Karen Leland

Customer Service and Quality Expert, Co-Author of Best-seller “Customer Service for Dummies”

In today’s Internet-inspired world, it’s easier for a company to communicate with its customers. But it is also more challenging to personalize the service you offer. Survey after survey shows that the traditional values of customer service—responsiveness, product knowledge, friendliness, accuracy—are more important than ever.

Karen Leland is the President of Sterling Marketing Group, where she helps authors, experts, small businesses and Fortune 1000 companies build stronger brands and businesses using The Modern Marketing Pyramid™ method,— a strategic and comprehensive approach that integrates business development, branding, content/Internet marketing, public relations and social media.

Drawing on 25 years of consulting experience, Karen takes a systems approach to help her clients effectively navigate the wired world of today’s business landscape while powerfully communicating their messages to the public, potential customers and media.

Best-selling Books

Karen is the best selling author of seven books, which have sold over 350,000 copies and been translated into ten other languages including German, Spanish and Korean. Her books include: Time Management In An Instant: 60 Ways to Make the Most of Your Day (Career Press), Watercooler Wisdom: How Smart People Prosper in the Face of Conflict, Pressure and Change (New Harbinger Publications), Customer Service for Dummies 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions (John Wiley and Sons), Email In An Instant: 60 Ways to Get Your Message Across with Style and Impact (Career Press), Public Speaking In An Instant: 60 Ways to Stand Up and Be Heard (Career Press), and Customer Service In An Instant: 60 Ways to Win Customers and Keep Them Coming Back (Career Press).

Blogger, Columnist & Content Developer

Karen Leland has written more than 200 articles on business, food, travel, health and lifestyle for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including: Self, Woman’s Day, Inc. Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Entrepreneur, The Christian Science Monitor, Hemispheres and others.

In addition, Karen has written book proposals, e-books, training advertorials, catalog copy, blogs and marketing and public relations materials for a variety of small businesses and Fortune 500 companies including: Lufthansa Airlines, Marriott Hotels, Banana Republic, American Express and others. She has ghostwritten blogs, e-books and book manuscripts for a wide variety of experts and enterprising clients.

Karen also has extensive experience writing for the Web and developing blog content for various websites, including More.com, allbusiness.com, webworkerdaily.com, realsimple.com, Pinkmagazine.com, Sheknows.com and others. She also writes an ongoing small business blog column for The Huffington Post and PsychologyToday.com.

Media Appearances

Karen is a frequent on-air expert on business communications, personal productivity and marketing for radio and television and has been interviewed by The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Bloomberg, Oprah, the Ron Owens Show, Michael Jackson Talk Radio and others. She previously wrote segments and conducted on-camera interviews as a freelance reporter for Comcast.

Keynote Speaker and Spokesperson

Karen is an international keynote speaker for a wide range of conferences and organizations, including: The American Management Association, The American Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals, The Bakersfield Business Conference, The Direct Marketing Association and The Young Presidents’ Organization.

In addition, Karen has been hired as a spokesperson for IBM, Apple Computer, Bank of America, John Hancock and more. Ms. Leland’s spokesperson projects on behalf of her clients have involved giving keynote speeches, workshops and radio and television interviews, presenting at trade shows and conferences and meeting with members of the press.

The Modern Marketing Pyramid: Platform Development, Brand Building and Thought Leadership

Most experts, entrepreneurs and small business owners are so busy working in their day-to-day business that they don’t have the time or knowledge needed to do the branding and marketing required to build their business. This presentation details the process of implementing the Modern Marketing Pyramid™ by creating a cohesive integration between business development, branding, content/Internet marketing, public relations and social media. This highly engaging keynote explores the key elements of platform development, the essential actions of brand and buzz building and the content marketing activities critical for thought leadership. This session is packed with actionable information that will help your business move to the next level in its marketing and brand building.

Blogging to Build Your Company Brand: Best Practices for CEOs, Senior Executives and Small Business Owners in online branding

In today’s wired world, where countless connections are being made online, business blogging has become one of the more influential and effective means to build up a company, organization and brand. One of the best ways to build up a company brand is through business blogging.Individual entrepreneurs, small business owners and Fortune 500 executives have all profited by posting. In this high-energy, hands-on keynote, participants explore the power of blogging to increase brand recognition, generate new leads and build a stronger connection with their customer base. This presentation highlights case studies and presents the best practices for creating, writing and promoting a successful company or C-Suite blog.

Making Time for Marketing: Fight Distraction and Find Your Focus

Many businesspeople today find it daunting to try and avoid distraction, find their focus, spend their time and energy efficiently and gain ground on important marketing goals and objectives. Sharing the latest productivity research, field-tested practices and expert advice from leading authorities, this presentation shows you how to overcome social media overload and avoid the marketing time traps that lead to lost business, missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential.

Personal Branding in a Digital Age: Finding Your Unique and Authentic Way of Working and Being In An Online World

A personal brand is not a single statement or a clever quip but a multilayered, congruent story told across multiple channels, both online and off. The power is in knowing how to tell the story. This presentation introduces attendees to the SMG Brand Mapping™ process — a process designed to help individuals, entrepreneurs and executives identify their own unique and authentic way of being and working in the world.

All Karen Leland Books

"I've sat back, looking for the right words, and the ones that keep coming up are Thank you! Your presentation at the conference was fantastic."

- Kathleen Geier | Senior Account Executive, AT&T

"Keith and Karen deliver! I've used hundreds of presenters for our magazine's conferences and for seminars at the American Management Association. Keith and Karen were rated outstanding by a challenging audience of presidents and CEOs of fast-growing companies. Their material and message were right on target."

- Marlene Sholod | Director, Events Marketing, Sales & Marketing Mgmt Magazine

“Karen Leland and Keith Bailey understand deeply what it takes to deliver effective and lasting customer service…. The key is the practical ideas and examples that illuminate the important concepts to which they are committed.”

- Giles H. Batement | Co-Founder, Price Club