The Blatant Truth Weblog

How to Make Certain They’re Not Sleeping Through Your Sales Meeting

Who hasn’t sat through a tediously boring sales meeting that seemed to go nowhere and drag on forever? Unfortunately, these office pow-wows not only waste time and drain the energy out of employees, they are also unproductive.

However, meetings are necessary for the development of a sales team and can lead to positive results. They serve as an important way for your organization to collectively learn, share thoughts, and establish cooperation. But, these positive outcomes can only come from meetings that are optimized for success.

Here are the steps you need to take to make certain that the sales team won’t sleep through your next meeting:

Set an Agenda

Too many meetings are conducted without a defined purpose or agenda. Ultimately, the purpose of a meeting is to disseminate key information that will help your sales staff to sell. It’s not supposed to be a lengthy lecture. Determine what the goals of your meeting are ahead of time and stay focused on them. Give your sales staff a copy of the agenda before the meeting so that they know what to expect.

Set a Timeline

Now that you have the goals and an agenda, set a realistic timeline for your meeting that recognizes that time is money. Keep in mind that shorter, regularly scheduled sales meetings are far more effective than having them lengthy and infrequent. Aim for one meeting every week, or at least once a month, and keep the length from 30 minutes to no more than two hours.

Remember consistency is the name of the game in meeting planning. Set a regular start time and day, as well as a maximum length of time for the meeting. And, be aware that your attendees will be more alert in the morning than after lunch when you might as well hand them a blanket and a pillow so that they can take a post-meal snooze.

Keep It Relevant

Once you have an agenda for the meeting, limit the discussion to only the designated topics. Start with a positive story to engage them and reinforce your message. Avoid negative comments, and keep the conversation focused on group concerns, not individual problems. Further, save discussion about administrative issues for emails or other get-togethers.

Keep It Fun

Salespeople should look forward to meetings because they are both informative and enjoyable. It’s not enough to simply gather your team around a conference table and spew updates and figures at them. Rather, meetings should be used to connect, motivate, and appreciate. Provide refreshments, tell a joke, or invite a guest speaker, along with delivering your message.

Make It Interactive

Involve everyone in the meeting. Let individuals share sales tips, review mistakes and successes, and present product demonstrations. Encouraging dialogue will help everyone close more sales and ultimately be more successful.

A productive sales meeting requires planning, setting expectations, and having the right tools in place. With the right mix of these components, you’ll create less boredom and more enthusiasm, and will ultimately uncover the collaboration and productivity that sales meetings are supposed to provide.