Every successful sales organization understands the value of a productive sales meeting. An effective sales meeting can provide the spark to encourage and motivate the entire sales team. These sessions are the very best way to launch a new sales contest or campaign. And when sales production seems to be flat, it’s time to have a sales meeting to get the team back on track.

Many managers resist scheduling sales meetings because they lack understanding of the particular dos and don’ts of running an effective sales meeting. Some managers feel sales meetings can be a waste of time and keeping the team in the field would be a better investment of time.

Whether the sales meetings are scheduled daily, weekly or monthly, each occasion should be approached like it’s a big event. How can a leader motivate the troops if they do not meet face to face with them? Some managers will conduct conference calls with their sales team rather than having an organized meeting. Nice try, but trying to conduct a productive sales meeting on a conference call is not going to get the job done.

Can you imagine the coach of a football team gathering the players for a conference call prior to kick-off to get the team fired up? A conference call is less than half as effective as getting the team together for a sales rally. There are far too many distractions on conference calls and Web meetings. It’s vital to gather the sales team in one place if you expect to rally the team. Planning a dynamic sales meeting is not difficult. There are three specific facets that you need to accomplish.

1. Provide training. The manager needs to use this opportunity to make sure the sales meeting is time well spent and that the sales consultants receive valuable information to help them close more business.

The sales team needs continuous, ongoing training. There are new products and services that need to be discussed. The discussion should focus on how and when to present this new technology. Think about the steps in your sales presentation. Pick any of those steps and train on that process. Train on overcoming objections, how to generate appointments, how to create need, how to write a thank-you note, or how to ask for referrals. The list of possible training topics is almost endless.

Role playing is an effective training tool in your meeting. To make the role play more effective, be sure to tell the participants ahead of time they will be called on. Keep a lighthearted attitude during the role play activity. By having fun while training you will create a very comfortable environment. A sales meeting is not the place to ever embarrass anyone.

Always plan ahead. The sales manager must be well prepared to conduct training in the meeting. Don’t be predictable. Get creative by using different people to do some of the training activities. If you have a sales consultant who has certain skills, use them to train others in the meeting. Be sure to use visual aids if possible. If you are training on a new product, provide informational handouts or pass around the product during your meeting.

2. Instill Motivation. Keep all sales meetings positive. Never let anyone in the room bring down the excitement level the manager is trying to create. You only want to hear success stories. Do not discuss anything negative that happened in the past. The manager needs to get the message out that today is a new day with brand new opportunities.

Just like on a sales call, enthusiasm sells. The manager needs to be the cheerleader. Keep the energy level high throughout the meeting. The sales consultants will not be any more positive or excited than the manager is. The energy and enthusiasm that the sales manager shows will be contagious. If the manager wants an excited sales team, then they need to get excited and show it.

The most successful sales reps are knocking on doors or going business-to-business throughout the day. The majority of the clientele they meet will give them some type of negative response. They are being told “no” most of the day. The last thing they need now is to sit through a negative sales meeting. When the sales team arrives at the office for the session they should be greeted with smiles and high fives for a job well done.

Every sales room should have a sales tracking board. This is the scoreboard for your team. An effective manager understands that champion salespeople are usually highly competitive and want to see the result of their success posted for their peers to see. It is very important for the sales tracking board to be updated each day.

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