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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Tips to Make Sales Meetings Meaningful Instead of Meaningless

Tips to Make Sales Meetings Meaningful Instead of Meaningless

When you think about the sales meetings you attend, are you delighted or disappointed? Are you engaged or enraged? Is your time spent in the meetings worthwhile or wasted?

Sales meetings are 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.

10 Tips to Help Create Meaningful Sales Meetings

Below are ten tips to create sales meetings that will help build teams infused with positivity about this weekly meeting. The first tip may be the most important the reason why NOT to have a sales meeting.2021 media sales report - download now button

1. Be Clear on What NOT To Do in The Meeting

In your sales 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, or an outlet for negativity.

2. Create an Agenda for Each Meeting That's Time-Bound

Meetings should not go on and on. They should be organized, relevant, interactive, and never used to reprimand the entire team.

  • Review the numbers
  • Plan for the week
  • Answer questions
  • Discuss specific items/tasks

3. Sales Meetings is an Opportunity

An opportunity for training, client problem-solving, and recognition.

4. All Meetings Should Be Interactive

Sales meetings are 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

This is an opportunity where the entire team can conduct 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

Employee recognition, and your remarks, should relate to what this person has done and be aligned with his or her particular talents. 

8. Ask for a Volunteer

This volunteer can talk about the best sales call they’ve had in the past week, and explain in detail what made it so good.

9. Assign Topics to be Presented by a Salesperson Based on Their Strengths

What are their compelling valid business reasons (VBRs) to get the appointment, research tools they use that are most helpful, email subjects they use that get a response from the prospect/client, etc.

10. Ask a Salesperson to Discuss Examples

Ask a salesperson to discuss specific examples, such as, 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.

New call-to-action *Editor's Note: This post was originally published in December 2016, and has since been updated.

Topics: successful sales meetings Sales