Douglas Leslie

Extraordinary versatility characterizes the work of Douglas D. Leslie, co-founder of the Williams Leslie Group, a sales consulting firm. Leslie has trained people in such diverse industries as information and medical technology, financial services, advertising, energy services, collegiate recruiting, and industrial and consumer products. At the age of 28, Leslie was named top salesman in the nation by Xerox Corporation. In his 12 years with Xerox, Leslie held various sales and management positions, including sales trainer, area sales manager, and branch sales manager. He was a member of the prestigious President’s Club. Leslie managed Xerox’s Detroit Branch, where he supervised a staff of 82, including eight sales managers and 55 sales representatives. Leslie then joined Sales Development Associates (SDA Corporation) which in 1996 was acquired by Kenexa — the fastest growing human capital management firm in America. He marketed, developed and conducted blended-learning solutions for such clients as American Express, Chemical Bank, Bank One, National City Bank, Bank of America, General Electric, Siemens, ITW, Charles Schwab, Wachovia, Northern Trust, Sherwin-Williams and Xerox. A new selling and learning environment exists, Leslie maintains, in which individuals must adapt to each buying situation. The selling process is now driven by the buying process and many people being called on today don’t really know their needs. One generic selling process is not appropriate today. Skill versatility is the key to being competitive. 

Leslie is an accomplished drummer and played with the U.S. Coast Guard band. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he worked in radio and television while completing a degree in communication. He has completed extensive graduate work in motivational management, leadership effectiveness, and time management. In 1993, he was named to the ad-hoc staff of Wisconsin Executive Education, where he teaches numerous times a year. Leslie also has worked with the football coaching staffs at the University of Arizona, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Tennessee on effective recruiting skills. His students included Barry Alvarez, while head coach at Wisconsin; Dan McCarney, while at Iowa State; Brad Childress, while with the Minnesota Vikings; Bill Callahan, former head coach of the Oakland Raiders, now at Nebraska; and Phillip Fulmer, head coach at Tennessee. Known to old friends by the nickname “Bevo”, he lives in Madison with his wife, Mary Lou. They are the parents of three daughters.