Todd Caponi

Creative Entrepreneur, Sales Innovator & Award Winning Author

Todd Caponi

Creative Entrepreneur, Sales Innovator & Award Winning Author

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Biography

Todd Caponi, CSP®, is a keynote speaker, three-time author, former revenue executive, and self-described decision science and sales history nerd. Before taking the stage full-time, Todd led revenue organizations through hypergrowth, an IPO, a nearly $3 billion acquisition, and a sales turnaround that earned him a Stevie Award as Worldwide VP of Sales.

Today, Todd helps revenue teams understand how humans actually engage, prioritize, and decide - and how to apply those insights to the way they sell, negotiate, and lead. His work combines modern decision science with more than a century of sales history to make complex ideas practical, memorable, and immediately useful.

Todd is the author of The Transparency Sale, The Transparent Sales Leader, and his newest book, Four Levers Negotiating. He speaks to revenue organizations around the world and hosts The Sales History Podcast, now in its sixth season.

Speaker Videos

Todd Caponi - Sales & Negotiation Keynote Sizzle

The Great Resignation: Why it Happened and Still Matters

Expectation Inflation: Why Under-Committing & Overdelivering is Not a Good Idea

The Role of Sales We Don't Buy When We're "Convinced" - We Buy When We Can "Predict"

A Needed Change in Sales Negotiation

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Speech Topics

Selling to Humans in an AI-Powered World: How to Preserve and Strengthen the Human Advantage in Sales as AI Changes the Way Revenue Teams Work

It’s no surprise that everyone is focused on AI right now, with promises to make customer-facing teams faster, smarter, and more efficient. But as technology handles more of the knowledge work, the human part becomes even more important. Throughout history, from the telephone to email to eCommerce, more information has never made buying easier. It has repeatedly made deciding harder. And the answer has consistently been the same: service.

So what does “service” really mean? You’re a human. You sell and persuade other humans. In an entertaining, head-slapping, and immediately actionable way using consumer research, stories, and real-world examples, we’ll explore how people engage, prioritize, and ultimately decide. Then we’ll apply those insights to your messaging, positioning, presentations, and the journey you take buyers on.

Negotiating in the Age of Price Transparency: How to Protect Deal Value When Buyers Know More, Compare More, and Expect Pricing to Make Sense

The days when two customers could pay wildly different prices for essentially the same solution simply because one buyer negotiated harder, one salesperson gave more away, or one deal happened to land at quarter-end are numbered. As AI and information access make pricing, terms, and commercial comparisons easier than ever, arbitrary discounting becomes harder to defend and increasingly dangerous to trust.

At the same time, most negotiation training still teaches tactics that feel disconnected from how we sell today. We spend months building trust with a buyer, only to flip a switch at the end of the process and start playing games over price. There’s a better way.

In this highly practical keynote, Todd Caponi introduces the Four Levers of Negotiating - Volume, Timing of Cash, Length of Commitment, and Timing of the Deal - a simple framework for replacing reflexive discounting with transparent, economically defensible exchanges. Attendees learn how to protect value without damaging relationships, respond confidently to common concession requests, and create agreements that make better business sense for both sides.

How Transparency & Clinical Empathy Can Be Your Sales Superpower

Consensus selling is hard. With everyone now working remotely, consensus buying just became even harder. And, given that when making a decision, our brains subconsciously stack the deck towards the easier path, your “up-market” buying journey won’t work in a “down-market”.

There’s good news!

Using the behavioral science of transparency and clinical empathy, we can stack the deck back in our direction. In this session, we’ll explore ways how to optimize your selling approach to optimize for today’s buying brain.

Attendees will walk away from this session with a foundational understanding of decision making, relatability with the concept of "Remote Buyer Bias", easy-to-implement steps to adjust your messaging, and a path to optimize the buying journey.

Testimonials

"I’ve had Todd present multiple times to multiple teams at multiple companies - he has over the years proven to be the most valuable and highly regarded speaker and presenter on the subject of sales execution that I’ve ever engaged, and the audience LOVES him because he’s entertaining, credible, practical, and authentic. Highest endorsement."

- PRESIDENT, ATARI

"I could not recommend Todd Caponi more highly as a speaker. I brought Todd in to be the keynote speaker for our sales kickoff in 2020 when I was the CRO at Jobvite. I also brought him into one of my customer's company kickoff in 2023 when I was serving as an advisor and interim CRO. In both cases, Todd was absolutely awesome. Both audiences gave him the highest scores in our post-meeting surveys. More importantly, he dramatically impacted both audiences long-term. In both cases, his message and material were being used months later to improve our day-to-day interactions and outcomes with our customers and prospects. Todd produces great content and material, but his greatest strength is presenting both in such a personalized, engaging, and memorable manner."

- MULTI-TIME CRO, JOBVITE | EXACTTARGET | DEMANDJUMP

"Todd's approach to being real and transparent is SO refreshing as a sales strategy. Not only is this the right way to behave as a human being, but it's also a much more effective way to sell.

I have seen both measurable and anecdotal results with my teams immediately following his training.
Todd is just a great guy and someone you want to spend time with.
Todd is a credible trainer and speaker because he has done the job and brings relevant stories and examples to the table.
I would work with Todd 10 out of 10 times."

- CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER, MOOGSOFT

"Todd is easy to work with and a great human. I've been lucky enough to partner with Todd on bespoke sessions at multiple companies. What's incredible about Todd is that you can give him a few ideas for a session and he creates an entire framework with engaging, impactful content. Everyone walks away from sessions feeling like they learned a ton and laughed a lot. There are piles of sales methodologies and Todd is the only person I know who is talking about authentic, transparent sales."

- SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUNT CLUB

"We had Todd present his transparency sales workshop for several hours this past summer. Our team is pretty diverse from young salespeople to grizzly veterans, well maybe not so grizzly but definitely veterans. The transparent approach resonated across the board, and Todd's presentation style is fun and engaging. We were not an "easy" room, but everyone walked away impressed and with some new moves to try right away. Roll forward months afterward, we are still talking about how we inject transparency into our client interactions. It is a positive differentiator for our team. I hope our competitors never hire Todd!"

- CRO, POLY.AI

"Working with Todd was fun, engaging, informative, and (most importantly) hugely impactful. Our team left with a clear understanding of why and HOW to execute transparent discovery, discussion, and negotiation. We now bake the ‘levers’ of trading directly into our pricing and it has created a huge improvement in our overall business outcomes (via bigger deals with less discounting). I have had the chance to work with Todd at two separate organizations and I would continue to bring him anywhere I go. You should too!"

- FOUNDER & CEO, GLASSHOUSE

"Todd is an incredible speaker and storyteller. He is engaging, humorous, humble. He brings energy, expertise, and always an element of fun. I always appreciate how he challenges the audience while also making everyone feel welcome."

- VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, ITERABLE

"I highly recommend Todd as a speaker, presenter, and trainer. His teachings have become an integral component of our go-to-market organization. We consistently share the recording with all new hires, underscoring its lasting value. However, what truly sets Todd apart and deserves special commendation is his exceptional follow-up and his adeptness at maintaining meaningful connections within his network. Todd consistently goes above and beyond to foster and sustain a strong community."

- VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, RECALL.AI

"Todd Caponi is exceptional…and I don’t use that word lightly. Not only does he bring a unique idea, he backs it up with an easy-to-use methodology so people can communicate and leverage his ideas in the field, well after Todd is gone. But the best part of Todd is his authentic approach and style. Todd is sharing proven wisdom, that he backs up with countless examples and can help you apply his ideas in net context easily. All this is done in friendly, super credible ways."

- SALES ENABLEMENT PROGRAM MANAGER, ONESTREAM SOFTWARE

"Todd Caponi continues to share a wealth of knowledge with our global sales community. No matter how many times he presents, we continue learning more. Todd continuously improves his knowledge and backs everything up."

- VICE PRESIDENT, SALES STRATEGY & ENABLEMENT, LDO CONSULTING

"Even though the presentation was delivered nearly a year ago, we still discuss his views on the subjects regularly. He has a unique way to deliver a topic with knowledge and humor. He comes across as a regular guy who is not pompous at all! We thoroughly enjoyed his time with our teams and would highly recommend him as a speaker. I would definitely hire him again!"

- HEAD OF ENABLEMENT, AXON

"The alignment and consulting AHEAD of the actual speaking engagement was second to none. Todd spent hours with me, my team, and a variety of salespeople and leaders across NielsenIQ to fully understand our needs; those we shared openly and those that run as undercurrents and can really be the cause of stagnation or unwillingness to change. Todd’s energy and humor on stage ensures that his unique perspectives and data were well received and had a lasting effect."

- VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND SALES ENABLEMENT, NIELSENIQ

"To this day the training I personally took with Todd is the single most impactful session I’ve ever been a part of. So much so that I paid him 5-figures to come teach my team as well."

- VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, LETTER AI

"Todd is a master of simplifying complex concepts associated with the craft of selling. He has a unique talent for breaking down intricate ideas into digestible, practical strategies that sales teams can readily implement. He’s done so for my teams many times. His clarity and pragmatism contribute to his effectiveness as a speaker, resonating with a broad audience seeking tangible improvements in their sales approaches. It’s worked with my teams, and the feedback I’ve received afterward has been raving, with people wanting to hear and learn more from Todd. Todd’s engaging speaking style is another factor that sets him apart. Whether on stage or through his books. Todd communicates with charisma and authenticity, establishing a connection with his audience. This ability to captivate and inspire is a testament to his passion for the subject matter and his commitment to helping others succeed in the world of sales."

- CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER, ETQ

"Todd is engaging, he is giving, and he delivers content and knowledge in a way that it actually sticks with people. I’ve used him at two companies."

- CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VIMLY

"Todd is one of the most impactful speakers and trainers I have ever leveraged. I appreciate his very applicable experience as a former executive himself, and his frameworks are consistent, trainable, and very transparent. Some speaking engagements can lack consistency or change so much that it’s hard to replicate. Todd has very specific, consistent, and relatable trainings that I have leveraged for 5+ years now."

- SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUILT IN