Commute. Shopping. Chores. What if it was possible to learn how to make a great sales pitch while doing these routine things?
Because I know a way to win that time back and make it productive. Start listening to podcasts!
Podcasts changed my life. Now I’m looking forward to cleaning my apartment or buying groceries. It means that I’ll be learning something new!
And you know what’s best? Podcasts are completely free. You can download them on your phone and listen whenever you want, wherever you are.
We’re living in the golden age of podcasts. There are tons of shows on anything from true crime to politics. Podcasts related to sales, however, are still a bit of a niche. So today I decided to share some of my favorite picks.
Learning how to make a perfect pitch is crucial for your sales success (you’ll pitch both over cold emails and cold calls). These shows will teach you how to be more productive and come up with a perfect sales pitch — all while you’re on the go.
Sales podcast #1 — Advanced Selling Podcast
Advanced Selling Podcast is one of the most popular sales podcasts out there. Each week hosts Bryan Neale and Bill Caskey discuss a new sales challenge. The topics range from actionable tips (eg. things you should do before a sales call) to more philosophical discussions (eg. is it possible to prospect when you’re burned out?).
There are jokes and stories from personal experiences sprinkled throughout each episode. And the episodes are quick and to the point, often clocking in at 15-20 minutes.
Combined, Bryan and Bill have more than 40 years of experience in sales and sales coaching. Their knowledge is well worth listening to.
(And I’ve never agreed with anything more than the episode on things a salesperson should never, ever say.)
Sales podcast #2 — The Sales Evangelist
Donald Kelly describes himself as a person with selling in their DNA. And you can hear his love for sales in each episode of The Sales Evangelist.
Kelly’s presentation is energetic and passionate — the way sales pitches should be. I especially like the playful reenactments of typical sales situations that he sometimes does.
For example, Kelly starts the recent episode on the art of closing a deal by talking to a ‘customer’. His team is ‘excited and very close to having a deal’, but not ready to close it. Something that salespeople hear way too often.
New episodes of The Sales Evangelist drop every couple of days. They are usually under 20 minutes long. By the way, the podcast is great for sales motivation. Hearing Kelly’s excited voice is a sure way to fire up your productivity!
Sales podcast #3 — The Sales Babble Podcast
The Sales Babble first aired in 2014. Since then it has become one of the best sales podcasts around. Episodes are insightful, well-made and a joy to listen to. No matter whether host Pat Helmers talks about business plans or sales differentiation.
The podcast is especially useful for people who are only starting in sales. If you want to get a sales job, this episode is a great place to get started.
But what I like most about Pat Helmers’ approach to his show is its humane approach to sales. Episodes like the one on honesty in sales show why the best sales pitch shows respect for the customer.
(I really like how Pat shares notes for each new episode on his website, too. They highlight key insights of each interview and required reading on the topic.)
Sales podcast #4 — The Brutal Truth About Sales & Selling
The description for this podcast starts with a phrase ‘no BS allowed’. It’s a welcome change in the world of constant information overflow.
I’m happy to say that host Brian Burn delivers. The episodes of his show are longer, typically taking up around 40 minutes to listen to. But the conversations with B2B sales experts are full of valuable insights. Episodes like the one on delivering better sales presentations are captivating.
Sales podcast #5 — Accelerate!
Andy Paul’s podcast is all about finding ways to improve your sales skills. Sometimes the solution involves learning neuroscience techniques. Sometimes it’s about teaching yourself to build trust.
In any case, it always involves rich conversations with experts in the field. Accelerate is a great show if you want to learn new and unexpected ways to come up with a sales pitch. It’s like a future-proof guarantee for your mind.
Sales podcast #6 — StartUp
Now for something a bit different I’ll recommend a podcast that’s not related to sales. At least, not directly.
StartUp is all about starting your own business. It comes from a popular podcast network Gimlet Media. Host Alex Blumberg is an expert at audio journalism. The original season of StartUp documents the struggle of launching Gimlet itself. It became a hit overnight.
Now with dozens of episodes to its name, StartUp is an amazing source of valuable insights. What makes a great sales pitch? How to sound confident when you’re not? What will persuade the investors? How not to pitch a billionaire?
Even if you don’t plan on launching your own company, I really recommend you listen to StartUp. And not because it was turned into an ABC show.
Sales podcast #7 — The Ultimate Sales Hustle Podcast
You’re probably familiar with the work of Steli Efti. His blog Close.io is among one of the most popular destinations for salespeople online. But did you know that he also runs a podcast?
He does! And it’s just as good as his written content. The episodes touch everything from SaaS sales to selling to early customers. The podcast dives deep into making it work as a sales rep, all in short, 20 to 30 minute long episodes. Steli often brings sales experts and famous entrepreneurs on board.
Sales podcast #8 — The GaryVee Audio Experience
Ever needed a boost in confidence? The GaryVee Audio Experience is the podcast to subscribe to.
Gary Vaynerchuk is a powerhouse. He brings unparalleled energy to the mic. What’s best, his reach involves various famous guests from all kinds of industries. It’s the only podcast on this list that features an interview with Dwayne Johnson!
The GaryVee Audio Experience isn’t strictly a sales podcast. But it will teach you how to persuade people and be passionate about your work. You know — stuff that makes for the best sales pitches.
Sales podcast #9 — The Ziglar Show
The late Zig Ziglar was a hugely influential voice in the American sales industry. The podcast is hosted by Zig’s son Tom and Kevin Miller.
Together, they bring Ziglar’s vision of passionate, customer-first selling to life. The show is all about achieving your true potential. It often features episodes on connecting with prospects, sales motivation, and reciprocity. (Something we also covered on the blog, by the way.)
The Ziglar Show is expertly crafted and features a lot of experts. But what I like best about it is the idea of ‘believe in what you’re selling’, made popular by Ziglar himself.
Sales podcast #10 — The Pitch
Real entrepreneurs. Real investors. Real money.
That’s the pitch behind The Pitch — another startup-centric podcast from Gimlet Media. The Pitch follows up-and-coming entrepreneurs who want to launch their own businesses.
The podcast focuses on how they structure their sales pitches. This makes it great for salespeople. The episodes like ‘This Pitch is Damn Near Perfect‘ are full of insights on making people connect with your message. And what’s even better, this podcast also shows what kind of pitches don’t work.
Sales podcast #11 — The Tim Ferriss Show
Now, this show you have definitely heard about before.
Many regard Tim Ferris’ show as one of the most influential business podcasts ever. It’s not included in many lists of best sales podcasts, but best podcasts, period.
Why? Well, Tim’s experience advising companies like Twitter and Uber is something to be in awe of. But that doesn’t hold him back from having a fun personality, and he always invites guests who are passionate about their work. If you want to learn how to develop your personality, this is the podcast to subscribe to.
(I, however, won’t ever forgive Tim for the time he described his daily routine. It features meditation, pool and a rotating list of fashionable restaurants. It’s cruel.)
Sales podcast #12 — The Social Selling Podcast
The Social Selling podcast isn’t as big as some of the other podcasts on this list. But I enjoy its laser focus on social selling techniques and LinkedIn in particular.
The show features sales reps who work with prospects on social media. The range of topics is surprisingly wide. The podcast covers everything from how AI bots will help you pitch better to using video in a B2B sales pitch.
If your work includes prospecting on LinkedIn, take a look at the podcast’s backlog. (And if it doesn’t, read our article on why LinkedIn is great.)
How to listen to podcasts
These days listening to podcasts is as easy as it gets.
iPhone comes with a Podcast app, where you can discover and subscribe to all of the shows we mentioned. Android phones recently got their own similar app in the form of Google Podcasts.
My app of choice is Pocket Casts. It’s beautiful, easy to use and available on all platforms, including the web. It also has some cool features to experiment with. For example, it can play podcasts on 2x speed or automatically trim silence. Pocket Casts also syncs your progress with a dedicated desktop app.
No matter which app you choose, the listening experience is similar on each platform. Simply search for a podcast of your choice, hit subscribe and you’ll get new episodes in your feed. After that, you can download them to listen on the go.
Conclusions
Listening to sales podcasts is a great way to improve your productivity. Start learning even during the parts of the day when you can’t really do anything productive!
As I said before, it’s an easy and free way to enhance your life (both personal and professional). I really recommend you do it.
There are a lot of sales and business podcasts out there. I’m sure we missed some stellar picks. Do you have some favorite? Share them with us in the comments section below!
Interesting to see that they are all men…