Gary Hankins has been appointed an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business where he will teach Professional Selling in the fall 2009 semester. 

Widely recognized as a top communication expert, Gary founded Pygmalion, Inc. 20 years ago to help individuals and organizations differentiate themselves from the competition and secure new customers. He is the author of The Power of the Pitch: Transform Yourself into a Persuasive Presenter and Win More Business.

Established in 1920, Marshall School is considered a top 20 business school by both U.S. News & World Report and Business Week.

From the Army’s Press Release:

“U. S. Army Major General Michael D. Barbero is proud to announce that Gary Hankins was inducted into the U. S. Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) Hall of Fame, the highest honor for an OCS graduate. Hankins, who attained the rank of First Lieutenant during his three and one-half years of service, participated in the induction ceremony on March 27, 2009 at Ft. Benning, GA along with four Generals, 32 Colonels, two Lieutenant Colonels and one Captain.

The OCS Hall of Fame honors those graduates of all active Army Officer Candidate Schools who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. Hankins and his fellow members of the Class of 2009 join such notable OCS graduates as former Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger, former Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr., retired Generals Frederick J. Kroesen, Jr., James J. Lindsay, William F. Garrison and former Senator Robert Dole.

One of the courses Hankins took during the six month Engineer Officer Candidate School at Ft. Belvoir, VA was the Instructor Training Course. Upon graduating from OCS in 1969, Hankins was selected to serve as an instructor in the Instructor Training School, where he taught officer candidates, officers and non-commissioned officers how to be dynamic, confident presenters. He completed his military service as an Executive Officer and Company Commander of the U.S. Army Support Command in DaNang, Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service.

Upon being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1972, Hankins entered the financial services industry in Los Angeles, CA. He quickly became a top producer primarily by using the communication skills he learned at the Instructor Training School. During his 16 years as a financial advisor, he gave hundreds of investment seminars while hosting his own radio and television shows.

Then in 1988, Hankins realized that his passion wasn’t investing money, but public speaking. He founded his communications skills firm Pygmalion, Inc. in the second bedroom of his Beverly Hills home and set about to help people become the best communicators they can be.

Today, Hankins is recognized as one of the top communication experts in the United States. His speeches, training programs and coaching have improved the way Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, entrepreneurs and sports personalities present themselves.
His book, The Power of the Pitch: Transform Yourself into a Persuasive Presenter and Win More Business, has received positive reviews for its easy to read, stet-by-step guidance based on Pygmalion, Inc’s trademarked process. It is used by the undergraduate and graduate business schools of a number of universities, including Columbia University, New York University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Southern California.

Hankins received a B. A. Degree in English from the University of North Carolina. He is active in the Rotary Club of Los Angeles and the Jonathan Club and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Southern California Leadership Network. He resides in Manhattan Beach, CA where he enjoys jogging on the beach and boogie boarding.”

Tony Buzzelli, Board Chair of the Southern California Leadership Network (SCLN) and Vice Chair and National Managing Partner, U. S. Regions, Deloitte & Touche, is pleased to announce the election of Gary Hankins to the SCLN Board of Directors.  Hankins is a communication expert and President of Pygmalion, Inc., a communication training firm based in Los Angeles.  

SCLN, in partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, is the region’s premier provider of civic leadership development.  Over the past four years, Hankins has conducted team building programs for Leadership L. A., one of SCLN’s two programs.  Together with Leadership California, SCLN has equipped nearly 1,000 civic-minded thinkers with the community and regional collaboration skills necessary to address qualify of life issues including traffic, water, clean air, education and public safety. 

SCLN’s two programs form one of the most diverse networks of deeply engaged civic, business and government leaders in Southern California. 

Robert F. Scoular, President and Board Chair of the Los Angeles Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America is pleased to announce the election of Gary Hankins to the Board of Directors.

An Eagle Scout and recipient of the God and Country Award and Order of the Arrow, Hankins was active in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Explorer Scouts in his youth. “Scouting played a big role in developing my character as a boy and young man,” said Hankins. “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to give back to one of this country’s most important youth education and enrichment programs.” 

The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America, incorporated on February 8, 1910 and chartered by Congress in 1916, is to provide an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to learn the responsibilities of participating in citizenship, and to develop personal fitness. Since its founding in 1915, the Los Angeles Area Council has brought its purpose and values to millions of youth. The Council served 54,567 youth in the Greater Los Angeles Area last year alone.       

Gary Hankins, President and founder of Pygmalion, Inc. and author of The Power of the Pitch: Transform Yourself into a Persuasive Presenter and Win More Business has launched The Power of the Pitch Blog to offer his objective analysis of the important pitches of the day, including debates, interviews and speeches on television and radio as well as live appearances. 

Gary will analyze not only a presenter’s content, but his or her delivery in an effort to provide you with fresh insights as well as lessons that you can apply to your own pitches.  Created just in time for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, Gary’s blog posts last week analyzed the DNC speeches of Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama. Click here to view The Power of the Pitch Blog.   

After some two years in the making, the new Pygmalion Inc. website is more robust than ever. If you’re interested in learning how you can transform yourself into a great communicator, look no further. You’ll find the site loaded with practical tips, strategies and resources to give you what you need to become a confident, dynamic presenter. 

Gary Hankins Featured on Forbes.com

Gary Hankins, author of The Power of the Pitch: Transform Yourself into a Persuasive Presenter and Win More Business is featured in two current articles, “10 Ways to Torpedo Your Sales Pitch” and “In Pictures: 10 Presentation Killers”, on Forbes.com. (PRWEB) August 13, 2007 — Gary Hankins, author of The Power of the Pitch: Transform Yourself into a Persuasive Presenter and Win More Business is featured in two current articles, “10 Ways to Torpedo Your Sales Pitch” and “In Pictures: 10 Presentation Killers”, on Forbes.com.

In the articles, Hankins discusses some of the biggest mistakes professionals make when delivering sales presentations. At the top of the list is failing to understand the needs that clients and prospects have. Hankins likens this to a cardiologist who performs an operation on a patient who has a broken arm. Says Hankins, “If you don’t address the pain, you won’t close the sale.” He points out that many sales professionals begin their pitches talking about their products or services – a huge error. Prospects want to know that you understand their interests before you give them the solution. Another big mistake is the failure to close. “Too many people think that they’re in the information business,” says Hankins. “The presentation has to be highly persuasive and must have a powerful close,” he emphasizes. A question such as “How does this sound to you?” will elicit potential objections or set the stage for the next question “Shall we begin today?”

Avoiding the 10 presentation killers will help sales professionals close more business and achieve their sales goals. To view and download the articles, click on the following link: http://301url.com/Forbes Hankins is the President and founder of Pygmalion, Inc. (www.pygmalioninc.com) in Los Angeles, CA. A popular and dynamic speaker, Hankins gives speeches to groups throughout the world. He is consistently rated as one of the top speakers for such organizations as the Young Presidents Organization, the National Football League and Club Managers Association of America. He is also the creator of The Great Communicator Program (http://301url.com/GreatCommunicatorProgram), a seven-month communication skills course aimed at helping executives, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, professional speakers and sports personalities become confident dynamic communicators.

Pygmalion, Inc.’s clients include Colliers International, Cushman & Wakefield, Deloitte & Touche, Jones Lang LaSalle, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Transwestern Commercial Services and UCLA. To receive a complimentary copy of Hankins’s special report “The Fool Proof Strategy for Getting Appointments with the Top Dog”, please email gary.hankins @ pygmalioninc.com.

Contact information:
Pygmalion, Inc.
545 South Figueroa Street
Suite 1227
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 623-5330
www.pygmalioninc.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Al Martin, Publicist
Dearborn Trade Publishing
800/621-9621, ext. 4652
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