Why you should use success meetings to improve your sales team’s performance

Do you dread team sales meetings? The average sales meeting is not the most inspiring of events. They are often seen as a necessary evil by both management and sales people. The focus is on the sales figures. That means there are endless Power Point presentations and spreadsheets.

Naturally, sales figures need to be reviewed regularly but is there really any need to do this in a meeting? A couple of e-mails and a phone call would probably produce the same results, but without the same lack of enthusiasm for having a long, tedious meeting.

The sales meeting should still be an important event. However, it should be something that the sales team looks forward to. It should also produce useful results for everyone.

That is why it is time to look at creating ‘success meetings.’ What is a success meeting? Simply, it is a team sales meeting where everyone celebrates what has gone right. This may seem an opportunity simply to say how great everyone is. But, as we shall see, there are some important benefits from having meetings like this.

Businesses that have success meetings create better relationships with their sales team. They find more effective ways to manage their sales process. They are more likely to achieve their sales goals.



Businesses that ignore success meetings will often find it harder to achieve their sales goals. Their sales controls will focus on numbers, not process. Their sales people will often not like the company culture.

Set a brief

Make sure that everyone is briefed beforehand to talk about a sale that has gone particularly well. Maybe the sales person has won a customer who has been a particularly tough nut to crack. Maybe they have sold a new product or service. Or perhaps they have done something new that resulted in a quicker sale.

The point of the success story that they bring is not just that they have done well, but that they have also learnt something worth sharing with the rest of the team. The success does not have to be a massive win. It is about learning from the process.

It is important that everyone brings something to the meeting. Everyone will have had some sort of sales success during the month. It may simply be breaking down a tough gatekeeper, or finding a way to make more calls.

At the end of the meeting, people should also state what they are going to do differently as a result of the meeting. They should set action points. You may wish to follow up on these individually.

The benefits

In terms of the benefits of a success meeting, firstly, a meeting like this is a chance for everyone to recognise their own performance, and to have it recognised. It also encourages healthy competition.

Next, success meetings spread good ideas and best practice amongst the team. The meeting can also be used as a brainstorming opportunity. If people are struggling with specific prospects, the rest of the team can help come up with ideas.

So, set a date in the diary during the next two weeks. Let your sales team know what they are expected to bring to the meeting. Make sure you send a reminder two days before the meeting. Lastly, make sure there are some nice drinks and snacks for the meeting. Remember, success meetings should be a positive event for the team. They are always better than the dull sales figure review.



If you would like practical ideas on how to engage with today’s buyers, download the free e-book Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them at www.profitableprintrelationships.com/e-book/. You will also receive regular ‘views from the print buyer’ bulletins, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively.

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