Professional Reference

Responses to Reference Discussions for Jon Anderson

Jon supplied references for Johnson and Cole. Mark Brown is an unbiased reference.

References Contacted Relationship with Jon Current Position/ Company Date of Conversation

William Johnson (Retired) Previous Supervisor Technical Director/ ABC Tech 01/08/2001

Thomas Cole Current Peer Senior Architect/ XYZ Corporation 01/11/2001

Marc Brown (unbiased)

Current Customer

Vice President/ ABC Group 01/12/2001

Q1: How long have you known Jon and in what context?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor We began working together about 10 years ago. He was transferred to my staff during a reorganization of the company we were with at that time.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon and I have worked together for a little over a year on proposals and projects.

Marc Brown, Current Customer I have known Jon for more than 10 years. He and I work side by side on projects. We put together hardware and software turnkey solutions for our mutual clients.

Q2: What are your general impressions of Jon?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon is always upbeat and exudes confidence. He has a can do it attitude.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon is a great person, very forthcoming. He is a great communicator and has a strong work ethic.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon is a professional, knowledgeable and intelligent person. Jon enjoys a challenge.

Q3: How would you describe Jon’s problem solving techniques and abilities?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon thinks out of the box. He has continued to develop his problem solving skills over the 10 years that I have known him. He has developed into one of the best problem solvers that I know.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer He can look at all sides of a situation then develop a strategy that not only solves the problem but can provide a solution that will be the least stressful.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon knows how to put together a plan, determine the right people to carry out the plan and he is committed to following through to make sure that the project is completed correctly.

Q4: How would you describe Jon’s communication, presentation and negotiating skills?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon is very polished. He communicates and presents himself and his organization very professionally yet he does not intimidate people.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon is one of the best communicators that I know. He is the bridge between the technical staff and the client. He has the ability to work with very high level clients and present proposals very professionally.

Marc Brown, Current Customer He is very polished, with all the information in visual format for the client. Jon is very successful in closing the deal and remaining in communication with his clients.

Q5: Is Jon an individual performer or team-oriented?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon was an athlete and knows that it takes the team to win the game. He knows that one must be aware of the support staff as well as the people directly on ones team. He also knows just as the team is important that the athlete must remain in top condition to perform well.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer I would say that Jon is slightly more a team player but he also is an individual performer. Jon does not wait for someone else to make a place for him; he makes a place for himself.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon is both a team player and individual performer. He is independent enough to be self-directed but I enjoy working on projects with him. He makes sure that everyone on the team and the clients are informed about the status of the projects.

Q6: How would you describe Jon's management style?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon is a leader. He doesn't expect to baby sit his staff, but is very willing to help when needed. He expects the best work from himself and his staff.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon is very hands-on. He knows how to delegate extremely well. He has great communication between himself and his team.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon oversees the team. He knows how to pick the right people for the project and he allows the team members to bring their knowledge and expertise to the table.

Q7: How does senior management perceive Jon?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon is the can-do guy and management highly respects and depends on him. If Jon is working with a weak manager though, he can unknowingly overpower him.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon is very well respected and the senior management puts him on assignments where the client is of the most upper strata because they know that he will not only have an exceptional presentation but also an exceptional follow through.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon is well respected by senior management. They trust him to complete the project completely.

Q8: How do his peers perceive Jon?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor His peers enjoyed working with Jon. He was seldom stressed out. He was willing to take junior sales people under his wing.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer I enjoy working with Jon and most other people in the company enjoy working with him. The only people that probably have a problem with Jon are those people that want to cut corners on a project.

Marc Brown, Current Customer I would call Jon a peer to me. He and I provided different products to the same clients and on the same projects. I respected Jon and recommended him to clients when they needed his services.

Q9: How do you feel Jon would perform in the Account Executive role that I described?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor He will excel in this position. He has excelled in such a position in the past and he is a great bridge between the client and technical staff. He keeps himself current on the technology side and has great relationship building skills on the client side.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon will do very well in this position. He is a very strong sales professional and is also very technically savvy.

Marc Brown, Current Customer He will excel in this role. Jon has interfaced with major financial clients for over 10 years. He is always polished.

Q10: What level of management do you think Jon is capable of handling?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon could probably handle any level of management very well. He has the skills to produce winning strategies, and the personality to lead and mentor others effectively.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon could and has handled a high level of management. He enjoys interfacing with the clients and may not be happy with only administrative duties.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon has proven that he can handle a high level of management responsibility. He knows how to develop and execute a plan.

Q11: What steps should my client take to insure Jon’s success in the new environment?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon needs to know that he has a strong and capable manager. He will succeed with a weak manager but may overpower the weak manager.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Allow Jon to do what he does best, develop new business and build relationships with the clients.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Provide Jon with enough challenge. Jon thrives on a good challenge.

Q12: What do you perceive as Jon’s weaknesses?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Sometimes Jon does not want to give up and is spending his time and energy on a client or project that is not doable.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon is a perfectionist. Some people in the company see this as overkill where Jon believes that the company must be represented to its fullest potential.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon is maybe a little too formal, he is always perfect, he looks like a guy that just stepped out of GQ.

Q13: How willing is Jon to work a 70-hour week if required?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon would stay until 1 o'clock in the morning to finish an RFP. He has that athletic discipline and stamina.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon does what it takes to complete a project or to develop a proposal but he works smart not necessarily long hours. He seems to balance work and personal life very well.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon will do what ever it takes to get the job done. He does work smart and usually does not need to work a 70-hour week.

Q14: Tell me about Jon’s rapport building/relationship building skills.

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Relationship building may be Jon's middle name. He inherited an account that had been badly burned by the previous salesperson. We were about ready to lose the account when Jon took over. He not only kept the account; he developed a long term working relationship with this company.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer This is one of the first attributes that someone will note about Jon, his ability to build strong relationships between himself and his clients, his co-workers and other professionals with whom he interacts.

Marc Brown, Current Customer This is one of Jon's strengths. He is a relationship builder. He not only can develop new business relationships easily but he also maintains business relationships. Clients follow him from one company to the next.

Q15: What would you consider to be Jon’s key accomplishments?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor We had several accounts that were in a critical position when Jon took them over. We walked in to a client's office and they were ready to fire us and before we walked out Jon had convinced them to allow him to try to correct the past mistakes. He went on to not only keep the account but to also grow the account.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Jon successfully brings in projects that require him to interface with executives in the stratosphere.

Marc Brown, Current Customer He worked with me on a project that was in great trouble when we acquired the project. He not only helped pull that project out of the trash but also still came in on time. Jon has taken high profile clients such as Paine Webber, Oppenheimer and Citibank, developed successful strategies and formed lasting relationships with these organizations.

Q16: How well does Jon meet deadlines and complete projects thoroughly?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon will work long hours if necessary to complete a project and his projects, proposals and presentations are always very thorough.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer He is very detail oriented, so his projects and proposals are always completed very thoroughly and he is still able to bring them in on time.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Unless it is out of Jon's sphere of control, Jon not only completes projects by deadline, but also with great quality.

Q17: Tell me about Jon’s integrity.

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon's integrity helps him build and retain many clients. He provides the same integrity toward his organization, his vendors and his staff.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer As I said at the beginning, Jon is very forthright.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon probably has the highest integrity of anyone I know. He could have stolen clients away from us when we worked on projects together but never even attempted to do so. We call on each other constantly to work together on projects that will benefit both of our companies while providing the best service for the client.

Q18: Describe Jon’s personality in difficult or stressful situations.

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon remains on a very even keel. He was the anchor many times.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer He has a calming effect. He has a way of taking the stress out of a stressful situation and he provides direction for others to follow.

Marc Brown, Current Customer
Jon remains calm, while letting others know that there is some sense of urgency.

Q19: Tell me about Jon’s ability to be a leader, mentor and coach.

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor Jon is a born leader. He also is willing and able to teach clients and staff.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer He is an exceptional leader because not only can he develop a plan but can also persuade others to accept the plan. He communicates well and does not always have to be right. He enjoys helping others grow to their full potential.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Jon is a great leader. I am not sure if I have seen him in a mentoring role.

Q20: What other comments would you like to make?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor I would hire Jon myself but we are too far north for him to comfortably commute.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer I really enjoy working with Jon and I hate to see him go.

Marc Brown, Current Customer I tried hiring Jon four times. I also won him over this last time but he would have lost many clients because of non-compete clauses.

Q21: Would you be willing to speak directly to the Client about Jon?

William Johnson, Previous Supervisor I would be happy to speak with them regarding Jon.

Thomas Cole, Current Peer Sure, I would not have any problems speaking with them.

Marc Brown, Current Customer Sure, but I am not sure that there is much more I can tell you. They are getting a real catch with Jon.