5 musts of a sales meeting

Hey Stellar Fans,

For the past 12 years I have participated or ran sales meetings multiple times almost every week. It shocks me how many of them are planned and conducted the wrong way. It’s estimated that 90% of sales training is a waste. The major cause for this is improper planning and execution. I see companies doing one of three things wrong.

1.       They don’t even attempt sales meetings, or gather once in a while to find out what is going wrong.

2.       They meet on a regular basis and the majority of the content revolves around putting out fires or talking about what everyone is doing wrong.

3.       And worst; they meet every day or at least three times per week and bore everyone to the point where they are yawning and looking at the clock.

Sales meetings must revolve around the following five things:

1.       They must be planned. You expect that out of your sales staff, practice what you preach. I prepare sales meetings on a standard "fill in the blank" form. This allows me not only to plan what I will do but to also track what I have done in the past.

2.       They must be themed. Typically a sales meeting is the result of the owner not being happy with a certain result. While it is good to analyze the numbers and base your meeting on improving certain aspects, it must be done in a positive way. Theme your meeting around improving a certain area and tie it into the current contest or mantra of the business.

3.       They must be short. Sales meetings that drag on for hours have the reverse effect of what was intended. Thirty days after attending a seminar or a sales meeting you will have forgotten 87% of what was said. Be brief and to the point, follow the format and don’t drag it out.

4.       Follow the format of: Recognition, Education, and Motivation. Start by recognizing the positive results that sales reps have obtained since the last meeting. This recognition will naturally motive those that are not mentioned; to do things that get them mentioned the next time.

5.       The emotional flow of most sales meetings are: start off high, die down during the meat of the meeting, and jack it back up at the end…… WRONG! The emotional flow of the meeting should start off slow and mellow, then slowly build throughout. Reaching the peak and ending it there. Remember, always leave them wanting more and run the meeting like a great story.

For a complimentary sales meeting at your business contact Destry @ destry@stellarremix.com

Destry Brink

www.destrybrink.com

Systems reign supreme

Hey Stellar Fans,

At a recent client meeting I could not help but smile inside knowing that I have put systems in place for the most critical aspects of my client’s  businesses. There was a lot of frustration in the room, as the company leaders voiced their concerns. The answer was simple: There was not one tangible form of a system in this business. Everyone’s own version of what they should do and how they should do it was in their heads. The owner had his system, delegated objectives, and judged the result based on how he would have done it. How he would have carried out the specific task though, was nowhere on paper or involved in any training program.

I quickly turned to his IT employee and asked how difficult it would be for a computer to operate successfully with no systems or algorithm in place? In my computer layman’s terms, it could not. When your computer is not performing tasks to your expectations, what do you say? I have learned that most people blame the computer. If someone in your organization is not performing as expected, look into your systems first. The great military commander Sun Tzu, knew to check his system of training first before he beheaded two concubines.

Sales organizations with the resources to keep their sales team on appointments are the industry leaders. These organizations tend to have strong systems in place to keep their sales team on opportunities. Their systems also seem to flow directly into every aspect of their business. Simply put, they have a system in place that is workable, they work it, reflect on it, enhance it, and then start over. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

 The most important aspect of a sales organization is to have this system in place. Not only will most organizations never do this, I have learned that most of these organizations don’t have a business plan, copied a competitors plan, or have not seen their plan since it was typed up during the start-up phase.

Systems need to start with the simple and work up to the complex. If there are no systems in place or very few, start with the easy ones. For example, how do you go about recruiting team members? When do you recruit them, why are you recruiting them, where are you going to recruit them? If this information is not on paper in a plan, with different contingencies, you’re lagging behind. The industry leaders I have been fortunate enough to learn from had all of this, the bottom feeders did not. The choice is yours.

For information on the Stellar Recruiting System, including 14 methods to recruit top talent, contact Destry Brink @ destry@stellarremix.com

Destry Brink

http://www.stellarremix.com/

http://www.obstaclism.com/