Author: Katie Coalson

What to do After Your Next Sales Kickoff

The end of the year is here and it’s time for the season of Sales Kickoffs. There are physical sales kickoffs, as well as virtual  kickoffs. Regardless, the bottom line is in celebrating the company’s success from the previous year, as well as inspiring and motivating employees to strive for another productive year. 

Studies have shown that ROI’s can increase immediately after a sales kickoff. The key to reaching an improved ROI is in learning from the kickoff and keeping the momentum going for the rest of the year. 

Below are five practices to do after a successful sales kickoff:

1. Personalize the coaching plans

Remember that every person is unique. What one rep has learned is different from what the other reps have learned. This is why you must develop a specific coaching plan for them, primarily because sales leaders and managers work closely with them. Reinforcing the training with a coaching plan will help pay dividends all through the year and will also keep your team in good shape.

2. Face time with your reps

Face to face kickoffs let the team spend time together, which is especially helpful when they are distributed. It builds relationships and even opens opportunities for meaningful conversations and will allow you to get to know your reps better. 

After the kickoff, the reps usually go back to where they were assigned, and the effect of the sales kickoff will rub off. Following up with face to face conversations with the reps is an opportunity to keep the ball rolling and making sure what they learned and got excited about during the kickoff doesn’t get lost. It’s helpful to establish regular meetings and check in on your reps to make sure everyone is still on the same page. 

3. Gather as much feedback as possible

After your sales kickoff, create a survey to get feedback from the event. Ask them what they enjoyed and what they could do without. Ask what they want to see more of in the next year so you can prepare for the next event. This will be an excellent opportunity to improve participation and get more success out of your next kickoff.

4. Keep the momentum going

 A sales kickoff will spark your employees’ excitement for the following sales year, which is why you must keep that energy consistent. A great way to keep the momentum going is to incorporate microlearning throughout the year. 

Microlearning is a bite-size training technique that helps sales teams increase their expertise and sales performance. It helps with memory, is interesting and intriguing, and is structured and consistent. Any time you teach something new, microlearning is a great way to make sure the concept is being reinforced. We’ve enjoyed using a program called Qstream to quiz sales teams on the content that they learn during our workshops.

5. Set realistic expectations

What do you want your people to achieve after the sales kickoff? What are the target numbers? When is the target deadline? You must set realistic expectations and communicate them across your organization. This is especially essential to sales managers who are always in touch with the quarter and annual objectives. This will also establish the behaviors you want your employees to demonstrate to meet expectations.

A sales kickoff can leave the entire company excited and ready to take on the upcoming sales year. Keep the momentum going with the tips mentioned above to improve your ROI dramatically.

If you have a training date on your upcoming calendar, we would love the opportunity to be a part of the discussion on how we can partner together to help you and your team achieve your goals. The content of our training workshops is taught by a 35-year sales veteran who specializes in elevating value by understanding the science of decision-making. Every rep will walk away with mastery of a conversation framework scientifically proven to communicate high value in every conversation they have with prospects and customers.

Let’s talk.

Call: 678-561-6260, Email: dkurkjian@mastermessaging.com or instant message David Kurkjian on LinkedIn to start the conversation.

Podcast with Matt Reiner- Bridging the Gap

MasterMessaging’s founder, David Kurkjian recently joined Matt Reiner on his podcast, Bridging the Gap. The topic of the discussion was focused around Financial Advisors and their challenges with communicating value and differentiating themselves from other advisors.

David mentions that value is not always perceived by having a unique product or service. It’s really about the way you communicate with your prospects and customers.

Your prospects and customers don’t care about what you do. They care about the outcome of what those products or services can do for them.

So how are you going to explain what you do without giving complex information that causes them to lose interest? Check out the podcast below to learn more!

 

We understand it can be difficult to know where to start when trying to communicate value in every sales conversation. That’s why we’ve created an E-book on communicating value that you can download here.

Call: 678-561-6260, Email: dkurkjian@mastermessaging.com or instant message David Kurkjian on LinkedIn to start the conversation.

The Dos and Don’ts For Your Next SKO Event

For many companies, holding a sales kickoff event for the entire sales team is imperative. This event is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the success of the entire sales team, to plan for what lies ahead, and to share the vision and direction of your company.

The primary purpose of a SKO(sales kickoff) event is to motivate your reps, managers, and leaders, to plan your strategies for the upcoming year, and celebrate the previous year’s successes as well. Below are some essential features of a successful SKO:

  • Celebration: The reason for holding a sales kickoff event is to celebrate successes. This means showcasing the stars in your sales teams, the sales success the team has achieved, as well as the overall achievements of the company.
  • Motivation: Holding a sales kickoff event is a great opportunity to motivate your salespeople. You could use top-performing individuals from your team to speak out and share their experiences and tips for success.
  • Provocation: This event is also used to provoke your salespeople to continue to improve, no matter their tenor. As you talk about the vision and direction of your company, take the opportunity to challenge your employees to push further ahead.
  • Information: This event is also the ideal time to share information, new knowledge and skills, and improved communication. Ensure that each member of the team is on the same page with the mission and vision for the new sales year. A great way to do this is to hire an outside sales trainer to teach new techniques and bring fresh strategies to the table. 

Top tips for the sales kickoff event

When throwing the sales kickoff event for your company, there are a few important considerations. Below are the do’s and don’t that you should keep in mind as you prepare for the event.

Dos:

  • Make sure that everything is focused on the company’s goals and objectives.
  • Invite customers and clients to understand what it’s like in their shoes.
  • Do the skills part of the training early in the event.
  • Foresee the event’s success and set measures for success.
  • Have pre-learning and preparation.
  • Make sure that the event is fun and activity-filled.
  • Conduct role-playing for skills-based training.
  • Get your top reps to share their best practices.
  • Set clear expectations for attendance and consequences.

Don’ts: 

  • Don’t have too many irrelevant activities. Focus is the key.
  • Don’t focus much on product training.
  • Don’t miss out on your reinforcement plan post-event.
  • Don’t forget to use a feedback survey.
  • Don’t create just a massive 4-day party.

One way to mix things up is to hire an outside sales trainer for a day-long workshop. Sometimes it can be hard to get through to your reps when teaching new concepts if you’ve been the one training and managing them all year. An outside perspective and authority can help them absorb concepts that they may not have been open to hearing previously.

Your next sales kickoff is an opportunity to reunite your team and teach valuable techniques that will help you stand out in the marketplace. Investing in a SKO and hiring a sales trainer shows your reps that you’ve got their backs and want them to excel. 

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If you have a training date on your upcoming calendar, we would love the opportunity to be a part of the discussion on how we can partner together to help you and your team achieve your goals. The content of our training workshops is taught by a 35-year sales veteran who specializes in elevating value by understanding the science of decision-making. Every rep will walk away with mastery of a conversation framework scientifically proven to communicate high value in every conversation they have with prospects and customers.

Let’s talk.

Call: 678-561-6260, Email: dkurkjian@mastermessaging.com or instant message David Kurkjian on LinkedIn to start the conversation.

The Importance of Investing in Sales Training

In today’s extremely lucrative business market, having an edge over the competition is always useful. A strong sales team is crucial for a company to ensure that they stay one step ahead. In a study mentioned in the SalesForce Training website, in a B2B setting, a salesperson’s competence is the most important factor affecting the prospect’s decision to buy your products or services. Because of this, most companies are now investing in various sales training and improvement strategies. 

Effective sales training is the key to enhancing and helping your most effective asset—your salespeople—to reach your company goals. The logic here is very simple: if they can’t sell at the top level, your company’s growth is affected.

Prioritize Your Sales Team 

Most companies think that investing heavily in product development, recruitment, and marketing is the key to success. What they don’t know is that their salesforce has a bigger impact on whether or not they reach their goals. Training your sales team to communicate value in their prospecting conversations can help your company generate new business opportunities, translating into huge returns for the organization. The better trained they are and the more learning opportunities they get, the better results they can offer!

Incorporating Sales Training in Your Growth Strategy

Growth has always and will always be a part of any organization’s objectives. To ensure consistent growth and tap into the talent, energy, and expertise of your current salesforce, training and development are crucial. Sales training offers many benefits, especially when it’s incorporated into the sales process, recruitment, onboarding, and employee/customer retention.

Target Achievement

Regular targets are decided by every company for their salespeople. In fact, they are a major part of a company’s goals. Regardless if they are not able to meet their quota, their required targets still increase. The question for every company is how to make sure that the team is able to perform as a whole.

Companies who invest in training and development for their salesforce often have salespeople who are able to achieve better targets. Every employee wants to excel at their job. If your sales team is not functioning well or not meeting their targets the way they should, it’s time to look into the efforts you are putting into helping them. As the employer, it is your responsibility to make sure that they are equipped with the proper knowledge, tools, and techniques necessary for them to achieve their target goals.

Increase in Sales and Profits

Companies who invest in the right sales training program are shown to have a higher return on investments. We all know that the organization’s sales department is the main revenue-generating department. In today’s competitive market where every company strives for the client’s attention, the responsibility lies upon the salespeople to catch their attention right away and communicate value in every conversation. Custom sales training helps organizations make sure their reps are following a conversation roadmap to success. 

Conclusion

Companies that provide effective sales training to their employees normally focus on short-term and long-term performance enhancement. The most in-demand skills are identifying customer needs, communicating value and building relationships. Actionable sales training programs can lead to better and higher closure rates of sales opportunities.

To help increase your revenue by elevating your value and enhancing your salesforce, get in touch with us for sales workshops and trainings. 

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We understand it can be difficult to know where to start when building a framework for sales conversations, so we’ve developed a Sales Conversation “Cheat Sheet” you can download HERE.