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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DOGE Efficiencies – The Silent Killer of Sales Growth

By John Lusher / February 18, 2025 /

Everyone is talking about efficiencies these days, but let’s talk about DOGE efficiencies when it comes to sales and leadership. You know what’s not efficient? Having a sales department that doesn’t actually know how to sell, a team that isn’t sharpening their skills, or worse—a group of veterans who are just phoning it in, still…

The Super Bowl Strategy Every Top Sales Consultant Knows (But Most Businesses Ignore)

By John Lusher / February 11, 2025 /

In this past Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs were trying to accomplish something no other team in the NFL has ever done—win three Super Bowls in a row, a “three-peat.” And guess what? They didn’t do it. Why not? Well, if you’ve read futurist Dan Burrus’ book “Techno Trends,” you’ll see that in…

This Simple Storytelling Trick Will Make People Actually Hear Your Message

By John Lusher / February 5, 2025 /

How do you talk about your successes with clients—or even your own success—without sounding like a self-promoting blowhard? You do it by being vulnerable. As a top sales keynote speaker, I’m always talking about my clients’ successes—stories of how they achieved something great. But I make sure to position them as the heroes while also…

W-I-I-F-M: The Simple Question That Drives Success in Sales, Leadership and Life!

By John Lusher / January 30, 2025 /

Yesterday, I was at my puppy’s trainer, who was actually training me. He said, “Ron, when you are trying to get a puppy to learn a new skill, you must immediately give a worthy treat upon successful completion. Immediate reward is your path to teaching a puppy new skills and behaviors.” Well, the same principle…

The One Question That Transformed an Executive’s Success Overnight

By John Lusher / January 22, 2025 /

After just two Zoom calls, a high-level executive I was coaching looked at me and said, “You are like a business therapist.” At first, I wasn’t sure how to take that, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It reminded me of another CEO I was coaching. As a top…

This 3-Finger Rule Will Transform How You Lead

By John Lusher / January 15, 2025 /

This past week, fellow thought leader George Walther visited me and shared a story about his mother, Edith. One day, Edith called him and yelled, “Georgie, why didn’t you get this report done on time?” George, looking around the room, pointed at the typewriter. Edith responded, “Look at where you’re pointing. Why is only one…

The Game-Changing Sales Strategy You’re Not Using (Yet)

By John Lusher / January 8, 2025 /

As a top sales consultant, I’m often asked by sales executives what they should focus their time on. This question reminds me of my triage days as a young volunteer medic on my town’s ambulance squad.  I was an EMT in Fair Lawn, NJ, and one night, we had a disaster drill involving a school…

What Do You Want to be Known For?

By John Lusher / January 2, 2025 /

What do you want to be known for? As a top sales consultant, I always stress to my clients that the true value and legacy of a person does not start and end with their career. Your legacy story is ongoing until the day you leave this earth, but it must be intentional. As we…

The One Simple Phrase That Crushed Competition and Led to a $1B Buyout

By John Lusher / December 20, 2024 /

They say that if you want to sell more, just find a problem and solve it. Simple advice, right? The problem is, most people don’t know how to do that. As a top sales keynote speaker, I received a call one day from John Treace, Vice President of Sales at Xomed Surgical. He was considering…