Sales Meetings

Successful sales teams work as a well-organized unit. While every member of the team may have their own style and their own leads to follow, they should have an awareness of how the team is performing as a unit. Members of the team can also offer the best support and motivation for one another, especially if there are team goals to reach or bonuses to earn.

Sales meetings are a powerful tool because they give busy salespeople a chance to look at the bigger team picture rather than focusing on their individual performance. They also serve as check-in points for managers and other leaders who may have the sales data but not the human connection to the day-to-day sales events. 

So, what is a sales meeting exactly? 

The basic definition is a meeting that includes members of a sales team. If you look a little closer, the goal behind a sales meeting is to strategize as a group so that future performance beats past performance. The goal is to make sure every member of the team is aware of sales metrics and feels supported in their efforts to improve.

That’s why virtual sales meetings are soaring in popularity. They allow all members of a team to participate without extensive travel time. Keep reading for all the sales meeting inspiration you need to bring your team together virtually. 

Purpose of Sales Meetings 

There isn’t just one purpose of sales meetings. Successful meetings will accomplish at least a few of the following goals: 

• Motivate every member of the team to improve performance. 
• Share new ideas on sales strategies and updates on industry research. Passing along knowledge ensures all members of the team have fresh ideas for improvement. 
• Celebrate team and individual successes or discuss team failures. Salespeople are more motivated to achieve their goals when they’re recognized for doing a great job and tackle setbacks as a unit. 
• Identify future challenges and plan for success. Some members of the team may have more awareness of potential setbacks than others. Sales rep meeting topics should include known or anticipated stumbling points so that every sales rep knows how to respond. 
• Share insight on competitors and new industry trends. Giving all members access to sales meeting notes is important because they may want to review competitor insights later and use the information to drive future sales. 
• Set priorities and expectations for the team. Meetings are a great opportunity for members of management to discuss sales data and inform the team of needed improvements. Depending on the product sold, some sales teams may place more emphasis on some sales than others at specific times of the year as well. That information should always be shared with all members of the team simultaneously. 

Sales team meetings give every member of the team an opportunity to share their concerns and their successes. As long as the meeting is well-organized and properly controlled, every member of the team should take away something valuable, inspiring, or insightful. 

Types of Sales Meetings 

There is no sales meeting formula that will result in stellar success for every team. In fact, most sales teams should take a different approach to each meeting because the circumstances and goals for each meeting are unique. While some sales topics for group discussion are easily introduced at all meetings, leaving room in the agenda for new topics and open conversations is essential. 

Consider the four main types of sales meetings and the best application for each: 

1. One-on-One Sales Meetings 

This is a sales meeting that includes only one sales rep and one leader. It’s much like a personal coaching session that allows each sales rep direct feedback and encouragement from a leader invested in their success and growth. 

Leaders often use this type of meeting in conjunction with group team meetings. One-on-One sessions focus each sales rep on their own goals and development while the group meetings give a more sweeping view of how the team is doing as a whole. 

2.  Forecast Meetings 

Forecast calls are focused on delivering the sales forecast for an upcoming quarter or year. It’s much like the weatherman delivering the weather forecast on the nightly news, but there’s a lot more mathematics involved in predicting upcoming sales volumes. Sales forecasts have a longer reach in that they establish goals for the sales team going into a new period. 

This is one of the more technical types of meetings for sales teams. It requires the most preparation from leadership to ensure the numbers are accurate and the future goals are reasonable for the team. 

3. Quarterly Business Review (QBR) Meetings 

It’s all about the performance review in this type of sales meeting. Sales representatives gather with their direct leadership and often members of higher management to discuss the wins and losses of a closing quarter. There is often a forward-reaching perspective that allows everyone to voice their ideas and opinions on strategies to adopt in the quarter to come. 

4. Board Meetings

Most sales representatives get to sit this one out while the top-level executives and board members discuss the company’s performance and growth in painstaking detail. This is where executives advocate for support from one another and make big decisions that could change the direction of the company. 

While this may not seem like a true sales team meeting, it is critical to how the sales team functions. Decisions made in a board meeting can make or break initiatives that help the team bring in leads and close deals. 

Sales Meetings Best Practices 

How do you create a sales meeting agenda that wins the devoted attention of every sales representative and leaves them motivated to chase their most difficult leads and close the most challenging deals? It comes down to understanding a few sales meetings best practices: 

• Provide an opportunity for education in every sales team meeting. That may mean inviting professional speakers or introducing new sales strategies or technological advances. 
• Embrace technology to keep virtual sales meetings engaging and lively. The best virtual workspaces are easily customized to the needs of your group. Take the time to learn the available features and use them to keep every rep focused. 
• Allow sales representatives to network with one another in some manner. Members working in separate locations may not have many opportunities to learn from one another. 
• Always start and end on time. There’s no better way to make your team dread meetings than to go off the agenda and turn them into marathon events. 

Working with a sales meeting agenda template is a great way to get ideas for your next meeting. Make sure you modify it as needed to meet the unique needs of your team. 

Sales Meeting Topics 

Are you all out of fresh sales meeting topics? That can happen whether you’ve planned dozens or are preparing for your first. The following list of sales topics may spark your creativity and help fill up the agenda: 

• High-level prospecting tips 
• Strategies for analyzing the needs of every buyer quickly and accurately 
• Spotlight analysis of a big competitor
• Overview of feedback from a big client 
• Detailed introduction of new products with opportunity to try it out
• In-depth discussion of the sales process, starting with the best way to prepare for a cold call

If you’re still in need of sales meeting agenda topics, research the newest trends and technological developments in your field and related fields. You may also search out experts in your field accepting motivational speaking or group workshop classes at an affordable rate. There’s always something new you can teach or a topic you can dive into deeper. 

Fun Sales Meeting Ideas 

There are so many educational and motivational sales meeting ideas. What if your team will respond more to fun sales team ideas? Here are just a couple to get your creative brain spinning:

• Hot potato update rounds. Instead of allowing reps to go on and on about their progress each meeting, bring in a fun object that is easily passed around and a timer. Set the timer for a specified number of minutes and have team members pass the item to one another hot-potato style. When the timer sounds, they must stop talking and pass. For virtual sales meetings use a timer everyone can hear and move the camera focus to someone new each time it sounds. This forces everyone to say their most important points right away and introduces fun while saving time. 
• Notify every team member in advance that the next meeting is dedicated to show and tell. Ask each person to come prepared with a tool that has helped them succeed on some level. They may share books that have helped with mindset, blogs that keep them up to date on new developments, or apps that assist with time management. This is a fun way to let your team education and help one another. 

Coming up with out of the box sales meeting ideas is easier when you focus each meeting on one specific lesson or theme. Make a list of specific ways members of your team could improve. Then find a way to put a lighthearted spin on those topics. It’s motivation and education with a slap of humor and a few good laughs.