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Ken Schmidt

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It’s an impersonal, copycat world, where so many products and services are seen as easily-replaced, indistinct commodities. Standing out is a choice fueled by the right mindset and a willingness to tackle complacency. Ken Schmidt knows these challenges firsthand and gained acclaim for his role in the extraordinary turnaround of the legendary Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Ken helped transform the company’s competitiveness by proposing three key strategic questions and shifting its narrative to distinguish their brand. While times have changed, what humans want and need from the businesses they buy from and work for hasn’t. However, most businesses don't know how to capitalize on those basic human needs and leverage them for competitive advantage. 

 

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 who they are. Because when customers can't associate human qualities with a business, they're quick to jump to lower-priced alternatives.  Ken is the 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. And have fun doing it. 

 

Ken Schmidt’s career in the motorcycle industry began in 1985 as a specialist in corporate positioning and media relations for the then-struggling Harley-Davidson. He was tasked with helping the company restore its image, improve its competitiveness, and create demand for its motorcycles. Within a few short years, sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles skyrocketed, and the company returned to prominence as one of the most respected, profitable, and frequently reported-on companies in the world.

 

In 1990, Ken became director of Harley-Davidson’s corporate and financial communications, working directly with the company’s CEO and CFO to radically reposition every aspect of the company’s go-to-market strategies to move the company from its historic product-first mentality to its now famous people-first mentality. Serving as Harley’s primary spokesperson to the media and the financial communities, he frequently appeared in mainstream and business media to offer insights on leveraging human behavioral drivers to attract customers, build loyalty, and foster passionately vocal marketplace advocacy. His expertise and success at Harley-Davidson ultimately led to consulting assignments and speaking invitations from all over the world.

 

In 1997, Ken left Harley-Davidson to take an ownership position with a highly successful Chicago-based marketing firm, VSA Partners. In addition to Harley-Davidson, VSA served a virtual who’s who of the world’s best-known brands. In 1999, he sold his portion of VSA to start his own business, Ken Schmidt Company, to combine two of his greatest passions, motorcycling and speaking. He uses motorcycles as a metaphor to expose people to proven ideas and concepts they’ve likely never imagined.

 

In addition to speaking and consulting, Ken is co-founder of Torque Sessions Leadership Training and is also the host of the popular podcast Tailgating with Geniuses, wherein he talks with some of the most innovative and successful leaders in a variety of industries to discuss their unique perspectives on leadership, major challenges, and success. 

 

Ken authored Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance, which gives business leaders an easy-to-follow roadmap for improving their competitiveness, using many of the techniques he championed at Harley-Davidson. He considers his work on “100 Years of Harley-Davidson,” a global bestseller, to be one of his greatest and most rewarding achievements.

 

After all he has accomplished, Ken remains committed to his philosophy of standing out, taking risks, and having fun in both his personal and professional life. He says, “Never do what’s expected, make yourself as noticeably different as possible, and have a lot more fun than you’re supposed to.”

Speaking Topics

Make Some Noise: Change Directions, Open The Throttle And Dominate Your Marketplace

“Being known for what you do – no matter how well you do it – makes you a replaceable commodity,” says Ken Schmidt. “Competitive dominance comes when your market knows you for who you are, associates you with positive human attributes, and rewards you with their loyalty.” This talk is rooted in the highly unconventional ideas that drove Harley-Davidson’s transformation and unlikely return to dominance, as Ken and his team shifted the company away from its commoditized “product-first” mindset to a fiercely committed “people-first” mindset that takes advantage of key drivers of human behavior. Ken’s high energy, humor, amazing visuals, and actionable takeaways abound as he shows businesses of every size and scope how to tap into the behavioral drivers that ignite employee and customer passion, build marketplace preference, and fuel tattoo-worthy levels of customer loyalty. 


AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS:

  • Discover the three questions that most directly impact your reputation and competitiveness
  • Transform your company mindset toward being known for who you are vs. what you do
  • Master how to harness drivers of human behavior to create preference and loyalty
  • Uncover the secret to being memorable so customers refer you to others
  • Learn the true meaning of misunderstood terms like “customer experience” and “loyalty”

Rev Up Your Reputation: Be Memorable, Preferred And Talked About

What does it take to get your customers to share compelling stories about your business and recommend it to others? Specifically, what would you want them to say? Engaging stories, paired with distinct and unexpected language, are highly memorable and help shape perceptions, boost advocacy, and drive demand. Ken Schmidt knows that powerful stories are essential for distancing your business from competitors and building a rock-solid reputation. In this presentation, Schmidt outlines simple, actionable strategies for companies to develop their own distinctive voice and create stories that resonate, leading to lasting differentiation and loyal, vocal customers. What are your customers saying about you right now?


AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS:

  • Elevate the like-ability of your business by crafting stories that delight customers
  • Uncover the three core elements behind every memorable story that’s ever been told
  • Learn how to craft vocabulary that breathes new life into the seemingly familiar or mundane
  • Find your three most memorable and distinguishing storylines
  • Discover simple tools that encourage employees to become storytellers

Ken Schmidt's Experiences

EXPERIENCE DETAILS

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Virtual In-Person

Experience Details

Virtual In-Person
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Testimonials

"Ken Schmidt was wonderful. We have heard so many positive comments from our attendees. I thoroughly enjoyed his insight and common sense approach to business. It really resonated when he mentioned that consumers are loyal to the people behind the business. His humanistic, common sense approach to business relates to all types of businesses.”

“I want to tell you how much people enjoyed your keynote. The LeadsCon/Access Intelligence staff and the other speakers I connected with specifically mentioned your talk as the highlight of the program. People loved it, and it was clear to see why. Your delivery was energetic and inspiring – the content was top-notch and thought-provoking.”

“Ken Schmidt’s stories and passion shined through the entire session! Loved the stories and insight on how he helped Harley-Davidson emerge and reinvent their brand to become the leader they are today!”

“Ken was amazing and our participants were extremely inspired and motivated by his keynote. Outstanding talk – off the charts. There was enormous buzz around his messages and, of course, we really enjoyed the delivery.”

“There were so many good take-aways, participants were talking about it the following day. Thanks for all the advanced prep work you did.”

  • What is your favorite quote? What are people saying about you? What do you want them to say? And what are you doing to make them say it?
  • Are there any moments that stand out as having a significant impact on your career? Being part of the incredible team that drove Harley-Davidson's turnaround from the brink of ruin to global dominance -- using techniques nobody had ever used or heard of.
  • Outside of your profession do you have any hobbies/interests? Motorcycling (duh). Fishing. Hunting. Soccer. Snowboarding. Green Bay Packers. Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee Brewers.
  • Who do you look up to as a mentor and why? Most memorable mentor was Richard Teerlink, CEO at Harley-D, who taught me that you can't be a leader if you're not doing what you're asking others to do.
  • Is there anything else we should know about you? I've done 1,200+ keynotes around the world -- all tailored to my audiences -- which means I do a lot of homework. I also lead workshops to help businesses improve competitiveness.
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