Dos And Don’ts For Your Next Annual Sales Meeting

A few weeks back I wrote an article for MediaPost entitled "Dos And Don’ts For Your Next Annual Sales Meeting." Have a look at the article on MediaPost for the full text, but here are the 8 tips:

DO's:

• Do kick off with a provocative keynote speaker who can speak to some of the biggest issues in the industry - especially, forward-looking issues.
• Do program the event to include lots of networking. Consumer-generated content exists offline as well; creating a context for dialogue, and letting your salespeople learn from each other, can be highly profitable.
• Do invite partners and vendors to attend, and even exhibit at the event. Giving your sales force firsthand en-masse access to rich media, research, measurement and other partners is expedient to both you and your partners, and gives everyone more depth in your offerings.
• Do budget appropriately for the event. A two-day conference at a major hotel can easily run $500/per person, and is rarely less than $250 per person. In addition to your staff travel expenses, your budget should allocate for everything from venue and food and beverage, to A/V, on-site signage and collateral, shipping, photography or videography, Internet connectivity, gratuities, even speaker honorariums. Sound like a lot? Calculate the cost of taking your sales force off the street for a day or two, and it's easily justified.

DONT's:

• Don't think of the event as having "mandatory attendance." Maybe it does, but if you program it that way, you'll fulfill the event's promise of being an "insipid time suck." Program a show you'd take a day or two out of your schedule to attend yourself.
• Don't limit speakers to your own executives, or even to the sell-side. Round out your agenda with every perspective that might contribute to a more productive and valuable event.
• Don't focus exclusively on sales force education or professional development. An annual sales conference is a powerful way to solidify internal culture while transferring knowledge throughout the organization.
• Don't invite clients. No matter how much work you put into the agenda and the environment, all attention is lost if there's media budget in the room. Make the day about your sales staff, and keep the dialogue with them wide-open.

Very few events are aimed at the sell-side, placing an enormous educational burden on the Annual Sales Meeting. Many of the heads of sales I've spoken with see this project as hazardous duty, or the cost of doing business in a sales organization. Instead, I think it's immensely valuable and a huge opportunity - with the same potential as any other industry event.

Comments

[Thierry]

I would be more nuanced about "Don't invite clients."
Some of the best sessions I have seen in an annual sales meeting where when a customer was invited to talk to the sales force, on the stage, why he bought the company services. If the customer is playing the game, and is well prepared, it can be an eye-opener, and a hit. It's always different to hear things from the customer mouth, good and bad. Sales rep do not blindly trust corporate speak, but they'll always listen to a customer. That said, it was one session, on the stage, and the customer did not stay in the room for other sessions.