National Sales Meetings, 3 More Things You Must Know

National Sales Meetings, 3 More Things You Must Know:from The Sales Challenger™ by Cristina Gomez

To expand on my colleague, Scott Collins’ Do’s and Don’ts of National Sales Meetings, we collected recent SEC member views on best practices for running impactful National Sales Meetings. In conversations with us, as well as through the SEC Sales Talent Management Forum, members shared what has worked for them, what innovative tactics they are trying out, and how they are keeping their meetings engaging and productive.

Here are a few tips from SEC members:
1.     Content is king―whether you hire internal or external speakers, focus on selecting topics that are relevant, speakers that are credible, and learning formats that provide fun and excitement.
Members say:

• Often the best rated elements of member meetings are the learning exercises structured in interactive formats. Examples of interactive learning exercises include:

i)    Speed networking (roundtable discussions on a range of topics led by an internal subject matter expert where reps rotate from table to table in 15-minute intervals)
ii)   Small table workshops
iii)  Interactive game shows, such as Family Feud

• Gaming simulations are also among the most popular learning formats. For example, members recommended using large-scale games such as “The Search for the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine,” which can be aligned with meeting themes and tailored to make use of relevant training concepts.

The key to these exercises is providing reps with actionable take-aways or learning points, and scheduling moderated debriefing discussions to reinforce learning objectives.
2.     Get the planning right―it’s easy to build your meeting’s agenda based on last year’s program, but your reps don’t appreciate repetitive content and familiar training formats.
Members say:

• Assess whether or not there is a common skill development need across the entire sales organization that can be tackled in a holistic fashion at the meeting. If instead, there are different skill gaps that need to be addressed by level, think of strategic ways to segment your sales force.
• Solicit feedback from managers on behaviors that need to be changed or prioritized and adapt your content accordingly.
• Think about how you can tell a story to your reps. Start your meeting by including a short update from management, and/or a marketing update with exciting content on what’s coming down the pipeline.

3.     Think creatively about post-meeting follow-up―properly documenting your National Sales Meeting online and providing reps with reasons to engage with on-going learning tools can be a powerful way to increase your impact.
Members say:

• Encourage reps to leverage current technology and, for example, make videos summarizing meeting topics using smartphones and tabloids, which can be shared with the broader sales force online. Video making contests are also a creative way to increase rep participation and engagement with certain training topics.

See how Grainger and Neopost creatively use video competitions to drive socialization of training.

• Make sure to videotape and upload to your sales portal major breakout sessions so that reps can review the content from sessions they were not able to attend.
• Think critically when selecting content for the meeting, and remember that some topics are best taught through webcasts or on-going eLearning classes, rather in a face-to-face environment.

What other suggestions do you have for making National Sales Meetings impactful?
SEC Members, review fellow members’ suggestions on the best Inspirational Keynote Speakers, learn the 3 Ways to Keep Your Sales Kickoff Alive, and learn about our research on Boosting Sales Training Stickiness.