Top Sales Consultant

From Speech Impediment to Speaking Legend

By John Lusher | September 10, 2026 |

I recently received an honor that caused me to reflect on an entire career. I was inducted into the 2026 Legends of the Speaking Profession. For someone who has spent decades speaking professionally, you might assume that communication always came naturally to me. It didn’t. As a teenager, I had a speech impediment that prevented…

Dolly Parton Knew Where She Was Going

By John Lusher | September 2, 2026 |

There are people who become successful. There are people who become famous. And then there are those rare individuals who become something much greater. Dolly Parton became an icon. Her story didn’t begin with wealth, connections or opportunity. She grew up as one of 12 children in a one-room cabin in the mountains of Tennessee.…

Leaders Are Made, But Hard Work Alone Isn’t Enough

By John Lusher | August 27, 2026 |

Vince Lombardi famously said: “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.” I agree. Leadership requires effort. It requires discipline, repetition, resilience and a willingness to keep improving. But there’s another piece we cannot afford to overlook: Hard work only creates meaningful progress when it is…

Why Your “Personalized” Sales Outreach Gets Ignored

By John Lusher | August 20, 2026 |

I recently received a sales message that opened by telling me the sender and I were in the same business. There was only one problem. We weren’t. The sender had my name. He had a template. But he clearly hadn’t taken the time to understand what I actually do, who I serve, or whether what…

The Question That Created An Entire Industry

By John Lusher | August 13, 2026 |

Some of the biggest breakthroughs in business don’t begin with a brilliant answer. They begin with a different question. I recently came across the story of an industry built around companies purchasing life insurance policies from policyholders. Traditionally, everyone viewed life insurance through essentially the same lens: Buy the policy. Pay the premiums. Eventually, the…

They’re Not Hearing What You Said

By John Lusher | August 6, 2026 |

Most communication problems are not caused by what we say. They happen because of what the other person believes they heard. People do not listen to words in isolation. They listen through filters shaped by past experiences, assumptions, emotions, expectations, and beliefs. Those filters can completely change the meaning of a message. I might say:…

Your Team Is Moving Fast—But Is It Moving Forward?

By John Lusher | August 3, 2026 |

In today’s business environment, leaders and sales teams are being pushed to move faster, produce more, adopt new tools, and deliver immediate results. But moving faster does not automatically mean moving forward. One of the most important principles of the Velocity Mindset® is to start with the end in mind, but first, you must make…

The Brutal Truth About Thriving in Today’s Turbulent Times

By John Lusher | July 23, 2026 |

Markets are volatile. Budgets are tightening. International tensions are affecting supply chains, energy prices, and business confidence. For leaders, the pressure is real. But here is the brutal truth: Uncertainty does not destroy companies. Inaction does. When fear enters the boardroom, decisions slow down. Investments are delayed. Teams lose confidence. Organizations begin waiting for conditions…

Why Linear Thinking is Costing You Sales

By John Lusher | July 16, 2026 |

Most salespeople don’t lose deals because of price. They don’t lose because of the competition. And they rarely lose because of the economy. More often than not, they lose because they’re approaching every opportunity with the same linear thinking they’ve been taught since childhood. From the time we enter school, we’re trained to follow the…

Fortune Lies in Impact

By John Lusher | July 9, 2026 |

Fame can be addictive. Not just celebrity fame. Business fame. Leadership fame. Social media fame. The kind of visibility that makes people feel seen, validated, and recognized. But when attention becomes the goal, direction often changes. People start making decisions for reactions instead of results. They chase clicks instead of contribution. They prioritize visibility instead…

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 Our Feelings Drive Our Actions

By John Lusher / September 26, 2025 /

Our feelings drive our actions. Think about it: you wake up in the morning, and you don’t feel like working out because you had a little too much wine the night before. What happens? You skip the workout. That’s the power of feelings—they drive what we do. The same principle applies in business. Our feelings…

What Apple’s iPhone Air Teaches Us About Velocity

By John Lusher / September 16, 2025 /

Apple just launched the iPhone Air—the thinnest iPhone ever. Which is great, except until you lose it between the couch cushions and need Find My iPhone just to finish a text. But here’s the bigger question: why would Apple risk redesigning its most profitable product to be thinner, lighter, and faster? The answer is simple:…

Timing is Everything

By John Lusher / September 11, 2025 /

I’m standing in Beaver Creek, Colorado, where they’re having an Oktoberfest on Labor Day weekend. Now, why would they have an Oktoberfest on Labor Day? It’s quite simple—it’s all about timing. The one thing that really screws up velocity is not knowing the exact timing of when to work on something. Without that, you waste…

The Hidden Secret to Exceeding Everyone’s Expectations 

By John Lusher / September 5, 2025 /

You know, people always ask me—they want to go faster. And I say, “If you just want to go faster, I can put you in a Ferrari, point you at a brick wall, and tell you to step on it.” That will get you faster results, but not the kind you want. It would be…

Driving Real Results—Not Just Speed—in Leadership

By John Lusher / August 27, 2025 /

Hey, Velocity Champions—it’s Ron Karr® coming at you, and I promise this video will move faster than your Wi-Fi on a Monday morning. Let’s talk about the Velocity Mindset—not just speed, but speed with direction. If you’re getting nowhere fast, congratulations: you’re officially on a hamster wheel. And unless your life goal is to break…

The Email I Wish I Hadn’t Sent (and the Lesson You Need to Hear)

By John Lusher / August 19, 2025 /

You ever have one of those weeks where you put all your energy into a big project—like a mailing blast about the Velocity Mindset®—and then, with the excitement of a kid launching a rocket, you hit send, only for the results to come crashing down like a soufflé in an earthquake? Yeah, me too. So…

What Climbing a Mountain Taught Me About Winning in Business and Life

By John Lusher / August 12, 2025 /

Look at this beautiful view. I’m sitting on top of a mountain called the Airport Road Vortex, where you actually feel creativity and energy coming up. But to get here, you had to climb up a huge mountain, which for me was a challenge. You see, for the past 15 years, I’ve had a lot…

$250k For a Parking Space? Sales Lessons You Can’t Ignore.

By John Lusher / August 5, 2025 /

A parking space in New York City just sold for $250,000. Yes, you heard that right. Imagine realtors now selling standalone parking spaces and garages for the price of a house. What’s next? Open houses for parking spots? “Welcome to Spot 7B: exposed concrete, partial wall view, plenty of character.” But here’s the kicker—that $250,000…

How a 747 Question Led to the $200M, 10-Year Deal

By John Lusher / July 22, 2025 /

This is part two of breaking down the magical moments that led to a $200,000,000, 10-year deal. In part one, we talked about asking the right questions to uncover the right outcomes—shifting from chasing a low-bid win to securing a long-term strategic agreement. Now for magical moment number two. During a review meeting, the client’s…

The $200 Million Question Most Leaders Do Not Ask

By John Lusher / July 15, 2025 /

When I say most people aren’t going after the right outcome, I usually get the same response: “That doesn’t apply to me. I know what I want.” But in 90% of the turnarounds I’ve led as a top sales leadership consultant and keynote speaker, the first breakthrough didn’t come from doing more. It came from…