ToddCohen.com

Sales Articles

As part of his effort to build a community of professionals committed to fostering sales culture, Todd Cohen has produced a collection of short articles for the use and discussion of the community. Please take a moment to read through the articles - enjoy and Good Selling!

Sales Manager Alert! Q3 is Here!

Q3 is here. We all know that now! So-now what? Business as usual? Well, yes and no. Now is the time that you as sales leaders need to be kicking your teams into high gear (more than before) and thinking about how you will coach and manage them for not only the 2nd half, but helping them get set up for a a strong Q1 2009 start.  more

Can We Get Sales and Marketing to Play Nice Together? - by Eric David

There is an ongoing tension in some companies, based on false stereotypes,between the Sales Department and the Marketing Department. Talk to theSales staff and they’ll tell you that marketing doesn't get them enoughqualified leads. Talk to the Marketing staff and they’ll tell you that they do generate those leads, but sales doesn’t properly follow up on them because they spend most of their time entertaining clients in fancy restaurants and on the golf course…when they aren’t going to the bank to cash their fat commission checks! Remember the false stereotypes!!!  more

Summer Selling - by Todd Cohen

It was one year ago, June 4th, 2007 that we launched the first version of ToddCohen.com. Since that day you have helped make it one of the best places on the web to learn, grow and become part of a Sales Community. We have listened to all of your helpful and positive comments and I am sure you will be pleased with the enhancements to ToddCohen.com. We have added more podcasts, new videos and much, much more. I hope you will spend some time reviewing it, visiting the blog and continuing to be a vital part of the Todd Cohen.com Sales Community!  more

What makes a Great Sales Culture? - by Todd Cohen

We are going to be spending time this year having a conversation about great ( and not so great ) sales cultures. I recently asked a group of colleagues and associates from my Linked-In Network and members of the ToddCohen.com sales community "When you think of sales culture, what is the first thing that comes to your mind"? The responses have been very enlightening and I want to share some of them with you now!  more

Five Tips to Acquire Top Talent - by John Smith

We have all been bombarded lately with articles in the press, on the news and over the internet concerning the decline in available talent. Most of these stories convey a similar message; "employers must learn to compete for talent in an ever shrinking pool". Hiring Managers are beginning to feel the pinch as vacancies remain unfilled for longer periods. All too frequently that "perfect candidate" is snatched up by a competitor, leaving you frustrated and wondering why this happened yet again.  more

Another Year! - by Todd Cohen

Goodbye 2007! Hellllloooo 2008...  more

A Dirty Little Secret: Everyone is in Communications - by Oliver Picher

I started my career in sales, so I agree with Todd Cohen when he says that "Everyone is in Sales." There's not a day goes by when I don't use my sales skills: listen to the customer, know your value proposition, meet your customer's needs, ask for the sale. That last was the most important -- if you don't ask, you (usually) don't get.  more

The Value of the Value Proposition! - by Todd Cohen

Do you know what your value proposition is? Do you understand what impact a well-crafted and crisply delivered value proposition can have on your pipeline? If you are not sure, let me help you understand first what a value proposition is and then how to best use the value proposition for what you are selling!  more

Are you a Natural Born Salesperson? - by Todd Cohen

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 have also written in my recent whitepaper, "The Sales Success Triad", that to be a great sales person, one needs an innate desire to sell. Is this innate desire created or natural?  more

Increase Sales Through Great Referrals - by David Carter

Referrals are one of the most powerful lead generators in the world. We all know that referrals cost you very little and usually (if a good client has referred them) the new client is of relative good quality. Ask any business owner where the vast majority of new clients come from and they say "Word of Mouth" or "Referrals." The $64,000 question is "what systems do you have in place to make sure the referral happens?"  more

Does "No" Always Mean "No"? - by Todd Cohen

When does “No” mean “No”? Is No always the end of the road for your sales campaign? When you hear “no” should you just pack up and move to the next client or prospect? In a word, the answer is…”No”  more

Do You Educate Your Clients and Prospects? - by Todd Cohen

Are you taking every opportunity to educate your clients and prospects? On the other hand, are you just selling to them? There is a significant difference between the two and it is what separates good sales professionals from the great ones. Great sales professionals not only educate but they love to do it. It raises your game and the collective reputation of the sales community when we educate as part of our core mission.  more

Will You Get Caught in an Economic Slowdown? - by Todd Cohen

There has been widespread talk about an upcoming economic slowdown. According to informed and knowledgeable people I have been talking with, as well as reading a great deal on this, this is connected to the "credit crunch" and other global economic situations that have been in the news for months. The systemic effect of such a slowdown could cause a negative effect on clients willing to close the deal and spend money and on corporate hiring plans.  more

Great Sales Leaders-Part II - by Todd Cohen

The topic of what makes a great sales leader continues and I want to share with you some of the thoughtful and interesting responses I have received through the blog. Each one of these makes you think about your sales leaders and perhaps yourself as a sales leader. Many thanks for every response and I hope we can continue this conversation. It is vital to us as sales professionals.  more

Great Sales Leaders - by Todd Cohen

What is true leadership? Thousand of books have been written on the topic. Probably tens of thousands of speeches made. The topic of leadership is ubiquitous and is always a lively and passionate topic for discussion. To that end, what make a great sales leader? I do not claim to have the definitive answer, but I have devoted part of my professional career to trying to learn and understand what makes a sales leader effective. I am not sure there is one answer, but I want share some of my thinking with you now.  more

Listening Well Means More Money! - by Todd Cohen

The ability to listen effectively is an acquired skill. It takes time to get it right and when you do, I believe a salespersons a career can and will really take off. Why do I suggest this to the sales community? Simple-its true.  more

Are you a Respected Thought Leader? - by Todd Cohen

Thought leaders earn respect. Sales professionals who distinguish themselves as being a thought leader are more likely to earn respect AND get the deal closed. I believe this passionately and completely. Sales professionals as thought leaders? Is that an oxymoron? No! You heard it here first!  more

Selling is an Art - by Todd Cohen

Selling is an Art. It is a complex, challenging, and for many, a very rewarding profession. Like an artist, becoming an accomplished sales professional takes time and experience. It is no different from any other profession. Yes, I am essentially saying that we are artists in our own right. Art takes many forms. I find artistic the ability and confidences to make that cold call and do it well. It takes skill and experience to make a complex sale happen. It is an amazing talent to understand how to weave together all of the parts and moving pieces of a sale. It is art to understand the challenging nature of understanding all of the people involved in a sale who are required to be in agreement or "on the same page" to make deals happen. A professional salesperson is practicing an art that is part skill, talent and a bit of luck as well. Your canvass in your sales opportunity. Your paint is the solution.  more

Communicating Obsessively! - by Todd Cohen

Leadership and communication are intertwined and dependent upon each other. Good leaders communicate well and good communication skills are essential to be a good leader. The purpose of this week’s column is not to define what a leader is (we will do that in my blog) but rather to communicate my belief that as a sales professionals and sales leader we must communicate obsessively. This means that we must communicate obsessively with our clients, our partners, peers, management and anyone who is part of our virtual team!  more

A View on Transformation - by Todd Cohen

Many of you who know me personally know that I am an aviation junkie. I love airplanes and follow aviation trends and new announcements in the industry pretty closely. Yesterday was a big day for people like me. Boeing unveiled their newest airliner, the 787. I have watched the development of this new plane for years and as I watched the launch web cast, I started to think and reflect about how companies transform themselves. I then started to think about how salespeople can transform themselves.  more

Networking: Your Most Important Career Activity - by Ford Myers

So, you’ve gotten totally clear on your career goals, prepared your complete "executive portfolio" of self-marketing documents, and developed a detailed strategy for your search.  more

Reward and Recognition - by Todd Cohen

Reward and Recognition. The big "R&R" of sales. As a sales manager and individual contributor for many years, I am very motivated by the prospect of being rewarded and recognized. I love getting my sales commissions; we all do. It’s the best possible barometer of our success. As important to me as commissions are, being recognized in front of my peers and my managers has had an equally intoxicating effect as the dollars in motivating me. Recognition for a sale or some other more objective contribution, like doing a good job training or motivating, is very powerful and motivating. It is like filling up the gas tank!  more

FIRE your Prospect! - by Todd Cohen

Voicemail. Email. More voicemail. A few more emails. Wondering what is going on. Making excuses in your mind why the prospect is not calling you back. Talking with your manager about all the possible scenarios as to why the deal you have been working on (and forecasting) has not closed. More email. Maybe another voicemail. Complete exasperation. Staring at your CRM and pipeline and wondering if you will ever be able to mark this deal as closed?  more

Virtual Teams and Success - by Todd Cohen

Virtual teams are one powerful way that successful sales professionals are bridging the gap from being tactical sales pros to more consultative sales pros, and closing bigger deals in the process!  more

ASK for the Order! - by Todd Cohen

Some years ago, I was asked to write a short paper and give a talk about my observations and ideas on what might be keeping salespeople from closing more business when they have all the tools to do the job. At the time I thought long and hard about it and came up with a few basic things. Hopefully you find this helpful in some small way.  more

EVERYONE is in Sales! - by Todd Cohen

One of my favorite topics to talk and write about is my profound belief that EVERYONE is in Sales! I have spoken publicly on this and thought a great deal about it and it remains one of my most favorite topics! Here is the point I am going to make-Everyone in every profession is somehow "selling" what they do. Period.  more

Are YOU Passionate (In Sales!)? - by Todd Cohen

PASSION is perhaps the best and purest tool in a salesperson's bag. Seriously. Better than product knowledge, great pricing or awesome features. Passion can carry the day and produce a CLOSED order! Really! Would I kid you?  more