Does this Guy Know What He’s Talking About?
Here are What 60+ People Are Saying about this Marketing Strategy Consultant …
Kurian is one of the most consistently creative people that I know. He has a deep insight into the triggers that motivate people to buy. As an entrepreneur, I usually find myself far too busy with the demands of running my company to address the larger picture of expanding my business. Kurian has often surprised me with his level of insight into my customer and has given me several strategies and tactics to grow my company.
Jim Kupczak
________________________________________________________________________
… knowledgeable, represented our brand well …
We engaged Kurian and his Strategy Peak team in 2013 with the launch of our Private CT Service. It was a great experience, and with Kurian’s guidance, we were able to develop a successful marketing plan to launch the program. We expanded the engagement to include management of all our social media platforms before recently moving this work in house. It has been a real pleasure to work with Kurian’s team! They are knowledgeable, represented our brand well and have successfully grown public awareness of our services through social media.
Ron Van Vliet, CEO, MIC Medical Imaging
________________________________________________________________________
… a clearer understanding …
“We recently engaged Kurian to complete a Go-To-Market strategy for our Centre of Excellence’s water re-use certification program. The recommendations we received provided us with strong market research, market participant interviews, and a clearer understanding of the market landscape we are entering. Most importantly, it provided us with a documented strategy that we could share with our stakeholders that defined our value propositions, key messaging, and a framework for a sales and marketing program we could deploy. I would encourage anyone launching a new product or service to take advantage of these Go-To-Market services.”
Janice Isberg, MEd, Director of Operations, Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence
________________________________________________________________________
… he understood exactly what I wanted and who he would be speaking to.
From the first time I spoke with Kurian about presenting his branding workshop at our conference, I was struck by the care he took to ensure he understood exactly what I wanted and who he would be speaking to. I was impressed by the number and type of questions he asked to gain a clear picture of what we needed and how he then tailored his core material to our needs. Our conference of information development managers was a group of people outside Kurian’s typical audience, and so he took special care to explore his audience’s challenges and backgrounds while preparing for the conference, even interviewing several of our registered attendees beforehand to ensure his message would be on target. The end product was right on track, with a message that resonated with our attendees and that gave plenty of takeaways they could use going back to their own companies and departments.
Dawn Stevens, President, Comtech Services, Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… a very deep understanding …
I just spent the better part of a day in a marketing course Kurian offers. His ability to communicate in a fun effective manner is fantastic. He offered useful targeted suggestions that applied to our company. That skill could have only come from a very deep understanding of core marketing principles – impressive.
John Murphy, CEO at Stream Technologies, Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… an honest to goodness branding epiphany …
“I recently took a branding class from Kurian and I would say that it was probably the most important thing I’ve done for my business in the last two years. Kurian’s hardball questions really took me out of my comfort zone, which is when all the good stuff usually happens. This resulted in an honest to goodness branding epiphany which I feel will be the starting point for everything I do over the next year.”
Jordan Dempster
________________________________________________________________________
… brainstorm and evaluate new ideas …
“I’ve really enjoyed the experience of working with Kurian as my business coach. Our sessions allow me to brainstorm and evaluate new ideas, and then create practical strategies and plans for their execution. We have great back and forth discussions which allow me to have clarity on the real situation, and the opportunities and risks involved. Kurian brings a wealth of experience from many different industries and I feel fortunate to be able to work with him.”
Rob LeLacheur, Publisher, St. Albert Leader
________________________________________________________________________
… inspiring …
“I am thankful to have the opportunity to work with Kurian as my marketing coach and mentor to develop a marketing strategy for a global travel portfolio company.
He has impressed me so much with his knowledge, and I particularly treasure his visionary fresh-thinking and natural ability to lead/guide me through a set of processes and tools that I have found very easy to understand. The result is a better understanding of my data, deeper insights into my customers and a better comprehension of my marketplace.
Kurian is inspiring, super-intelligent, positive and charming. I thoroughly enjoy our coaching sessions. I get so much value from them, in particular, thinking on a higher strategic level.
This had given me a lot more confidence and know-how to develop and implement a customer data-led marketing strategy. I strongly recommend him.”
Jai Gilbert, VP Marketing, World Travel Market
________________________________________________________________________
… challenge my thinking …
“I worked with Kurian as part of the Launch program at TEC Edmonton’s Innovation District. Over the course of six months, he coached me through marketing and strategic thinking for my company. Many of the TEC workshops feature Kurian as a speaker, and that’s enough for me to want to go – whatever the topic.
During our conversations, I have found him to be incredibly knowledgeable, but the more important aspect of these conversations is his willingness to challenge my thinking, opinions, and self-image – I come out of every session better, and I believe the method of thinking he’s provided to me will provide incredible impact over the coming years.”
Mike Taschuk, Founder, G2V Optics Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
I now have a real marketing strategy which is converting into sales.
“I spent over $22,000 with a ‘marketing company’ who helped me create my website, logo, and overall ‘image’. What I realize now is that they really were not a marketing firm, but rather a graphic design company. Looking back, most of the marketing firms I found listed on the web were actually graphic design firms, and not truly marketing strategy companies. What did I get from them? A very pretty website with absolutely no traffic. What I needed was leads I could convert into sales, and neither was happening. What was worse was that the key messaging in the website was completely wrong for my clients. I don’t know how they came up with it, but it was probably more guessing than a strategy based on solid research. When I found Kurian and the StrategyPeak system I realized this is what I needed from the start. I now have a real marketing strategy which is converting into sales.”
Name withheld, under penalty of my wife shooting me for spending the original $22,000
________________________________________________________________________
… Kurian energized this crowd with his knowledgeable and very entertaining presentation.
“Kurian gave a keynote speech ‘Understanding our Brand’ to the Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta (ACPA) members at our AGM. Seldom does a group of chemists get excited about marketing or branding, but Kurian energized this crowd with his knowledgeable and very entertaining presentation. His experience and deep understanding of the topic was immediately obvious. I can hardly wait to see what branding insight emerges from the brain storming exercises he led at the end of our session. I would not hesitate to recommend Kurian to other Associations struggling with marketing and public image.”
Kathy Janzen, Executive Director, Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta
________________________________________________________________________
… new ideas and ways of creating better brand awareness …
“ABFI engaged Kurian to help us do a Business and Marketing Analysis. Kurian was very easy to work with and highly experienced in interviewing and disseminating the information he gathered during the process. The final report was concise and creative and included many new ideas and ways of creating better brand awareness and long term financial sustainability.”
Shauna Feth, Executive Director, Alberta Business Family Institute, Alberta School of Business
________________________________________________________________________
… we now have a better strategy …
“We recently had an in depth consulting meeting with Kurian regarding a new industrial product. Our focus was pricing and market strategies to maximize the initial appeal and turnover of the product. He asked great questions and quickly drove down to bottom line issues. We liked his direct approach to problems. In the end we have adjusted our direction based on his insights. Our time invested upfront with him should shorten our time to penetrate the market. As well we now have a better strategy to help ensure we hit our maximum margin on those sales. – Thanks Kurian.”
Ted Byrt, The Stepped Wedge & Gauge Company
________________________________________________________________________
… dynamic, and stylish presentation …
“Kurian came to the Alberta Depot Association’s 2016 Annual Industry Conference to present a TED-style 18-minute keynote entitled “How to Make Your Depot a Luxury Brand”. In his tight, dynamic, and stylish presentation Kurian effectively challenged prevailing conventional wisdom in the recycling industry. While the content challenged the audience, the respectful and persuasive delivery allowed them to take in the message and consider it from several perspectives. After the keynote I had members comment about how much they were thinking about the topic – and even the following day I overheard people openly debating the concepts amongst each other. The talk was a complete success.”
Trevor Nickel, President at Alberta Depot Association
________________________________________________________________________
His energy is contagious …
“Working with Kurian has been a positive and inspiring experience. His energy is contagious and his understanding of marketing and selling a product is mind-blowing. He had ideas that we never would have thought of. Kurian is extremely professional, reliable, and works very quickly. I’d hire him again in a second.”
Andrea Spevak, Co-Founder, Sendioso
________________________________________________________________________
… the creation of a profitable marketing system.
“Upon the development of my virtual nutrition company, I knew the value of implementing a key marketing program in order to launch and grow my business. I needed someone with years of marketing experience and an analytical ability in order to coach me along the way. Kurian was exactly that. He is a creative and marketing genius. His positive energy, wealth of industry knowledge, timely correspondence and strategic thinking facilitated the creation of a profitable marketing system. Kurian has been an invaluable asset to my company and comes highly recommended.”
Andrea Mawson, Registered Dietitian
________________________________________________________________________
… energetic, funny …
Kurian is an excellent and entertaining speaker. His presentation on “Why Businesses Fail … to reach their potential” was well received by the members of the Edmonton chapter of the Licensing Executives Society. His delivery was energetic, funny and provoked many insightful discussions.
Robbie Nissen, Chair, Licensing Executives Society, Edmonton Chapter
________________________________________________________________________
… lively …
Kurian presented his Psychology of Persuasion seminar to our Alumni Council volunteers so we could better understand the principles of influence that are used in everyday communication. In one hour we were taken through 7 strategies that can be ethically employed to persuasively liven conversations, and improve written communications. The presentation was lively and the audience discussed how these techniques would apply to their work as ambassadors.
I would recommend this presentation for anyone who is seeking a new perspective on persuasion, influence, and marketing.
Coleen Graham, University of Alberta
________________________________________________________________________
… fast, relevant, focused …
I tried many lessons for new entrepreneurs: workshops, books, and online courses. All left me with information, but lacking a real plan to implement it. Kurian’s sales and marketing master classes provided fast, relevant, focused information and adequate time to apply the learnings to my own company. By far the best use of time and money to move my company forward to the next steps.
Jeffrey Franc, MD
President and CEO at Stat59
________________________________________________________________________
… fascinating to listen to, and a wealth of real life applicable knowledge.
“The MBA Association at the University of Alberta had Kurian as a guest speaker to aid us in our communications to all of our stakeholders. Kurian was passionate, fascinating to listen to, and a wealth of real life applicable knowledge. The leaders of our student groups took away exciting and new approach’s in terms of reaching our target audience and providing insight into the critical analysis behind the value of our activities. Kurian was able to draw out the heart of our mission and provided us a platform to perceive our marketing attempts from a new and more efficient lens. We strongly recommend Kurian for any organization, in fact, we are already making plans to have him speak again.”
Sarah Prendergast, President
________________________________________________________________________
… I felt confident about the direction we were going …
“I wish I could have picked more than three attributes of Great Results, Expert, and Creative! I worked with Kurian on taking my invention, the Juice Box, to market through a technology commercialization program we did in a one day boot camp. Kurian was very knowledgeable about the process and by the end of day I felt confident about the direction we were going to take my product in. Kurian is very direct and makes you think in depth about each step of the strategy. He made sure we stayed on task and focused and I feel I got very good value out of the program. I would recommend Kurian to anyone needing a new venture sales and marketing consultant.”
Nancy Wilde, Founder, Juice Box Toolbox
________________________________________________________________________
… a great experience …
I engaged Kurian to develop a market assessment and Go-To-Market strategy for the launch of our new recruiting website. The resulting strategy provided an industry landscape, specific recommendations on which markets to initially enter, and what product messages would achieve the best sales results. The project was a great experience, and my key learnings were the importance of core messaging, and the process for identifying what product attributes would compel a customer purchase (… which can be vastly different than what the entrepreneur thinks they are!). There is only one thing I would do different. For my next product launch, I will be conducting a market assessment and Go-To-Market strategy at the beginning of the venture so that I can implement the recommendations into the actual creation of the product from the start!
Mark Meier, President Cazeen Resource Management
________________________________________________________________________
… look beyond the appearances …
“The Edmonton CFA Society hired Kurian during a recent marketing and re-branding project. Kurian’s approach helped us to look beyond the appearances of our current situation to create a marketing toolset based on what we really needed, … and not just what we asked for. The result is that we have a new set of core messages to build our market with. Kurian is fantastic to work with and we would definitely use him again.”
Aaron Brown, President, Edmonton CFA Society
________________________________________________________________________
… an excellent keynote speaker …
“Kurian was an excellent keynote speaker at the Energize Career Conference. His presentation, ‘Building Brand You’, provided a lot of practical value to the attendees who are just beginning to learn how to develop their own personal brand to stand out from the crowd. His style was highly energetic and motivational and was a great start to the day’s events.”
Rayna Larson, Conference Director, Energize Career Conference
________________________________________________________________________
Kurian is the real deal …
“Kurian’s high energy and relevant expertise make him a perfect teacher and consultant on how to be a better marketer and increase sales. His presentation to our JCI event was refreshing in the murky waters that can sometimes be Marketing Expertise. Kurian is the real deal, great experience, and specific action plans that get results.”
Chris Curtola, Chairman, JCI Edmonton
________________________________________________________________________
… this man is the “Real McCoy”.
“Our firm recently engaged Kurian as a marketing strategy consultant. I must say this man is the “Real McCoy”. Kurian worked with our Team to develop a realistic strategy that made sense for our own market. He was quick to understand our business and our customers, and led our team in a very constructive strategy session. The result was a Creative, True Marketing Strategy that we could immediately use. We had previously used other marketing companies, and I was immeasurably impressed with the Kurian Difference. He is a truly a talented Expert in the marketing strategy field.”
Grant Hodgins, CEO, Hodgins Auctioneers Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… broad experience and knowledge …
“Kurian has broad experience and knowledge in creating and implementing marketing strategies. Even though we were the first HVAC/Mechanical company he has dealt with, he was up to speed very quickly on the industry and our company. Kurian is enjoyable to work with, has integrity and is very energetic. He helps keep us on track, and surrounds himself with like-minded people on his team.
Kurian has proven himself to be the right choice for building a sound strategy for our firm.”
Gary Edwards, IMG Services
________________________________________________________________________
His ability to listen and quickly hone into what is important …
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Kurian on a key aspect of my marketing strategy: the value proposition. His ability to listen and quickly hone into what is important and relevant from a customer perspective has been invaluable. In one short hour we were able to define and create the central theme for why customers should choose my business.”
Corrina Chetley-Irwin, Partner, Bold Logic Solutions Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… an excellent knowledge of sales and marketing strategies …
“I have worked with Kurian on the development of marketing plans, sales growth strategies, lead generation, email campaigns and SEO optimization. He has an excellent knowledge of sales and marketing strategies and I would highly recommend the use of his services to any company wanting to grow its sales funnel in a focused and methodical manner and achieve successful results.”
Chris Sellathamby, Vice President, Scanimetrics Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
I walked away with new, thought provoking ideas for our organization.
“With time being a precious commodity, I’m thankful I recently committed 60 mins to Kurian’s recent marketing webinar as I walked away with new, thought provoking ideas for our organization. I would certainly recommend spending the time listening to Kurian as he really has his finger on the pulse of current & topical, innovative marketing tactics that will force you to assess whether your current strategies are working or require refinement.”
Curtis Serna, President, Storm Telematics, Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
He walks the talk.
“I have known Kurian for a number of years and have spoken to him on many occasions regarding marketing strategy, social media strategy and tools and business development models. I have found Kurian to be very knowledgeable in these areas and has significant experience increasing business through marketing, social media and business development. He walks the talk.
Kurian excels at advising organizations on strategies to grow their business. He is an excellent instructor and provides an engaging learning environment where participants walk away with tools and strategies to use immediately. I would recommend Kurian for both consulting and teaching engagements.”
Heather Christensen, Associate Dean, Executive Education, Alberta School of Business
________________________________________________________________________
He helped me to tell a clear story …
I consulted with Kurian to prepare my marketing strategy for two important conferences. Kurian is a focused, high energy individual who is able to quickly drill down to the key issues with just a few questions. He helped me to tell a clear story and then translate this into a great elevator pitch. The result was that he has helped me open doors into several new clients that I know would not have taken me as seriously without his insight into how I should present to them.
Jodi McDonald, President, Keystone Labs
________________________________________________________________________
… advice that is both insightful and practical.
“I have been fortunate to have worked with Kurian over the last few years and attended a number of his workshops and seminars. He provides great sales and marketing advice that is both insightful and practical. Kurian helped us identify key aspects in our company’s growth strategy and then showed us how to implement this into a solid sales and marketing system.”
Robert Sikora, Marketing Manager, NanoSpeed Diagnostics
________________________________________________________________________
Our consulting sessions have been informative, enlightening and enjoyable.
“Kurian brings a wealth of strategic insight, anecdotal narrative and sound advice to the conversation. Our consulting sessions have been informative, enlightening and enjoyable. The result is a refreshing new perspective on my business, and renewed commitment. All of which lead to enhanced profitability.”
David Klippenstein, President, David Klippenstein and Associates Ltd.
________________________________________________________________________
… we have discovered many new opportunities for the company.
“When we first began working with Kurian, we were overwhelmed, stressed and struggling with how to retail a single product that we had spent months producing. Kurian made the effort to fully understand the scope of our business by asking all the right questions, and encouraging us to think about our business in ways we had not previously done. Through this process, we have discovered many new opportunities for the company.
He is now guiding us through the creation of a marketing strategy where we will be able to sell several additional products under a new brand. He has given us the ability to capitalize on the massive potential in our company, but in a way that is manageable and realistic.”
Mladen Ryhard, CEO, IX Productions Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
The strategy is clear, represents our vision and most importantly: is executable.
“Kurian helped us create a marketing strategy for a new product launch in the life science industry. The strategy is clear, represents our vision and most importantly: is executable. He has been a great mentor and has brought a broad and experienced perspective to our planning discussions.”
Jason Yaeck, Vice President, Lombard Brothers Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… upbeat, original, and motivational.
“Kurian was a wonderful speaker at our Business Clubs’ Roundtable. His presentation to over 80 student leaders within the Alberta School of Business provided valuable insight to what it takes to become an effective and true leader. Myself and every other person in the room was engaged in his presentation because it was very upbeat, original, and motivational. It was a great addition to the day’s sessions.”
Erin Iverson, BSA President
________________________________________________________________________
… creativity and insight …, as well as his incredible energy.
“I had the opportunity to attend Kurian’s session on Mastering the Elevator Pitch. I was having challenges communicating my value proposition, and generating interest in what I do. By attending this 3 hour workshop, I have a new success formula that I was struggling to create on my own. Kurian’s creativity and insight was the key to this, as well as his incredible energy. I would recommend this course, and Kurian to anyone struggling to drive business!”
Ward Campanelli, A Second Look Management Consulting Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
He quickly determined the key leverage points in our business …
“Kurian is a knowledgeable, and experienced marketing strategy consultant. We engaged him to do an assessment of our software company. He quickly determined the key leverage points in our business model and sales and marketing method, and suggested a clear course of action to strengthen them. I would not hesitate in recommending Kurian to others.”
Jeff De Roche, President, SynergyDesk Software Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
Kurian’s encouragement and experience are invaluable to my business.
“My business, Sublime Swim & Sunwear, is now in it’s 10th year of operations. The past couple of years we have been transitioning from a small business to a medium-small business which has presented some real challenges. Since I’ve started working with Kurian, I have been able to identify areas of my business where changes needed to be made and where marketing messages needed to be strengthened. I have also identified several other profit centers within my existing core business through this program. Kurian’s encouragement and experience are invaluable to my business.”
Lynn Carolei, President, Sublime Swim & Sunwear
________________________________________________________________________
He is keenly insightful and perceptive;
“Kurian has provided constructive solutions for our retail business. He is keenly insightful and perceptive; has a superb capacity to listen and then think of a solution with blazing swiftness. What I value most, is that he is a consultant that sees the big picture, the entire scope of our business.”
Allison MacLean, President, Carbon Environmental Boutique
________________________________________________________________________
… uncover several “aha’ opportunities.
“Kurian worked one on one with our business to really help us define who we are and what we can offer. He pushed us to think deeply and work through our own mental barriers to uncover several “aha’ opportunities. In the short time we spent with Kurian, we received extreme value for the investment. And, we had fun doing it. Thank you Kurian.”
Michelle Manary, Partner, Reframe HR
________________________________________________________________________
“I recently attended a business conference where Kurian hosted an expert round table on sales and marketing. He was able to give me a better marketing pitch for my company in 2 minutes than I’ve been able to come up with in 2 years!”
Char Smith, President at Smith Research Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… the advice and insight we received were bang on with no fluff whatsoever.
“Kurian’s critical thinking has been an invaluable asset for us. Together with his marketing expertise, the advice and insight we received were bang on with no fluff whatsoever. He is a marketing expert to be reckoned with.”
Ajay Achuthan, Founder, SpatialTree Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… provoked a different way for me to view my business.
“Kurian has provoked a different way for me to view my business. I have participated in many seminars and feel the quality of information Kurian presents is outstanding. He has a unique power to see several value added strategies to implement quickly and effectively.”
Janet Shostak, President, Karma Sisters
________________________________________________________________________
… an action based framework …
“Kurian Tharakan has a unique ability to distill business development theories into practical, key strategies and actions. For me to learn how to develop and implement new strategy, another university course, self-help book or video was not going to be helpful. What makes Kurian’s workshops particularly relevant is the application of his easy to understand content to each participant’s situation. Multiple scenarios applied to a variety of businesses types deepens comprehension. You end up with an action based framework to apply to the issue at hand. Kurian’s excellent presentation and mentorship skills has always been entertaining and engaging – no time for sleep in these sessions.
Taking it one step further with the one on one coaching sessions, Kurian provided several insightful suggestions specific to my situation which have proved to be very effective. I would certainly recommend anyone who is committed to bringing their business to the next level to seek out his advice.”
Roger Marchand, CEO, Bay 6 Solutions
________________________________________________________________________
… small, simple, changes that will make a big improvement to our bottom line results.
“I have attended several of Kurian’s workshops, as well as receiving personalized business coaching from him. I found his knowledge in strategy, marketing and sales, as well as approachable teaching style to be extremely helpful to our startup company. Working with Kurian has shown us that we can make a number of small, simple, changes that will make a big improvement to our bottom line results.”
Ken Schmidt, President, Wilson Analytical Services Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
“Kurian is a great asset on many aspects of business development, and has worked very closely with our biotechnology companies on strategic planning, marketing and financing activities.”
Rajan Gupta, CEO, SciMed Laboratories
________________________________________________________________________
… engaging, targeted, interactive …
“I am pleased to recommend Kurian Tharakan for his exceptional expertise in Marketing and Sales, and his ability to skillfully share key insights with participants. I was especially impressed by his outstanding instructional skills and effective materials (my background includes working with a large number of business presenters to enhance their skills).
Kurian’s sessions are engaging, targeted, interactive and informative or “learner-centered”. I valued his personable style and wealth of knowledge. He delivered a customized, high quality learning experience with guided practice opportunities, resulting in immediate performance improvement for the participants – small business owners. I would highly recommend Kurian as a workshop instructor for business-related topics.”
Karen Carleton, MEd, MS, Vector Consulting Group
________________________________________________________________________
… considerable knowledge …
“I have had the opportunity to work with Kurian on a number of projects over the last few years. Kurian uses his considerable knowledge with his ability to quickly understand the issues to formulate a solution that is both creative and practical. I would highly recommend him for any project.”
Robert Murakami, President and CEO at Myriad Machine Learning Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… he helped us clearly define what our customer’s truly wanted to buy …
“We recently hired Kurian to conduct a Key Value Propositions workshop for our executive team. During the session, he helped us clearly define what our customer’s truly wanted to buy, and showed us how to place this in a series of activities, collaterals, and outcomes that would demonstrate this value to them.
What impressed me most was Kurian’s expertise in marketing and strategic planning. He truly understands the tactics for differentiation.
Tom Redl, CEO, Chandos Construction
________________________________________________________________________
… an in-depth understanding of strategic marketing …
“I first met Kurian in 1992 when I attended one of his sales and marketing seminars. In the ensuing years, I consulted and collaborated with him many times on sales and marketing projects for my publishing company. He is unique in that he is able to combine his skills in sales with an in-depth understanding of strategic marketing to deliver results for his clients.”
Sharon MacLean, President and Publisher, Edmontonians Magazine
________________________________________________________________________
… formulate a strategy …
“We have struggled to develop a strategic sales and marketing framework at Quercus. Kurian was able to help us understand the building blocks and formulate a strategy that will enable us to deliver a value proposition to our target market. I would recommend Kurian to any company looking to formulate a sales and marketing framework.”
Andrew Bryson, President, Quercus Solutions
________________________________________________________________________
… a detailed knowledge of the sales/marketing process …
I first met Kurian when he delivered a presentation on developing powerful “elevator pitches” to potential investors. Since then I have hired him for 2 projects; 1) Developing a captivating presentation for a large broker meeting and 2) Developing a story line for a medical conference. Both events were very successful for us, thanks to Kurian’s input. What impressed me most is that he has such a detailed knowledge of the sales/marketing process that, with a few questions, he is able to translate this knowledge into something valuable, in an industry that he was just recently introduced to.
Ken Boutilier, President, Innovotech Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… an invaluable resource.
“While involved in the VenturePrize competition, Kurian was an invaluable resource. He provided significant depth in the area of market demand psychology and business planning. As a consultant/coach he helped my company to succeed in the business plan competition and move into an operational phase for several years afterwards. I would highly recommend Kurian as a business consultant for a company at any stage!”
Derek Gilboe, President, Prodont Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… a consummate professional …
I have had the pleasure of working with Kurian Tharakan as both a business coach and a marketing guru. In just two sessions, he has helped me: 1) Define and refine who our target markets should be. 2) Clearly state our value proposition. 3) Focus on marketing tools that will support the above. Kurian is a consummate professional and has asked tough questions of us without being condescending or judgmental. I look forward to continuing my work with him to help my company become the best we can be.
Ron van den Berge, CEO, van den Berge Solutions Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… a strong initiator and gifted presenter.
“Kurian has exceptional marketing talents & communication skills. He is a strong initiator and gifted presenter. His marketing skills strongly influenced development of the Lambridge name in the marketplace.”
Stephen Lamphier, Principal, Lambridge Capital Partners
________________________________________________________________________
… an enviable ability to very quickly read a situation …
“While I have known Kurian for over 25 years, I was fortunate to have Kurian join our company as Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he was a critical contributor as we grew the company to levels of revenue and profitability which to date had never been achieved. Kurian possesses a strong and realistic understanding of what it takes and how to create value within a company, and has the ability to both formulate and execute on the steps necessary to make such value tangible.
One of Kurian’s strongest assets is an enviable ability to very quickly read a situation and accurately assess risks and identify potential problems. With an exceptionally strong understanding of the underlying drivers that motivate sales people to achieve, or motivate potential customers to make decisions, Kurian is very adept at looking at a situation and formulating a strategy to move things forward. With a keen sense of urgency, Kurian consistently ensured all issues were dealt with quickly, and was exceptionally responsive in his areas of responsibility. I would welcome the opportunity to work with him again.”
Don Murphy, President, PPM 2000
________________________________________________________________________
His approach is innovative and results driven.
“Kurian is a sales and marketing guru. His approach is innovative and results driven. I have consulted with him many times over the past 15 years and have always found his ideas creative, insightful, and out of the box.”
Richard Shuhany, President, First Surveillance Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
… considerable practical experience …
“Kurian can articulate complex sales and marketing theory into clear, structured, common sense terms. But it is his considerable practical experience that allows him to effectively implement theory into practice.”
Len Eddy, Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
________________________________________________________________________
“I have worked with Kurian for over twenty years. He has been a tireless volunteer for the University of Alberta School of Business and has also been a valued guest speaker in our classes on the topics of sales and marketing strategy. Kurian approaches every project with enthusiasm, and has considerable personal experience in these topic areas.”
Lloyd Steier, Professor, School of Business, University of Alberta
________________________________________________________________________
… a deep and intuitive understanding of sales management theory …
“Kurian is one of the most astute and dynamic sales and marketing professionals I know. He has a deep and intuitive understanding of sales management theory, and a demonstrated ability to translate theory into sales success.”
Jason Barr, Regional Vice-President, Roynat Capital
________________________________________________________________________
“Kurian and I worked together at PwC for 8 years. In that time I found him to be an invaluable source of marketing strategies and ideas, many of which we implemented successfully to grow the business.
Dennis Blumenthal, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
________________________________________________________________________
“Kurian is unique in that he brings a broad organizational view, including strategy, finance, and operations, to provide a relevant and comprehensive approach to his work.
John Dundas, SVP Marketing, Communications and Corporate Citizen, First Calgary Savings