Sales managers and executives often ask about the value of running sales or team meetings, and we've found quite a bit of variation with respect to frequency, structure and effectiveness. Thus a short series on the value and best practices associated with sales team meetings.

From a ROI perspective, it only stands to reason that an organization must run effective team or sales meetings in order to experience gains. If these meetings are poorly executed, it's only a matter of time before they are pronounced non-productive and unnecessary; in which case, many opportunities are forever lost!

So, the first step is to assess the quality of your organization's sales meetings... here are five key areas to consider:

1. Preparation - do you have a strategic plan, identified purpose, goals and objectives for your organization's meetings? Does someone (Sales Manager, VP of Sales, etc.) take the responsibility seriously and allocate the necessary time for planning each meeting? Is an agenda created? If so, is it shared?
2. Scheduling - are meetings held on a regular basis... either weekly or bi-weekly? Are meetings held on the same day and at the same time each week or every two weeks? Are meetings conducted at least twice per month?  Are meetings run out of "habit" versus value-added need?
3. Value - the best meetings must be value-added for both management and the team, so protocols for exchanging relevant information must be incorporated in each agenda; each meeting should include an educational component that is based on the organization's current situation, and that educates both management and the sales team on issues that are pertinent to each (more on this in future posts)
4. Measurement - do you measure the effectiveness of each meeting? Are action items a component of each agenda and, if so, is there consistent follow-through? Are sales people held accountable? Does management hold themselves accountable? 
5. Continuous Improvement - how can you make your organization's meetings better? How can you leverage the time spent in preparation and execution to enhance your competitive edge?

Next post: the value proposition; or, WIIFY?