Just Do It ( Right) the First Time

ToddCohen.com Sales Community,I am exhausted! I have heard enough excuses this past week why people are not closing deals!  I think that the time of year makes sales reps and some sales professionals a bit crazy and this year is not an exception!  We are all in the mode to work to do everything we can to get the deals closed and invoiced.  So, here is the deal -do you want to close more deals?  Do you want to raise your close ratio and your profit ratio?  Then get it right the first time!I have taken the time to look at more proposals and listen to additional sales calls these past few weeks and the one thing that has become ...

Are you a “Present” Sales Leader?

Dear ToddCohen.com Sales Community,What kind manager and coach are you?  Ok, it’s a broad question so allow me to narrow your choices!  Are you the type of coach and leader who circulates and walks amongst your teams and office staff?  Or do you find yourselves sitting in your office, perhaps more than you should?  It is a fact that coaches who are out and about and with the teams create a better team and encourage conversation and collaboration.Recently, I visited with a local company with a sales force of 9 professionals.  The VP of Sales, has an office.  The day I was there this VP was actually sitting at a second desk in the sales bullpen area and he was ...

Time Management Skills for the Sales Professional

Productivity and Time Management Expert Susan Sabo Appearing on Sales Leader Todd Cohen’s “Let’s Talk Sales Culture” BlogTalkRadio Internet Talk Show, March 30 at 4pmCHERRY HILL, NJ – March 24, 2009 – Time management and personal productivity expert Susan Sabo, author of the book Managing Your Paper Mail & Email, will be the guest on the March 30 episode of “Let’s Talk Sales Culture,” the Internet based live call-in radio show hosted by Todd Cohen, the Philadelphia-based president of Sales Leader LLC. Susan is one of a small number of nationally recognized professional speakers focusing on time management, personal productivity, and organizing for peak performance. She offers her message in one-hour to full-day events and one-on-one coaching. Clients range from Independence Blue Cross ...

Are you Mentorvating?

ToddCohen.com Sales Community,I am hereby pleased too announce a brand new word to the international lexicon of sales vernacular!  Ready?  The word is "mentorvate".OK, I admit it - I talk too fast sometimes.  The other day I was engaged with a client and we were talking about the main job of a sales leader.  When I suggested to them the real answer "......to coach, develop, mentor and motivate....", I said it so fast it came out sounding something like "....the number one job of a sales leader is to coach, develop and mentorvate your people..."!! In case you are still trying to figure this out, I merged the words mentor and motivate, not intentionally, but a new word was born. ...

Your Call to Action!

ToddCohen.com Sales Community,Welcome back from the holiday and welcome to the New Year.  I trust you all had a restful and happy holiday.   2009 is here and we are jointly accountable for a fast and aggressive start.  Later this morning you will most likely see my January Newsletter and in it I speak about a “Call to Action” for the new year.I have a question for you now: what is your “Call to Action” for your sales teams?Quite literally this is the week that we need to set the tone and direction for the entire year. How your team sees you behave this very week is how they will see the year. If you hit the week ready to roll and act they will do ...

If You Don’t ASK You Won’t GET

ToddCohen.com Sales Community - As we close in on the end of the year, its important to revisit one one the most important, simple, (at times) terrifying and most often neglected component of a sales campaign.  Do you know of what I speak?  You do..I know it!  Its so simple - we need to make sure that we ASK for the order.  The other day i was conducting a training class and one of the sales professionals in the class reminded me of a phrase that I learned many years ago; "if you don't ask you won't get"...in other words, don't expect your clients to close the deal for you!May years ago, I was traveling with my manager and we had an appointment to see ...

“Text 77950″ ToddCohen.com goes Mobile!

Dear ToddCohen.com Sales Community,I am pleased to announce that ToddCohen.com has gone mobile!  You now have two new ways to get great sales coaching and sales tips delivered right to your mobile device.If you would like to join the new ToddCohen.com Mobile Sales Community, text "ToddCohen Join" to 77950 to receive messages and updates on events happening with ToddCohen.com and you can text "ToddCohen Sales Tip" to 77950 to get a sales tip to hep you close more business!I have established my new mobile presence with the help and partnership of PhindMe - THE Leading Mobile Marketing company!  I have been an advisor on creating their Sales Culture and what they are doing is changing the way we live, communicate and ...

The Relationship between 6 – Sigma and Sales Culture?

Hello ToddCohen.com Sales Community!

Your company has announced that it will launch a 6-Sigma program or perhaps it launched such a program a while ago.  So what does this mean for Sales?  How will it be different than the prior alphabet soup of process  and quality improvement programs like QMS, SPC, TQM, …?  Should you get involved in this and how should you participate? 

Fundamentally, 6-Sigma says: Make the business processes effective and efficient by making them reliable, predictable, and focused on customer recognized value. This focus and emphasis ties into several recent topics you have seen in these columns and provides opportunities for you: Sales Culture and Value Proposition. 

Read more in this months article by Geoff Rhine.

What Motivates your Sales People?

Todd Cohen.com Sales Community,As a sales leader we have firmly established your most important role is to develop, coach and mentor your sales team.  Right?  Right.  You will succeed by having well trained and developed sales professionals who deliver revenue.   Now, the question I want you to think about is this -  do you know what motivates your people? Have you taken the time and really thought about each of your sales people and what is each individuals motivation to be at your company and be successful?  Is it money?  Is it challenge or the opportunity to work for a solid company?  Is it for future advancement?  Do you know what actually gets your people up each and every day, brings them to work and motivates them to be successful?  If you do not know, then I want to suggest to you that you  are accountable  to know that.  This ...

Energy Management

Hello Todd Cohen.com Sales Community!Are you thinking about energy management? I bet you are thinking that I am talking about how to conserve gas or reduce your energy bills. Nope. I am not.I was in a sales meeting with a client today and the topic was one that I have spoken about with you often. The topic I refer to is time management. Great sales professionals are good at managing and getting the most from the hours each day ( and nights we work). Time management s a key part of being successful and feeling good about what we do. OK, now during this meeting, we started talking about time management as a ...