In Building a Power Sales Force I discussed how to manage sales teams, Today i’ll try to give some good tips on running a sales meeting.

One of the sales manager’s main responsibilities is collecting and dispersing information. If your choice is to do this in a morning sales meeting, there are some simple steps to follow so that you can make the most out of both the meeting itself, and the day that follows it as a whole.

Most people don’t like meetings

Routine meetings are boring. If you have nothing that really require them to sit there, try to keep it as short as possible. Or consider skipping the meeting entirely. There are many ways of disseminating information; it doesn’t have to happen in a meeting. Starting off the day by boring people to tears is a bad way to get results.

Feedback doesn’t have to happen in the morning

You need information, but you also need to remember that some aren’t comfortable speaking up with ideas and concerns in a meeting environment. Don’t limit or demand feedback during a meeting, it will only cause those that are uncomfortable to begin with to close up and forget what they wanted to say.

Ask for feedback and leave the method open. Emails, open-door policy meetings, or a quick water-cooler conversation work just as well, and you allow the staff to deal with it when they are comfortable. The most effective is to ask for emails, this allows for ideas and concerns to be communicated as they occur - Which is easier to do than remember it for the next meeting.

The good after the bad

Always start with the bad news. It is better to start low and finish high for motivational purposes. When problems need to be addressed; Do it in a non-confrontational manner. Never criticize a single employee or a team in an open forum. But leave the problem to stand on its own without pointing fingers or assigning blame in any other fashion. A meeting is not the place for reprimands. Also, if you have an accolade for someone, treat is as a singular positive. Don’t use it to rub in the others’ faces.

Go from Bad to Good, never the other way around. Ending a meeting on a sour note is counter-productive since your job is to motivate. If you have no good news, talk about general motivation, or give encouragement or guidance on techniques you think could improve performance. Try to avoid getting on a high horse, or placing any emphasis on how great you would do if you were selling. You’re not there to make yourself look good, motivating and leading your team to perform is what will achieve that for you.

Remember to: KEEP

K eep It Brief
E ncourage feedback - don’t demand it
E nd on the good news
P ositive - Motivate and encourage

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