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Stand Out & Succeed: The Art of Differentiation

Michel Neray

travels from Canada

Stand out from the crowd and make a difference with Michel Neray's expertise in branding, core messaging and storytelling.

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5 out of 5 stars

The 'Storytelling for Business' series was transformational. It taught me how to tell a story with meaning, purpose, and great technique. Very effective.

Debie Clark - Founder of Complex Parenting Resolve Speaker, Coach, Author See all references

Why you should book Michel Neray for your next event

  • Michel founded Portfolios Online in 1995, pioneering the world’s first Internet search engine for advertising and creative professionals, transforming the industry.
  • Co-authored “The Great Crossover,” a critically acclaimed book featured on Jack Canfield’s Achiever’s Recommended Reading List, showcasing Michel Neray’s expertise in communication and branding.
  • Held prominent leadership positions within the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers since 2008, demonstrating his influential role in the professional speaking community.
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Unlock your organization's potential with Michel Neray's expertise in branding and positioning. Discover your true difference, increase sales, and lead with impact. With a track record of success and a dynamic speaking style, Michel delivers results that transform businesses. Let him guide you to stand out, connect deeply, and thrive in today's competitive landscape.

Why you should book Michel Neray for your next event

  • Michel founded Portfolios Online in 1995, pioneering the world’s first Internet search engine for advertising and creative professionals, transforming the industry.
  • Co-authored “The Great Crossover,” a critically acclaimed book featured on Jack Canfield’s Achiever’s Recommended Reading List, showcasing Michel Neray’s expertise in communication and branding.
  • Held prominent leadership positions within the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers since 2008, demonstrating his influential role in the professional speaking community.

As a motivational speaker, Michel Neray has a knack for cutting through the clutter and helping individuals and organizations uncover their true differentiation.

Book Michel Neray for your event, and you’ll discover firsthand his unparalleled expertise in Core Messaging and Storytelling. With a diverse background and a wealth of experience, Michel empowers audiences to embrace their differences and stand out in the marketplace. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an entrepreneur, Michel’s insights are invaluable for navigating today’s competitive landscape.

Through his innovative strategies and actionable advice, Michel equips attendees with the tools they need to amplify sales performance, enhance business communication, and drive meaningful change. His proven track record speaks for itself, with clients reporting significant increases in sales and brand recognition after implementing his techniques.

In 1995, Michel Neray founded Portfolios Online, revolutionizing the advertising industry. His work continued as he co-authored “The Great Crossover“, earning accolades and recognition on Jack Canfield’s Achiever’s Recommended Reading List. These achievements underscore Michel Neray’s reputation as a leader and innovator, making him an invaluable asset as a keynote speaker for your organization.

In a world where conformity is the norm, Michel empowers you to embrace your uniqueness and thrive. Whether you’re looking to inspire your team, impress potential clients, or reinvigorate your brand, Michel Neray is the catalyst for transformation. Book Michel Neray today and unlock the potential within your organization.

See keynotes with Michel Neray
Keynote by Michel Neray

Want to Get Past ‘Crossed-Arm' Syndrome? Tell a Story!

We’ve all been there. You’ve got a high-stakes presentation or conversation, and the people in front of you are nodding politely, but all the while, the little voice in the back of their minds is telling them all the reasons why they just. won’t. agree.

Congratulations, you’ve experienced ‘Crossed-Arm Syndrome’!

Your listeners have a brick wall of belief about something — and that belief is the biggest driver for their decisions and behavior. It could be based on actual fact, or fiction, a hunch, a fear, a stereotype, or a skepticism, but whatever it is, no amount of data is going to convince them otherwise.

Neuroscience to the rescue.

You see, neuroscience teaches us that we build up beliefs and views of the world through a process called Bayesian learning. The end result is like a brick wall of strongly held beliefs. There’s no use fighting it, but neuroscience also teaches us that our brains are wired to place greater emphasis on emotion… and there’s no better way to combine facts and emotion than in a story.

If you’re in sales trying to convince a prospect that your product or service is superior… Or.. if you’re a start-up trying to persuade investors to invest in your next great idea… Or.. if you’re a business leader espousing the company values to your team… telling a brief but strategically crafted story to overcome Crossed-Arm Syndrome may be the most valuable new skill you can get this year.

You’ll learn:

  • The physiological and psychological effects of storytelling
  • The 5 neural hooks that help your listeners identify themselves in the story.
  • Why traditional case studies don’t cut it anymore
  • How to tap into the listener’s own subconscious desire
  • How to use this powerful technique ethically, and protect yourself in situations when someone is trying to use it on you!
Keynote by Michel Neray

The Power of the Personal Story ... in Business!

How leaders lead, coaches coach, salespeople sell, teachers teach and influencers influence.

It is well-established that stories are more memorable and powerful than facts and statistics. Stories are the basis of leadership, coaching, influence, teaching, sales and team culture. From the beginning of time, stories are how we have passed on our values, made sense of the world and effected change. Today, it’s how we build our businesses and strengthen our communities.

But you don’t have to be a storytelling ‘expert’ to tell powerful stories… because we are already born storytellers. In this keynote, Michel Neray shows you how to use your natural storytelling ability to lead better and motivate others. What’s more, you might just leave inspired by the value of your own story and how it contributes to your unique strengths and success.

This is a fun and engaging presentation that will open your eyes to new ways to tell and perform stories to sell more, lead more powerfully and, yes, change the world.

This session is part of an ongoing programme that combines exercises in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), classic storytelling, stand-up comedy, improv, acting and professional speaking. It helps participants strategically develop signature and turning-point stories to motivate/inspire/influence team members, customers and audiences in the most engaging and powerful way.

Highlights:

  • The neuroscience behind storytelling, and building rapport, good feelings, and trust
  • How to use storytelling to increase the engagement of case studies and testimonials
  • How storytelling builds business and influences all your stakeholder groups including customers, employees, strategic partners, investors, and regulators!
  • How your own story is the driver of your personal purpose and leadership.

 

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

  • Identification of impactful and differentiating messaging.
  • Communications with more powerful calls-to-action.
  • Stronger rapport with colleagues, team members, customers and audiences.
  • Public speaking, presentation and leadership skills.
Keynote by Michel Neray

From Case Studies to Case 'Stories'!

For companies and individuals who want to showcase their unique approach, techniques and thought-leadership.

Most companies know the value of case studies and testimonials, but they tend to be boring, obviously self-serving, and often barely credible.
As a result, they are missing the real potential of case studies and testimonials. In this workshop, participants learn how to adapt the principles of storytelling to create case stories that are not only more engaging and credible, they also position the company better, help improve customer loyalty, and increase confidence in the team. This is an excellent workshop for salespeople, team leaders, front-line staff and the marketing team… to do together!

This approach can be applied to any example that illustrates a core competency, benefit, or recommended solution. And, it can be used as a written example, an element of a presentation, or simply dropped into a casual conversation.

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

  • What makes a good case story or testimonial… and what makes a great one (hint, it’s not always the ‘positive’ outcome!)
  • How to infuse a case story or testimonial with emotion and drama that increase engagement and add credibility
  • How to develop a library of stories and testimonials to highlight your differentiation and appeal to multiple, different customers groups.
  • 3 ways to solicit stories s and testimonials.
  • 5 copywriting techniques that serve as Believability Enhancers.
  • How to use this approach to answer the question, ‘What do you do/why should we buy from your company?’
Keynote by Michel Neray

Sales Telepathy

Get into the head and heart of your clients without going out of your mind!

All of us sell, regardless of the role we have in an organization. Executives, managers and directors sell ideas, recommendations and strategies. Entrepreneurs sell businesses and business concepts. Salespeople and service providers sell specific products and services.

This keynote or workshop brings together the key elements of change management, neuro-linguistic programming, core challenge analysis and tried-and-true direct response copywriting. Participants learn to elicit the needs of the prospect or recipient of the proposal/recommendation, how to clearly identify the rationale for the recommendation and how to communicate it in the clearest, most compelling way.

This not only empowers managers and directors to link their recommendations to ROI and key corporate strategies, it also makes it easier for other decision-makers to evaluate the proposal for a quicker decision.

Delivered in a fun, interactive style, audiences and groups learn how to get into the head and hearts of their clients ‐ without going out of their minds!

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

  • How to start a conversation to improve your chances of finishing with a nod of agreement.
  • How to elicit the needs and wants of the customer or people you are speaking to so they ‘sell’ themselves!
  • How to create a ‘burning platform’ to motivate your listener to take action now.
  • How to create a powerful introduction letter or email in less than three minutes! (Template provided)
Keynote by Michel Neray

The 4 Stories that Every Business Needs

If you want to sell without ‘selling’, attract customers who want what you have to offer… differentiate your product or service from ALL the competition… gain the kind of confidence that only comes from knowing the true value of what you offer… you need stories.

Specifically, you need THESE stories…

  • Your case stories tell your audience that the results are real.
  • Your ‘human’ stories shows you’re relatable, and what it’s like to work with you.
  • Your ‘origin’ story defines the problem you solve and positions you as the natural solution; it’s the backstory that explains ‘why we do how we do what we do’.
  • Your ‘secret sauce’ story is strongly linked to the origin story. This is the most strongly differentiating of all the stories.

You should be able to tell these stories clearly and confidently… and so naturally that they don’t even feel like ‘stories’. You share them in conversation, on stage, or on your website – anywhere you meet potential customers – to help them get to know, like, and trust you.

Key Take-Aways and Tools:

  • How stories build trust with potential customers.
  • How to start building a library of the 4 essential business stories.
  • How to tell a story without sounding like you are ‘telling’ a story.
  • How to write for the ears instead of the eyes.
Keynote by Michel Neray

Make Friends With Your Stereotype & Stand Out From The Crowd

How to leverage stereotype perceptions to discover your unique strengths, establish greater trust and earn credibility.

Let’s face it. There are a lot of people who have negative perceptions about you, your industry and the title that’s written on your business card — even before they get to know you. And when those people happen to be your customers and other groups you work with, that’s a challenge. It doesn’t just get in the way of your relationships with your customers, employer and the people who report to you, it also saps your personal confidence and undermines the positive perceptions we want to have of ourselves.

Instead of trying to ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist, this session will show you how to make friends with those negative perceptions. Better still, you’ll learn how to leverage those negative perceptions to positively differentiate yourself, your company and the products you represent in the market. This is a highly interactive and fun session that will boost your confidence as much as it boosts your results. Get ready to laugh your way to a whole new perspective of what you do and why you’re needed now more than ever!

By the end of this session, you will:

  • Gain confidence by identifying your personal differentiation and unique value
  • Instantly build trust by establishing rapport with customers
  • Increase credibility and demonstrate profound understanding of the market

References

The 'Storytelling for Business' series was transformational. It taught me how to tell a story with meaning, purpose, and great technique. Very effective.

Debie Clark

Founder of Complex Parenting Resolve Speaker, Coach, Author

Storytelling proved to be a great keynote topic. The ability to present our results, and the pertinent details, while keeping on point, and delivering the true message is critical and Michel provided many approaches that can be adopted, and help in successful communications. The keynote was well worth it.

Michael Flint

Project Management Consultant

You did an excellent job of demonstrating the value of storytelling to enhance leadership and improve outcomes. The session also gave us new insights and appreciation for our colleagues. And while I was initially concerned about how people would take to a session on storytelling, it was gratifying to see how participants left the workshop with specific tools to help them be more structured and deliberate in their communications.

Roxann Linton

Chief Executive Officer, First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union (FHC)

We loved the sessions and our team definitely is energized about the power of story, how we can use it in our business, and beginning an effort to master its dynamics. We are on our way!

Scott Lenet

Touchdown Ventures

Michel is a great speaker and one who knows his stuff. He makes you think deeply about the message you're sending and what it is that you do, so that you can send that message with integrity.

Garth Schmalenberg

HBI Leadership

Members indicated that you transformed their thinking for better problem solving, relationship building, and ultimately satisfying customer sales… a great program!

Joan Tezak

Exec. Director, Colorado Society Association Executives
Non-binding request for Michel Neray

Send a simple request. You’ll get a quick reply with fees and availability

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Michel Neray
Michel Neray

5 out of 5 stars

The 'Storytelling for Business' series was transformational. It taught me how to tell a story with meaning, purpose, and great technique. Very effective.

Debie Clark - Founder of Complex Parenting Resolve Speaker, Coach, Author See all references

Keynote topics with Michel Neray