I’m Selling Myself Everyday…Are You Buying?

Todd Cohen ‘Smashes The Stereotype Of Sales’ On AAM’s Monthly Podcast Series, AAMplify!

Todd Cohen says EVERYBODY’S in sales. Do you believe him? I didn’t – at first. I mean, I wouldn’t include “sales” as part of my elevator speech when meeting new people. And “sales” is certainly not a skill listed on my resume. Over the last 15 years, I’ve dedicated my life to PR and marketing, and from my vantage point, I’m the person who tees up the sale, not the one pitching the next best thing or sealing the deal. So when Todd said “everybody’s in sales,” I found myself cringing.

But here’s the thing – he’s right!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Todd for a recent episode of AAMplify!, AAM’s monthly podcast series, and during our interview we really get to the bottom of what he means by such a provocative statement – which also happens to be the title of his first book.

Our conversation uncovered a vital, earthshattering fact – whether we realize it or not, we “sell” every day. We may not be selling a thing or a service, but every time we connect with somebody we’re selling ourselves, our expertise and our credibility. Furthermore, as employees, we all play critical roles in the sales cycle.

Our work, and the work of our team members goes on to impact our client’s overall experience, which ultimately influences their decision to say “yes.” This is why Todd is such an advocate for companies to embrace a culture of sales.

I don’t mean that we should all make cold calls and deploy sleazy sales tactics. Building a sales culture is not synonymous with sales training, which is something everybody (marketing, human resources, accountants, IT, etc.) must come to terms with. Sure, we’re not all expected to meet sales quotas or meet clients over lunch. But we are expected to do the things we were hired to do and to do them well. Think of it this way, the customer can’t say “yes” to our firms if we don’t all work together to properly educate them and demonstrate our expertise and credibility. To do this – and to do it well, we must break down any silos that might exist, embrace our roles in our firm’s sales culture and work together for the best interest of our clients.

Put aside 28 minutes of your time and listen to this episode of AAMplify!. You’ll walk away with a whole new perspective of sales, one that will help fuel you and your firm to even greater success. I did!

During this episode, Todd explains:

• What “sales” is and what it isn’t.
• Why the thought of sales is so scary, especially among “non-sales” professionals.
• How we can improve your ability to sell.
• And much more …

Listen to AAMplify! on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video on YouTube. You can also learn more about Todd and his unique sales ideology at toddcohen.com. (two “d’s”J)

About AAMplify!

Short, single-topic monthly interviews are conducted by the Association for Accounting Marketing as part of the AAMplify! podcast series. The focus of the series is to connecting listeners to subject-matter experts on a wide-range of growth topics. You can subscribe to the series via iTunes, Stitcher or YouTube.