Getting Back in the Sales Game for 2025

Summary

The Advanced Selling Podcast: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Getting Back in the Sales Game for 2025
Hosts: Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale
Release Date: January 6, 2025

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The Advanced Selling Podcast, hosted by seasoned B2B sales trainers and business strategists Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale, is renowned for delivering practical strategies, frameworks, and insights tailored to empower sales professionals, managers, and leaders. In the January 6, 2025 episode titled "Getting Back in the Sales Game for 2025," Bill and Bryan delve into actionable steps and motivational advice to kickstart the new year with renewed vigor and strategic focus.

1. Welcoming the New Year and New Listeners

The episode opens with Bill and Bryan extending warm wishes for the New Year, celebrating the podcast's 19th year milestone. They highlight the podcast's growth and encourage new listeners to explore their top episodes for foundational insights.

Notable Quote:
B: "If you are a new listener, if you just decided over the holidays, you know what, I've got to get into this podcasting scene. What should I listen to? And you asked 10 of your friends and they all said, the advanced selling podcast, we welcome you." (00:17)

2. Insider Program Announcement

Bryan introduces "The Insider," their monthly training and coaching program designed to provide in-depth, live coaching sessions on varying sales topics. The upcoming session focuses on defining customer transformation—guiding clients beyond merely addressing pain points to envisioning their desired outcomes.

Notable Quote:
B: "We're going to help you decide what your customer transformation is. In other words, where are you taking your prospect, your customer, when they agree and they engage with you." (01:21)

3. Engaging Anecdotes and Light Banter

Before transitioning to the main content, Bill and Bryan engage in a light-hearted discussion about a true crime episode from "Dateline," highlighting the quirky fact that Bill was an Engelbert Humperdinck impersonator during his younger years. This segment underscores their relatable and personable approach, fostering a sense of camaraderie with listeners.

Notable Quote:
A: "I was an Engelbert Humperdinck impersonator at the Holiday Inn Express in Missoula, Montana." (04:18)

4. Main Content: Strategies for Re-Entering the Sales Game in 2025

The core of the episode focuses on four strategic actions to rejuvenate sales efforts in the new year. These strategies are designed to help sales professionals reconnect with their market, enhance their personal brand, and build meaningful relationships.

a. Reflect on Your Purpose

Bryan emphasizes the importance of introspection, urging listeners to reconnect with the underlying reasons for their involvement in sales. Understanding the "why" behind their actions fosters motivation and resilience, especially during challenging times.

Notable Quote:
B: "Why do you do what you do? What's the purpose behind the money and behind the achievement." (07:30)

b. Get Physically Out into the Market

Bill advises sales professionals to break away from desk-bound routines and engage in face-to-face interactions. By scheduling meetings with connectors, centers of influence, and referral partners, salespeople can reignite their networks and uncover new opportunities.

Notable Quote:
A: "Physically get out into the market. ... Fill that calendar up for the next two weeks with as many outside meetings as you can." (08:04)

c. Develop Your Personal Brand

Bryan highlights the growing significance of personal branding in the sales landscape. He encourages listeners to invest time in defining their brand through consistent social media presence, content creation, and leveraging tools like AI to strategize their branding efforts.

Notable Quote:
B: "It's time this year to start developing [your personal brand], if you haven't already and stop dabbling in it and start getting serious about it." (09:44)

Bill adds practical advice on creating actionable plans for personal branding, suggesting the use of AI to generate detailed to-do lists that guide consistent brand-building activities.

Notable Quote:
A: "Use AI to give me a personal branding strategy... It gives you something you can edit or change." (11:01)

d. Make Unsolicited Connections

Bill challenges listeners to proactively connect individuals within their network, fostering a culture of mutual support and collaboration. By making introductions without prior requests, sales professionals can enhance their influence and create a positive ripple effect within their communities.

Notable Quote:
A: "Make unsolicited connections for others. ... Making introductions to others is a karmic boomerang. It always comes back to you." (11:35)

5. Integrating Strategies into Your Business Plan

Bryan consolidates the discussed strategies, reaffirming that these actions are cost-effective and essential for strategic growth. He advises incorporating these tactics into existing business plans to ensure sustained momentum throughout the year.

Notable Quote:
B: "If you're going to buy somebody lunch, maybe, but... just incorporate these four things that we gave you into it and you'll be off and running." (12:52)

6. Closing Remarks and Community Engagement

The hosts wrap up the episode by directing listeners to their online platforms, including their website, LinkedIn group, and the Insider program, fostering a sense of community and ongoing support.

Notable Quote:
A: "Go to advanced sellingpodcast.com. ... join the insider. All the things for Advanced Only podcast people are here for you." (13:17)

Bryan adds a light-hearted closure, wishing listeners a Happy New Year and encouraging them to stay engaged with the podcast's resources.

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Conclusion

In "Getting Back in the Sales Game for 2025," Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale provide a comprehensive roadmap for sales professionals aiming to rejuvenate their strategies in the new year. By emphasizing personal reflection, active market engagement, personal branding, and fostering unsolicited connections, the hosts equip their audience with the tools necessary to thrive in a competitive sales environment. Their blend of practical advice, personal anecdotes, and motivational insights makes this episode a valuable resource for anyone looking to advance their sales career in 2025.

For more insights and detailed strategies, visit advancedsellingpodcast.com and consider joining their Insider program for live coaching and a supportive community.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Welcome back to the event selling podcast, the longest running sales training podcast. We're going to chalk up another year. We're up to about 19. Happy New Year 2025.

[A]

My name is Bill Cask and I'm Brian Neal.

[B]

Here we are delighted to have you. If you are a new listener, if you just decided over the holidays, you know what, I've got to get into this podcasting scene. What should I listen to? And you asked 10 of your friends and they all said, the advanced selling podcast, we welcome you.

[A]

All of them said that. All of them. You're, you're having some, you know, food, a little cocktail, Christmas cheer with your cousins or your uncle who's in sales, and you're talking about podcasts. Have you ever heard of the advanced selling podcast? Well, now you have. Welcome. Glad you're here.

[B]

And you can go to our page, advanced linepodcast.com and somewhere on that page you'll see the top 20, 25 episodes. That's a good place to start. I wouldn't start in or in 2006. You've got a lot of listing if you start there. But we picked out the top 25 and that's a good place to begin. We probably need to revise that top 25 list because we could do that. We've, I think we've hit on some gold mines here recently that people like.

[A]

So we're getting better over 18 years. Getting better?

[B]

Yeah, getting better.

[A]

Improving, improving. Hey, you've got something new coming up for the Insider. Why don't you tell everybody about that, please?

[B]

Yeah. The Insider is our monthly training coaching program that we do. It's 75 minutes a month. You show up. We have a different topic each month. And this topic is going to be interesting. We're going to help you decide what your customer transformation is. In other words, where are you taking your prospect, your customer, when they, when they agree and they engage with you. And it's one of the things that we've done in our practice a lot more is to help help the client decide where they want to go instead of always focused on pain and problems and what you're trying to avoid. We want to do a little bit of that, but we also want to chart a course and we're going to teach you how, exactly how to do that. And that'll be coming up. It's the second Friday in, in January because the first Friday's people still traveling. So go to advanced sellingpodcast.com insider. Check it out. Look to see you there.

[A]

Yeah, everybody that's entering a new year and says, you know, I want to do. I want to up my game. It's just a fantastic program. Not only you get direct live coaching with Bill, but. But you also have this community, the people. The people. And it's funny, they're like these sub communities that I know about that met in the insider across the world. It's crazy. The people across the globe. So if you're looking for a community to belong to, it's a fantastic group to do that. So we're going to talk about re entry stuff today. Unrelated to that, though, Bill, you know how you're watching TV sometimes and. And something just sort of hits you a little. Did that what they say? And you have to rewind. Say what they say. So I love dateline in 48 hours in 2020. My wife and I watch them all the time. It's great. So I was watching Dateline the other day and it's about like it is. It's a true crime murder. And it's about this woman or this guy who met this kid. This kid's like a murderer. And it's a story of his growing up. And it's about his stepdad. Okay, so this is the introduct introduction of the stepdad of this kind of murderer guy. Okay. Okay. So this is. And you need to listen to how not only his the stepdad met the mom, but also what the stepdad was doing for a living when he met the mom. This is.

[B]

Are we gonna get in trouble for doing this?

[A]

I don't think so. I don't think so. All right, ready?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

David Rossi is Nicholas's adoptive father. Nicholas was 8 when David married his mom in 1996. The two fell in love in a Rhode island nightclub where David was an.

[B]

Engelbert Humbertick impersonator who mingled with his idol and sang his hit. So.

[A]

Okay, thank you for your reaction.

[B]

I'm like, oh, my God.

[A]

So I've heard of Elvis impersonators. I know that, you know, Frank Caliendo is character guy. I didn't know that you could make a living in the 90s as an Engelbert Humper impersonator. And you see this video and he's like, going to town. He. Did that strike you the way.

[B]

Oh, my God. Well, I wasn't expecting. It kind of came out of nowhere.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

That's what I said.

[A]

I want you to. You know, and they're so good at telling the stories, like where he was working as an Engelbert Humperdink.

[B]

Well, isn't he on. Isn't he on one of the voice knockoffs in England?

[A]

I don't even know.

[B]

Yeah, I think. I think he's. He's risen again from the ashes. He's like 80 years old.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Jones.

[A]

I'm Tom Jones. Yeah, yeah, Tom Jones is. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I always get those guys mixed up, but.

[A]

But, yeah, that's a little different, wasn't it?

[B]

That's a rough start.

[A]

A little different. I just, you know, you're kind of going through your inventory of life and you're thinking of, you know, do. Updating your LinkedIn profile and you. For Proctor and Gamble. And then from 96 to 98, I was an Engelbert Humperdinck impersonator at the Holiday Inn Express in Missoula, Montana.

[B]

I'm like the authentic.

[A]

To each his own, right? To each his own.

[B]

If you're. If you. You're in the valley, be proud of it, because everybody's been in some valley.

[A]

It was. Yeah, they interviewed him later. He was really proud of me. He's a good guy, just funny. Engelbert Humberdink.

[B]

Well, he couldn't be too good of a guy if he was on Dateline for a murder.

[A]

So I did, you know, I just. I go to the. I always go to the backstory. Like, at some point, he's, like, sitting around like. So what are you thinking about? Well, you know, I got my degree, but I'm really thinking about becoming an Engelbert Humperdinck impersonator. What do you think? Like, where does that even come from? Yeah. You know what I mean? Anyway.

[B]

Well, the Elvis impersonator market is so crowded.

[A]

Oh, it's so. It's good. See this guy's blue ocean? That's a good point, Bill. He's a different. Right. He's taking a different path. I love it. Right.

[B]

Yeah, it all. In all fairness, I really did like Engelbert Humperdinck's music. He had some really good love songs, some really good soft melodies, and. He was good.

[A]

Yeah. And the young crowd, you're gonna have to.

[B]

Yeah, I know. So here you go again. Your brand. Your brand is a senile old humper.

[A]

No, it's not. It's just. What? You know. But gonna make sure we have young listeners now, so Google it or ask your parents. Okay, January 6th, re entry. Let's go. What do we do? It's January 6th, first episode. Everyone's a little, you know, a little swollen, a little tired, a little hungover sugar.

[B]

Did you say swollen?

[A]

Swollen. Yeah, swollen. A little. Little fluffy. Right?

[B]

Not from weightlifting, you mean not at all.

[A]

No, from sugar and flour. So what do we do? What do we do? It's time to go.

[B]

All right. Can I offer first? So we go back and forth here on this. And we, we, as usual. If you're new to this, you, you need to know that Brian and I do not talk about our tips before.

[A]

Don't.

[B]

So sometimes they're the same, sometimes they're not. But usually they're. They're pretty close. Cohesive. Yeah, I think it's a good time of year. We did our reflection exercise. So if you didn't listen to that and you're still, you know, kind of in the holiday spirit and want to reflect a little bit, we released our last episode of the year last year on what should I be Reflect. But here's one thing that I think we should always be thinking about is why do you do what you do? You are in the world where you are business developing, your account managing, you're running a company, you're running a sales team, whatever. We know that most of our listeners are in business and customer acquisition or growth is a part of that. And I think it's always important to stay connected with why do you do what you do? What's the, what's the purpose behind the money and behind the achievement? And I think when we lose sight of that, I've. I'll be honest with you, I've lost sight of that before and, and I might go for two or three months and it's all about the sale or the money. And then the money stops coming in and then I have to think, now, wait a minute. I've got my eyes off the ball. It's not that I'm not working hard enough. It's that I'm doing it for the wrong reason. And sometimes we just have to be reminded of that. So that's my reminder.

[A]

It's really good. My first one and my two of mine are related. The is to physically, physically get out into the market. Physically get out into the market. The first tip around that, if you haven't already, it's January 6th. This week, reach out to as many connector, center of influence, referral partner, business friends as you can and go meet them for coffee or breakfast or lunch or whatever you do. I think getting physically up and out of your office and away from your email because you're already a little anchored from the holiday give, that kind of, you know, it's like. And you sink into the chair, you Sink into the desk. You sink into the computer. Get up and go out. That's the first thing. And then make it easier on yourself by asking friend colleagues, you know, that you know really well, hey, let's go grab lunch, let's go grab coffee. Just get out. Fill that calendar up for the next two weeks with as many outside meetings as you can.

[B]

Get some reps in.

[A]

Yeah, you don't have to be moved.

[B]

Massive prospects. It could be just, you know. Yeah, I love that idea. And I, I'll be honest with you, I don't do enough of that. And I. Yeah, more. Because I know a lot of people here in the city. I just don't. I just don't think of that. I think, okay, Zoom LinkedIn. And so that's a great, that's great advice. Well, you've heard us talk about this and I've noticed, I've noticed in the past year that whenever we do an episode on personal branding, that it gets. It's starting to get up there and get a few more viewers. And I have a YouTube channel. I did a couple of shorts on personal branding and it was by far the highest of all the ones that we've done. It had the most views. And so I think the time is here for a lot of people to finally say, okay, it's time. I've got to build this brand. And with all the stuff going on in the world and, you know, are we going into a recession or not or what? You know, there's all these questions. One thing that does not change is you. And you have talent, wisdom, knowledge, expertise, experience, stories. You have all these things that I would consider your personal brand. And it's time this year to start to develop it, if you haven't already and stop dabbling in it and start getting serious about it. And it's not that difficult to do, but you do have to spend a couple hours just thinking through, okay, how am I going to represent myself? What kind of social media content am I going to build? You know, what, what do my videos look like? I mean, there's some things that you could just go to Claude, or go to an AI platform and just ask it, what are the 10 things I need to do to build my personal brand? It'll tell you, right?

[A]

So good. And I love using those two things together. Or give me a personal branding strategy. Or give me a to do list for January and February and March, first quarter of 2025, an actual to do list of what I should do each week. You know, it's so good. Even if it doesn't, you know, it's something. It gives you something. You can edit it, change it, you know, or pick and choose. But you're sitting there staring at it. Well, I don't know what to do. What should I do, Bill? You know, is that how your clients talk to you? What should I do?

[B]

Very similar. Yeah, very similar.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Sounds like.

[A]

So my next one is a version of the get out there but it's a different version. I would challenge all you listeners. This is one of my. This has been on my personal business plan for. Since I did my first one in the early 2000s. And I'm I would say 80. Consistent with this. Never perfect, but pretty good at it. I want you to challenge yourself to consistently and by consistently for me it's only two a month. But that's over time adds up. Make unsolicited connections for others. So people that didn't ask to be put together. I might be talking to someone. I'm like, you need to meet Bill Caskey. Bill didn't ask for the intro. The other person, she didn't ask for the intro. I just see these things and go, these two need to know each other. Hey, Bill here. Meet Janice. Janice, meet Bill. You guys both. I encourage you guys to try to grab a cup of coffee. You both live in Carmel and if you do one a week of those. Making introductions to others is a karmic boomerang. It always comes back to you. You don't keep score. It's not tip for tat. That's not why you do it. And some. But I'm telling you, if you put that's putting yourself in the game and that's part of going out there. It's related. It's more of the But I'm gonna make connections for connector. It's a really good thing to do early in the year.

[B]

Well, there you have it. There's four things. There's four things you can do. And these things don't cost. They don't cost money to do. I mean if you're going to buy somebody lunch, maybe, but you know, come on, we've got to think bigger about where we're going this year. And you've got your business plan done hopefully so you know where you're going. You have a monthly plan or a monthly action plan and just incorporate these four things that we gave you into it and you'll be off and running.

[A]

Off and running. January 6th. Here we go. 2025, Bill. 2025. So we do they yours Keep clicking, don't they?

[B]

They do. Years.

[A]

Keep clicking. So go to advanced sellingpodcast.com. go to LinkedIn, our big LinkedIn group. We got 1314,000 people there. Our email is listener@advanced sellingpodcast.com. you can shoot us an email there if you got a topic or anything like that and then join the insider. All the things for Advanced. Only podcast people are here for you. And Happy New Year.

[B]

Happy New Year, everybody.

[A]

Away we go.

[B]

See you.

[A]

Cheers.

[B]

Bye.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Okay, let's do. Let's do a promo for the Chris. For the one next reflection one, which is the reflection one. So. Yeah.

[A]

Good, good.

[B]

I'm gonna keep this. You want to keep this? Yeah.

[A]

Keep it going. Yeah, sure, if you don't mind. Yeah. Ready?

[B]

Hey, asp listeners.

[A]

Bill Caskey here, Brian Neal here.

[B]

We are delighted to bring to you the final episode of 2024. Do you hear the way I pronounce 20? I didn't just say 20, I said 2024.

[A]

Trying to pretend we're not from the Midwest, but we are.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

In this episode, we did a series of reflections. We think this is a great time for you to think a little bit about, ponder a little bit about your past and your future in a reflective sense. Just thinking, not planning, not hardcore, you know, pen to paper. Just some thought. Thought things. Some things that philosophically, you think, just where am I in life?

[B]

So listen to the episode. It should be out now. And if you really like it, there would be nothing wrong with bringing it to the Christmas dinner.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Exposing other people to some of these questions of reflection and. And to the advanced selling podcast, of course, you will be the hero of your Christmas dinner. You start bringing ASP episodes in, it's over.

[A]

I would even go so far as to do a QR code and as a stocking stuffer for your sales cousins and sales. Sales uncles. QR code, Advanced selling podcast. Start with the Reflections episode and see where life takes you.

[B]

That's awesome. Well, anyway, seriously though, we loved your input this year and we're glad you're with us on the journey and have a. Have a happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and we'll see you in year.

[A]

Cheers. Merry Christmas.

[B]

Bye.