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Ken Schmidt: 3 Things That Drive Human Behavior
Ken Schmidt
Customer Loyalty Expert; Reputation and Brand-building Authority; Senior Role in Harley-Davidson Turnaround; and Author, Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance
- Helped craft one of the most celebrated marketing turnarounds in corporate history
- Shares lessons on harnessing the major drivers of human behavior to build tattoo-worthy brands and dominate the marketplace
- A passionate speaker who always goes the extra mile to earn a flawless review and standing ovation
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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. But 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 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 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.”
Speaker Video
Ken Schmidt: Make Some Noise
Ken Schmidt: Humanizing Business
Creating Demand Through Customer Experience
Creating Demand by Exceeding Expectations
Ken Schmidt: This is how brand demand gets created
Thrive Among the Thorns: Creating an Emotional Connection
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 take-aways 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.
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?
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