About Michel NerayKeynotes and Mini-Workshops Mini-FAQ

This is not the same old
sales and marketing bumpf!

Michel Neray Chief Differentiation Officer, The Essential Message

"Give me one hour with your people and I will show them how to harness their true differentiation to totally obliterate the competition!"

Michel Neray has over 25 years of experience as an award-winning copywriter, an Internet pioneer, a tradeshow pitchman and a senior sales and marketing executive -- and has been conducting workshops since 1981.

He has worked with major corporations including Honda, Volvo, Upjohn, Alias-Wavefront, Nikon, The Royal Bank, The Quaker Oats Company, Marathon Brokerage, Guardian Mutual Funds, Mackenzie Financial and many others.

Michel's client list also includes the not-for-profit sector, having worked with NGO's such as World Wildlife Fund, Friends of The Earth and The Abraham Fund.

An online pioneer, Mr. Neray was one of the first marketing professionals to embrace the Internet by building websites as early as 1993. In 1994, Michel co-authored a book entitled “The Great Crossover: Personal Confidence in the Age of the Microchip”.

Michel founded Portfolios.com in 1995, the world’s first online source directory for creative professionals.

Since creating The Essential Message® in 2003, Michel has helped thousands of independent professionals and entrepreneurs as well as growing corporations find a better way to differentiate, position and brand themselves.

In 2005, his chapter, "Everything Starts With A Conversation" was selected as the lead for the book, "Sales Gurus Speak Out". His library of published Essential Message eLearning products includes several tools and worksheets related to sales, marketing and branding, from creating your positioning statement to naming products and services to filling your marketing funnel.

Michel's articles have appeared in dozens of publications, and he has spoken at numerous conferences.

He has a science undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo, and an MBA from McGill University. He's married with three children and two dogs.

When not working, Michel can often be found in the dojo training for his third degree Black Belt in Karate, paddling whitewater in the wilds of Northern Ontario, or tearing up the back roads on his motorcycle.

On occasion, he sleeps.

The International Federation for Professional Speakers

Everything Starts With a Conversation (including your next sale!) In this presentation or workshop, you'll discover how easy it is to engage people in conversations around the work you do - whether you're sitting on the beach in Mexico or sitting across the boardroom table. You'll learn the customer-centric foundation that the entire Essential Message approach is built on and you'll get the tools you need to take all your communications -- with clients and customers, colleagues, friends and even your family -- more powerful than ever!

What Drives You Crazy Makes You Great: The truth about yourself, your business and your differentiation! It's easy to ask the question, 'what makes you different?' but how easy is it for you to come up with an answer that truly sets you apart? Forget the usual stuff about differentiation -- this is an incredibly innovative, fun and powerful session. You'll discover things about yourself and your business that will make you competition-proof!

Ditch Your Pitch! How to create a powerful positioning statement that actually gets people interested!
Any textbook will tell you what a positioning statement is and why you need it. In this Essential Message presentation or workshop, I’ll show you how to create the most compelling Positioning Statement for you -- and then I’ll show you how to turn it into a powerful sales tool that you can use in conversation so it sounds natural, engaging…

Exclusive Essential Message 'Consoaching' Workshop: Limited to groups between 5 and 20 participants.
This is an exclusive invitation to get the coaching and consulting your participants need to solve their biggest sales communications, marketing and branding challenges! It's a completely open-agenda, anything-goes session, where each attendee is encouraged to come ready with one issue or challenge. While I personally coach them through the solution using the Essential Message approach, everyone learns!

Q. How do I book Michel for my event or conference?
A. Easy. Simply contact us. We don't bite.

Q. What's Michel like to work with?
A. Aside from the obvious bias inherent in this website, you can be assured that Michel is a pleasure to work with. If you don't believe what's written here by a copywriter, read the testimonials!

Q. Does Michel work with other Speakers Bureaus?
A. Michel is rigorously ethical in dealing with Speakers Bureaus. If you are with a Speaker's Bureau and you wish to book Michel, you may contact him directly at 416 534-4766. If you wish to work through your preferred Speakers Bureau, feel free to have them call us. All Bureaus are protected.

Q. What's the best audience for Michel's talks?
A. Michel has a great ability to connect with many different kinds of audiences. And because his topics are largely based on fundamental communications and interpersonal dynamics, they are extremely appropriate for a wide range of industry sectors and job titles. His underlying philosophy is that selling is a lot like making an impression -- you're always doing it, consciously or not.

Q.Will Michel kill us with Powerpoint?
A. No. Michel uses Powerpoint for some of his keynotes but never as a primary focus. Michel has a tendency to walk around waving his arms and engaging people directly as he speaks.

Q. What are Michel's AV requirements?
A. Michel expects the event coordinator to provide a wireless Lavalier microphone, and if required, an LCD projector. In some cases, it may be helpful to have a live Internet connection. He brings his own laptop.

Q. How long are Michel's talks?
A. Michel has material to fit sessions from 60 minutes to 7 days, and can adjust his talks to your needs, even at the last minute. because his material includes interactive exercises, however, shorter than 60 minutes just doesn't work as well. Most keynotes are between 60 and 90 minutes.

Q. Our original speaker canceled at the last minute -- can Michel pinch hit?
A. No problem.

Q. Can Michel customize his talk to our theme?
A. Nothing gets Michel's creative juices flowing faster than a wacky request. Nobody has yet taken him up on his offer to show up in his karate uniform or with a canoe on his head, but you can always be the first!

Q. Can we book Michel for a breakout session as well as a keynote?
A. What a great idea! (Who thought of that?) Booking Michel for a breakout session adds minimal cost and is a great way to extend the value you get.

Q. What about travel and other fees?
A. Our clients are usually responsible for handling materials and handouts, as well as travel and accommodation arrangements, although we are happy to take care of that if you prefer. In general, Michel flies regular coach fare except on travel outside North America, in which case business class is preferred. If it makes it easier on your budgeting, we can also provide an all-inclusive rate for meals and other expenses.

Q. What qualifications does Michel have?
A. Michel posseses a rare combination of business, science and creative credentials, making him uniquely positioned to speak credibly to a wide variety of audiences. He has an MBA from McGill University and a Bachelor of Science from University of Waterloo. He is also an award-winning copywriter, an author, an entrepreneur and has paid his dues doing the tradeshow circuit. If anyone knows how to catch people's interest and attention, it's Michel.

Q. I have a question not answered here -- what should I do?
A. We welcome all questions, no matter how frequently or infrequently they get asked. Simply call us or email us and we'll get back to you right away!

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