Biography

Ross Shafer grew up in the Pacific Northwest and graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, where he studied business management and played varsity football (linebacker). After college, he took a job as a training manager for a department store (Yard Birds) and was able to save $10,000. He launched his life as an entrepreneur and became the owner/manager of America’s only Stereo and Pet Shop in the small town of Puyallup, Washington (population 5,000 at the time).

Cleaning pet cages wasn’t as appealing as it sounded, so after three years, he closed the store and took a job as an advertising manager for the 28-store Squire Shops retail clothing chain in Seattle, Washington. Writing ad copy and concocting radio and TV campaigns paid the bills, but at night Ross haunted local comedy clubs in search of a career in joke-telling. After years of slogging around the comedy circuit, he won the Seattle International Comedy Competition and immediately became an opening act for performers like Crystal Gayle, Eddie Rabbitt, Nel Carter, Neil Sedaka, and Dionne Warwick.

In l985, Ross pitched a TV show idea to the NBC affiliate in Seattle (KING). Serendipitously, KING-TV had a hole in their broadcast schedule. So, ALMOST LIVE was born and for the next five seasons Ross hosted the comedy talk show while he and his team collected 36 Emmys. ALMOST LIVE even won the Esquire Magazine dubious Achievement Award one year for attempting to change the Washington State song to “Louie, Louie.” During those years Ross also hosted an afternoon drive radio show on the 50,000 watt KJR-AM.

In l988, Ross was wooed by the Fox network to take over The Late Show. The Late Show was a nightly talk show that competed with The Tonight Show and David Letterman. The show lasted a year and Ross next found himself in New York co-hosting Days End on the ABC network. It was here that he sat beside Matt Lauer and Spencer Christian as they interviewed the movers and shakers of New York and the world. Dick Clark told Ross, “Always have a backup plan, my boy, TV is terminal” and predictably Days End was finally cancelled. Ross always wondered what happened to Matt Lauer ☺. The next stop for Ross was hosting the revised Match Game on the ABC network. Another game show (this time on the USA network) Love Me, Love Me Not and numerous TV pilot projects followed.

By this time, Ross was headlining all of the leading night clubs and casinos in North America. He produced a highly acclaimed comedy album about the Clinton administration titled Inside the First Family. He also wrote a comedy cookbook that became a best seller– Cook Like A Stud – 38 recipes men can prepare in the garage with their own tools.

In 1994, Ross heard Bill Gates give a speech where he said, “Someday you will all be watching television on your telephones.” Ross took that message to heart and he made the decision to leave TV and get back to his corporate training roots. Human nature and the human condition were always fascinating to Ross because that’s what comedians do; they study the laughter and tears business. To date Ross has produced fourteen Human Resource training films on Customer Service, Motivation, Leadership, and Peer Pressure. He has authored the business books, Nobody Moved Your Cheese, Customer Empathy, The Customer Shouts Back, Are You Relevant? 12 Reasons Smart Organizations Thrive in Any Economy, Grab More Market Share: How to Wrangle Business Away from Lazy Competitors, Absolutely Necessary: Bulletproof Tactics That Will Put You in High Demand, Behave Like a Startup, Success: It’s on You and No More Customer Friction: A Bold Blueprint for Raising Customer Scores.

Today, Ross is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers and seminar leaders on the subjects of Customer Urgency and Empathy, Personal Motivation, Reinvention, and Market Relevance. A father to Adam, Ryan, and Lauren, Ross lives in Denver, Colorado.

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HOW TO BUILD A RELEVANT CULTURE IN 2025

In this wildly entertaining keynote your attendees will benefit from these takeaways:
(1) ACT WITH SPEED:
Staying innovative is an admirable goal; but one that requires diligence because “relevance" is an ever-evolving target. An exciting culture for your team is one that is nimble enough not to wait for perfection. Launching new ideas, new services, and new products (before it’s too late) is invigorating for your culture.
(2) DON’T JUST ACT LIKE EXPERTS. PROVE IT:
Relevant leaders who earn the highest level of confidence deliver World-Class expertise through their own successes and temporary failures. That kind of transparency inspires your team members to exceed their goals by curating collaboration and celebration with each other. Ross shares how to become World-Class.
(3) LEARN WHAT MATTERS TO YOUR TEAMS:
Your people want to know they matter to you. Extreme curiosity shows your people you honor frequent encouragement. Team members want to know you acknowledge their contribution to the organization. People feel more engaged when the organization strives for an ‘emotionally connected’ brand.
(4) ADAPT (TODAY) TO YOUR CUSTOMER’s SHIFTING EXPECTATIONS:
The buried treasure, for sustainable growth, is how well you respond to your customer’s newest expectations. The WOW vs POW discipline does that by eliminating friction from every process and transaction. It prevents surprise gut-punches, reckless disappointment, and inexcusable blunders.

ARE YOUR CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS BEING IGNORED?

(1) WOWING THE CUSTOMER/CLIENT/MEMBER DOESN’T WORK ANYMORE
Our research shows that customer loyalty scores go up by eliminating the POW MOMENTS from every transaction. (POWS are the gut punches the customer experiences when we fail or disappoint them). All the work we invested to create WOWS can be detailed by a single POW.
(2) CUSTOMERS ARE ON A SURVIVAL MISSION (this can be either a Keynote or a separate Breakout Session)
As the author of (14) Human Resource films and (4) books on the Customer Experience, Ross’s personal case studies will take you inside the organizations that succeeded, those that failed, and why either outcome happened.
(3) FINAL MOMENTS TRIGGER THE STICKIEST LOYALTY
It’s not your product or service. It’s not your brand. Loyalty is tied to the emotional story you tell in the last seconds of the transaction. Beware of your follow-up evaluations. They can destroy the perfect engagement. Ross will explain how this works.

STAYING UNSHAKABLE

How can we remain innovative, even when our creativity and energy seem exhausted. What you probably don’t know is when Ross was suffering from extreme relationship failures and financial collapse, Ross has had four different careers (flipping 23 businesses, Headlining Standup Comedian, Network Talk & Game Show host, Business Author and Consultant). All four of Ross’s careers went through stages of wild success and crushing defeat. But it was his ability to bounce back that drove him to develop the confidence and resilience to succeed beyond his previous heights. Ross has collected fun case studies that demonstrate how to find inspiration; even within chaos.
(1) Serving Others…and Each Other
How we treat one another has changed dramatically since the pandemic. Theparadigm has shifted from trying to temporarily over-impress people (WOW) to learning how to consistently eliminate silly errors, correcting missteps, and reducing communication blunders (POWS). Ross will show how organizations like Amazon, Netflix, Uber, and others have changed their constituents’ expectations re: “being well served.”
(2) Culture & Collegiality
These two ideas are emboldened by securing the trust of our friends, communities, and stakeholders. Ross will talk about the collaborative powers of Extreme Curiosity, Instant Rapport, and Understanding (all from the perspective of a Network Talk and Game show host/producer). Profound and Fun.
(3) Transparency – Doing the Right Thing
Besides his own rags to riches story, Ross has some amazing true tales of individuals (from humble backgrounds) who have gone on to influence worldwide leaders with their simple methods. EXAMPLE: Maria Garcia (a hotel maid from Havana, Cuba who became the VP of a software company). Funny and insightful.
(4) Instilling Confidence and Security
Regardless of your job or position, developing World Class Expertise, in any profession, builds confidence in yourself and others. Ross will talk about Bill Nye, The Science Guy (whom he invented), his father, Chuck Shafer, and Dave Hopla – the World’s Greatest Basketball shooter. Funny and insightful, this discussion will assure everyone that greatness is accessible and ensures collaboration, respect, and influence.

AN INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL KEYNOTE

Think about this twist on virtual meetings…
(Part A) You choose your own meeting Host/Emcee from within your organization.
(Part B) You decide upon the 4 or 5 specific initiatives you want to be the focus of the session.
(Part C) Ross studies those initiatives (ahead of time) and gives your “host/emcee” a list of questions to ask Ross. He will deliver funny stories and enlightening case studies specifically related to achieving your teaching/coaching goals. Your host can also open the questions up to the audience. Ross is very witty on the fly.

CLEAN CORPORATE COMEDY (After-dinner entertainment)

Can we just laugh again? Ross Shafer’s material is non-political, non-controversial, and completely HR safe! If you want your attendees to leave your meeting in high spirits and energized, Ross’s style is the perfect blend of animation and approachability. Your attendees will experience his misadventures and his successes…all delivered in his friendly, quick-witted style. Ross has an outrageous life story of selling fireworks on Indian Reservations (Ross is Blackfoot Indian) - to touring the world as a standup comedian - to hosting the hit TV show Match Game on ABC-TV - to speaking to over 3,000 corporate clients. Your audience will not only howl at Ross's jokes & tales…but they'll go home wishing Ross was their next door neighbor.

ROSS IS YOUR ULTIMATE EMCEE

As a network talk & game show host, Ross Shafer is frequently asked to be the interactive “traffic cop” for a multi-day convention. He has interviewed world leaders and celebrities and is extremely comfortable hosting an executive roundtable or expert panel. His style is to engage the audience to set the tone of your event, review what they’ve learned, and get everyone excited for what’s coming next. He often likes to present “from the floor” so that he can thread the dialogue throughout your conference for better retention.

Testimonials

GREAT speaker! He entertained while educating. I got nothing but positive feedback. He customized for our meeting as well.
– Association of Progressive Rental Organizations
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
As evidence from the outstanding feedback from your session, our affiliates benefited tremendously from your session. Thank you for the knowledge and expertise you shared with fellow members of the organization. We appreciate your continued support.
– RE/MAX International
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
I can’t express enough the positive impact Ross had on the group today. His presentation was outstanding! His unique ability to deliver such a dynamic message in that casual manner it truly unbelievable. Our CEO commented to me that it was the right message for the times we’re in.
– Hyundai

Booksby Ross Shafer

Rattled

Absolutely Necessary

Behave Like a Sturtup

No more Costumer Friction

Sucess It's On You

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