When you think about sales meetings you’ve attended over the years, were you delighted or disappointed? Were you engaged or enraged? Was your time spent in the meetings worthwhile or wasted?

The sales meeting is a staple in most every sales department. Time is money to every salesperson and sales leader. It’s up to the sales leader to make sure each meeting is positive, motivating, and worthwhile. Treat your sales team like customers who want to feel like their needs have been met and that they leave the meeting enlightened and energized.

Below are some tips to create sales meetings that can build teams that are infused with positivity about this weekly meeting. The first tip may be the most important: the reason why NOT to have a sales meeting:

1. Be clear on what NOT to do in the meeting. In your meeting do NOT include any topic that can be sent in a memo. Do NOT include a collections review roundtable. Do NOT go over individual revenue projections. Do NOT let your meeting turn into a forum for whining, complaining and an outlet for negativity.

2. Create an agenda for each meeting that is time-bound. Meetings should not go on and on. They should be organized, relevant, interactive, and never used to reprimand the entire team.

3. Sales meetings should be an opportunity for training, client problem-solving and recognition.

4. All meetings should be interactive and should be focused on group participation and group dynamics. Salespeople should be stakeholders in each meeting.

5. Change the “voice” in the meeting so it’s not always yours. Have a salesperson present a proposal where honest feedback can be given in the “safe space” of the team. Salespeople can use this time to benefit from a group brainstorming session to develop a creative and customized idea for a client.

6. Invite a prospect to the meeting where the entire team conducts a Needs Analysis session with the prospect. How cool does that make the prospect feel! 

7. Recognition—be specific in your recognition of someone on your team. Your remarks should relate to what this person has done and be aligned with his or her particular talents. 

8. Ask for a volunteer to talk about the best sales call they’ve had in the past week. What made it so good?

9. Assign topics to be presented by a salesperson based on what their strengths are: compelling VBRs to get the appointment, research tools they use that are most helpful, email subjects they use that get a response from the prospect/clien, etc.

10. Ask a salesperson to discuss, using an example, why they should never give up on a prospect. How long did the sales process take? What tactics did the salesperson use in the process?

The goal is to have each team member leave the meeting feeling that it was a WOW meeting, and that it was an enlightening and motivating experience. After several meetings like this your team will be primed with positivity and possibilities regarding sales meetings.

 

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