Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly

• Author of five books including his most recent, ‘Do! the pursuit of Xceptional Execution’ described by Tom Peters as the book he would love to have written
• Sets the example having broken sales records across industries and cultures. From working with the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Community on Xceptional selling to manufacturers of construction equipment Kevin has sold them all!
• An international conference speaker with multisector relevance in 35 plus countries
• Described as ‘The Sales Accelerator’

Kevin Kelly advocates the need to recognise and adapt to change to be successful. “Everything is changing. But one thing remains the same. Customers need our attention. The teams that serve our customers need attention. Indeed we need attention!”

We are living in the “attention economy” where information is abundant and attention in scarce supply. Research indicates that the average attention span of a human being is 8 seconds – yes, getting your sales points across in an attention deficit market is the ultimate challenge.

Meanwhile giving attention may represent a businesses greatest opportunity. Research shows people would rather have attention than money. For the past three decades, Kevin Kelly has surfed these waves of change and advised some of the top brands on the planet to sell and excel in changing times. Kevin understands these challenges more than most having sold across cultures and industries over the years.

Born into a business family, Kevin began his sales apprenticeship in the family shop in the West of Ireland at the tender age of six.

Very soon he became aware of the power of attention – different types of attention! Barely able to see over the counter, he entertained customers a multiple of his age that were happy to tell their life story or at least that’s how it felt. Then there were others who just couldn’t get served quick enough so they could get on with their daily chores.

He quickly understood what type of customer wanted swift execution and which one wanted a counselling service!

This upbringing and associated learnings were the catalysts for his subsequent career in sales and marketing. On graduating with a Marketing degree, Kevin consistently broke sales records in each of the companies he worked for, culminating in him being continuously head hunted. Finally, in 1990, Kevin honoured his entrepreneurial DNA and set up his own company, Advanced Marketing.

The company dedicated itself initially to increasing the sales of small and medium businesses, in addition to exhaustively researching the area of personal and business potential. In 1996, Kevin committed to writing a Best Selling book on motivation, the first of its kind on the Irish market. “How? When You Don’t Know How” became a mega-bestseller.

Kevin learned a very valuable lesson in terms of selling and execution: knowledge may give you enough reasons not to act but Do! it anyway, and be prepared to end up in a place you recognise and accept as better than your starting point. This book became the foundation on which he built his international speaking career. Since then he has written four more books

Staying true to his Irish roots, Kevin is a master storyteller who has worked around the world with Fortune 500 companies and prestigious associations like the Million Dollar Round Table. Kevin’s keynotes consistently deliver an interactive conversation that engages, informs, inspires and empowers attendees with a toolbox of invaluable takeaways.

Kevin Kelly’s Keynotes for Sales Teams and/or Sales Leaders

Kevin Kelly knows the challenges and joys of the sales profession more than most having sold across industries and cultures all his life. He packs 25 years plus of energy, enthusiasm and results into his keynotes

1. For Sales Teams – “ATTENTION IS EVERYTHING IN SALES” 

Leverage your sales with the power of attention. 

The sales environment has changed – more often than not several people have an influence on the buying decision eg purchasing, IT, department head, digital etc.

The sales role has also evolved from a transactional focus to consultative. Buyers want trusted advisors, not product reps.

Meanwhile, with attention spans shortening and competition increasing, making your message stick is a massive challenge.

But amidst all the changes, one thing remains the same –any successful sales campaign has to be based on one key building block – delivering quality attention to customers and co-workers. Attention is the most powerful sales drug in the world with no side effects.

So no need to tear up the book and rewrite the rules, the basics are and will always be the same – authentic attention guarantees engagement which guarantees sales.

Kevin Kelly understands the challenges more than most as over the past two decades he has sold cross cultures and across industries. He intimately understands the power of ‘Attention’ to engage customers and convert them into advocates.

Learning Outcomes

Adopting Kevin’s ideas around how a business gives and gets attention will empower attendees to develop a winning story, connect and close more sales and have the inspiration and perseverance to drive the business forward.

Learning Objectives

What the market is demanding – how to benchmark off World Class Sales Organisations?

The three keys to a successful Sales Campaign:

1. Engagement – how paying attention pays off more than reading a script. The one secret to breaking sales records across industries.
2. Collaboration – why Sales is now a team sport and everyone has a role. How to develop a compelling narrative with your team using the HERO framework.
3. Execution – how top companies broke through in the face of overwhelming negative market information.

2. For Sales Managers – “ATTENTION IS EVERYTHING IN SALES”

The sales environment has changed –A leader must collaborate across departments to make that sale. Sales is truly a team sport. In line with the emergence of the uber informed customer, the sales role has evolved –as a leader you need to develop trusted advisors, not order takers.

Meanwhile, with attention spans shortening and competition increasing,  enabling the message to stick is a massive challenge. You must upskill your team with the tools necessary to persuade.

Finally, in this changing and tougher sales environment leaders have to work harder to recruit and retain top sales personnel.

But amidst all the changes, one thing remains the same –any successful sales campaign has to be based on one key building block – delivering quality attention to customers and your sales team. Attention guarantees customer and employee engagement.

Kevin Kelly has sold cross cultures and across industries – he understands the power of ‘Attention’ to engage customers and collaborate within a team and ultimately sell more

Learning Outcomes

Adopting Kevin’s ideas will empower attendees to develop an inclusive winning story and have the inspiration and perseverance to drive the team to sales success.

Learning Objectives

Learn why Sales is now a team sport and why you should recruit on attitude, not aptitude. Learn why leaders must “mind the gap” – the integrity gap to truly motivate their team. Learn to benchmark off best practice in World Class Sales Organisation. Learn how to truly pay attention and how a sales person’s script should be dictated by what they see not by what you have prepared. Learn the one secret to breaking sales records across industries. Learn how salespeople can convert customers into advocates. Learn how to develop a compelling narrative with your team using Kevin’s HERO framework.  Learn how one leader used creating a compelling inclusive vision to drive internal customer engagement and create a $1 billion business.

Kevin Kelly the ‘Sales Accelerator’ is available to speak at conferences and companies worldwide with the PROMOTIVATE™ Speakers Agency. Please contact us from our website here for availability and fee details.