Sales kickoff meetings or SKOs are key events in the sales cycle, with former performers respected, introducing new strategies while often working remotely as a team. SKO can be scheduled at the start of the fiscal year or as part of the annual rewards tour, and is the place to announce the final reward – the destination for next year’s motivational tour.
Here are 5 best practices for planning SKO:
1. Including the entire team
Team sales are more important than ever, and Salesforce experts recommend that sales kickoff include partners from other teams such as solution engineering and customer success, which is crucial to the sales cycle. Building these relationships and learning how each other works is crucial to working together more effectively throughout the year.
2. Choose an inspiring keynote speaker
Many speaker bureaus list the suggestions of speakers who are experts in sales strategy, customer experience, peak performance and other topics to inspire the sales team. Some motivational speakers, such as former top gun pilot Lieutenant Colonel Waldo Waldman, have developed their own professional presentations, such as his “One Team, One Mission” presentations, especially those for sales teams. One place to start your speaker search is the National Speaker Association Directory; the Individual Speaker Bureau also usually has its own online directory.
3. Address and the emotional well-being of the participants
Sales staff just showed up in the fourth quarter, which was a stressful period, so SKO was an opportunity to check their mindset. Experts at team building companies recommend adding stress management training to the agenda and include lessons to teach salespeople how to identify key stressors in the workplace and how best to hit those stressful moments.
4. Create plans for AI
According to experts from Forbes Business Development Committee, SKO is the ideal place to agree on how teams should use AI. “What can salespeople do when they release,” said Julie Thomas, president and CEO of Valuesling Associates. “Does your reps have the right skills to take advantage of this and be more effective? Or will they be selling more sales calls?”
5. Introduce the next motivation destination
Many companies choose their sales kickoff campaign to announce the next incentive plan and unveil new destinations. This is an opportunity to post eligibility criteria and answer questions so that everyone has the information they need from the start. In the first few weeks of SKO, create a trailer and send a promotional gift or email to build excitement. The promotion itself can be themed, or even circulated, and should include promotional videos and links to the program’s website.
