Sales Lessons From Podcast Movement

In this episode Pat goes on the road and attends the Podcast Movement conference and shows the connection between great podcasting and great sales.

Podcasting is having a Renaissance but it will explode even more so when this technology is better addressed in automobiles.

Quality podcasts add value, so do great sellers
Great podcasts differentiate from the crowd, so do great sellers
Great podcasts have systems in place, so do great sellers
Great podcasts are consistent, so are great sellers
Great podcasts rely on you being you, so do great sellers
Great podcasts use stories, so do great sellers

How The Qualities of Great Podcasts are the Same Skills in Sales

Quality podcasts add value. Just like in a sale, if the audience has no desire or need for your content, they won’t listen and they won’t buy. You must know your audience and give them exactly what they want. If you’re not sure, ask them. Interview your loyal clients. Why do they love you? Why did they buy you to begin with? Why do they stay with you. All the smooth talk and pushy selling tactics won’t work if you’re not fulfilling a desire and filling a need. You must add value. When the podcast is over, the listener should feel likes it’s been rewarded for their investment. The same is true for a buyer once the deal is complete.
Great podcast differentiate from the crowd. It’s a noisy world when it comes to podcasting and the audience has many choices. It’s difficult to be heard above the chatter. And it requires you do something above and beyond the competition. This is as true in sales as in podcasting. This requires you to have a sense of what the competition is doing. Not so much to copy them, but to see what gaps are not being filled. If you can fill those gaps, you can be successful. Sales Babble has a very precise mission. We talk about selling secrets for non-sellers. We want to demystify sales as being something corporate, slick and pushy. It’s not and that’s just a lot of babble. We approach the sales with a focus on providing value, a mindset of how can I help you. This works with all sales, and all kinds of sales people selling high ticket items listen to sales babble. But the basis is this… anyone can learn sales. You can be yourself, and not something fake and if you can add value, you’ll close deals. That’s our mission. Be yourself, add value, makes sales.
Great podcasts have systems in place. They have a clear set of processes, organization and repeatable steps. The episodes are consistent starting with the music, the intros, the outros, the transitions, how you tell stories, interviews and advertisement. This is what the audience uses keeps things straight. If you’re producing a podcast, this structure is reassuring and makes it much simpler to produce great art. This is all true in sales too. In my mind the sale has 6 steps identify, qualify, pose, close, deal and seal. These steps take you from the time you get a lead all the way until they become a loyal and referenceable client. When you have a process and when you have order it simplifies your day. It’s much much easier to be professional successful seller. When I was a sales manager I had to keep pounding the value of this to my folks. But believe me structure breeds success.
Great podcasts are consistent: They’re published every month, or every week, or every day like John Lee Dumas. Pick a schedule and stick with it. People enjoy the familiar. The audience appreciate sthat a podcast is going to show up in their app every week. This is certainly true in your business too. How many times have you seen a new shop open, only find the doors closed with strange uneven hours. Next thing you know, it’s out of business. If you’re in sales, you have your own little business of sorts. And great sales people are consistent. They show up everday. They pick up the phone, they send their emails, they reach out to know prospects, they discover new leads. All of this is recipe for success. And what’s the secret sauce? follow up follow up follow up.
Successful podcasting is dependent on you being you. Not a copy of some successful celebrity, but the honest to goodness 100% percent you. People can see if you’re pretending to be something you’re not. Some audiences will love you for what you are, some not. Some clients will love you for what you are, some not. I’m certain some people have listened to Sales Babble and thought… that Pat Helmers guy is an idiot. And trust me I have some friends that will be quick to agree. But in the long run, you’re strong suit, is to be exactly who you say you are, a straight shooter and honest professional. Be your best you. This will win more deals in the long run.
And lastly, the primary message that came out of Podcast Movement was the power of Story. Great podcasts tell stories. This goes along with the idea of having structure. People can identify with stories. They can put themselves in the shoes of the protagonist. If the hero overcomes a challenge, if they face down fear and snatch success, the listener thinks “hey that could be me”. This feeling solicits deep emotion. But this isn’t true only when podcasting. Stories are a superior tool for winning sales too. To quote Seth Godin, “Marketing is Storytelling”. For many years I’ve been using the following to engage prospective clients, it’s a pattern and it goes like this…. I have this client who is very similar to you. Their business was challenged with issues on revenue growth or soaring costs, not unlike yours. They had multiple options to choose from. They looked at a number of alternatives, and other vendors who SAID they could help, but after a thorough review they decided to pick my company. And because of that, they were able to meet and exceed that challenge. If they are still loyal clients and you can call them up if you like. They’re a great reference. These stories come from your business, your life’s work. If you tell it in a story context, it’s highly persuasive. Stories matter. Podcasts are part entertainment and part education….. I’ve heard it called Infotainment. The same is true in sales. To quote the social media guru – Gary Vaynerchuck “No matter what you do, you’re job is to tell your story”

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