How to Use Your Content to Drive Sales Faster (and Cut Your Sales Cycle in Half)

Most businesses struggle with long, exhausting sales cycles. I know this firsthand.

When I was leading sales and marketing for my industrial machinery company, our typical sales cycle was 12 months—a full year from the first inquiry to closing a deal. It was frustrating. We spent countless hours in meetings, traveling across the globe, answering the same questions over and over, and losing deals simply because the buying process was too slow.

Then I discovered They Ask, You Answer (TAYA), and everything changed.

By using our content the right way—answering customer questions upfront, using assignment selling, and leveraging video—we cut our sales cycle in half, down to six months.

Here’s exactly how we did it.

Why Most Sales Cycles Are Too Long

I used to think long sales cycles were just the nature of our industry. We sold high-value industrial machines—decisions took time, right?

Wrong.

The real reason sales cycles drag on is simple: Buyers don’t have enough information upfront.

Think about it: When a prospect comes to you, they have questions. Lots of them.

• How does your product/service compare to others?
• How much does it cost?
• What are the risks?
• Will it really work for them?

If they don’t get these answers early, they hesitate. They delay. They “need to think about it.”

The moment we started proactively answering these questions through content, everything sped up.

Step 1: Answer The Questions Your Buyers Actually Ask

Here’s the first game-changer: Every time a prospect asks a question, it means we should already have a written or video answer for it.

🚨 Fact: 80% of the questions you get from prospects are the same ones over and over.

Yet, most companies waste time answering these questions manually—again and again—rather than turning them into evergreen content that does the work for them.

What We Did:

• We listed the top 10 questions our buyers asked during the sales process.
• We created blog posts and videos answering each one in depth.
• We used these resources in our sales process (more on this below).

💡 Example:

In our industry, one of the biggest questions was about installation problems. Buyers were worried about delays, costs, and technical issues.

We created a detailed guide explaining:

• What a typical installation looked like
• Common problems (and how we prevented them)
• What customers needed to prepare in advance

The result? By the time a customer spoke with us, they already understood the process and were more confident in their decision.

This one piece of content eliminated weeks of back-and-forth.

Step 2: Use “Assignment Selling” to Educate Buyers Before Calls

The biggest mistake sales teams make? Spending time on prospects who aren’t ready to buy.

Before we implemented TAYA, I’d get on a call with a potential customer, and they’d have a million basic questions. I’d spend an hour answering them, only to hear, “Great, I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

That’s when I learned about Assignment Selling—a simple but powerful way to qualify and educate prospects before sales conversations.

How It Works:

• When a prospect books a call, send them 2-3 relevant articles or videos before the meeting.
• Tell them: "Before our call, please review these resources. They’ll answer some of your key questions and ensure we make the best use of our time."
• Result? They come into the call better informed, with fewer objections, and ready to move forward.

Step 3: Use Video to Build Trust Before The First Meeting

At trade shows, people started coming up to me and saying: "Hey, Stefan! I know you!"

At first, I was confused. I’d never met them before. But they felt like they knew me because they’d seen my videos.

That’s when it hit me: Video builds trust faster than anything else.

What Videos Work Best?

• "What to Expect" Video: Explain your process so prospects know what’s coming.
• Pricing & Cost Breakdown: Answer the #1 question buyers have—“How much does this cost?”
• Common Objections Video: Address the biggest concerns upfront so prospects don’t stall.

The Results: Cutting Our Sales Cycle in Half

After implementing these three strategies—answering key questions upfront, using Assignment Selling, and leveraging video—we saw game-changing results:

If you’re still stuck in long, exhausting sales cycles, this is your wake-up call.

What To Do Next

If you want to shorten your sales cycle and close deals faster:

1. Make a list of your top 10 buyer questions.
2. Create blog posts or videos answering them.
3. Start using Assignment Selling before every sales call.
4. Experiment with video content—even simple recordings can make a big impact.

📌 Connect with me on LinkedIn or message me directly—I’d love to help you get started.