SALES
Plan for successful sales kick-off events online & in-person
Author
Christoffer Hansen
ch@hanei.se
SALES
KICK-OFF
Plan for successful sales kick-off events online & in-person
Author
Christoffer Hansen
ch@hanei.se
The sales kick off is an annual event that everyone in sales looks forward to since it is one of few times when sales teams come together in person. The sales kick–off is the perfect opportunity to connect, build, and enhance relationships, align goals and expectations, and inspire the organization around the company vision. It is a time for sales teams to get on the same page and ready to succeed in moving forward.
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
When you and your team are planning for a great sales kick–off, there are some points to make room for:
- Focus
By bringing your team face to face, you have a bigger chance of maintaining their focus. - Build relationships
Sales kick–off is a significant opportunity to network. Bonding with team members creates trust and productive collaborations. - Emotion
When the sales team comes together, they motivate each other and spread positivity, making sales reps ready to progress leads and generate revenue. - Energy
An engaging speaker, award ceremonies, and disruptive happenings is a great way to keep the energy up. - Education
Since everyone in the sales team gathers, it is an excellent opportunity to educate them on the ins and outs of the product they are selling.
THE ROAD TO A SUCCESSFUL SALES KICK-OFF
- Objectives
Ensure that everyone aligns with the company strategy, goals, and objectives that the company has for the year. Start by answering these questions:What do we want people to focus on during the event?
What do we want to accomplish? What area is the most important?
Is it technology, education, motivation, or product information?
How do we measure the success of the event?
How can we maintain the energy past the event?Use the answers to form objectives that anchor your planning. Objectives define what you want to accomplish and for everyone in the organization to know what needs to be achieved and for when. - Agenda
The sales kick–off is a chance to get your team on the same page as the company and shift their focus to the most critical area of the year. Your schedule should consist of speakers, customers‘ perspectives, networking, and team building. - Team building and networking
SKO is an excellent way for the team to get together and build trust with one another, resulting in productivity and a healthy organization. The agenda should schedule for networking and unexpected collaborations. - Involve your team
Ask your team what they are interested in seeing at the sales kick–off, then incorporate their feedback and ideas. For team building activities and networking, assign one team member to take the lead. - Communication
To generate excitement and expectations for the event, you need effective pre-communication. The communication can be in the form of teaser announcements, information about the theme, and material shared before the event. - Technology
Technology is an easy way to engage participants before and during the event. Tech such as an app to keep track of the schedule and live polling platforms is simple to incorporate into the event. - Success stories
The event is a great chance to lift success stories and inspire team members by rewarding accomplishments and highlighting the customer experience. Team members will get an insight from the customers‘ viewpoint. - Plan for the after
The event is a great chance to lift success stories and inspire team members by rewarding accomplishments and highlighting the customer experience. Team members will get an insight from the customers‘ viewpoint.
ADJUST THE PLAN THIS YEAR
Companies may consider canceling their sales kick–off event; however, companies should consider having an online event instead of doing that. An online event even has many benefits, such as ease to share content and record guest speakers. Instead of canceling, try to rethink how the event is possible online. Some tips to consider:
- Scheduling
The annual sales kick–off is usually a three-day–long event, but that does not translate well to an online event. Instead, make it a series of three hours per day. - Commitment
Before the event, create commitment by asking what attendees liked about last year‘s event, what they want to highlight this year, create surveys, and teaser videos about exciting themes and speakers, et cetera. - Engagement
Create quizzes about the subject the team is being educated about, create excitement around who the winner is. Engage through chats, music, polling, and gamification. When the attendees don‘t know what to expect, they will stay alert and engaged throughout the event.
PROS & CONS
Of course, there are pros and cons to having an online event instead of getting together and meeting in the same room. For instance, it is easier to educate the team about products since there are no distractions then motivate learning by having a friendly competitive quiz. Cons is, of course, that it gets more difficult for team members to network and socialize with one another, making it harder to build on the company culture.
Now is the time to innovate how the sales kick–off is being done, encourage the team through the year, and hope for an even better in-person gathering next year.
SO WHAT?
Determining the company‘s goals and needs can make it obvious which strategy is the right one for your business. Of course, you can try different strategies to determine which one works the best and have different strategies depending on the product. However, the right pricing strategy is crucial for business success.
The consumer market is growing and expanding to new areas faster than ever before; companies need to elevate their pricing strategy. With a solid pricing strategy plan, your company will succeed.
The sales kick-off is an annual event that sales organizations look forward to since it is the perfect opportunity to connect, build and enhance relationships, align goals and expectations, and inspire the organization around the company vision.
This year the event needs to look a bit different, and the event organizers need to find innovative ways to motivate their teams to be still engaged in the event online and after.
The sales kick-off is an annual event that sales organizations look forward to since it is the perfect opportunity to connect, build and enhance relationships, align goals and expectations, and inspire the organization around the company vision.
This year the event needs to look a bit different, and the event organizers need to find innovative ways to motivate their teams to be still engaged in the event online and after.
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