Influencers Invited Sales Blog

Setting the agenda for your next sales meeting is important, not just to ensure that you follow a structure that makes efficient use of the time available, but also to guarantee that the topics you cover are useful and relevant to all attendees.

With that in mind, here are just 10 topics that will be impactful and motivational when they are factored into the sales meetings you helm.

Highlight successes to reward hard work

No matter where the meeting might take you as it progresses, it is sensible to kick things off in an upbeat way by recognizing the achievements of the team.

The wins you have made since your last meeting can vary, from the securing of new accounts to the smashing of sales targets. Even if they are relatively minor, team members will appreciate any recognition they receive for their hard work, meaning that this tactic can also boost morale and fuel growth in its own right.

Pinpoint problems to find solutions

Sales meetings should also be a forum in which team members feel able to bring up issues they are facing, whatever they might be. From interdepartmental snarl-ups to outward-facing challenges, being happy to discuss these obstacles is the first step to solving them.

Of course if you are just re-treading the same old ground every meeting, this can become tedious. That is where making sure that minutes are taken pays dividends. To simplify minute-taking, follow this format.

Analyze data collectively

Drilling down into the data should make up the meat of your meeting, and you should be able to learn a lot from the metrics at your disposal.

While doing this, aim to consider the cumulative performance of the team, rather than singling out specific members who may be underperforming. This avoids upset and gives you something to discuss during private catch-ups.

Deliver business updates

While the sales team may feel like it is in a bit of a bubble, you can break down boundaries by introducing information about other aspects of the organization.

This is more than just a courtesy, as it could help the team plan ahead, especially if new products are in the works, or sales-relevant changes are on the horizon.

Dissect rival firms

Sales meetings are the perfect place to not just scrutinize your own operations, but also delve into the performance metrics relating to your competitors.

Insights which team members have to offer on the topic of what rivals are doing right, and where they are gaining traction, will be instructive for your own strategic planning going forward.

Investigate industry matters

No business exists in a vacuum, so it makes sense to add topics to the sales meeting agenda which are pertinent to the industry you operate within.

This can range to season-specific trends that are impacting demand levels, to wider political and societal pressures that are creating problems or opportunities for the team at the moment.

Pull apart prospect feedback

It is not just the input of sales staff that can be valuable when aiming to surmount the problems you face, but also the feedback they receive from the prospects they are courting at any one time.

Setting aside time to specifically talk about what team members are hearing from the people they speak with daily is worthwhile, because it will help you to get a customer-eye view of your brand, giving you that all-important perspective you need to make positive, proactive changes if necessary.

Consider personality compatibility

This can be thought of as a pseudo-training exercise, yet one which works in a sales meeting context rather than necessarily requiring its own dedicated session.

Get attendees to talk about how well they gel with particular prospect personality types, and to think about whether there are any that they struggle to get a handle on. Use role-play to pick apart this process and potentially find ways to improve performance in sub-optimal match-ups.

Establish aims & ambitions

Sales meetings are not just about looking to the past to glean insights, but about planning for the future so you know where you are headed.

You can analyze, dismantle and unpick the goals you all hope to achieve, both as individual members of the group and as a whole. You can also assess whether or not current targets are realistic, or whether a tactical overhaul is necessary to meet an overly lofty aim.

Home in on chances to network

Sourcing prospects and finding new partners for your brand is potentially tricky, so a sales meeting can be a sounding board for the networking opportunities that team members have stumbled across or explicitly sought out recently.

Most of all, make sure that everyone involved knows what is on the table and what is expected of them before the meeting begins, to avoid any wasted time.