Podcast for the Mind and Soul
Almost twenty years ago I coined the nom de guerre, salespodder. Since then, it's mainly been a nom de plume, for this very blog.
Back then blogging and, following on just a little behind, podcasting were both pre-mainstream.
Whereas the former - apart from here, Sales Winners! - has diverged mainly into corporate-newsy updates or essayists behind a subs paywall, the latter certainly feels a tipping point has finally been breached.
I read an interesting assessment this month on issues with the form's current place and continuing direction.
Over-long instalments. Lack of one-off treatments. Too many meandering banter-based offerings with diminishing pay-offs. Unnecessary rush for the 'hot take'. Mistaken pursuit of replacement for radio. Preferring spontaneity over scripting prep. An absence of post-recording smart editing.
And a concluding sentiment signposting a creativity rethink worthy of consideration; "As they stand, podcasts feed the mind, but they do not feed the soul."
A few years in, I added podcasts to my salesforce knowledge management system.
Knowing the current major thrust of my customers, and having generated the rich intel in how to go about selling it from within their sellers, I constructed monthly twenty-minute verbal vignettes. With mp3 available for download.
The smartphone then was still a couple o' years off. Yet I received appreciative feedback from salespeople. Ones who'd benefitted from copying the episodes across to their gadget-of-the-day, the ipod.
Marrying technical proficiency required and motivation to be in 'work-mode' on say commute or in gym meant this pool of winners was inevitably, sadly, small. Yet they were trailblazers.
Mostly, it was reading out already captured documented best-practice and messages. On occasion, I did include snippets of mini-interviews. Usually having made what today we'd call a voicenote of a salesperson describing how they won a deal or what it meant and the like. Which I then spliced up.
I got to know who downloaded the files. And would ask them what they wanted. I wasn't so much concerned with increasing adoption among those yet to listen at that time. I never expected audio to appeal to or suit everyone, and certainly didn't want to compel the hearing of them throughout.
In any salesteam, when it comes to information dissemination, there's unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all answer.
Think of certain broadcasters and publishers you may know. Some offer a video of their podcast chat, alongside the audio file, with a transcript attached. Three bases covered. Some even go further, and chop up or summarise the content for bitesize or deeper explainer pieces too.
What a way to go.
And if you're in a salesteam, I'd very much suggest to embrace such endeavour will undoubtedly help set you apart from any competition or appreciably add to the results you gain.
Yes, there's work involved. But once you get going, the economies of effort kick in.
Feed the sales mind, soul and quota.