The BEST Sales Kickoff Speakers Who Set the Tone for the Year
A sales kickoff is the one stage where the right speaker pays for itself. Open well and you set the tone for the entire year; close well and the team executes on it, which is why the best sales kickoff speakers get booked a year out.
The wrong choice is a forgotten pep talk by February. The speakers who work an SKO can do two things at once: light up a room and leave it with something usable.
The best sales kickoff speakers set the year’s theme, bring the energy a kickoff demands, and hand reps a tactic or mindset they’re still using in Q3. The names below each do that in a distinct way.
A note on selection and order: I’ve personally seen every speaker here present; that’s my bar for including anyone. They’re listed alphabetically by last name, not ranked, because this is a curated selection rather than a leaderboard. And yes, I’ve included myself; it would be odd to leave my own name off a list I stand behind.
Victor Antonio
Victor opens a kickoff at full throttle. He brings an engineer’s breakdown of the sale wrapped in real stage energy, so reps leave with both a fired-up mindset and a system to execute. He’s especially sharp on how AI is reshaping the sales process, a theme that sets the tone for the year ahead. For a kickoff that needs adrenaline and substance in the same session, he’s a strong opener.
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Colette Carlson
Colette belongs on the kickoff stage when the theme is trust and connection. With a master’s in human behavior, she shows sales teams how genuine communication, not scripts, is what closes in an automated world. She’s warm, funny, and credible, a standout female voice on a mainstage that too often skews male. For an SKO built around the human edge, Colette sets exactly the right tone.
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Sylvie di Giusto
Full disclosure, that’s me. I open or close sales kickoffs with the behavior beneath every buying decision: the unconscious signals (my ABCDE Power of Choice framework) that decide whether a buyer trusts a rep in the first seconds. As a former Fortune 100 executive, I make it tactical enough to use the Monday after kickoff, not just inspiring in the room. And delivered as the world’s first 3D immersive holographic keynote, it gives your SKO a centerpiece the team is still talking about at Q2.
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Jason Dorsey
Jason brings the generational lens that fits a kickoff perfectly. Grounded in hard research, he shows a sales force how Gen Z and Millennial buyers actually decide, and where the team’s instincts are quietly costing deals. His data-rich, high-energy mainstage style lands even with skeptical veteran reps. For a kickoff that wants to reframe how the team sells this year, Jason is a smart opener.
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Sally Hogshead
Sally is the opener for a team that needs to stop blending in. Her science of fascination shows each rep their distinct advantage and how to use it so buyers remember and choose them. Backed by original research, it lands as insight rather than a pep talk. For an SKO themed around differentiation in a crowded market, Sally sets the year’s tone.
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Phil M. Jones
Phil hands a sales team the exact words to move conversations forward, and a kickoff is the perfect place to install that language for the year. His precise, repeatable phrases are simple enough that reps deploy them on the first call back. The session is interactive and immediately useful, not theoretical. For an SKO that should leave the team with tactics, not just motivation, Phil is ideal.
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Scott McKain
Scott answers the question every kickoff should: in a market of look-alikes, why us? His work on creating distinction and iconic customer experiences gives the team a competitive frame for the whole year. Polished and commanding on a mainstage, he elevates a kickoff beyond rah-rah. For an SKO themed on standing out and winning on experience, Scott is a strong choice.
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Vince Poscente
An Olympic speed skier turned Hall of Fame speaker, Vince brings the psychology of performing under pressure, tailor-made for a kickoff. His Age of Speed message helps a sales team turn urgency into an advantage and move faster without burning out. His elite-sport stories make the mindset stick. For an SKO focused on tempo and execution, Vince is a high-energy opener.
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Meridith Elliott Powell
Meridith is built to open a kickoff when the market itself is the headwind. Her work on selling and thriving in uncertainty gives the team both confidence and a plan for a turbulent year. She blends strategy with real grit, so reps leave resolved, not just rallied. For an SKO facing change the team didn’t choose, she sets a steadying, energizing tone.
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Rory Vaden
Rory is a kickoff closer who sends reps out ready to out-execute Q1. A two-time World Championship of Public Speaking finalist, his Take the Stairs and multiply-your-time message is about the self-discipline that separates top producers. It’s emotional and tactical at once, the kind of mainstage moment a team carries into the new year. For an SKO that should end on execution and resolve, Rory is a powerful close.
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Waldo Waldman
Waldo, “The Wingman”, is a decorated fighter pilot and former top-producing sales manager whose trust-and-teamwork message is built for a sales-floor rally. His “no one wins alone” theme turns a kickoff into a moment of genuine accountability and connection across the team. The flight stories are vivid and the takeaways are real. For an SKO themed on teamwork and trust, Waldo brings both spectacle and substance.
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About these credentials. CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is the National Speakers Association’s earned designation for proven platform competence, held by roughly 17% of NSA members worldwide. CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) is the NSA Speaker Hall of Fame, the association’s highest honor for professional excellence.
⇢ Learn more: What is a CSP and the CPAE Hall of Fame.
