FIVE KEYS TO DYNAMIC SALES MEETINGS
by Randy Schwantz
It's Thursday afternoon and you're already thinking about Monday morning's sales meeting. You say to yourself, 'What a drain! This is one of the toughest parts of my job. It would be a lot easier just to sell and participate in running the agency.' Well, it's your responsibility, and it's time to step up to the plate like a major leaguer.
Now what would a major leaguer do? He'd get his teammates more involved in winning the game, rather than trying to carry it all on his shoulders.
Most sales meetings rehash last week's or last month's numbers, followed up with talk of markets and closing, before opening the floor to anyone who wants to discuss an account. Generally, one or two persons dominate the meeting while the more reserved types sit biding their time, hoping this affair will be over soon and they can go back to their normal routine. Does this sound familiar?
When one of the more proactive sales types suggests, 'We should role play this,' the reserved ones start to protest, 'I don't feel comfortable role playing. After all, it never happens like this in the real world.' They know if they persist long enough and loud enough, they will have their way and get out of participating.
How do you get reserved participants more involved, proactively thinking about sales? How do you get those who normally dominate the meetings to exercise restraint? Attaining these objectives will lead to a more productive sales meeting, in which producers will learn and take greater responsibility for creating new business and retaining existing accounts.
Sales meetings should be a privilege to attend, not a form of punishment.
Here are five key ingredients for effective sales meetings:
1. Participation
Sales meetings tend to be lifeless and dry as a bone. Why? No participation. Speeches are often like monologues that are usually derogatory, focusing on what didn't happen rather than praising any achievements.
If your audience displayed that 'deer in the headlights' look in past meetings, it's time to start asking questions and becoming more creative. Have a salesperson read a joke you prepared just for this occasion. Set up an improv skit that displays the skills of your people. Play a game.
Probably the most effective way to involve your staff is to let them prepare for their participation. Some informative books provide ways to structure meetings with easy-to-follow outlines. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and Strategic Selling are valuable beginning resources. Buy all your people copies of these books and conduct the meeting in a round-robin format, assigning each producer a chapter to discuss at a future meeting. Make sure every chapter has its expert and that everyone knows what chapter each will be discussing. Finding the chapter's applicability to your staff and company should be the main purpose of every meeting. Set a time range for the report, and then facilitate a discussion of the wisdom behind each book's advice.
Why aren't these ideas now being tried? Companies often avoid radical changes to their meetings because the early confusion causes embarrassment, the status quo is much simpler, you don't have the time to prepare, or you're too comfortable with the staid image you present in the usual board meetings. The excuses aren't as important as the solution.
2. 'Mo' As in Motivation
Maybe you've heard this: 'Motivation doesn't last, so why waste your time?' Of course, a shower, a shoe shine, or breakfast doesn't last either. So do you stop doing those tasks?
The 'mo' at the root of motivation comes from emotions such as passion, excitement, joy, love, desire, pride, and everything in between. If insurance seems boring, you need more 'Mo.' Wouldn't you like your people to have a burning passion for making money, hot desire to sell more insurance, tremendous pride in being one of the best, electric excitement when helping clients achieve their goals? Baby, that's 'MO'!
I know an agency principal who coaches a junior high school boys basketball team. He really enjoys coaching those boys because he sees the pleasure they get from winning and excelling. He enjoys his ability to influence those boys' lives. When I asked him why he didn't bring the same 'Mo' to his own boys-his producers-he replied, 'These guys are professionals. I shouldn't have to motivate them. They need to have enough internal drive to get it done. Look at all the money they make!' But he was wrong. The only difference between little boys and big boys is the cost of their toys.
3. Preparation
Pat Riley, the legendary NBA coach (Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and L.A. Lakers), would spend hours looking for motivating ideas that would challenge his players to dig deeper and try harder. One book he suggested was Sun-Tzu's The Art of War. Sun Tzu taught him that one of the keys to winning championships is talent; the other is to know the enemy better than they know themselves and then attack them where they are weak. It takes a lot of motivation to dig deeper, learn the competition, and know your own strengths and weaknesses, then attack. Too often people will take the easy route. It's up to you to raise your workers' motivation and prepare them for battle.
4. Invest
A universal truth: 'If it's free, it can't be that good.' I assign my people a small teaching assignment, such as developing a sales technique, or show them how to explain a complicated coverage to an unsophisticated client.
In most situations, you appreciate things you pay for more than what's given to you. To have a good meeting, a Win/Win meeting, everyone has to contribute (invest).
5. Visualize
The sun is bright, and you know you're holding a neon red foam can cooler, wrapped around 12 ounces of your favorite cold drink. Your new space-age sunglasses are perched elegantly on your nose as you hear the sound of the cool water lapping gently at your feet. From behind you, someone puts their soft, subtle hands in the apex of your shoulders and begins to gently squeeze. It's party time!
I hope you enjoyed our trip! It's easy to do with visualization. And visualization can be practiced in the comfort of your boardroom before taking it into the world outside. Rehearse your new skills in your mind, imagine the positive outcome you want to achieve, notice your client's or prospect's reaction, and feel the excitement of your new skill working for you.
It's been said that everything is created twice, first in your imagination and then in the real world. You can first visualize and practice new techniques in your head, and then go to the real world to test it out.
You Win
Everyone has a deep need to feel like a winner. If you create an environment where you and others participate, you give yourself and others a chance to get excited and motivated. As you prepare for victory, make sure everyone invests in your meeting, and visualize your success. That's what it takes for you and everyone around you to be winners.