Part 2 – 9 Disciplines for Driving Sales Performance
By Walter Rogers on March 7, 2013 in Cloud Coaching International - Walter Rogers, coaching, Sales Coaching, sales performance, sales productivity
In partnership with Walter Rogers, CEO of CloudCoaching International, Work.com is proud to present “9 Disciplines to Create Sales Breakthroughs in Turbulent Times” from CloudCoaching International’s “Pathways to Growth” learning series.
Get a free preview of Cloud Coaching International’s sales peformance program HERE.
Discipline 2: Master Sales Team Meeting
“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible” – Colin Powell
Too many sales meetings consist of nothing more than each Sales Maker declaring a number and the Sales Managers pushing them to do better. That is not leadership. It is even hardly management. There is little value added to anyone but the Sales Manager’s requirement to provide a forecast to upper management. Rather than Sales Makers declaring a number and Sales Managers imploring Sales Makers work harder to improve their performance, Sales Managers could re-focus these meetings and use the opportunity to collaboratively discuss best practices for how to reach their goals, and how to break through obstacles that might preventing them from achieving their outcomes.
One of the most effective forums to raise overall team performance is the Master Sales Team Meeting. The Master Sales Team Meeting is a 60 to 90-minute meeting designed for action-planning, alignment, and performance. More than just a forum for calling out a number, this meeting adds value to everyone participating and ensures alignment on goals and focus while inspiring both cooperation and competition. It truly transforms the typical sales meeting into an energizing, inspiring and constructive experience. This simple two millimeter shift can be accomplished by re-focusing the traditional sales meeting into a venue to share successes and learn from failures, review past results and focus on the goals ahead, and by creating leadership opportunities for Sales Makers to contribute to the success of the entire team.
The Master Sales Team Meeting is normally conducted during the first or second week of the business cycle. This normally means monthly or quarterly. Facilitated by the manager, Sales Makers conduct detailed discussions around their Key Performance Indicators. Individual performances are praised in this open forum, and others are encouraged. Key opportunities are highlighted, results are compared between team members, and goals are set and reinforced. This environment yields tremendous leadership moments and is a natural venue for best practices sharing. Once Sales Makers experience the value of these meetings, they often consider them among the most important team activity they participate in.
Master Sales Team Meetings are a very effective way to break the cycle of declaring a number and hoping for the best. As Sales Managers become more adept at communicating with and coaching their teams, the energy, motivation and skill level of the Sales Makers on their team will begin to climb.
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