The annual sales kickoff is a great opportunity to network and meet new colleagues, learn new things about the sales industry, and maybe even relax a little bit. But, often times, this long weekend is packed with so much information, that many salespeople leave without solidifying that knowledge. And, even if they do take away concrete points, the implementation often falls quickly to the wayside. Julie Hansen, interviewed by John Golden, explores sales kickoff meetings and how to make the most of them.
This expert sales interview explores sales kickoff meetings, including topics such as:
- Ensuring your ROI
- Creating staying power
- Why Less is More
Return on Investment?:
There’s a lot of money, time, and energy being put into these events, but often times there is not a sufficient return on investment. “You only have to think back to last year’s sales kickoff, and how much you really remember, to realize that a lot of the content doesn’t have as much staying power as you would like,” said Hansen. The problem with these sales kickoffs is that there is a lot packed into a short amount of time. Between new products and services, new technology, new feature training, new marketing messages, and learning new sales skills, the salesperson doesn’t come away with much. “What are they actually doing nine to ten months later? What are they taking away from these kickoffs?” asks Hansen.
Staying Power:
We need to structure these sales kickoffs in such a way that people are going to remember the important things after the meeting is over. Hansen likens it to a sales presentation with a customer when you pitch a complex solution over several days. “You have to think about, at the end of the two days, what are they going to walk away with?” said Hansen. Pick three or four important messages to reinforce throughout the entire time period that you want to be remembered when it comes to making a decision. “When you are in that planning process, think, how do I make this sticky? How do I make these key ideas that I’m spending a lot of money on have staying power?”
Less is More:
“I think less is almost always more these days,” said Hansen. “People are so overwhelmed, and there are so many things coming at people in a sales kickoff.” But, it’s tough when people only get together once or twice a year. These sales kickoff meetings can be one of the only opportunities to present new information. “I think you need to be realistic about what you want people to do afterward. It’s like a customer situation, at the end of the call, what do you want them to do?” asks Hansen. “If you don’t think about it, if you don’t plan for it, you’re at the mercy of whatever strikes them.” This doesn’t mean that you can’t introduce a variety of topics and information. Rather, it means that you have to keep in mind the few things that you want attendees to take away, and how you can set them up so that they have success implementing those points after the sales kickoff is over.
To learn more about making the most of these sales kickoff meetings, watch the expert sales interview!
About Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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