Matthew Cook

Matthew Cook

Matthew Cook has 17 years of sales and sales management experience primarily in the financial services and staffing industries. He is founder of SalesForce Search, which was No. 4 on PROFIT’s Hot 50 in 2010, and No. 19 in 2011.

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The Crucial Step Your Sales Reps Could be Skipping

Why it may seem like reps aren't hitting their targets, even when they are

Sales: The 5 Key Behaviours of Top Reps

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Interview tips to distinguish the great sales reps from the ones who are just okay

Cold Calling Is Dead

What used to be a smart sales tool is now ineffective thanks to changing habits

What to do instead

Why Sales Reps Screw Up the Initial Call

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The No. 1 reason your salespeople may be botching their first contact with potential clients

Dump Your Sales Duds

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It’s high time you stopped trying to save your laggards and started focusing on your stars

5 Dumb Ways To Lose Your New Sales Rep

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Making these five common mistakes will quickly convince your new hire that joining your company was a mistake

The Worst Way to Set Sales Targets

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Here's why a popular method for setting sales quotas is a really bad idea—and how you should set them instead

8 Ways to Identify Great Salespeople

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Separate the wheat from the chaff with these smart interview questions—and the answers you should look for

The Costliest Hiring Mistake You Can Make

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Hiring the wrong salesperson could cost your company way more than you had ever imagined. Just do the math

Sales Compensation: It’s Not Just the Money

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Sure, money is the ultimate motivator of salespeople. But does your sales compensation plan encourage all the right outcomes for your company?

Readers Choice

“You just have to be real. I think people can tell when you’re not,” says Stewart, who claims to have never deleted a tweet mid-tweet