the outside looking in, and then try to duplicate that image in real life. Something I intend to put into practice.

Our entire Pharmacy Division continues to talk about the wonderful presentation you made at our National Pharmacy Conference in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. It was truly remarkable how closely your presentation fit the goals and objectives of the program. The participants were spellbound by your presentation…. One of the comments from a District Manager was that “Mary Jane’s presentation didn’t seem like it was coming from a professional speaker. It seemed more to come from the heart than someone paid to make a presentation,” and I think that says it all in a few words.…thanks for an outstanding presentation.

“I absolutely LOVED your presentation this week at the APPA conference. You were SO funny, all of us at the back of the room were literally rolling on the floor laughing! What a fantastic speaker you are and you have such a great message too. One of our clients and I were not sure if we should drive all the way back to the hotel (1+ hour each way with lots of traffic) on Wednesday morning just to hear your session, but after doing some online research about you, seeing your video and especially the incredible testimonials about you on your website, I knew I had to see you in person. Great communicator! Thanks again!!!

Thank you for the wonderful program you delivered to almost 600 Farmers Insurance Call Center employees. Your program was packed with meaningful content and it was presented in a way that will make the material memorable for years to come. Your program was the highlight of my entire week! You not only met our objectives for the program, but you provided an experience that was highly educational, entertaining, and motivational. Several commented that it was the “best ever!” I would highly recommend you to anyone looking for an excellent presenter …

I found that Mary Jane was genuinely concerned with accomplishing the goals of the meeting and being able to connect with our attendees and she was a success at both! She had the attendees engaged and excited about learning through fun and upbeat techniques. There wasn’t a dull moment in her presentation.
I feel strongly after working with Mary Jane personally that she can deliver on what she promises and will make sure that the audience walks away feeling empowered to put the tools they learned in her session into action. I would recommend her for to associations and corporations alike as her message crosses the different types of organizations and can be used by all attendees.

I absolutely LOVED Mary Jane’s presentation “You CAN Teach a Pig to Sing – How to Create a Great Relationship with Anybody” at Amway on September 30th; and believe that she is one of the best presenters I’ve ever seen. I enjoyed hearing her stories and how she learned to turn the table on one of her coworker relationships.

From an audience of 56 predominantly male directors, managers, and supervisors—from the CEO and President on down—the response to your program, You CAN Teach a Pig to Sing, was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, I’ve had managers say, “three hours flew by in the blink of an eye” and “I wonder if she could do a version of that program for my employees, too!” Your style was lively and spirited and really “hooked” our leadership team. They are actually using the “PIG” language to talk about the way they need to work with others. Thank you for helping our leaders be more effective by providing a wealth of “takeaways”.

From an audience of 56 predominantly male directors, managers, and supervisors—from the CEO and President on down—the response to your program, You CAN Teach a Pig to Sing, was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, I’ve had managers say, “three hours flew by in the blink of an eye” and “I wonder if she could do a version of that program for my employees, too!” Your style was lively and spirited and really “hooked” our leadership team. They are actually using the “PIG” language to talk about the way they need to work with others. Thank you for helping our leaders be more effective by providing a wealth of “takeaways”.

Your program … was a lifechanger for me. Many times in the course of my professional career that I have heard about communication styles and communicating with difficult people, but it was your insights that finally turned on the light bulb for me. I’ve never understood how to take the techniques and internalize them to make them a part of me. You gave me that missing piece of the puzzle: creating outcomes is all about me and who I am, and nothing to do with them. Now I know, I can create the vision of who I am and commit myself to being that person. That understanding is already having an impact in my life! You are going in my file of speakers I will wholeheartedly recommend to others.
Your program … was a lifechanger for me. Many times in the course of my professional career that I have heard about communication styles and communicating with difficult people, but it was your insights that finally turned on the light bulb for me. I’ve never understood how to take the techniques and internalize them to make them a part of me. You gave me that missing piece of the puzzle: creating outcomes is all about me and who I am, and nothing to do with them. Now I know, I can create the vision of who I am and commit myself to being that person. That understanding is already having an impact in my life! You are going in my file of speakers I will wholeheartedly recommend to others.” —Cherilynn Tallman. City Clerk, Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks

As requested, Mary Jane effectively wove in a theme of dealing with change (and the stresses that creates) throughout her presentation. She found a way to connect with each of our employees. Her program had something for everyone, and all our employees enjoyed her personal stories and appreciated her ability to get the audience involved and keep their attention. I was extremely happy not only with Mary Jane’s delivery, but with the fact that she was able to tailor the program for our organization and provide our employee’s with takeaway ideas that they will be able to implement immediately.

Mary Jane’s program was superb. I was immediately struck with her early on; she made a great impression with her energy and clear focus that made me interested and ready to want to learn. She then crammed so much into one hour that at times when I felt a little lost I was afraid I’d missed something. She brought it around for me, though, and I was happy to discover I was with her all along! She really delivered a lot of power with one quick punch and I am still thinking about the takeaways.

… your excellent program, Patient Contact: Make it Count, presented to the Hillsdale Community Health Center staff members, physicians and administration…. brought in nearly 400 people to learn the value of quality customer service in the health care service industry and how it impacts our bottom line. Without a doubt, your presentation was the most dynamic that we have ever experienced at our hospital and one thathas made a lasting impact on our staff. Your information was current and most relevant for our hospital and provided us with the “next level” in customer contact in our aggressive approach to increase our patient satisfaction scores.
I must note that every single evaluation returned to us reflected comments such as “dynamic”, “inspiring”, “outstanding”, “spot on”, and dozens of other related positive comments…. Overall, it was a superior program that will impact our organization for a very long time.”

We learned volumes! Your presentation was incredibly dynamic and kept us on the edges of our seats. You made us laugh, you made us cry, you made us reflect, remember, empathize. You had us mesmerized and enthralled. We were like sponges, trying to absorb every word you spoke. You had a profound effect on us, and we came away from that session feeling strengthened and fortified for the next difficult situation to confront us.”

Your two presentations at the AutoOwners Convention were “a hit.” Your ability to weave in stories with your points made an interesting and informative speech. I would highly recommend you to other organizations.”

Thank you for your exceptional presentation, Patient/Family Contact: Make It Count! The evaluations were excellent, both for the program and speaker. Some comments include:
“The best I have ever heard!”
“Mary Jane is an extremely powerful and enlightening speaker.”
“It was awesome – really worth it!”
“This has been one of the best inservices ever!”
“Would like to see Mary Jane come back!”
K.S., Grand View Health System

Mary Jane Mapes is a speaker who has always met or exceeded my expectations…She does not have a problem modifying her programs to meet the specific needs of the client. I find the sessions we partner on often sell themselves because of her flexibility and her ability to get the prospective client excited about the learning. …Our working relationship has been exceptional …Mary Jane is timely with materials, communicates exceptionally well with the client, and is adaptable to the MHA’s system. I do not hesitate to use her as much as possible because I know our partnership will be a win/win situation.”

Your first presentation at our organization was great. Your second one was super great. What happens if I invite you to return for a third time? I always appreciate your preprogram work to understand our needs. This effort pays off in your ability to set and meet appropriate objectives for the program. You have a unique way of connecting with the audience through personal experiences and practical applications. You’ve spoken to two groups of managers in our organization. Perhaps it’s time to meet some of the employees!”

Thank you for delivering an outstanding presentation at the Michigan Association of Hospital Auxiliaries, West Central District Spring Conference. You do an excellent job of getting your audience’s attention and keeping it. I appreciate the extra steps you took talking with our board members gathering information on the audience and our objectives. Your dynamic message hit the mark and was very well received.”

Thanks for a wonderful seminar on Law Day. My staff found your program motivational and uplifting. We were truly impressed by your energy. The manner in which you kept the attention riveted on your presentation was awesome. Thank you so much for a fantastic evening which was both highly informational and incredibly fun!”

Not only were we impressed with your ability to hold an audience’s attention for the entire evening, but youprovided inspiration and motivation to a disillusioned group of attorneys and their staff…We thought it interesting and appropriate to apply customer satisfaction concerns to the legal industry.”

The results from our evaluation forms speak for themselves! Your presentation for our Municipal customers received the highest rating scores of the day! Personal comments ranged from, “WOW!” to“Mary Jane Mapes was great! I hope to use her excellent information.” As you can see, you managed to achieve our goals and targets in this conference to the maximum!”

I would like to thank you for your outstanding presentation on “Handling People with Tact and Skill” …notice the overwhelming positive response to your program. I hope we can bring you back again in the future.”

Your program: “Delivering Superior Customer Service” received the following comments from attendees:
“Great speaker”
“Very enjoyable speaker is an excellent presenter — very enthusiastic, entertaining and certainly holds the audience attention”
“Highly motivating! Excellent examples and illustrations of points”
“Very enthusiastic and motivational”
“Have her back. A wonderful speaker. First one I actually didn’t want to end, or fall asleep in”
“Best of the conference so far! Excellent presentation – have her back”

Your evaluations were among the best I’ve ever seen in my 12 years with IAAM…your attention to learning what our members actually do and the services they provide, coupled with targeting the presentation at the problems we have experienced, insured this was definitely a profitable investment for the Independent Accountants Association of Michigan.”

You did such a superb job, and the evaluation comments were nothing less than raving! Your message was insightful, informative yet entertaining – holding our attention and inspiring new attitudes. You did your homework, Mary Jane, and it showed.”

. . . thanks to you for the excellent presentation you provided us with. We had everyone buzzing throughout the day with positive comments regarding your morning presentation!”

The membership is still raving about your dynamic keynote presentation. Your presentation entitled, “At Ease, Up Front,” evaluation results are enclosed. Ninety one speaker evaluations returned and all rated the keynote speaker as great!!!!!!”

Your Make a Difference: Provide Service that is RARE presentation blew our newspaper advertising managers away with practical ideas on how to grow their business by building relationships…I consider it one of the best investments we’ve made in a while.”

I am making an extremely strong recommendation for a speaker, Mary Jane Mapes, CSP. Her ability to deliver on a fastpaced basis, while fully getting her important points across, MALU would find hard to match. When faced with hardcore salespersons like us, she held our rapt attention as she provided plenty of word pictures and illustrations to convey her information. As program chair, I received only hearty congratulations on being able to bring such a high caliber speaker to our meeting.”

Thank you for the excellent presentation you gave at our 11th Annual Conference. Your presentation titled “You Make It Happen” was right on target and we appreciate the obvious homework you put into the program prior to your delivery. Your deep desire to connect with the participants was obvious as you responded to the group and structured the content to meet the needs of the participants. The attendees…left the session feeling energized and truly believing “They Make It Happen!”

Recognizing I was in trouble, The VP of Sales hired Mary Jane Mapes. Mary Jane, he and I met to clarify my goals. Mary Jane’s priority was to make sure that I was comfortable working with her before we made plans to move forward. She established a sense of safety and calm. I was immediately at ease as we set my goals. I’m happy to say that all five goals we’d set were achieved. In short, with Mary Jane as my coach, I achieved my unspoken personal goal: becoming the top sales person in my company—within a year.”

My first meeting with Mary Jane targeted areas such as team play, communication, and leadership. The bottom line, however, was GET THOSE GALLUP ENGAGEMENT SCORES UP! In less than 9 months with Mary Jane, my employee engagement scores went from 2.19 to 4.35. Needless to say, the COO was delighted, and I was thrilled. I had some things to learn after all. Mary Jane’s skill is exceptional. She can take you from someone who lacks essential communication and leadership skills to someone who can lead a corporation. I know because she did it with me.”

Mary Jane Mapes was a lifesaver at a time when I didn’t have a clue how to do things differently. She challenged me, provided honest feedback (even when it was painful to hear), and supported and celebrated the smallest victories. Had I not had Mary Jane, I would have lost my job. I recommend Mary Jane Mapes without hesitation.”

Mary Jane Mapes has been a tremendous asset to our business. We have used her for individualized coaching with a few of our people and the results have been fantastic! She has the ability to handle sensitive topics in a direct manner without being offensive…. To sum up, using Mary Jane for individual coaching with some of our key employees has been very much worth the investment for our company. I would recommend her without reservation!”

The time I spent in coaching sessions with Mary Jane Mapes has been one of the most beneficial experiences of my adult life. I continue to refer to my notes of our meetings and make an effort every day to recommit myself to becoming a better person and leader.”

I want to pass on to you my continued support of your excellent work at BMC. Having had the pleasure of working with you over some time, the level of your professionalism comes as no surprise anymore. Your knowledge of the communication process is tops, and your ability to convey this knowledge and skill to others is equally first class. You have effectively won over the hearts and minds of all those with whom you have been in contact at BMC.…you are nurturing in the way you coach the skills in others…Your style makes people want to take risks and learn…You are an integral part of my strategy to enhance all aspects of communication skills in our present and future organization.”