How to Choose the Perfect Keynote Speaker for Your SKO

You realize how essential a Sales Kickoff (SKO) is in laying the foundation for your sales year. It's more than an event; it's a golden opportunity to ignite your team, educate them, and get everybody in line! But this gathering is centered around a crucial choice — who should be the keynote speaker.

How an Excellent Keynote Speaker Can Influence

According to a survey of sellers by Brainshark, respondents said that if they had unlimited planning power and budget for their SKO, 56% would enhance their guest/motivational speakers. This highlights one important fact … The speaker can make or break your event.

An appropriate keynote speaker is more than entertainment; they can set the tone for the entire SKO and reinforce what you are trying to achieve. 

A good keynote speaker has the power to:

• Motivate Your Sales Force with Inspiration
• Leave a lasting impression on attendees and beyond

Matching Speaker Selection to the Purpose of Your SKO

Before you even think of going through speaker portfolios, take a step back and iron out the purpose and KPIs for your SKO. What are you looking to achieve? Unveil new products/strategies? Train on a new corporate message? Motivate the team for growth? 

Understanding Your Audience

A speaker who performs incredibly well with one group of seasoned B2B tech salespeople might fail in front of entry-level manufacturing reps. Choose based on your target audience for better impact.

Consider your audience from multiple angles:

• Demographics
• Experience levels
• Current challenges
• Learning preferences

The Balance Between Fun and Learning

It may be tempting to make things fun for the sake of it, but the best SKO speakers combine compelling content with a flair that is tailored to get audience members excited about what lies ahead. 

Look for speakers who can:

• Tell stories that capture attention
• Give you practical, tactical takeaways
• Tailor their message to your industry and organizational culture
• Incorporate interactive elements for audience engagement

Budget Considerations

Larger names can be an attraction but do not let budgetary restrictions keep you from pursuing a speaker. Great speakers are available at all price points. Find someone who is in line with your vision and mission and who will give you a return based on the value they provide, not only because of their rank or celebrity status. Since the budget is a real concern, think about how you can use some budding speakers or those who have great stories but not names yet.

Post-keynote: advancing the cause

It should not stop when the right speaker gets off the stage. 

Look for those who offer:

• Materials or workshops afterward
• Consistent engagement via social networks
• Message reinforced with books or other resources.

This will ensure that the message presented by the speaker gets used and integrated into your strategy over time.

Measuring Success

Define a clear set of metrics for how you will measure the success of a keynote speaker before the event. 

These might include:

• Audience engagement scores
• Post-event survey results
• Concrete examples of behavior changes or performance improvements in the weeks and months, post-SKO

The Selection Process

When selecting your speaker, use this checklist:

• Get an early start – the best speakers get snatched up quickly.
• Gain input from both sellers and sales leaders on the choice
• Watch videos of potential keynotes to make sure you understand their style
• Read references to learn from the experiences at other SKOs
• Ask whether the speaker will tailor their speech to suit your requirements

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Here are a few pitfalls to avoid.

• Making a selection of speaker purely on their name
• Choosing a speaker based purely on their name
• Failing to properly brief them on Your company and objectives
• Not thinking about how the speaker's message will be reinforced after the event
• Not considering the feedback of their audience from past shows

Hiring a keynote speaker for your SKO is a strategic investment worth making. Aligning your choice with the purpose of your event, understanding your audience, and considering long-term impact will help transform what is likely seen as an annual chore into an outcome-changing event.

Be sure to listen to our podcast interview with Brian Lord of Premiere Speakers Bureau for more pointers on picking the right SKO speaker.