With the rapidly evolving environment of business and sales, it is a challenging task to stay ahead and keep pace with changing needs. Furthermore, competition has grown fierce, and there is a pressing need for inspiration, actionable guidance, and strategic insights to increase sales and revenue. This is especially critical during a sales kickoff. 

So, as a business, what can you do to overcome such challenges? 

Well, the answer is simple: hire a sales kickoff speaker. 

The right sales kickoff speaker can enlighten, transform and inspire your team to drive results. In addition, they are catalysts for change with unique insights, experience, and strategies.  

But how do you find the right sales kickoff speaker? 

Follow the tips below to help find sales kickoff speakers who drive results and engage your audience. 

1. Define Your Goals

The first and most important factor you need to consider when looking for the right sales kickoff speaker is the identification of the objectives of your sales kickoff event.

Being specific with your goals helps make the search easier and narrows the options. 

As an example, a speaker who mostly delivers motivational speeches may not be suitable if what you want is an expert in sales training at a professional level. Conversely, a highly energetic speaker, especially one with experience in high-performance sales environments, is ideal for sales motivation if that is your primary goal.

2. Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is just as important as defining the event’s goals. The best SKO speakers can resonate with your specific sales team. Take into account the following when evaluating potential speakers:

• Demographics: Consider your current sales team, including the age, experience level, and diversity in the group. A salesforce that comprises the millennial generation might be more influenced by a technical and innovative speaker than a salesforce comprising the older generation employees for whom a proven track record in conventional industries might be persuasive.
• Challenges: What key issues do your sales personnel encounter? If your team has some issues with prospecting or closing the deal, a speaker with a clear idea of what to do in such a situation will be helpful for your team.
• Expectations: What does your team expect – an inspirational figure, a strategist or an entertainer? 

3. Look for Proven Results

Charisma and audience interest are important, but your speaker should provide value beyond a good show. You need a speaker that can deliver results.

Look for speakers who can:

• Offer Actionable Insights: A great SKO speaker doesn’t simply recite stories but inspires the audience with ideas that are practical and specific. These could be new sales skills, structures for increasing productivity or ways of identifying and targeting prospective clients.
• Showcase Relevant Experience: In particular, search for candidates with experience in increasing sales, either within a given corporation or as external consultants for other organizations who have worked to turn around sales operations that were lagging.
• Provide Measurable Outcomes: Is the speaker able to share some examples or references where their talk contributed to an increase in sales, team performance or the company’s performance? Some testimonials of past SKO speaker events can give the best ideas of their impact.

4. Consider Their Engagement Style

Another important role of an SKO is to motivate the salespeople. Lack of enthusiasm and a formal approach may cause the loss of the audience’s energy, which is why it is crucial to find a speaker who can establish a good rapport with the listeners.

Consider these key traits for an engaging speaker:

• Dynamic Speaking Style: It is apparent that by incorporating humor, storytelling, and passion, a speaker will capture the audience’s attention more than a monotonous speaker. 
• Interactive Elements: Speaker who delivers their talks using question-and-answer sessions, live polls, or role-playing may help the audience have a memorable session.
• Customization: The presentation that addresses your specific sales team’s needs and pain will be much easier to comprehend. 

5. Leverage Your Network and Research

It may not always be easy to find the appropriate speaker, but using different channels will help make the process faster and help you select the correct speaker.

Here’s how:

• Ask for Recommendations: Look for recommendations from your professional connections.
• Speaker Bureaus: Most organizations source professional speakers from speaker bureaus that deal in availing speakers for events. They can offer personal information like detailed descriptions, past ratings, and comments from past customers.
• Online Research: You should never ignore the importance of a proper online search. Today, most professional speakers update their website with demo reels, testimonials, and case studies.

6. Evaluate Your Speaker’s Fit for Your Culture

Choosing a great sales kickoff speaker is a significant investment as they not only motivate the employees but also need to be in synergy with the overall organizational culture. 

So, it becomes apparent that a speaker who does not connect with the culture of your company may well create disconnects. 

For instance, let’s say that your organizational culture is based on teamwork, honesty, and the emphasis on the customer’s needs, so hiring a speaker with an aggressive approach and focusing only on sales might not be ideal. You need a speaker who can align with your company’s values and create a narrative that resonates with the team’s purpose. 

Conclusion

Identifying a competent sales kickoff speaker is not just about choosing a popular personality or someone who can passionately motivate the team. It requires careful evaluation of what your event aims to achieve, what your teams expect and what resonates with your organization. 

By selecting speakers who provide strategies that give your team knowledge about what actions to take next, can prove their effectiveness, and make your audience feel heard and understood, you’re positioning your sales team for a year of success.

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