We’re wired for it.
A good story grabs attention and holds it. People remember stories long after the facts fade.
Messaging expert · Keynote speaker · Lead Strategist for StoryBrand
The best product doesn’t win. The clearest one does.
Wes Gay helps teams get their message clear, say it the same way, and put it to work so it sells. He’s done it in the room with more than 350 companies.
Every inquiry gets a reply within 24 hours.
StoryBrand logo
Authority built in the room, not on a slide
- 350+companies coached directly
- Hundreds moretaught at StoryBrand Live
- Dozensof full-day leadership workshops
- 20 yearson stage
- $15M to $125Mone client’s growth to exit, in under four years
Most companies don’t lose to better competitors. They lose to clearer ones.
Your attendees run good companies. Smart people. Products that work.
But ask them what they do, and the answer takes five minutes and a whiteboard.
Customers don’t have five minutes. When they can’t tell what a company does in a few seconds, they move on. Usually to the competitor who explained it better.
Here’s what that looks like inside a company:
- The website talks about the company instead of the customer.
- Sales says one thing. Marketing says another. The CEO says a third.
- The ad budget goes up, and the results stay flat.
People don’t buy the best products. They buy what they understand best.
A good company shouldn’t lose because it’s hard to understand. Wes makes sure it doesn’t.
Your customers are wired for story.
People have told stories for as long as there have been people. It’s how we make sense of the world. Hand someone a list of facts and they forget it by dinner. Tell them a story and they repeat it at dinner.
A formula sorts the noise.
Most companies have too much to say. A story formula organizes all those words. It tells you what to say, what to cut, and what order to say it in.
Hollywood proves it.
Studios use the same story formula over and over, and it earns them billions. It works because it’s built on how people pay attention.
Hollywood uses a story formula to make billions. Your company can use the same formula to say what you do clearly, and attract more of the right people.
The biggest shift is simple. In your story, the customer is the hero. Your company is the guide who helps them win. Wes has taught this longer than any other StoryBrand guide, and he shows audiences how to make the shift using their own businesses as examples.
Hundreds of rooms. Real results.
In 2016, Wes Gay was out of work. So he bet on himself and built a business around a skill he’d always had but had never been paid well for: getting the words right.
He learned that skill in nonprofit work and fundraising. There, a clear message is the difference between a gift and a polite “maybe next year.”
He took that lesson into business and helped companies change the words they use to describe themselves. The results came quickly. Some grew by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Others grew by millions. One grew from $15 million in revenue to a $125 million exit in under four years. Their teams did the hard work. They did it with words customers understood.
Ten years later, Wes has coached more than 350 companies directly, from local businesses to global brands. He has led dozens of full-day leadership workshops and taught hundreds more business owners at StoryBrand Live. He has spent 20 years on stage in front of every kind of audience.
That’s why rooms trust him. He isn’t teaching a theory. He’s teaching what he’s watched work, over and over.
“Clarity is hard. Confusion is easy. That’s why most companies never do the work, and why the ones that do pull ahead.”
Wes Gay
- StoryBrand logoLead Strategist for StoryBrand
- Longest-running StoryBrand Certified GuideSince 2016
- Runs the StoryBrand Mastermindwith Donald Miller
- Teaches at StoryBrand Livewith Donald Miller
Six-time guest on the Building a StoryBrand podcast · TEDx speaker · Former Forbes contributor
How a clear message turns into real results.
Plenty of speakers leave an audience inspired. Wes leaves them equipped. Every talk moves in three steps: the story formula, a clear message built from it, and the places to use that message so it brings in business.
The story formula
Wes shows how the same formula Hollywood uses works for a business, with real companies and real before-and-afters. Attendees see why customers tune out most marketing, and what earns their attention instead.
A clear message
Then attendees put the formula to work on their own company. The Five-Leader Test shows them how many different ways their team describes the business today. Wes pitches a few companies in the room back to them, live, in 90 seconds or less, so everyone hears what clear sounds like.
Real results
A clear message only pays off when people use it. Attendees leave knowing where it pays off fastest: the top of the website, the first minute of a sales call, and the answer to “So, what do you do?” It’s the same work that helped one client grow from $15 million in revenue to a $125 million exit.
Attendees walk out with a message they can use on their next sales call.
The talks
Signature keynote
The Best-Understood Company Wins
Best for: conferences, sales kickoffs, annual meetings, association events
People don’t buy the best products. They buy what they understand best. In this keynote, Wes shows why people are wired for story and how a story formula decides what a company should say. He pitches companies in the room back to them, live. Then he shows attendees how to put a clear message to work right away.
Attendees leave with:
- A clear way to describe their business that customers can repeat
- A story formula for deciding what to say and what to cut
- The first three places to use it
Also available
Say Less, Grow More
The decisions that shape a strategy that works
Best for: leadership teams, executive retreats, CEO and owner groups
A clear message exposes the real decisions: who to serve, which problem to own, what to sell first, and what to stop doing. Wes walks leaders through them, so the strategy gets simpler and growth gets easier.
AI Didn’t Break Your Marketing
Why clear thinking beats more content
Best for: marketing teams, sales leaders, any audience asking what AI means for them
AI didn’t create marketing problems. It exposed them. Wes shows why more content made faster spreads confusion faster, and how to use AI to find the words customers already use.
Every talk runs 45 to 90 minutes, or expands into a half-day or full-day workshop.
Rooms Wes is built for
- Sales kickoffs
- Annual company meetings
- Leadership retreats and executive offsites
- Industry and association conferences
- Partner, dealer, and franchise events
- CEO and business owner groups
Best fit: audiences that sell something and want to sell more of it. If your event needs pure motivation, Wes will tell you so, and suggest someone who fits.
Choose the format that fits your event.
Keynote
45 to 90 minutes, in person.
Virtual keynote
45 to 90 minutes, live online.
Half-day workshop
Teams learn the story formula and write their message in the room.
Full-day workshop
A leadership team leaves with its message, its focus, and a plan with owners and dates.
Booking through StoryBrand or SME Live Nation? Check the box on the form and your rep will be copied on every reply.
What changes after the event
- Teams describe the business the same way. In meetings, on sales calls, and online.
- Websites and sales calls open with the customer’s problem. Not a list of features.
- Leaders know the next decision to make. And what to stop doing to make room for it.
Every month a company stays confusing, a clearer competitor gets the customer.
The goal is simple: become the best-understood company in your market.
What organizers say
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Questions planners ask
Who is Wes Gay?
Wes is a messaging expert and the Lead Strategist for StoryBrand. He’s StoryBrand’s longest-running Certified Guide, runs the StoryBrand Mastermind with Donald Miller, and teaches at StoryBrand Live. He has coached more than 350 companies and spent 20 years on stage.
Is Wes available for my date and location?
Send your date and city through the form. You’ll get an answer within 24 hours. Wes travels from the Atlanta area to events across the US.
What exactly will Wes do at the event?
A 45- to 90-minute keynote, or a half-day or full-day workshop. Every session moves through the Five-Leader Test, the story formula, the 90-Second Pitch, and where to use the message first.
Do attendees need to know StoryBrand first?
No. Wes starts with how stories work and builds from there. Teams that already use StoryBrand get the next step: how to use it in sales conversations and in the decisions that shape their strategy.
What are the technical requirements?
A screen, a laptop connection for slides, a clicker, a lavalier or handheld microphone, and 30 minutes in the room before the session.
How will Wes elevate my event?
Attendees don’t just take notes. They work on their own business in the room. The live 90-Second Pitch is often the moment people talk about at the break.
What is the booking process and timeline?
Three steps. Send your event details, have a short planning call, and Wes builds the talk around your audience. Popular dates fill early, so send your details as soon as your date is set.
Can Wes customize the talk?
Yes. The approach stays the same. The stories, examples, and live pitches change for every audience and industry.
What is Wes like to work with?
Prepared, on time, and easy on the AV team. After 20 years on stage, he knows the schedule will shift, and he adjusts without fuss.
Will Wes support event promotion?
Yes. You’ll get a bio, headshots, a talk description, and a short promotional post you can share before the event.
What happens if plans change?
Tell us as early as you can. We’ll work with you to find a new date. Cancellation terms are spelled out in the agreement.
Will Wes sell from the stage?
No. The talk is the product. If attendees want more help afterward, Wes is easy to find.
Is this only for marketing teams?
No. Sales teams, leadership teams, and whole companies get the most from it, because a message only works when everyone uses it.
Give your audience a message they’ll actually use.
Share your date, your audience, and what you want them to walk away with. You’ll get a reply within 24 hours.
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