Making Sales Skills Obsolete: The Power of Digital Assets

Summary

The Advanced Selling Podcast: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Making Sales Skills Obsolete: The Power of Digital Assets
Release Date: December 12, 2024
Host: Bill Caskey

In this solo episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, host Bill Caskey delves into a transformative approach to sales by advocating for the obsolescence of traditional sales skills through the strategic use of digital assets. Drawing upon his extensive experience in sales training and coaching, Bill challenges the conventional reliance on continuous sales training and proposes a paradigm shift in the buyer-seller relationship.

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1. Rethinking Traditional Sales Training

Timestamp: [00:03]
Bill opens the discussion by critiquing the longstanding emphasis on sales training as the cornerstone of sales success. He observes, "We have gotten hung up in this sales training as the gift that keeps on giving. And it's really not." Bill argues that despite decades of training, the fundamental dynamics of sales interactions have remained stagnant, often burdening sales professionals with the expectation to constantly be "on top of their game."

2. Shifting the Buyer-Seller Dynamic

Timestamp: [00:50]
Bill proposes a revolutionary idea: making sales skills obsolete by altering the traditional buyer-seller interaction. He explains, "Typically it's the salesperson who is responsible for reaching out...and you take the entire burden of the sales cycle from beginning to end." This approach places immense pressure on salespeople, especially during times when they may not be performing optimally.

3. Leveraging Digital Assets at the Top of the Funnel

Timestamp: [02:15]
To alleviate this pressure, Bill suggests integrating digital assets into the early stages of the sales funnel. He emphasizes the importance of preemptively engaging prospects through digital means, thereby reducing the reliance on immediate interpersonal interactions. "I think you need to look at the top of the funnel...and figure out a way to use digital assets in that part of the equation," he advises.

4. Practical Application: The Power of Video Content

Timestamp: [04:00]
Bill shares a concrete example from his own experience to illustrate the effectiveness of digital assets. He recounts a scenario where he received a referral call from a division within a company. To streamline the initial interaction, Bill sent a personalized video link to the prospect. "I created like a 10 to 12 minute video that explains a little bit of my philosophy, a little bit of the content..." This approach allowed the prospect to gain familiarity with Bill's methods and ethos before their scheduled call.

5. Enhancing Prospect Engagement and Reducing Miscommunication

Timestamp: [06:30]
The initial call revealed some miscommunication, but the subsequent follow-up highlighted the value of the video. The prospect acknowledged, "Bill, that video really helped me..." This led to the creation of similar digital assets for the prospect's team, enhancing their first call preparations and ensuring a more informed and engaged interaction with prospects.

6. Benefits of Integrating Digital Assets

Timestamp: [08:20]
Bill outlines several advantages of incorporating digital assets into the sales process:

• Reduced Pressure on Salespeople: By providing prospects with preliminary information, sales professionals are less burdened to perform flawlessly in every interaction.
• Improved Prospect Understanding: Digital content allows prospects to acquaint themselves with the salesperson and the offerings at their own pace.
• Scalability: Digital assets can be reused and adapted, enabling sales teams to scale their outreach efforts without a proportional increase in individual sales engagements.

7. Addressing Resistance to Change

Timestamp: [10:00]
Acknowledge that some sales professionals may be hesitant to adopt this approach due to a deep-seated belief in traditional sales skills. Bill asserts, "You got to get out of that thinking, because the fact is, buyer behavior is changing." He notes that modern buyers, particularly those under 45, prefer engaging with digital content that informs their decisions before direct interactions.

8. Conclusion and Call to Action

Timestamp: [12:00]
Bill wraps up the episode by reinforcing the necessity of evolving with changing buyer behaviors. He encourages listeners to embrace digital assets as a means to enhance their sales processes and improve overall effectiveness. As a resource for further learning, Bill promotes his new book, 12 Bold Moves, offering detailed strategies for sales professionals to implement these innovative techniques.

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Notable Quotes:

• "I would rather you make your sales skills obsolete by changing the entire dynamic of the buyer seller relationship." [00:03]
• "You need to look at the top of the funnel...and figure out a way to use digital assets in that part of the equation." [02:15]
• "Buyer behavior is changing. And if your buyers are anything less than 40, 45 years old, they're looking for things like this." [11:30]

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Final Thoughts

In this insightful episode, Bill Caskey challenges conventional sales methodologies by introducing the concept of making traditional sales skills obsolete through the strategic use of digital assets. By shifting the focus to the early stages of the sales funnel and leveraging tools like personalized videos, sales professionals can enhance prospect engagement, reduce undue pressure, and adapt to the evolving preferences of modern buyers. Bill's forward-thinking approach offers a valuable blueprint for sales teams aiming to thrive in a digital-first landscape.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Advanced Selling podcast solo episode. I'm your solo host, Bill Caskey. I'm glad you're with me today. We're going to talk today about how to make sales skills obsolete. You know, I've been in the training and coaching business for a very, very, very long time, and I've seen the evolution of what a professional salesperson is over the last 20, 30 years. And it seems like we have gotten hung up in this sales training as the gift that keeps on giving. And it's really not. And I know a lot of you, and of course there's thousands, or if not hundreds of thousands of coaches and trainers who will tell you, oh, no, it's all about sales training. I don't think it is. I would rather you make your sales skills obsolete by changing the entire dynamic of the buyer seller relationship. Here's, here's what I mean. Typically it's the salesperson who is responsible for reaching out, maybe through cold calling, maybe through networking, whatever. And you take the entire burden of the sales cycle from beginning to end. And I'm sure I know you feel that way. I've heard from many of you Advanced Selling podcast listeners, and it feels like, geez, the more things change, the less we change. And I don't think it needs to be like that. I think there are ways things you can do in the sales cycle to limit your need to be on top of your game all the time. Because the fact is that some, sometimes you're just not at the top of your game, especially when you need the business really badly and your numbers aren't looking good and your pipeline is kind of empty. If I send you out on a sales mission, you're not going to be very good because you're going to need the business. You're going to be attached. So here's my recommendation. I think you need to look at the top of the funnel, at the upfront part of the sales cycle, whether it's before you make that first call or just after, and figure out a way to use digital assets in that part of the equation. Here's an example. I got a call about a month ago from a guy who was, he was in a division of a company we were working with, but it wasn't the division we were working with and it was a referral. So it was fairly warm. I'm not going to kid you there. It was a guy who, he'd heard about the good work we were doing in one part of the company, and so he thought he'd call. He's in need of something for his part of the company, but we weren't sure what it was. We hadn't talked yet, so. So he booked a call and I sent him a link to a webpage that I had created just for such a thing, where I'm going to be on a call with somebody, but I don't want to explain all of what we do on that call. So I created like a 10 to 12 minute video that explains a little bit of my philosophy, a little bit of the content, how we take people through the content, the kinds of problems people have. It was a very quick hit video where he now, prior to us even getting on the phone and him even meeting me, he can get to know me a little bit. So by the time we do get on the phone, he feels like he knows me. So I sent that to him and we had a mismatch or miscommunication on the first call. Anyway, a couple weeks later we got it sorted and we had our call last week. And he said, bill, that video really helped me. He said, I think we should figure out a way to do something like that for our team because we do a lot of first calls and they don't know who the heck we are. And so we're showing up and trying to figure out, well, what do I say first and how do I tell them about us but not bore them to death? And he said, that was awesome. And he sent it to his two other people. So now these two people who were also on this first call had no idea who I was, but through the watching of the video, they got a better sense of me. So that's how you remove the need and the burden for you to be on top of your game all the time during these sales processes and the interviews and the calls. I'm not suggesting you shouldn't be at the top of your game. I'm saying allow digital assets to help you. There's also a way that you can use a digital asset prior to even the first call. You can actually send a video out to a prospect, say, hey, this is what we do. This is kind of people we help. Here's some of the problems. If you'd like to jump on a call, I'd be happy to talk. People do that and are successful at it. I don't do that because I don't make cold calls. I don't do cold outreach. If you do, that might be another way to do it. But if we're going to scale our business and our results, we have to position ourselves stronger up front. And a digital asset like a video really does that. And anyway, my call, one thing led to another. He says, I'm in. I'm going to get the budget. We're dealing with another company who's going to fund it. And so we've got a whole system, a whole process set up to do that. So that was a one call. Now, again, it was a referral. It was a friendly. But had I not sent him the video, we would have gotten mired into, well, who are you and what do you do and what's your philosophy and all that stuff. So if you can relieve the burden for sales skills, and some of you won't want to do this because you're so married to sales skills and you want to be the dude that shows up or the dudette that shows up, but you got to get out of that thinking, because the fact is, buyer behavior is changing. And if your buyers are anything less than 40, 45 years old, they're looking for things like this. I hope that helps you. If you'd like to get a copy of my new book, 12 Bold Moves, where I take you through the exact moves you need to make as a sales professional, VP of Sales, go to 12 Bold Moves.com.