Why Sales Meetings? Do They Lead to Selling?

I just read a quote by noted business expert, Peter Drucker:

"Meetings are by definition a concession to deficient organizations. For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time. In an ideally designed structure...there would be no meetings.

We meet because people holding different jobs have to cooperate to get a specific task done. We meet because the knowledge and experience needed in a specific situation are not available in one head,but have to be pieced together out of the experience and knowledge of several people."

Translation:  If the organization is organized, and the people responsible for executing the ideally designed organization, then why would you need a meeting?  For different situations, you could use other solutions. For instance:

  - Report to a group a company update - email

  - An individual is not performing - meet with that person

  - Information isn't shared - create a process to share the information

So, why do you have sales meetings?  Do they really help your people sell more?  Can you prove that?

I've been in my role as a sales development expert now for over 20 years.  I have a certificate from the Cincinnati Chamber that tells me that is how long I've been in business.  For 20 years, I have been convinced and tried to convince sales organizations that they must have sales meetings.  Now, I'm not so sure.  I have told presidents of companies the following about sales meetings:

1. They must be about selling - nothing else
2. They must be structured so that the participants leave with at least 1 thing that will help them sell more
3. It must be a meeting that no one wants to miss.

As I think about this in light of Mr. Drucker's comments, here are my thoughts:

1. It if is going to be about selling, then the meeting must be confined to working intensely on creating new opportunities or closing opportunities in the works.  If you have a sales team of 10, then the other 9 people on the team are sitting there wasting time unless you actively engage them in the process.  However, even if you are masterful at this, you must understand that the other 9 probably don't care if Joe gets his sale or not.  It means nothing to them.  So, if that is what you do in a sales meeting, then do it 1-on-1 with Joe.
2. I have always thought that "exposure" and "transparency" around sales activity and sales performance drove performance.  The pressure of not being at the top or fighting to get off of the bottom would cause sales activity to increase and execution to improve.  I have no data to support that theory.
3. If you have this fabulous idea that will help them sell more, then communicate it via video or some other media.  If they want it, they will get it.
4. A meeting no one wants to miss?  What I have discovered over the years is that top sales people hate being in meetings because they realize they aren't getting paid when they are in meetings.  Those that want and enjoy meetings are those that probably are not performing very well and would rather be in a meeting instead of on the phone prospecting

In conclusion:  I'm still not sure.  We have a quarterly meeting at our company but I meet weekly with my sales team 1-on-1 to discuss how I can help them either create more opportunities or close the ones they have.  These meetings take about 15 minutes and everyone goes about their business when we are done.  About once a month, I meet with them individually over breakfast or lunch.  We catch up, they tell me what is on their mind, I tell them what is on my mind. We discuss sales and marketing thoughts, discuss opportunities in the pipeline that need to move and in general re-assure each other that all is well. We end with, "Let's go sell something."

I don't know if we have it exactly right but, if you asked them, they would tell you that we have more right now than we did when we had group sales meetings.


Posted by Tony Cole
http://blog.anthonycoletraining.com/