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Ross Shafer

Ross Shafer

Six-Time Emmy Award-Winning Comedian, Network TV Host & Best-Selling Business Author

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Price range

  • $15,000 - $20,000
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Expert

  • Adversity
  • Business
  • Change
  • Corporate Culture
  • Customer Service
  • Disruption
  • Emcees
  • Employee Engagement
  • Entrepreneurism
  • Humor
  • Innovation
  • Leadership
  • Motivation
  • Sales
  • Success
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Experience

  • Entertainment
  • Marketing
  • Media
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Career

  • 39 Years
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  • About

    Six-Time Emmy Award-Winning Comedian, Network TV Host & Best-Selling Business Author

    Ross Shafer is an Emmy-winning entertainer and business expert who’s rescued 23 companies from bankruptcy. His 10 best-selling books include Nobody Moved Your CheeseCustomer EmpathyNo More Customer Friction, and RATTLED.

    Ross has worked with 3,000+ clients, including Apple, Microsoft, Hilton, Toyota, and FedEx. His WOW vs. POW method has revolutionized how companies retain customers and improve satisfaction scores—by eliminating pain points rather than relying on flashy extras.

    WHY CONSIDER ROSS SHAFER?

    Ross is funny, high-energy, and delivers profound insights on leadership and resilience.

    • Winner of six Television Emmy Awards for hosting, writing, and comedy performance
    • Business Turnaround Expert – acquired 23 bankrupt companies, selling 22 for a profit
    • Author of 10 business books on change, customer experience, self-motivation, culture, and staying creative under pressure
    • Inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame
    • Trusted by 3,000+ Clients – keynotes, breakouts, and consulting engagements
  • Video Clips
  • Topics

    Keynote | Entertainment | Humorous | Motivational

    A funny and unforgettable keynote by six-time Emmy-winning comedian, TV host, and business author, Ross Shafer.

    Takeaways:

    1. Authentic, Emotional Storytelling – Ross will teach your teams why telling an interesting story proves you care about your customers. Great stories explain why your company matters more than a competitor with similar products or services.
    2. How to Weave Your Personal Story into your Brand Story – Many people in your audience strive for World-Class success. Ross uses his own life story as a blueprint for how they can achieve it, too. Want a hint? You will learn how Ross coached (and launched) Bill Nye, the Science Guy.
    3. Create Compelling Stories Your Customers Repeat to Their Friends – We live in a recommendation economy (Yelp, Trust Pilot, Trip Advisor, Amazon Reviews, Anji, et al). Your customers use such forums to either brag about you – or undermine your brand credibility. Ross will show you how to create positive, memorable stories your customers cannot wait to share.
    4. You will Never Run Out of Stories – Ross can teach you a reliable and ethical way to harvest fresh ideas from outside your industry. When you know Ross’s secret, you will be able to create an endless supply of interesting tales that will help grow your organization.

    Keynote | Entertainment | Humorous | Motivational

    A fun and engaging keynote for Future-Proofing your organization.

    Takeaways:

    1. Relevance Is a Moving Target – A truly relevant culture must be constantly curated. Your organization needs to be nimble enough to adapt on demand. Ross will inspire your teams to replace complacency with out-of-the-silo thinking. Ross will share his tactics for breakthrough solutions.
    2. Customer Expectations Have Evolved – In his book, No More Customer Friction, Ross Shafer reveals research, which shows why his WOW vs POW customer experience coaching escalates satisfaction scores. Cracking the code evolved by preventing customer gut punches, fixing reckless disappointments, and eliminating inexcusable blunders..
    3. The Relationship Secret that Builds Instant Rapport – Ross shares a TV talk show technique that generates instant trust and loyalty. No fluff here. Just consistent results.
    4. The Final Moment of the Transaction Determines Loyalty – Loyalty hinges on the emotional story you tell in the last few moments of every transaction. Beware: the wrong post-sale survey can undo an otherwise perfect engagement. Ross will reveal how to craft closing interactions that can cement customers for life.

    Keynote | Entertainment | Humorous | Motivational

    Ross explains why eliminating the POW moments (organizational failures, unforced errors, feeling neglected) raises satisfaction scores more than many WOW “gestures.”

    Takeaways:

    1. Real-World Experience – Ross will explain how he rescued 23 companies from bankruptcy simply by delivering honesty, resolving problems quickly, and focusing on fun. 
    2. Proven Thought Leadership – Ross takes this subject very seriously. He’s written 5 best-selling books on the Customer Experience, 16 human resource training films on customer effort, customer empathy, and reducing customer friction.
    3. Research-Driven Simplicity – Traditional loyalty strategies no longer work like they did in the past. Ross’s method simplifies customer satisfaction by removing the pain points, making it easy to train frontline teams to execute WOW vs. POW smoothly. The C-Suite loves the results.
    4. Engaging Style – Ross’s energetic style—fueled by humor, storytelling, and real-world examples—makes complex customer strategies easy to understand and implement. His fast-paced, inspiring keynotes resonate from the C-suite to the sales floor. The WOW vs. POW method is simple, scalable, and effective.

    Breakout | Entertainment | Humorous

    Ideal for after-dinner entertainment.

    Ross’s material is non-political, non-controversial, and 100% HR-safe. Audiences love his quick-witted stories about misadventures and successes.

    Breakout | Entertainment | Humorous

    Ross brings polish and energy to multi-day events. A seasoned talk/game show host, he effortlessly moderates executive panels, interviews celebrities, and recaps sessions to keep your audience engaged.

  • Testimonials
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    “Among all the speakers we’ve had, he was definitely the best. Employees from all job types and levels got the message and enjoyed it tremendously. I already notice a difference in behavior—for the better.”

    CU Members Mortgage
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    “You were the hit of our convention. I had many of our members approach me after your presentation saying that you were the best speaker they had ever seen at a Carpet One event. After 33 conventions and dozens of world class speakers, that is quite a compliment. We thoroughly enjoyed having you and are extremely appreciative of your insight and your contributions to our members.”

    Carpet One Floor & Home
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    “Ross was a complete hit at our conference. I have never heard so many attendees wanting to have a speaker back again and soon. Everyone really enjoyed Ross. We appreciated him coming to our conference and hopefully look forward to seeing him again.”

    Energy Insurance Mutual Limited
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    “Just a short note to say how much we enjoyed your speech at the Atlanta History Museum. I thought the Wow/Pow customer focus was particularly relevant, and we’ve used your idea of (sales) storytelling has been used on several occasions ever since our meeting.”

    Rentokil Initial CEO
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    “Ross is a hidden gem! Everyone of all ages can relate to his humor and he did an amazing job connecting to our audience. He puts in the time and effort before he speaks to truly understand how he can add value to your program!”

    Vertafore
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    “Ross Shafer’s brilliant combination of humor and highly humanistic messaging got a thunderous and sustained standing ovation from our nearly one thousand top performers. Ross stayed for an additional two hours to satisfy the scores of our agents who wanted to take selfies and chat with Ross.”

    Home Services of America
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    “Finally, a motivational speaker without the speech. Ross Shafer is one of the funniest guys I know.”

    Jay Leno
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    “Ross Shafer coined the phrase ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ and gave me my start on TV.”

    Bill Nye
Among all the speakers we’ve had, he was definitely the best. Employees from all job types and levels got the message and enjoyed it tremendously. I already notice a difference in behavior—for the better.
CU Members Mortgage