Linda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales effectiveness organization. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence for 2006 and in 2007 she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.”

Linda is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling as an approach to selling, which is the cornerstone of Richardson’s methodology. Other innovations Linda has spearheaded in the sales training industry are: development of a comprehensive, integrated curriculum dedicated exclusively to sales, commitment to customization vs. generic training, and development of an interactive coaching-type training methodology, and award winning on line learning methodologies. Her innovation in eLearning content earned Richardson the Best Soft Skills Award from Elearning! magazine and Product of the Year for Richardson SkillGauge™ diagnostics from Customer Interaction Solutions magazine.

Linda is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including her most recent works, Perfect Selling, The Sales Success Handbook — 20 Lessons to Open and Close Sales Now, Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management courses at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. She is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences. In addition her innovations in selling in the business world, in conjunction  with Wharton, Linda has introduced  a selling program into the Philadelphia schools as a pilot to increase inner-city students’ opportunities   for employment.

Linda began her career as an educator and educational psychologist and transitioned to the corporate world where she developed a passion for sales effectiveness. Prior to founding Richardson, Linda was a teacher, a manager at a global consulting firm, and an officer at a major financial institution. She has been published extensively in industry and training journals and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board magazine. She is currently writing new book on the changes in selling in the new sales landscape.
Linda currently serves on the Mayor’s Council for the Arts for the City of Philadelphia, is a Director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and a Director of the American Poetry Review. She served on the United States Small Business Administration President’s Council for two terms.

Linda received a Master of Science degree in educational psychology from Temple University.