- 1-2-1 Meetings (weekly/bi-weekly)
- Team Meetings (bi-weekly/monthly)
- Team review meetings (quarterly/annually)
- Call recordings
- Joint sales calls/ride-alongs
- Role plays
- Team training
- Coaching – individual/small group/whole team
This probably seems like a lot, so consider what will work best for you, your organization, and what you’re trying to accomplish. One of the most important in the list above is 1-2-1 meetings – a chance to look at individual results, pipeline health and level of activity.
1-2-1 meetings also serve to review three critical areas: the recent past, the current work, and the near future. Meeting with your team members individually on a regular basis is a fantastic way to get to know them, check in with them, figure out where they are winning & struggling, and where to help them be masters at their game. During these meetings you will learn about specific calls, whether they are following an established process or not and where conversions in the sales process are occurring or if there is a sticking point. You may learn that their activity is too low or that some major element is missing. What you learn will be instructive regarding recording calls, joint sales activities, etc.
You may discover that the entire team struggles in a specific area such as talking about budget or money. If that’s the case, then you can offer team training on this, then follow-up with coaching. Your 1-2-1 meetings will serve to probe deeply into the salespersons’ progress and how to help them individually.
Team meetings can happen with less frequency and can serve to celebrate, plan, share information, train. You may also review team progress on corporate goals, review sales methods, innovative ideas, etc. The purpose of these meetings can vary but will not usually be so personal and serve to unify the team, their direction and the progress that is being made.
Annual and quarterly meetings should serve a different purpose such as developing goals for the year or reviewing the results of the previous quarter or year. Instead of both, you may choose a semi-annual meeting with a specific agenda, one that may include hearing from a sales professional (trainer, coach, advisor, etc.). Since meetings, their purpose, agendas, and frequency are so important to individual and team success, plan what makes the best sense for your organization, the sales environment & team, and what you are trying to accomplish. If your first shot at this doesn’t work, don’t give up -- be persistent and then if revisions are needed, make them.
Lastly, one of the best recipes for success with meetings is to put them in an electronic calendar and send invitations for each attendee. If you need to change because there is a schedule conflict, select a near day and time – no cancellations. If you don’t act like meetings are important, others will follow suit.
Read more about managing a sales team in Ann Arbor on our website!
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