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8
Steps to Increasing Sales Meeting ROI
By Stephen Botte, Technology Marketing Group
Nowhere are
the challenges of the economy felt more strongly than on the brave
warriors of the Sales Organization. In the trenches every day doing
battle, it is critical to arm the sales force with the motivation,
information, and training they need to win.
Smart companies
know the power of a strategically planned and flawlessly executed
sales meeting. Just a few days spent together can impact the entire
year.
This article
focuses on the steps to ensure the resources invested in sales meetings
yield great results, measurable ROI and some fun along the way.
Step 1 -
Get executive buy-in
From the top down, Senior Management must agree that a sales meeting
is a company priority and commit the resources from their individual
organizations to make it a success.
Step 2 -
Develop a strategic vision and plan
Too often, we get caught up in the details and forget to stand back
and ask the important questions such as, "Why are we doing
this meeting", and "What do we want to achieve?"
Your sales meeting must have specific objectives (i.e., motivation,
education, networking, product training) identified. Senior Sales
Management must be involved so that the meeting actually meets the
needs of the field. With the objectives clearly defined, the tactics
will flow smoothly.
Step 3 -
Fine tune the agenda
Working directly with Senior Sales and Marketing management, you
must determine how much time will be given to each topic and the
objective for each and every session. Be ready for lots of discussion,
dissent and valued opinion from all parts of the organization. Act
as a moderator to build consensus and excitement about an agenda
everyone agrees will achieve the goals and objectives of the meeting.
Pay particular
attention to the messaging and how product, solution and vertical
market data is incorporated into the content. You must educate your
salespeople on how to sell customer solutions and not just
products.
Step 4 -
Establish a virtual team and assign content owners
Create an extended team comprised of those who have responsibility
for the content and ultimately the success of the meeting. Sales,
Marketing, Product Marketing, Sales Operations and the SE organization
should be represented on this team.
Step 5 -
Review, rehearse, review rehearse
Establish firm timelines for content development, review and rehearsal.
Remember, "practice makes perfect". And ensure that Sales
Management reviews all content to confirm it aligns with the goals
and objectives of the meeting.
Note that in
working with Product Marketing or Engineering, pay close attention
that content presented is accessible by all level of the sales organization
- from technical SEs to non-technical Account Managers. Or, break
the group up by function so the technical people get technical content
and the sales people get the business content.
Step 6 -
Execute flawlessly
All of your efforts to develop a superior agenda can be undermined
by execution that does not pay attention to detail. Pre-event site
checks, on site rehearsals and a dedicated production team ensure
the meeting flows without error and with ease.
Hint: Always
hire an in-room technician to manage the projection system, sound
system and computer presentation computer. The small additional
cost is an insurance policy to reduce frustration.
Step 7 -Measure
before and after
At a minimum, conduct a survey of all attendees to solicit feedback.
Another alternative to assess the success of information exchange,
ask attendees to complete a pre- and post- event survey on specific
content issues. Measure the results against one another to judge
your success.
In addition,
consider a certification program in which attendees must pass an
exam or give a specific presentation in front of peers in order
to "graduate". This can help attendees to focus on content
during all sessions.
Step 8 -
Have fun
A sales meeting is most definitely a time for real-time learning,
but it is also a time to build morale, network and have fun. There
are many ways to enjoy one another's company without going to lavish
expense. Create low-cost team events, make breaks long for social
interaction and allow plenty of time for meals.
Conclusion
A sales meeting is a terrific opportunity to motivate, train and
educate the sales force. Through careful strategic and tactical
planning, you can create a program that meets all these objectives.
From the onset, get senior staff buy-in on the development of the
overall vision. Create a team comprised of subject mater experts
to deliver the content and wrap it in a program that is flawlessly
executed and fun to attend.
Stephen Botte
is a Principal for Technology Marketing Group (TMG), an organization
that helps clients generate more revenue. Through development and
execution of strategic marketing programs, such as Sales Meetings,
TMG helps to increase market awareness and generate high quality
leads. Learn more at www.technolgymarketinggroup.com.
Stephen can be reached at (323) 936-5007 or sbotte@mindspring.com.
Take
me back to the SCribe - March 2004
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