No matter how many sales team meetings you conduct each year – weekly, monthly or otherwise – there are a handful of topic categories that make sense to re-visit every year. As you make your 2012 sales team meeting plan,here are 10 topic categories most sales teams can benefit from reviewing every year.

1. SWOT. Look at your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and make a plan to address those each year. They change from year to year.

2. Objections. These can also change year to year based on the economic environment, your industry, competitor moves and your own pricing, products and business practices.

3. Seasonal selling plans. Before selling seasons or holiday seasons, it makes sense to set a plan to either capitalize on a selling season or keep deals moving during a vacation/holiday season.

4. Current Events. Take time each year to look at the economic and business environment at your top customers. What is happening in their business and how should you respond. Your customers’ businesses change year to year.

5. Book Discussion. Read a new book and discuss as a team. Keep growing, developing new ideas and gaining knowledge.

6. Guest Speakers. Invite guests to join or lead meetings each year. Fresh perspective is a great infusion of energy.

7. Pipelines.  Look at pipelines, analyze current pipelines and make sure everyone is clear what a healthy pipeline looks like and actions to take to get there.

8. Challenges. At least each year, put common challenges on the table for discussion. Leave with solutions to 5-10 common challenges and make progress year after year. Don’t settle for the same problems year after year. Be problem solvers and, therefore, leaders in your companies.

9. Start, Stop, Continue. Assess your sales practices for what is working, what is no longer working and what you should try.

10. Competition. Take time to review and analyze your competitors. They are changing year after year. Make sure you know what they are up to and what you should do to compete.

As you plan your 2012 meetings consider these 10 topics. Of course, sales team meeting topics from these categories are available at the Meeting to Win Store.  Subscribers get unlimited access to 100+ topics across 20+ categories.  Visit the Meeting to Win Store to review topics.  Become a Meeting to Win Subscriber for access to all topics.

Happy New Year from Meeting to Win.

School is back in session for most students and the topic of getting along with one another is always a central theme in classrooms. What a great place and age to learn to resolve “workplace” problems.

On that topic, I wanted to share 3 ways to reduce workplace conflicts.
1. Man Up.  Do not ever send an e-mail about a sensitive issue or a conflict. The only e-mail that is acceptable is one that requests a time to sit down and talk. Schedule enough time with the person involved and bring your issue to them face-to-face.

2.  It’s NOT About YOU.  When having your face-to-face discussion about whatever issue you are facing, do not make it personal.  Talk about the situation, not the person.  For example, if someone keeps disrespecting you in team meetings, instead of saying “YOU always interrupt me” or “YOU always put down my ideas, WHY do you do that?” try something like “When I’m interrupted by your comments during meetings, I get the impression that you don’t value my contributions.  Is my impression correct?“  Then be quiet and let them answer.  The conversation is already less confrontational, but no less direct and clear.

3.  If you must TATTLE, do it like a Kindergartner.  Kids are very open communicators and we can learn something from that.  Typically, before a kid gets an adult involved in their conflict, we hear something like “I’m gonna tell”.  Here’s a life lesson.  There are times that an issue needs to be escalated and resolved at a higher level.  If you’ve practiced #1 and #2, this should rarely, if ever, happen, but if it does, the right way to escalate is to include the other person(s) in the conflict.  Say something like, “I realize that we both feel strongly about this issue and we disagree about how to handle it.  We must get it resolved for the sake of the customer/project/business.  I plan to involve [insert supervisor's name here] to get their opinion and decide how to move forward.  Would you like to be involved in that conversation?” 

Put these ideas into practice and enjoy workplace communication and collaboration like never before.  Have a great day!

Sales Team Meeting Agenda on this topic coming soon. 

Subscribe to Meeting to Win and get (1) a new 60-minute sales team meeting agenda every week AND (2) access to the Sales Team Meeting Topic Library (100 topics to download anytime).

Heading into the Fall selling season, Meeting to Win is offering a new level of access for Meeting to Win subscribers – UNLIMITED ACCESS to the Meeting to Win Topic Library (See Catalog HERE).

 Meeting to Win is committed to helping Sales Managers and Sales Trainers execute productive sales team meetings with topics that are relevant, motivating and inspiring. 

We offer over 100 sales team meeting topics across 21 different Selling Success Categories and deliver a NEW topic every week to subscribers. 

You can either subscribe and get the library and the new topic each week or buy the topics as needed at the Meeting to Win STORE.

Either way, better sales team meeting begin with better topics.  Enjoy the Fall Selling Season armed with an arsenal of sales team meeting topics.

This weekend, I watched the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro.

It followed a converation I had with a friend who is helping a recently diagnosed family member navigate cancer treatment. She said that she has had to make some changes to her daily routine so she is more mentally “present” to make good decisions, understand all the medical terms, determine the best options and support several family members emotionally.

The movie and this conversation got me thinking about how we really can control, to a large extent, our ability to maximize our brain power.

(Sales Managers, we’d love to help you hold powerful sales team meetings this Fall – See how we can help you HERE.)

As salesprofessionals head into the Fall 2011 selling season, there are ways to prepare and set themselves up for success.  Today, I challenge them to think about how to prepare mentally.  Here are some ideas to help them maximize their brain power so they can be more focused, disciplined, strategic, innovative and creative. 

1.  Plan a bedtime that allows for enough sleep. 

2.  Get up early.

3.  Eat healthy.

4.  Eat at a table, not the TV.

5. Exercise at least 30 minutes per day.

6. Get fresh air every day – no matter the weather.

7. Read books – fiction, non-fiction and outside your comfort zone.

8.  Visit museums and art galleries.

9.  Have some quiet time each day.

10.  Set a time- management schedule and stick to it.

11.  Say “no” to things.

(What else would you and your team add to this list?  What would you remove?  Meeting to Win subscribers will enjoy a Limitless sales team meeting agenda in August 2011.  Subscribe today and don’t miss another issue.)

12.  _________________

13.  ________________

14.  _________________

15.  ________________

As you prepare for the Fall 2011 selling season, plan to unleash your brain power for your benefit and the benefit of those who rely on you – your customers.  Happy Selling from Meeting to Win.

Summer is moving right along and it’s time to start thinking about the Fall selling season. Wise sales people are already taking action and positioning themselves strategically as all the decision makers finish up summer vacations and settle back into their offices to make some purchases. What an exciting time of year!

At Meeting to Win, we also start planning for a great Fall with sales team meeting topics to keep your team motivated and successful between now and the holidays.

What you can expect from Meeting to Win – Fall 2011:

• NEW ACCESS FOR SUBSCRIBERS – Subscribers will have access to ALL STORE items for download anytime.
  • 100+ Topics currently available.
  • New topics added regularly.
• We’ll continue to provide a brand new topic every week for subscribers.
  • Including such topics as:
    • Course Correction – Be the GPS
    • Dump the Slides
    • How’s That Working For You?
    • Basic Boot Camp
    • Image to Win
• MORE EXPERTS.  Our Summer of Experts series was so successful that we will continue to provide sales team meeting topics with expert content throughout the year.
  • SNEAK PEAK:  Join us in the Summer of 2012 for Summer at the Movies.
• Sales team meetings topics on the pulse of today’s business environment – equipping your team to sell more that very week.

Join us by subscribing and get a momentum boost for the Fall of 2011.

A good friend of Meeting to Win, S. Anthony Iannarino, wrote a great article on my favorite topic – Sales Meetings.  I put a link to the article below – enjoy!

How to Make the Most of Sales Meetings

by S. Anthony Iannarino

Sales meetings, despite their sometimes less-than-flattering reputations, are necessary to effectively running a sales organization. Are we sometimes guilty of holding too many meetings? Yes, we are. Are we equally guilty of the occasional meeting with no disciplined agenda? Yes, sometimes they are a complete and total waste of your time.

But they don’t have to be a waste of time.

Read the rest…

For help creating productive sales team meeting environments, download the FREE Kick-Off to Great Sales Team Meetings Workshop Guide.

The summer is a great time for sales teams to hone their sales skills. 

With that in mind, Meeting to Win is launching our Summer of Experts sales team meeting series.  Sales Managers, sign up for Meeting to Win and take meeting planning off your summer to-do list.

Summer of Experts Description:

• Each week, we’ll highlight a popular article from a recognized sales expert. 
• Your team will be asked read it before the meeting (7-10 minutes per week).
• You’ll receive your new agenda each Friday morning which will include (1) the article to read (pre-work) and (2) the meeting exercises. 
• During the meeting your team will discuss the article, practice the concepts and, most importantly, apply it to their business – all using the Meeting to Win Agenda provided. 
• The outcome?  Each salesperson leaves ready to try something new to get a new, better result. 
• Do this once per week for 6 weeks and your team heads into the Fall selling season with some serious momentum.

Join the fun by becoming a Meeting to Win subscriber today.

Just a reminder – summer selling is different.  Here are some ways to meet the challenge: 

We Interrupt this Summer to Bring You…Sales

For added summer sales momentum, join Meeting to Win subscribers for the Summer of Experts.  Each week, we’ll study the thoughts of a different sales expert and apply the lessons to our own business.  Subscribe now and get the weekly expert article and sales team meeting agenda.

Memorial Day is right around the corner.  This is a day we get to stop and commemorate those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  What a job!  If you are serving in the military, it’s not hard to find some higher purpose in every little task you are asked to do, but for the rest of it, it might be harder.

Stop and think about what your actions translate to for those you serve.  For example, if you are a realtor, by doing your job correctly, you are helping to create a comfortable home that a family can enjoy, afford and thrive in.  What does that mean?  That means they are more likely to be happy, educated, stay together and raise productive members of society who will impact generations to come. 

No matter what you job, look for the higher purpose.  It will show in your work and attitude.

Happy Memorial Day. 

Meeting to Win subscribers, look for the upcoming Sales Team Meeting Agenda, Your Work’s Higher Purpose.  It is sure to be a motivating topic your team will enjoy.  If you are not a subscriber, join Meeting to Win today and get a new sales team meeting topic like this one every week.

Thanks to FSI for such a great event, Making Sales Meetings Count.

Jill Myrick was our special guest in Friday’s Office Hours. Our discussion was on how to hold high impact sales meetings. (Based on her module: Great Sales Team Meetings, 5 Best Practices.) She kicked the discussion off with a review of the five best practices:

1.Sharing ownership across the team
2.Setting agendas
3.Resisting data dumps
4.Respecting the clock
5.Scoring meetings

The participants shared experiences about good and bad sales meetings—and ideas to avoid bad sales meetings. There were several key areas generating a lot of discussion. The first … Read the rest at Future Selling Institute…