If you’re going to host sales meetings, it’s worth making them as efficient as possible. When sales reps attend these meetings, they’re getting pulled away from work that can directly impact your bottom line. Getting the team together can help keep everyone on the same page, but sales meetings that aren’t planned properly can end up wasting everyone’s time.

Erin Hueffner, a writer for Salesblazer, says you can make your time together count by developing the right sales meeting agenda. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share Hueffner’s advice for preparing and polishing your next sales meeting agenda.

Simplify the agenda and goal. Everyone on the sales team should know what you’re meeting about, whether it’s a critical end-of-quarter meeting or a quick standup. Never call your sales team together without a clear agenda and a few simple objectives, Hueffner says. You should also appoint the appropriate people to speak on different topics and send the agenda – even if it’s a loose outline – in advance.

Do some troubleshooting. Make sure you work out any technological kinks ahead of time. This means making sure computer updates are done and software is downloaded. Hueffner recommends testing your equipment and going through the presentation just as you would during the real thing.

Respect start and end times. Salespeople plan their days so they can get in as many calls and emails as possible. Make sure you keep the meeting on schedule. Hueffner says it can be a delicate balance to keep an eye on the time while not cutting short important discussions.

Choose the right cadence. According to Hueffner, the timing and frequency for sales meetings is crucial. If you have a recurring meeting like a daily standup, consider going to a less-frequent timeline if you start to cover nonessential topics.

Brief the team. This part of the sales meeting may run for different amounts of time, Hueffner says. For example, you may want to update the team on things like pricing changes or leadership shifts. If the topic may run long, you might want to schedule a special sales meeting to address it on its own.

Get feedback. Sales meetings should also allow time for sales reps to discuss their challenges and accomplishments. Once you know what’s going well and what needs additional focus, Hueffner says you can develop an action plan with individual team members or a larger group.

Amplify big wins. Use a sales meeting to celebrate achievements. Not only do people appreciate being recognized individually, but it can also motivate the entire team. Just be sure you understand how each rep likes to be recognized. Some may not want to be publicly singled out, Hueffner says.

Determine next steps. Everyone should leave the sales meeting with clarity on who’s doing what. Be sure to designate a point person for department-wide needs, like collaborating with marketing on a new campaign.

Motivate the team. Whether your sales team is in a rut or they’ve had a fantastic quarter, look for ways to celebrate them and keep them motivated. Use promo to pump them up and bring some fun into their work.

When it comes down to it, time is money. If salespeople are in sales meetings instead of focusing on potential clients, make their time worth it. You can start by creating sales meeting agendas that keep efficiency in mind.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Erin Hueffner is a writer for Salesblazer.