Todd Cohen

Emotional Selling

I was finishing my morning walk and stopped in to the local Starbucks and saw some people having a heated discussion where one person was obviously trying to convince the other to adopt his view on whatever it was they were talking about. The discussion was very emotional ( and quite passionate) and it started me thinking about how we as a sales community use our emotions in the course of selling. There is a difference between being emotional and passionate and it can be a fine line. Thats a subject for another time...... When you are working with clients or prospects, do you let your emotions get in the way? I can say that ...

The “Great Salary Debate”

One of the many topics that I hear the sales community discussing is how to pay salespeople and what the ratio of base salary to commissions should be to create the on target earnings ( OTE). What then is the motivational impact of a lower base salary base vs. a higher base salary for the candidate? I have been listening to and coaching salespeople who are in the interview process and it is fascinating to me what I hear. One strongly expressed view is that a lower base means the company does not value sales. Conversely, I have to talked to many higher level people making the hiring decisions and the view is equally strong that ...

New Starts and New Sales People

I was just reading an email from a gentleman who is changing his profession and becoming a member of the sales community. He is a police officer and has just committed himself to a new career as an insurance salesperson! Wow! So, I want to offer my congratulations to him. I applaud not only his resolve in making a change but for doing it in a demanding and tough field. Time will tell if he will be successful. I think he will be. So, to the newest member of the sales community, I offer a collective and warm welcome to our world! You have many sales professionals rooting for your ...

The Politics of a Sale

I was talking with a change agent/guru this morning and we started to talk about the politics behind a sale and getting the deal closed. I started to reminisce with him about some of the deals in my early career where I believed that I had done everything right and met the prospects expectations. I was confident that I had managed and executed a good sales campaign and then the unimaginable happened-NO deal! I get a phone call or an email to tell me that they had selected another vendor. This was like getting punch and losing your wind. The deal was lost and I had no idea why.....then over time I began ...

Networking at Work!

I recently attended a networking seminar (actually an informal gathering of bright people) that was inspired by the Seth Godin book "Purple Cow". It was a fun and interesting event punctuated by excited folks sharing their entrepreneurial ideas and...you guessed it- great networking! What struck me the most was the amazing cross section of people, what they do for a living and the ideas they brought to the seminar to pitch. The concept is simple: you pitch to the group your idea and ask for feedback and advice. It is fun and energizing. Everyone I met I now consider a part of my expanding network and some have joined the ToddCohen.com ...

Can Lawyers Be a Part of a Community of Sales Professionals?

Sales Community members... I have been asked several times to share my thoughts on the intersection of the practice of law and the ART of sales! Wow...anyone who has ever met me or has read my stuff, knows that I passionately believe that we are ALL in Sales, so my initial "answer" is YES, there is a clear connection. So, rather than just throw my thoughts out here (and you know I have them) I really want to invite the lawyers in my community ( yes, you know who you are!) to help on this ever so lively topic. Here is one thought starter...with respect to this topic, is there a difference between "business development" and "sales"? ...

The Secret of Sales is……

Sales Community Members... 

What do you think the secrets of sales success are? Is it a vast well of closely held deep dark secrets that only a few master or is it there right in front of you? I have talked, held sales coaching classes and lectured on this for years and thought about my own successes and almost successes and I keep coming back to one common denominator.

Building a True Community of Sales Professionals.

For many years now, the concept of an online community has grown from dreams to reality. Many different organizations and groups have formed some really amazing communities. I was once part of a great company called Pensare where the mission was to build communities of MBA candidates getting their degrees online! That was a fun time for me in my professional sales career. We learned much about getting people to be online with peers. Online communities are fun and are a place where real conversations occur in real time and people work together to learn, develop and grow as professionals. We get better by not being in a vacuum. We bet better by working together and

Excellent Sales Management Means to Communicate Obessively!!

Leadership and communication are intertwined and dependent on each other. This is not news nor is it a revelation, just my observation! Good leaders communicate well and good communication skills are essential to be a good leader. In my sales career, I have never stopped thinking about what a great leader is and I want to communicate my belief that as leaders in sales we must communicate obsessively! This means that we must communicate obsessively with our clients, our partners, peers; management and anyone part of our virtual teams! Read my full thoughts here and please blog your thoughts and ideas as well!

Dress for Success?!

Lately is seems to me that many people have been "debating" what is the right way to dress to see a client-especially a new client. I have always defaulted to what I have termed "full battle dress"..or simply a suit, not a sport coat and slacks etc. I think that people make a judgment call as soon as they meet us and obviously a good impression is all important. I have stories from my "dot com" days of never wearing suits ( and this was normal) and having clients tell me not to come to see them under-dressed. I still wonder some days when seeing a new client if I could get away with dressing casually, but never ...