Running an Effective Sales Meeting

You’ve scheduled a sales meeting, and only half of the attendees have arrived on time. On top of that, those who are in attendance are preoccupied with their laptops and PDAs, not focused on the task at hand. Does this sound frustratingly familiar?

The fact is that most sales meetings aren’t as productive as they should be. Your staff may find them tedious and frequently filled with information that they don’t find particularly relevant to their success.

Business owners and managers need to run meetings in a way that makes them a positive activity for employees — not just an obligation they must fulfill. Here are some key tips to follow to ensure you are running an effective sales meeting:

Select the Right Time

Timing is everything when it comes to sales, likewise when it comes to sales meetings. Don’t plan the regular sales meeting during a peak selling hour. Rather, choose an off-peak time such as Monday mornings, when many sales reps usually find it difficult to connect with prospects. You may also find that early Monday meetings also start the selling week off with a positive and upbeat tone.

Keep It Short

The old adage that less is more certainly applies here. If you are having regularly scheduled sales meetings, keep the length less than an hour. Thirty minutes is even better. Your reps will be much more apt to attend meetings if they don’t have to sit for hours, listening to information that doesn’t necessarily apply to them, while they’re thinking about all the sales calls they could be making.

Keep Updating, Keep Educating

Providing information and insights into the company’s products and services as well as information about the competition should be a regular part of sales meetings. Even for the most seasoned reps, staying abreast of price changes, market conditions and enhancements to sales technology is vital to success. Public relations efforts and marketing campaigns should also be discussed during sales meetings.

Sales Skills Education/Reinforcement