Ted McKenna

Ted McKenna is recognized for his expertise in sales, business development, and customer experience. With more than two decades of experience applying research methods to the buyer-seller journey, McKenna translates behavioral data into frameworks that support commercial organizations in improving sales performance. His work encompasses a range of research methodologies, including mining unstructured conversational data with artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as conducting syndicated survey and diagnostic research.

McKenna is the co-author of "The JOLT Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision," published by Portfolio/Penguin. This book draws on a study of more than 2.5 million sales conversations and explores the challenges of customer indecision in the sales process. McKenna also contributed to research featured in Harvard Business Review's 10 Must Reads on Sales, including "The End of Solution Sales" and "Dismantling the Sales Machine."

He is also the co-author of "The Activator Advantage: What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently," published by Harvard Business Review Press. This book is based on a quantitative study of nearly 3,000 partners across law, accounting, consulting, investment banking, executive search, and public relations, identifying behaviors that distinguish top-performing professional services partners.

McKenna's research appears in Harvard Business Review, covering topics such as artificial intelligence in sales and strategies for improving inbound conversion rates. He is the co-founder and CEO of SellingInnovations, which provides research-based training, enablement, and advisory support to B2B commercial organizations, and a founding partner of DCM Insights, a firm focused on data-driven business development for professional services companies. His executive experience includes leadership roles in product, strategy, research, advisory, and enablement at Tethr, Russell Reynolds Associates, and CEB, now part of Gartner. McKenna is a keynote speaker and advisor, presenting to senior executive teams on topics including customer indecision, professional services sales, and customer loyalty.