Billcookonline

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  I have been putting together a national sales meeting for the last couple of months. The planning and preparation are coming to a boil now as our meeting starts next week. Last minute details such as presentation tweaks, dinners, agenda changes, AV equipment needs, and schedules are all getting ironed out.

  The trick in all this is to not get bogged down in these details, but to focus mostly on how to make this a great meeting that ramps up growth significantly! Fifteen speakers and twenty different topics over three days will ensure that the sales team will be sufficiently loaded up with enough to keep them going for quite some time.

  The real value of the sales meeting is not all this content, and the necessary preparation to make it happen. The best part of the meeting for the reps will be the time they spend together.

  The benefits are many:

  1.Reps learn, or relearn, that they are not alone, and that the other reps are going through similar challenges and struggles to grow their business.

  2.They gain a sense of camaraderie.

  3.They get to vent some of their frustrations and complain to each other about the boss. Hey wait, I am the boss! Oh well, I KNOW they will come up with something about me to complain about. I am okay with that. Really.

  4.They get a break from the routine to have some fun, and to share some moments that build culture.

  5.They will learn a lot from each other and the answers and ideas that are shared peer-to-peer during the meeting-- far more than from the speakers!

  6.They will put a few of the things they learn into practice-- and their business will grow as a result.

  So, if you are a sales manager or a company leader, bring your reps together periodically. It's always worth the time and energy to prepare for the meeting, as the benefits above are real and the sales growth can certainly be measured!

  Good luck and let me know if I can assist you!

  Bill Cook