Can Your Sales Meetings Be Sold?
As a sales manager, you should be able to sell your sales meetings using the same techniques that you advocate your sales team using.
That said, how many sales meetings have employees gone to over time and been less than wowed? Worse yet, underperforming sales meetings can lead to fewer clients and a smaller revenue stream for your company.
Related: Need to Get Your Team on Track? Give them All D's
As the following article shows, Ideas for sales meetings: sales skill development, should not only be part of your sales meeting message; it should be part of your sales meeting method.
Demonstrate Your Authority
Just as you expect your sales team to show prospective customers that they know what they're talking about, you should show your sales meeting attendees that you have proficiency in sales.
Demonstrate your authority in sales by bringing all your years of sales experience to bear. Show that you understand the obstacles they may encounter while making the sale, and give advice as to how to conquer resistance to the sale.
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Use Anecdotal Stories
Stories engage your listeners in a humanistic way.
Use anecdotes from your sales days to bring listeners in and help them relate to you and to one another.
Instead of saying, "do this, do that," use real life stories to show how you handled certain situations.
Be honest about when your young sales efforts succeeded, and when they failed. Your sales team will respect you for it.
Related: The Key to Motivational Sales Meetings
Recognize Modern Tools
Don't attempt to disconnect your sales team from their favorite modern devices.
Sales people well understand the value of being mobile and connected, and if you try to dissuade them, they will see you as a dinosaur.
Recognize the value of modern tools like social media, social apps and mobile devices, and work together with your team on finding ways to make those tools work for your company instead of against it.
Make it Tactile
Incorporate fun elements into your sales meetings and watch your attendees wake up. Toss a ball around the room as you share ideas with one another.
Have everyone stand up when they want to add something to the discussion. Bring a puppy into the meeting if you have to. Touching and seeing a puppy will promote feelings of goodwill and make people come alive.
The key is to ignite all the senses in order to ignite all parts of the brain.
Use Images
Be sure to use images like stock photographs, graphs and illustrations in your presentations.
Some people respond to images more than words and vice versa. When you include images in your sales pitches, you're sure to be using a medium that will relate to everyone in the room, not just a select few.
Images should evoke feeling whenever possible. Stark, static images are less effective than images with contrasting elements that reflect dissimilitude.
Give Everyone a Voice
You are more powerful when you exhibit the confidence to allow everyone else in your meeting room to voice their opinions.
Related: Your Sales Staff Needs a Refresher
As long as attendees are being respectful and helpful, there's no reason to squelch anyone's voice. You don't have to necessarily act on every idea that's verbalized, but if you want to be heard, you must allow others to be heard.
You'll find that if you follow these tips, you'll enjoy your own sales meetings almost as much as your team will enjoy them.
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About the Author: Kate Supino writes extensively about best business practices, including sales, marketing and human relations.
