From resilience and adaptability to communication and continuous learning, Alisa Cohn reveals the traits that separate top performers.
High-performing sales reps and startup founders operate in different arenas, but the underlying demands are strikingly similar: uncertainty, pressure, constant learning and the need to perform while building something from scratch.
As author and keynote speaker Alisa Cohn puts it, success in both worlds comes down to “learning rapidly, adapting rapidly to current situation.” The best performers execute – and evolve – in real time.
Cohn is an executive coach who works with startup founders, CEOs and senior leaders to help them scale not just their companies, but their leadership. She is the author of From Start-Up to Grown-Up, an award-winning book that explores how founders evolve as their businesses grow. Cohn has coached leadership teams at high-growth startups like Venmo, Etsy and DraftKings, as well as major organizations such as Google, IBM and Microsoft. Her work focuses on helping leaders build self-awareness, improve communication and navigate the challenges of rapid growth and uncertainty.
In an interview with Repertoire Magazine, Cohn shared several valuable insights reps can take from business founders and successful entrepreneurs.
1. Learn fast, adapt faster
Founders don’t wait for ideal conditions – they move through ambiguity. The same applies to elite sales reps navigating shifting buyer needs and competitive pressure.
“It’s about either find a way or make a way,” Cohn said. “That’s what founders do and that’s what the best sales leaders do.”
For reps, this shows up in how quickly they:
- Adjust messaging mid-cycle
- Reframe objections instead of resisting them
- Keep momentum when deals stall
The underlying belief is simple: there is always another path forward.
2. Growth comes from feedback and experimentation
One of the most practical tools Cohn highlights is structured feedback – especially 360 reviews – and small, deliberate experiments to improve performance.
The goal is targeted iteration:
- Identify one weak point
- Test a new behavior
- Measure and refine
This applies directly to sales execution, from discovery to follow-up.
As she explains, growth comes from “tiny experiments” that help you build new skills over time rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.
3. Your intention isn’t your impact
One of the most powerful ideas from the interview is the disconnect between what we think we’re communicating and what others actually receive.
Cohn is direct about it: “For you, you’re the expert on your intention, but everybody around you is the expert on your impact.”
For reps, this is especially important in customer-facing conversations, where tone, wording and timing can completely change perception. She also warns about blind spots, especially when people assume their natural communication style is landing the way they expect.
The fix involves feedback. Without it, misalignment quietly compounds.
4. Resilience is built through control, not just mindset
Rejection is part of the job for both founders and sales reps. What separates high performers is how quickly they recover and re-engage.
Cohn emphasizes two foundations:
First, physical and mental stability matters more than people think. Sleep, nutrition and recovery directly affect performance under stress.
Second, focus on what you can control. “You can’t control if the customer says no,” she noted. “You can control your process. You can control your ability to try again.”
She also reframes rejection itself: “Every single no turns you closer to a yes.”
That mindset shift is what keeps momentum alive through long sales cycles.
5. Under pressure, structure your communication
When stakes rise, communication often breaks down into emotion, urgency or venting. Cohn argues that top performers resist that instinct.
Her framework is simple but powerful: “Take a pause before you speak.”
Then ask a key question: “What am I trying to do here?”
For reps, this becomes critical in high-pressure moments – whether delivering bad news, handling objections or negotiating terms. Without intention, communication becomes noise instead of influence.
Structure creates clarity, and clarity drives outcomes.
Keep building
The gap between startup founders and sales reps is smaller than it appears. Both roles require speed, resilience, adaptability and disciplined communication under pressure.
As Cohn notes, one of the biggest misconceptions about high performance is: “That you don’t have to try really hard. That it’s just going to happen.”
In reality, success is built through feedback, iteration and the willingness to keep going when outcomes aren’t guaranteed.
Key Takeaways
- Adapt quickly when circumstances change
- Commit to continuous improvement
- Focus on your impact, not just your intent
- Build resilience through discipline and process