How to Improve Your Weekly Sales Meetings and Why

At almost every solution selling training workshop we hear sales reps complain about internal sales meetings.

We’d be surprised if you have not heard the same complaints from the sales team that the weekly meetings are a waste of time.  Shame on sales leaders. It is time to improve. If you are going to take your team off the streets on a weekly basis, make sure you make their attendance worthwhile.

Maybe it’s time to get back to square one and remember why you scheduled these sales meetings in the first place. In general, the purpose of sales meetings should be to help your salesforce to succeed through some combination of:

• Clarifying, monitoring and adjusting sales strategies and sales plans
• Modeling and rewarding behaviors that align with your desired sales culture
• Building relationships
• Celebrating successes and brainstorming challenges
• Working together to solve problems
• Sharing market knowledge, expertise and best practices
• Reinforcing key sales skills learned in solution selling training
• Discussing what is happening at the corporate level

With the purpose in mind, think about how to keep a tight agenda that provides real value. Sales meetings should instruct, inform and inspire. 

1. Instruct
   Focus on a specific solution selling skill or step in your sales methodology that needs fine tuning. Your primary responsibility as a sales manager is to improve the performance of your team. Improvement requires the opportunity to learn and grow. What is it that is holding them back? Perhaps they need more work on overcoming objections or presenting more effectively. Make sure you equip your team with what they need to succeed.


2. Inform
   Every sales team member should be very clear about what they are expected to do and how their success will be measured and rewarded. Check in each week for a quick measure of where the team stands in relation to your top 2-3 sales targets. Work together to figure out what buttons need to be pushed to succeed.


3. Inspire
   As a sales leader, you need to inspire your sales team. Your confidence in them, your support, your readiness to provide sales performance coaching, and your upbeat attitude will set an example for them to follow. And, don’t forget to have fun. Sales team meetings should help forge the bonds that tie a high performing sales team together. Enjoying and respecting one another is a prime motivator for putting in the extra discretionary effort and committing to common goals.

With the purpose and content back in the forefront as you plan each sales meeting, don’t forget the basics of good sales meetings management. You need an agenda, a strict start and stop, and a facilitator who can keep you on task while encouraging open communication.

Now let’s see what your sales team says about your next sales team meeting! 

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