It’s January. You know what that means. No, I’m not talking about hitting the gym or cutting back on those french fries (although that wouldn’t be a bad idea). It’s sales kickoff season – where countless companies bring their sales teams together to talk about what happened last year, share the latest updates to their products and solutions, and set new sales targets for the upcoming year. Do you have a sales meeting strategy?
If you’re lucky, your company understands the value behind an effective sales meeting, and invests appropriately in the experience. In other cases, the sales kickoff is a simple gathering, and there is little attention payed to the experience of the sales team because they’re “employees” and “have to be there”.
I believe that excellent customer and brand experience begins with excellent employee experience. The sales kickoff is an incredible opportunity to start the year off with a bang. If you’re smart about the continuity of engagement throughout the year, you can avoid the dreaded “make or break” Q4 scenarios we’ve all lived through, and see sales productivity, continuous objective achievement, and improvement throughout the year.
When planning a sales conference, there are three crucial elements to success. In some cases, your company may have gone overboard and you need to simplify. In other cases, your approach will need to be augmented to ensure you’re covering all three bases at a minimum.
- Celebrate. Salespeople are competitive by nature. As you design and build your experience, remember this. Sure, the primary motivation for hunters is the rewards of the kill, or compensation. But compensation alone will not foster continued motivation. Top-performers who only receive financial recognition will be on the lookout for the opportunity to gain greater recognition elsewhere (your competition). Additionally, employees who are not top performers may get frustrated and leave for the same reasons. They still have a role on your team. Ensure your sales kickoff experience not only recognizes top-performers, but the achievements of everyone on the team and the team as a whole.
- Educate. The pack is only as fast as the slowest wolf. The sales kickoff is the ideal place to educate teams on new products and solutions, sales techniques, tools of the trade, and improving themselves. Use a variety of proven learning and development techniques, tools and technologies, including role-playing, peer coaching, access to real customers, etc. Think beyond the talking head or product breakout session. Make it immersive and interactive. The sales kickoff should be a point of accentuation for a broader, more robust program that lasts throughout the year.
- Motivate. Here’s where many companies fall short. Is your company investing in an experience that truly excites sales teams to attend and participate? Are they getting content they cannot get anywhere else? Is there something really cool that gives them a reason to believe? An experience that makes them feel like they are part of a thriving community, and that makes them proud to be a part of it will goes a long way. Here’s a simple trick: Ask yourself: “Will the experience be something they’ll tell their friends about outside of work? Will it be something they’re excited to share on social media?” If not, you might be missing the mark.
Three simple concepts to make your sales conference a success. Celebrate. Educate. Motivate. With the right investment and approach in the sales kickoff experience, the return on investment to your bottom line will be impressive.