Content is created in partnership with Stova and SkiftX, Skift’s branded content studio.
The sales kickoff meeting is the slingshot that drives business for the new fiscal year. This is the time to inspire employees, solidify brand loyalty, and set new goals. In short, SKO is not an ordinary meeting and should not be treated as such.
With today’s global workforce, attracting attendees from different time zones can be challenging. But technology exists to do just that—how effectively planners incorporate state-of-the-art tools into the sales kickoff agenda will be judged by revenue. With the stakes so high, planners must work with partners with a proven track record to meet the needs of their meetings.
Here, we examine how leading event technology providers like Stova implement strategies to maximize SKO.
About SKO
Sales initiation typically occurs at the beginning of the calendar year or fiscal year. They can range from short sessions to multi-day sessions. With a reliance on remote teams and a global workforce, SKO is a unique opportunity to bring the entire team together.
Attendees are often profit-oriented, come from multiple countries, and may speak different languages. As a result, these meetings are among the most important meetings a company holds all year and pose some of the most serious logistical challenges.
“SKO is a pivotal time for your organization. It’s a great opportunity to align your entire sales team around shared goals and objectives, whether they join in person, virtually, or both. “SKO is where you introduce important initiatives, such as a new go-to-market strategy, and provide the necessary training. Our goal is to ensure that every team member is motivated, equipped with the tools they need, and ready to deliver on the next year. milestone.
Since large numbers of employees will gather together, these are also opportunities for internal meetings. Building teamwork, trust and friendship is important. Core goals include:
- Familiarize the team with the brand.
- Recognize achievements. Use recognition to instill motivation and inspire healthy competition.
- Stay engaged. Attendees will be motivated by the bottom line, so it may be effective to encourage activities with consequences (i.e. games), which we will discuss in more detail later.
- Create relevant content. Invite inspiring speakers to introduce attendees to new products and company values, and share key findings.
Given the complexity and cost of travel arrangements, companies may choose hybrid plans or make launch events completely virtual. Involving the entire team throughout the SKO process is critical, and planners should consider leveraging leading technology partners such as Stova to facilitate this process.
Digital advantage
Previously, the SKO was often held at the same location at the same time of year (usually January or February). However, as technology advances, there is no need to limit this company-wide meeting in this regard. In fact, making meetings a virtual experience has several advantages, as a leading data storage company is doing in partnership with Stova in 2022.
Stova has released an e-book case study of the incident available for download here.
The advantages of virtual SKO include:
- Reduce travel costs and delays and provide a more efficient and sustainable solution for meetings.
- If there are language differences, they can be easily translated.
- Create opportunities for big-name speakers to participate without disrupting schedules.
- Increase accessibility for those who are unable to travel or need special help understanding content.
“Virtual event platforms enable you to achieve several key SKO goals, such as cost savings, increased engagement and recognition of top performers, while also providing the advantage of reaching a global audience,” said Martin.
make it simple
Whether the sales kickoff is a strictly physical meeting, a virtual meeting, or a hybrid meeting, the experience should be seamless. Given the importance of SKO, planners and their bosses certainly don’t want technological setbacks to hinder progress. In this case, time is money.
Signing up should be easy, and setting up your profile should be easy. In the early stages of the event life cycle, both elements provide planners with critical information to help them build teams for agenda items and support networking efforts that strengthen existing relationships and break down barriers caused by geographic differences.
The platform should include built-in security features to protect company and personal information. Removing attendee concerns adds value to individual salespeople and their colleagues by making them more comfortable participating fully on the platform.
Make data-driven decisions based on meeting attendance, attendee behavior and more to improve the experience from previous years.
let the games begin
Gamification is a particularly effective way to engage SKO attendees, build teams, and share information about your company in a fun way. Among its success stories for the 2022 event, Stova highlighted the success of scavenger hunts, trivia and polls, and location-based games to keep more than 2,000 attendees from more than 25 countries engaged.
“Gamification has proven to be an effective strategy for driving engagement in internal and external campaigns, and it’s becoming increasingly popular for good reason,” Martin said. “However, the secret to a successful SKO is to create an environment that goes beyond a simple game – one that is immersive, engaging and truly enjoyable for everyone involved. By incorporating interactive elements and friendly competition, you can create an A high-energy atmosphere where the audience is not only excited but fully invested in the outcome of the event.
core elements of success
SKO should be equally motivational and educational. The right platform and agenda can combine these two goals to create a truly compelling experience.
- Share your organizational wins by highlighting team members, gamifying events, and connecting your organization with each other locally or globally.
- Encourage one-on-one video calls and create breakout rooms to facilitate discussions that enhance teamwork and share information about your company and brand.
- Identify challenges and potential solutions to achieve better future outcomes.
- Create opportunities to follow up on SKOs throughout the year. Get a library of Simu-live educational courses, downloadable information sheets and presentations, and media that can be shared on social media and intranet communications.
- Use data to inform agenda decisions about meeting effectiveness and how to build future brand awareness and loyalty.
Once locked into a specific location and time, sales kickoff now becomes a flexible event that connects the entire company. Technology partners can leverage the full potential of an event by keeping attendees engaged from start to finish so attendees are ready to set new sales records, whether salespeople are participating in person or remotely.
Read Stova’s new e-book about SKO. Contact Stova to discuss your next SKO solution.
Content is created in partnership with Stova and SkiftX, Skift’s branded content studio.
