About
About Bart Ratliff
Five industries since 1988. One principle the whole way through: business is about people.
My story
How I got into this work.
I started in 1988 in field operations for my family's oil and gas drilling and exploration business. That is where I learned that trust outlasts market conditions. When the industry was disrupted in the early 1990s, I had a choice to adapt or fade, and I adapted.
I was already living the principle when I was introduced to the Promptings product, SendOutCards, at my BNI meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1995, I sold boats in Northeast Oklahoma. The day a customer took delivery was the most important day in their year. I started taking a picture of every customer with their new boat at delivery. Two prints from every picture. One went up on the dealership's Wall of Fame. The other got mailed back to the customer with a handwritten thank-you card. No ask. No referral request. Just a simple thank you to show my appreciation for their business.
Referrals took off, and sales doubled over the next two years. That same year I invested $7,500 in one of the first boat dealership websites in the country. I went on to run Jimmy Houston Marine in Arkansas as General Manager, then closed out my marine career as Southeast Regional Sales Manager for Vivian Industries in Florida. From 2001 to 2006 I worked in mortgage in Southern California, where direct mail and referrals carried me through another industry shakeup.
In 2006, at that BNI meeting in Pittsburgh, I sent my first SendOutCards card to my dad, the man who had sent me more cards and handwritten notes than anyone. I signed up that day. In 2012 I founded Inspired Marketing, which became Client Growth Strategies in 2025. Since 2020 I have also served as Corporate Strategist at Sovereign Edge Solutions, a research and software development company building institutional-grade automated trading systems, which is where my work with AI went deep.
Regardless of industry, business is always about connecting with your prospects and clients and focusing on how you can serve them.
Why I do this
A competitive edge, with a personal touch.
I do this work to give sales professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs the competitive edge to grow their business. The tools have changed since 1995. What earns trust has not.
How I work
It starts with a conversation.
Not a pitch deck. Most people begin with the Business Authority Appraisal or a 30-minute call on Zoom. I listen first, show you where you stand, and recommend only what fits. The build is done for you, you approve everything before it goes live, and the relationship does not end at launch. See how I help.
Life outside work
Family, golf, and a lot of miles.
I grew up with three brothers and two sisters. My mom and dad were card senders and readers, not as a business strategy but as a way of life, and my mom gave me The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. My entrepreneurial drive came from my father.
I was part of two Oklahoma state championship high school golf teams, my sophomore and junior years, and we took second place my senior year. In 1981 my brother Brian and I taught ourselves to barefoot waterski. I have visited every state except Alaska, and traveled to England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Ireland, Dubai, and Australia. These days home is Greer, South Carolina, with Bo and Matilda.
Recognition
Credentials, stages, and shows.
Recognition
- One of the first 47 SendOutCards Executive distributors in company history, 2008
- Client Growth Strategies: BBB Accredited Business, Greenville Chamber Investor 2026, Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce member, Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce member
Credentials
- SendOutCards Speaker and Trainer since 2006
- Authorized BNI Launch Director Consultant, BNI member since 2006
Speaking and media
- Speaker and trainer on the Promptings to Prosperity stage, beginning in 2010
- Creator and producer of Relationship Marketing Weekly, 2017 to 2021, hosted by Kody Bateman, with guests including Jeb Blount, Lewis Howes, Dr. Ivan Misner, Norm Dominguez, Mark Hunter, Mike Weinberg, Meredith Elliott Powell, and Anthony Iannarino
- Conversations from the show became significant source material for The Power of Human Connection by Kody Bateman, Founder and CVO of Promptings
- Organizer, host, and emcee of the Relationship Marketing Grand Summit, 2019 in person and 2020 virtual
Since 1988
The full timeline.
Oil and gas, marine, mortgage, consulting, and AI and software. Today I lead Client Growth Strategies and the Upstate Business Network community.
- 1988Started in field operations for the family oil and gas business.
- 1994Sales Manager, then General Manager, at a multi-line boat dealership in Northeast Oklahoma.
- 1995Started taking a picture of every customer with their new boat, and invested $7,500 in one of the first boat dealership websites in the country.
- 1998General Manager of Jimmy Houston Marine in Arkansas.
- 2000Southeast Regional Sales Manager for Vivian Industries in Florida.
- 2001Moved into mortgage in Southern California, where direct mail and referrals carried the business through 2006.
- 2006Joined BNI and became a SendOutCards Speaker and Trainer.
- 2008One of the first 47 SendOutCards Executive distributors in company history.
- 2010Took the Promptings to Prosperity stage as a speaker and trainer.
- 2012Founded Inspired Marketing.
- 2017Created and produced Relationship Marketing Weekly, which ran through 2021.
- 2019Organized and hosted the Relationship Marketing Grand Summit in person, and spoke at OutBound.
- 2020Hosted the Relationship Marketing Grand Summit again, virtually, and joined Sovereign Edge Solutions as Corporate Strategist.
- 2025Rebranded Inspired Marketing as Client Growth Strategies and moved to Greer, South Carolina.
- 2026Launched Upstate Business Network, became Chief Growth Officer at Haywood Smokehouse, and became an authorized BNI Launch Director Consultant.
Quick answers
About Bart, in brief.
Where did Bart Ratliff start his career?
Bart started in 1988 in field operations for his family's oil and gas business, then spent the 1990s in marine sales in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Florida, and worked in mortgage in Southern California from 2001 to 2006.
What is Bart Ratliff known for?
Bart is known for pairing technology with a personal touch. He has been a SendOutCards Speaker and Trainer since 2006, created and produced Relationship Marketing Weekly, and today helps businesses get found, trusted, and chosen in Google search and AI search through Client Growth Strategies.
Does Bart Ratliff speak at events?
Yes. Bart has spoken on the Promptings to Prosperity stage and at OutBound, and organized, hosted, and emceed the Relationship Marketing Grand Summit in 2019 and 2020. To ask about an event, book a call from the Contact page.
Let's talk.
If you do great work and want the right people to find you, trust you, and remember you, I would like to hear about it.
Or start with the Business Authority Appraisal to see where your business stands, at no cost.