Keynote speaker and sales training expert
Sales teams, sales managers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and organisations seeking practical, high impact sales improvement
Mark Keating is the CEO and co founder of SALESGURU, South Africa’s most successful sales training company, renowned for helping thousands of sales professionals and organisations transform their sales results. With a career that began in the high pressure “boiler room” financial sales environment in London, Mark has built decades of expertise grounded in resilience, discipline, and a deep passion for selling.
Under his leadership, SALESGURU has become a trusted partner to more than 300 organisations across diverse industries. Mark’s mission is singular: elevate the professionalism of sales by equipping teams with proven, practical techniques that work in the real world. He consults directly on sales strategy, pipeline design, lead generation, closing techniques, customer loyalty, and sales management, ensuring his guidance is rooted in daily application rather than theory.
A defining aspect of Mark’s work is his continuous research into top 1 percent sales performers. Over twelve years, he has interviewed leading producers locally and abroad, extracting their habits, disciplines, and mental frameworks.
As CEO of SALESGURU, SA’s most successful sales training company that has helped thousands of businesses and sales people to increase their sales results, Mark Keating is a leading authority on sales. Over 300 companies have called on Mark to inspire their teams with sales ideas that actually work in the real world.
For me, sales is a life-long passion. From my early days in a ‘boiler room’ environment in the City of London selling financial services over the phone (and not being able to sit down until I’d made a sale … no joke) to my current role as co-founder and CEO of SALESGURU (leading sales and sales management training company), sales has been the one constant in my life.
As the CEO of SALESGURU, Mark Keating role has been to build a great company that is focused on one specific thing: to help South Africa’s salespeople embrace professionalism and great selling practices and to help businesses grow and improve their sales teams through inspiration, education and training.
Mark Keating heads up SALES GURU which faces the same challenges of lead generation, prospecting, pipeline management, closing sales, customer loyalty and picking a future strategy in an uncertain market as many of you do. I also consult to many business on sales strategy and resolving sales challenges so I practice what I preach – practical “how to’s”.
ADDED TO THAT HOWEVER, I HAVE ONE KILLER ADVANTAGE: my days are spent entirely with salespeople in South Africa and though they range across industries, they have in common that they’re all trying to make a success of things.
I spend time interviewing industry top sales performers on their stories and their lessons – what they did to achieve the success and continue to do daily in order remain top sales performers. I incorporate their “real world” tips with my personal experience for a blueprint of successful selling.
This ensures audiences receive ideas they can believe in and can use immediately for increase sales success. Although I describe my speaking style as engaging and humorous, I take very seriously the role of raising the professionalism of sales.
Mark Keating has spoken for over 300 leading businesses, both locally, into Africa and abroad across a broad range of sales topics.
The secrets of Sales Guru’s!
Mark Keating shares the secrets he learned from interviewing many top sales producers, both locally and abroad over the past 12 years. These are the top 1% of sales performers across multiple industries.
The amazing thing is that there is no “real” secret, rather a simple sales recipe that top sales performers follow on a daily basis to attain and maintain sales success.
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In this one minute showreel, Mark Keating showcases the energetic, interactive speaking style that has made him one of South Africa’s leading sales keynote speakers. The video opens with Mark greeting an audience and immediately engaging them in a practical, humorous demonstration about confidence and visibility in sales. He invites a volunteer onstage and asks her to place her index finger to her lips, prompting the question: Are you the best kept secret in this industry? This sets the tone for his core message about visibility, initiative, and taking ownership of outcomes.
Mark emphasises a powerful principle he sees daily in coaching sessions: if people truly want to achieve something, they will find a way; if not, they will find an excuse. This mindset distinction becomes a recurring theme in his work with sales teams. He reinforces that a sales target is not a goal but a job responsibility, challenging salespeople to elevate their accountability and discipline.
He continues by pointing out one of the biggest hidden costs in organisations: employees who have mentally disengaged but still arrive at work. For sales teams, this disengagement is particularly damaging, eroding performance from the inside out. His message underscores the need for leaders and individuals to re ignite commitment, professionalism, and personal drive.
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Keynote speeches typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, with the duration determined by the speaker’s expertise, the event’s agenda, and audience preferences. Keynote speeches often include a combination of inspirational stories, practical insights, and actionable advice tailored to the event’s theme or objectives.
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