Merit Kahn (formerly Gest)
Cross between Daniel Goleman, Tony Robbins & Ellen Degeneres... smart, inspiring & funny! Merit combines content, connection & comedy to increase sales, influence leadership & impact communication.
Merit Kahn, CSP, is a game-changing, leadership-building, business growth-driving ball of fire whose rare blend of humor, substance, and style has made her one of the most in-demand speakers worldwide. With a career spanning over two decades, Merit has established herself as a thought leader in consultative sales and the intersection of AI and emotional intelligence.
As the CEO of SELLect Sales Development, she provides expert guidance and proven strategies to help individuals and teams achieve success. Merit is the author of the influential book, Myth Shift: Challenging The Truths That Sabotage Success and the co-host of The Smarter Sales Show podcast. Her engaging keynotes, infused with humor and storytelling, leave a lasting impact on audiences, inspiring them to laugh, learn, and level up.
As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), the highest earned designation in The National Speakers Association, held by less than 12% of professional speakers worldwide, Merit is recognized for her exceptional expertise and professionalism. This prestigious designation signifies her commitment to excellence and her ability to deliver high-quality, impactful presentations consistently. Merit's dynamic approach and tailored presentations make her the perfect choice for conferences, sales kickoffs, and leadership events.
As a playwright, producer, and performer of a one-woman inspiring comedy show, Optimistic Personality Disorder, that has toured the country to the delight of sold-out crowds, Merit brings a unique perspective to her presentations, ensuring they are not only entertaining but also immediately relevant and impactful. Whether consulting with sales-driven companies or empowering women in business, Merit's goal is simple: to open minds, drive growth, and ignite success.
And... when she's not captivating audiences with her wisdom and wit, Merit, a happy empty nester, enjoys performing stand-up comedy to relax. Based in Denver, CO, she travels worldwide to share her insights and ignite success for her clients.
SELLING SMARTER: AI MEETS THE HUMAN CONNECTION
This sales-focused keynote dives into how AI can make sales teams more efficient, insightful, and connected without losing the personal touch that closes deals. Merit will demonstrate how sales professionals can automate repetitive tasks, enhance client understanding, and craft better pitches, all while building trust and rapport.
In this high-energy, entertaining and interactive Keynote Performance, Sales, EI & AI Master, Merit Kahn will teach you how to…
- Automate Without Losing Personalization: Learn how to leverage AI for tasks like lead qualification and follow-ups while keeping outreach authentic.
- Access the Magic in the Sales Cycle: Discover how to use AI to practice negotiation, refine objections, and personalize proposals for maximum impact.
- Balance AI & Humanity: Understand when to lean on AI tools and when to rely on human intuition and emotional intelligence.
THE MAGIC IN THE MIDDLE: ELEVATING LEADERSHIP WITH AI
This keynote introduces leaders to the concept of “Finding the Magic in the Middle,” where AI and human skills meet to create transformative leadership. It focuses on how leaders can amplify their intuition, empathy, and creativity with AI while maintaining control over what matters most: vision, ethics, and connection.
Key Takeaways from this session include...
- The Task Matrix: Learn how to map leadership responsibilities using AI & Human Task Matrix toidentify opportunities for automation, augmentation, and hands-on leadership.
- Magic in Action: Explore practical ways to enhance leadership tasks with AI, from strategy development to coaching and communication.
- Drawing the Leadership Line: Gain clarity on where AI adds value and where the human touch is irreplaceable.
- Laugh, learn and apply and share actionable tactics that create innovation
REWRITE YOUR STORY, REWIRE YOUR FUTURE - LIFE LESSONS FROM A ONE-WOMAN COMEDY SHOW
Ever thought to yourself: My future would be brighter if it weren’t for my past.
What if you could re-write your past so that it better serves your present and your future? What if you could re-frame your life (the good, the bad and the ugly) through the lens of humor?
In this very fun and funny Keynote Performance, Merit Kahn will share clips from her one-woman comedy show, Book of Merit, take you through her empowerment journey and leave you inspired by your own. In her unique yet relatable stories, you’ll find the strength, courage and humor to persevere any dips in the roller coaster ride of your own life.
You will learn:
- Resilience skills
- 5 Universal life lessons
- The energizing power of humor
Attend this session to...
- Be inspired about what is possible for you and your life
- Find the funny in your own life
- Re-write history so it serves your future
- Belly laugh
Merit provided Emotional Intelligence training for our leadership team. She successfully guided us through our personal results and I took advantage of 1:1 follow up coaching sessions with her. Her insights and advice has truly helped me improve my leadership style. I am more aware of my opportunities and how to leverage my strengths to overcome them. Merit provided real, tangible tools that could be used immediately making time spent with her well worth the investment. I highly recommend Merit for any leadership development needs!
Kaiser Permanente
Merit spoke to the inside sales team at Thomson Reuters and she did a fantastic job. The takeaway was that we talked about what it was like to have a winning sales culture, not only as a team but what you could bring as an individual. She hit it on the head. Everybody left with something they could take away and we really appreciated her being here.
Thomson Reuters
I was just at a Sales and Marketing Summit with 200 other sales professionals. Merit was the keynote speaker and did an amazing job! Her content is extremely useful and she set the tone for the entire conference. Her method is applicable and helpful for anyone wanting to become better at their job. Well done Merit!
FMG Suite
Merit's knowledge of the subject matter, speaking skills and overall presence held the interest of our team. She shared relevant stories throughout the interactive presentation, engaging our team with questions and soliciting feedback often. I would recommend Merit for a speaking engagement. Her thorough preparation and enthusiastic style maximize her effectiveness with her audience and her follow up helps reinforce her message.
Great Western Bank
"You are, in a word, BRILLIANT…and I learned much more from your session at the MAB than at any point since I left college many moons ago. Thank you for delivering vital, timely and interesting information in such a fun and personal manner.”
ABC 10 News Now
We have very favorable feedback for Merit, I think it was very beneficial and rare for a speaker to come and spend the day with the meeting and hear the internal speakers and make the connection during their speech to tie and connect the business points. This was highly appreciated by myself and my VP. Merit did a nice job of preparation with Mosaic leaders in advance and weaved those conversations into her speech. Additionally all business points that Merit met with myself and leadership were raised in her speech and tied to her myths. We think she performed well engaging the room and keeping everyone connected. We acknowledged its difficult after lunch to hold an audience especially for 90 mins and she was able to do this.
Mosaic