Ken Schmidt | Authentic Leadership and Customer Loyalty Expert

Booked by: Bombadier, Westrock, Pacific Life Insurance Company, Barrons

It’s an impersonal world, where so many products and services are seen as easily-replaced, indistinct commodities. Whether you stand out or get lost in the crowd is a choice. A mindset. Ken Schmidt faced those same challenges himself and gained acclaim for his role in the extraordinary turnaround of the legendary Harley-Davidson Motor Company. That transformation was based on a change in mindset and a focus on answering three key strategic questions. While times have changed, what humans want and need from the businesses they buy from and work for hasn’t.

In his high-energy speeches, Ken inspires companies and individuals to shift their thinking and ride a path to success by becoming memorable – not for what they do or what they make, but for how they connect with people.

Ken is author of Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance. He’s also host of the Tailgating with Geniuses podcast and co-founder of Torque Sessions Leadership Training. In all of his endeavors, Ken brings an unconventional perspective that helps organizations and individuals reframe how they engage with their marketplace.

More about Ken: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/ken-schmidt/

Lior Arussy | Speaker and Author on the Customer-Service Experience

Booked by:  IBM, Accuity, Mercedes Benz, Cognizant

Lior Arussy is hailed as one of the leading global authorities in the fields of Customer Experience, Employee Engagement, and Strategy Execution. He is a Corporate Culture expert, a ‘success accelerator’ – and a proven, passionate change agent. Called a “triple threat of transformation” by William Taylor, co-founder of Fast Company magazine – Lior has helped many of the world’s top brands achieve unprecedented goals in customer satisfaction, growth – and profitability. Among these are Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Thomson Reuters, HSBC, E.ON, FedEx, SAP, and the University of Pennsylvania – to name a few.

His insights and methods have been successfully put into practice in over 200 corporate transformations worldwide, making Lior not only a forerunner in the field – but a proven practitioner. And that’s what truly sets him apart – where other speakers simply talk of change, Lior makes it happen time and time again. As inspiring as he is passionate, Lior’s unique and critical voice continues to drive people across the globe to achieve their ultimate success.

More about Lior: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/lior-arussy/

Colette Carlson | Author & Motivational Speaker on Human Behaviour and Communications

Booked by: Boeing, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Federal Express

At the heart of every sale, every interaction between a leader and a team member, every conversation with a customer… is a connection. How to make those connections effective, and leverage them for greater success, is the thread woven into every one of Colette Carlson’s presentations.

Colette teaches audiences how to transform relationships through the power of connected conversations. Her keynote programs are so personalized, attendees often assume Colette is one of them. She has the outstanding ability to connect through engaging content and laugh-out-loud humor.

With a Master’s Degree in Human Behavior, and more than 20 years of experience helping individuals change behaviors that impact their success, Colette understands the psychology, mindset, and skills required to make positive, long-lasting change.

More about Colette: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/colette-carlson/

Jay Baer | Best-selling Author on Customer Experience & Customer Service, Renowned business strategist

Booked by:  Corteva, Purina, American Express, Bentley

Jay Baer is a customer experience and digital marketing pioneer, expert, advisor, researcher, and analyst. He has spent nearly 30 years helping the world’s most iconic brands gain and keep more customers. A 7th-generation entrepreneur, Jay has written six best-selling books, and founded five, multi-million dollar companies.

Jay is an inductee into the halls of fame for professional speaking and word of mouth marketing, and the creator of multiple award-winning podcasts. He is also one of just two people in the world listed as one of the top 30 “Global Gurus” in two different knowledge categories (customer service and internet marketing).

He founded the strategy and analysis firm Convince & Convert and is a board member of Experience Dynamic, a full-stack customer experience services collective.

Media outlets like CNBC, NPR, Fox Business, and The Wall Street Journal frequently rely on Jay to comment and contextualize top trends. His very popular twice-monthly newsletter is at TheBaerFacts.com.

More about Jay: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/jay-baer/

Kevin Brown | Marketing Executive and Speaker on Accountability and Leadership

Booked by:  American Express, Delta Airlines, Nationwide, H&R Block

Kevin’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a streetwise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom.

Kevin understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feel and act. He is a branding and culture expert with a 30+ year career in franchise development. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little-known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible.

The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else. Kevin is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential and grow their results. And, as the father of a child with autism, he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.

More about Kevin: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/kevin-brown/

Denise Lee Yohn | Leading Authority and Speaker on Building Exceptional Brands

Booked by:  Sony, Frito-Lay, Pursuant, Burger King

Through her expertise and personal approach, Denise Lee Yohn has become an in-demand keynote speaker inspiring business leaders around the world to build great brands and exceptional organizations. Her keynote presentations have captivated international audiences at conferences including TEDx, the Consumer Electronics Show, The Art of Marketing, the National Restaurant Show, and Sustainable Brands, among others, and at corporate events for Facebook, Lexus, NFL, and more.

Denise enjoys challenging readers to think differently about brand leadership. With that goal in mind, she has written several books including the bestseller What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest and the new book FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies.

She is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Forbes and has been a sought-after writer for publications including Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Knowledge@Wharton, ChangeThis, Seeking Alpha, QSR Magazine, among others. News media including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times call on Denise when they want an expert point-of-view on hot business issues.

More about Denise: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/denise-lee-yohn/

Ryan Estis | Speaks on Business Performance, Leadership and Sales

Booked by:  Blue Shield, CVS Health, Mayo Clinic, Medtronic

Ryan Estis has more than 20 years of experience as a top-performing sales professional and leader. As the former chief strategy officer for the McCann Worldgroup advertising agency NAS, he brings a fresh perspective to business events. As a keynote speaker, Ryan is known for his innovative ideas on leading change, improving sales effectiveness and preparing for the future of work. He was recently recognized as one of “the best keynote speakers ever heard” by Meetings & Conventions magazine alongside Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, Colin Powell and Mike Ditka.

Ryan delivers keynote speeches, courses and online learning with an emphasis on actionable content designed to elevate business performance. His curriculum emphasizes emerging trends influencing leadership effectiveness, sales performance and customer experience. Ryan helps participants prepare to thrive in today’s ultra-competitive, hyper-connected business environment.

Ryan supports the world’s leading brands, including Liberty Mutual, Darden Restaurants, Goodyear, the Dallas Cowboys, Medtronic, ECCO USA and Blue Cross Blue Shield. He is a faculty member for the Institute of Management Studies, a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board and a certified Human Capital Strategist.

More about Ryan: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/ryan-estis/

Jeanne Bliss | Global Expert and Speaker on Customer-Centric Leadership & Customer-Driven Growth

Booked by:  AARP, Johnson&Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, Krispy Kreme

Jeanne Bliss helps companies and people become the best version of themselves. She guides them to define, build and live the behaviours and actions that will fuse customers to them – and ultimately create deep and memorable relationships. Creating these enhanced relationships has been Jeanne’s singular mission for over 35 years.

Often referred to as the “Godmother of Customer Experience” – Jeanne is one of the foremost experts on customer-centric leadership. She pioneered the role of the Chief Customer Officer, holding the first ever CCO role at Lands’ End, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker and Allstate Corporations. Reporting to each company’s CEO, she moved the customer to the strategic agenda, redirecting priorities to create transformational changes to each brands’ customer experience. She has driven achievement of 95% loyalty rates – improving customer experiences across 50,000-person organizations.

Her ability to effectively guide leaders and companies to earn customer-driven growth is based on these experiences as a practitioner for over 35 years – working across organizations to unite the C-Suite and organizational silos; as well as guiding over 20,000 leaders around the world to understand that improving lives should be their most important strategic vision.

More about Jeanne: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/Jeanne-Bliss

Doug Lipp | Speaker on Leadership, Customer Service and Change

Booked by:  McDonald’s, Verizon Wireless, Google, Best Buy

Candid. Passionate. Relevant. Doug Lipp is on a crusade to help organizations strengthen their corporate culture, boost business performance, and unapologetically, have fun while doing it.

Doug is a distinguished international consultant, eight-time author, and former head of training at the legendary Disney University. His latest book is the best-selling Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Engaged, Loyal, and Customer-Centric Employees.

At age 29, Doug’s celebrated talent catapulted him to the helm of the legendary Disney University training team at Walt Disney corporate headquarters.  Fluent in Japanese, Doug also helped Disney open its first international theme park as a member of the Tokyo Disneyland start-up team.

Drawing on his 30 plus years of combined experience at Disney and in private practice, Doug inspires and challenges hundreds of organizations worldwide. In presentations, he shares how Disney overcame spectacular strategic challenges to unleash one of the most improbable success stories in corporate history.

More about Doug: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/doug-lipp/

Rachel DeAlto | Relationship Expert, Media Personality, Author, and Keynote Speaker

Booked by:  US Air Force, Inbound, Trina Turk, AIM

Rachel DeAlto is a communication and relatability expert, media personality, keynote speaker, emcee, and the author of “relatable: How to Connect with Anyone Anywhere (Even if It Scares You)” (Simon & Schuster’s Simon Element, September 2021). She is also the co-founder of The MAGNET Method, a consulting firm focused on employee engagement, and Match Group’s Chief Connection Officer.

Rachel maintains a law degree, a Master’s in psychology, and an influential social media presence where she shares psychological research updates and practical takeaways to connect and communicate more efficiently.

She has appeared as an expert on Lifetime’s Married at First Sight, TLC’s Kate+Date, and over 200+ national media outlets. Rachel speaks on relationship building, the power of connection, and authenticity with her most recent TEDx, Being Authentic in a Filtered World, featured on TED.com

More about Rachel: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/rachel-dealto/

Scott McKain | Dynamic Speaker on Innovation, Sales & Customer Service

Booked by:  BMW, Colgate, Fidelity Investments, Intel

Scott McKain is globally recognized as an authority on how organizations and professionals create the distinction required to attract and retain customers and employees.

Scott’s presentations benefit from over three decades of experience, combined with his innate talent for articulating successful innovative ideas. McKain has spoken and consulted with leaders of the world’s most influential corporations, presenting his business strategies in all fifty states and twenty-two countries… from Singapore to Sweden; from Mexico to Morocco… from the White House with the President in attendance – to conferences in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

McKain’s latest book, released by an imprint from Simon & Schuster, titled “ICONIC: How Organizations and Leaders Attain, Sustain, and Regain the Ultimate Level of Distinction” was released to rave reviews from the world’s leading executives and thought leaders – and was named a “Top Ten” pick of the year by Forbes.com.

More about Scott: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/scott-mckain/