Todd Cohen

01.08.08. Save the Date for the Innovators Club

Dear Sales Community, I am pleased to announce the first meeting of a brand new Philadelphia based networking group-The Innovators Club! This group is being started by myself and two trusted colleagues-Jim Worth and Lynda Esposito. The date is January 8, 2008! If you are interested in knowing more about the internet innovation happening right here in the Philadelphia area this group is for you. You can read more about the Innovators Club and get the details by reading the the groups new blog. The speaker will be Chuck Sacco , the CEO of PhindMe, a web based start up developing new technologies for mobile marketing. ...

Job for Life? Not!

One of my favorite parts of being a sales professional is that my skills ( and yours) are transportable. Like some other professions, we can take what we do and be successful in many places and industries. Essentially, as long as we continue to demonstrate that we can deliver the business, we should enjoy employment. The title of this blog reflects the fact that I believe we are always in some state of professional transition. Last weekend I gave a speech on using sales techniques to manage career transition. The first question I asked the group was "who in the room is in transition?" A few raised their hands. I asked it again, ...

My Interview on Career TV a.k.a. Networking at Work!

Recently I was interviewed by CareerTV, an excellent website devoted to young people understanding how to successfully navigate the world of job hunting and securing that first job! They have an amazing amount of information and timely content. I was approached a few months ago by one of their producers, Melissa Uhniat, about doing a piece on the importance of " closing the order". I was flattered by the offer and appreciate their interest in my thoughts on this topic. I am happy to share my interview with the ToddCohen.com Sales Community! I hope you find it helpful and informative. Please make sure you check out CareerTV!  It is a very well ...

Play your Best Game!

Dear Sales Community- Those of you who know me know I am not big on sports analogies-mainly because, well, I am just not that versed in sports and all of the rules and intricacies. However, in a recent conversation with Ray Jackson, a leading expert on innovative leadership and a former professional basketball player, we started to talk about the relationship between playing a sports game and selling. ( I will admit to being a die hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan though!) Ray was talking about how the best games are won when players play at their best and not just to the level of their opponent. If you are playing a superior team, then players will rise to the ...

I am Pissed Off.

Do I have your attention? The reason I am ...ahem....annoyed is that I have had it with the carping and complaining of some "sales people" in certain professions moaning and groaning because the market is bad now. I cannot believe the way some salespeople have become so entitled the last few years and have actually forgotten how to sell! Things have come much to easily and now that the market has turned, everyone feels like they are helpless! Get a grip. I mean right now! No one is entitled to permanent success and its time to get tough.  Stop telling me how crappy everything is.  Start telling me what you ...

December 8th.

Dear Sales Community, I want to invite any of you in the Philadelphia area to the monthly meeting of "The Company of Friends"-a great networking group that I am active with. You all know how I feel about the absolute importance of lifelong networking and Philadelphia is a city that offers so much in the form of networking groups and organizations. This group which is part of FastCompany, meets the 2nd Saturday of every month at Strayer University near the King of Prussia Mall. The meeting starts at 9:45. It is always a full house, so get your seat now. My topic will be "Everyone is in Sales-Using Sales Techniques in Job Transition". I ...

Everyone is in Communications!

I was giving a speech recently on one of my favorite topics "Everyone is in Sales", when Oliver Picher, a local marketing and PR guru made the comment to me that "everyone is also in communications". He is so correct about that! Great sales professionals are not only great listeners, but they communicate well. I was very intrigued and interested with Olivers perspective on this topic, so I asked him to share his thoughts with the ToddCohen.com Sales Community. I am happy to introduce this weeks column has been written by a new guest author, the very same Oliver Picher. His article is called "A Dirty Little Secret: Everyone is in ...

Persistence Pays Off.

I think at this time of the year, its time to make sure that you are being persistent about closing business. Not that you should be less persistent any other time of the year, but now we have to make the plan and there is little time left to do it! We have bonuses and commissions to earn and I hate to think we as a sales community are leaving any money on the table. Thats just not acceptable! I am reminded of a story about what a very good rep I used to have on one of my own teams did to close an order he needed to make the plan. He had been working with ...

Customer Intimacy

I heard a really great term this week. "Customer Intimacy". Now I know this is not an original term, nor is it new, so I did a quick Google search and of course I received about a million hits on the term, so allow me to share with the ToddCohen.com sales community my "in the moment" thoughts on customer intimacy. I have written many times about the idea that we as members of the sales community must create awesome relationships with clients and prospects. I have also postulated that this is perhaps the most important part of being a great sales professional. In a recent conversation with a sales professional he used the term customer intimacy ...

Do Natural Born Salespeople Exist?

Dear Sales Community Members, Time for the age old question of whether or whether not sales people are naturally born or are created? I have written this weeks column on this topic, but I really want to know what you think-the opinions on this one vary from end to end! Here is a snippet from my column:

"A question that I have discussed for years is whether sales people are born or made. In other words, is there such a thing as a natural born sales person? This is a term that has been bandied about for years and I think that a case can be made for both sides of the argument. I