Available to book
Ken Schmidt
Transform customer loyalty with Ken Schmidt, speaker and brand advocacy expert. Ken works with global organizations to break competitive sameness, build emotional connections, and create vocal brand advocates, delivering proven strategies from his Harley-Davidson turnaround success.
Ken Schmidt is a customer loyalty expert who transformed Harley-Davidson from struggling manufacturer to iconic brand. As a key architect of the company's legendary turnaround, he pioneered strategies that shifted focus from products to people, creating unprecedented marketplace advocacy.
Ken served as Harley-Davidson's director of corporate communications, working directly with leadership to revolutionize their market approach. His work has been featured in major business media worldwide, and he's advised global brands through his consultancy and as a partner at VSA Partners. His book "Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance" distills his proven methodology.
In today's marketplace, where products are increasingly viewed as interchangeable commodities, Ken helps organizations break free from competitive sameness. He teaches companies how to leverage basic human needs for competitive advantage by becoming memorable for who they are rather than what they sell. His approach transforms customer relationships from transactional to emotional, building loyalty that withstands price competition.
Audiences leave Ken's presentations with practical frameworks for differentiating their business, actionable strategies to humanize their brand story, and techniques to convert customers into vocal advocates. His high-energy delivery combines real-world case studies with immediately applicable insights on creating meaningful customer connections.
Book Ken Schmidt when your organization needs to break free from competitive sameness and create the kind of customer loyalty that drives sustainable growth.
Topics, sessions and talks
With stories shaping perceptions and influencing choices, Ken Schmidt highlights how distinct language and compelling narratives elevate businesses from forgettable to admired. He shares tools to craft memorable storylines and boost customer advocacy. This session focuses on the power of storytelling to humanize your brand, increase likeability and strengthen your reputation in a crowded market.
Ken Schmidt explores why being known for what you do makes you replaceable, and how shifting to being known for who you are can drive market dominance. Drawing from the Harley-Davidson transformation, he reveals how to use key drivers of human behavior to spark emotional loyalty, create preference, and stand out in a sea of sameness. Fast-paced, visual, and filled with takeaway strategies that make a lasting impact.
Ken Schmidt explains why loyalty can’t be bought—it must be earned through emotional resonance. Using the Harley-Davidson experience as a guide, he breaks down how to evolve customer relationships from transactional to enduring. This talk is a call to action for leaders at every level to embed authenticity, warmth, and purpose into every customer interaction.
Targeted at the financial sector, this session exposes how uniformity and eroding trust create hidden growth potential. Ken Schmidt reveals how firms can reframe their approach to stand out, spark demand, and build a reputation that clients trust and talk about. His message reframes challenge as opportunity in one of the most competitive industries today.
Ken Schmidt lays out a roadmap for companies trapped in price wars and sameness. Drawing on real-life turnarounds, he shows how to become a trusted brand that commands loyalty—even when priced higher. With a focus on strategic positioning, this hands-on session offers practical tools to transform perception, strengthen customer retention and rise above the competition.
Ken Schmidt, the customer loyalty expert who transformed Harley-Davidson from struggling manufacturer to iconic brand, teaches organizations how to break free from competitive sameness by building emotional connections that turn customers into vocal advocates. Book Ken today to discover actionable strategies that will differentiate your business and create the sustainable customer loyalty your organization needs to thrive.
Testimonials
Featured Projects
often considered together
Tamsen Webster
Communication
Transformational Leadership
Customer Loyalty
Brittany Hodak
Customer Experience
Customer Loyalty
Creativity
Claire Harper
Marketing
Customer Experience
Change Management
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
To book Ken Schmidt, email ken.schmidt@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Ken's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
Get the right person
Tell us what you’re working on and we’ll match you with the talent your audience won’t stop talking about.
