Testimonials
What people are saying about our courses
“If you’re not sure what competitive intelligence is, you’d better find out fast. And if you already know what it is, you’d better learn how to master its role in your business. Either way, learn from the experts – Gary Maag and David Kalinowski.”
Matthew Kelly
New York Times bestselling author of The Dream Manager, The Culture Solution, and The Rhythm of Life
“I’m lucky to have learned the foundations of competitive intelligence from David Kalinowski so early in my CI career journey. Those 12 hours were among the most fun and engaging training I’ve ever had, and they gave me the practical tools and knowledge I needed to supercharge what we’re doing today to ensure it delivers value for our business.”
Tara Scott
Manager, Growth & Market Intelligence at Benevity Inc.
“David Kalinowski is an expert in the field of CI and has an amazing ability to translate that expertise into engaging and valuable content. I’ve never left a Proactive training session without a list of tools, techniques or ideas that I can apply in my day-to-day work. David has a unique ability to connect with an audience. His passion for CI is contagious and his ability to translate complex topics into accessible lessons has been incredibly valuable for both me and my team. We reference his guidance long after a session has ended.”
Jennifer Evert
Manager, Information Research Center at American Financial Group
“This is a great course on how to perform CI. I learned a lot about the foundation of CI and how to use everything that was taught. David is a great teacher and a couple of the most valuable things I learned was around conducting analysis and how to show the value the CI we produce.”
Karen Carducci
Manager, Competitive Intelligence at Daiichi Sankyo
“I would like to update you on the great work we are doing. MEK now is number 1 in our industry in Egypt, I am lucky to have a supportive and dedicated team of professionals who are always willing to give their best. I want to extend our thanks to you as the CI training you conducted for us several years ago was truly valuable and is considered one of the foundations for our success, as we are thankfully excelling on so many levels.
Mohamed Abdelrahman , MBA
CEO, MEK Foundation (Egypt)
“This course from Proactive was really worth it! And in addition to David’s 30 years of CI professional expertise, he is the best trainer ever!! Regardless of the time zones and culture differences, he makes you feel engaged and motivated. The frameworks taught in this course are practical and really helped.”
Senior Manager of Global Market Intelligence
Fortune 500 Information Technology Services company headquartered at Japan
“I’ve taken a number of different classes over the course of my career, but this has been one of the very few where I believe I got what I paid for. I would have paid 10x for the amount of valuable insight and information that was shared.”
Chris Cullen
Director Business Development and Strategic Capture, Blue Halo
“This was a very valuable workshop. If you are just starting in the CI position or have some years of experience but want a solid base for the function and desire some useful tools, this is a great opportunity to acquire knowledge to create value in your CI role.”
César Martínez W.
CI Leader, Prolec GE (Mexico)
“Whether you’re a new or seasoned CI Practitioner, I guarantee you that Proactive’s workshops will up your game. I wish I took this training years ago.“
Director
Consumer Goods Company
“These workshops were worth the time and money invested. I learned more in these two days about CI than I have the last three years.”
CI Manager
Industrial Goods Company
“As one new to CI, I received practical knowledge based on real life situations. You can’t get that kind of learning from just reading a book. The hands-on exercises were fun and educational.”
Senior Analyst
Financial Services Company
“Fantastic workshops. Very informative.”
Director
Pharmaceuticals Company
“I have never seen our team interact so much with one another, and that was because of the great facilitation by the session leaders. We are a tighter unit now because of this training.”
Vice President
Technology Company
“This was one of the best investments we have made. Now that our CI team has been formally trained, we need to train others in the company about the value of CI and the role they play.”
Director
Financial Services Company
“The workshop was an amazing experience – a great combination of gaining knowledge and developing actions you can immediately take at your company.”
Manager
Healthcare Company
“I found the CI training to be practical, refreshing and vibrant. It pulled you in and engaged you from the beginning. I was totally satisfied with the experience.”
Director
Law Firm
“I have had the unique opportunity to be face-to-face with Gary and David in their CI training courses. They are nothing like I have been involved with before. The takeaways were immediately applicable, and the value received will positively impact my team’s efforts for a long time to come.”
Director
Consumer Goods Company
“The ROI workshop provided me a clear and indisputable framework for measuring, benchmarking, and illustrating that our CI group is a highly value-added function. Proactive is the only firm I have come across that has taught me how to demonstrate CI’s impact.”
Senior Manager
Life Sciences Company
“I’ve been to a lot of training in my career, and this workshop is the best overall workshop I’ve been to – ever!”
Director
Pharmaceuticals Company
“Other CI sessions I have attended share a lot of theory, or they are taught by academics. At a Proactive session you will always get practical advice based on experience that you can immediately apply to your daily work.”
Manager
Technology Company