There’s not a universal recipe for making meetings productive, effective and also engaging. But, there are a few ways to spice up those humdrum, data-driven chats in order to make the most of everyone’s time.
For three Austin-based companies, collaboration and open communication are key to the success of their sales meetings. At Modernize, a digital community for home-improvement needs, peer-to-peer participation is how employees stay aligned during sales meetings. VP and GM Jeff Barnes said that they keep their meetings fluid in order to encourage interaction and group communication to increase expertise and comradery.
Similarly at realtor.com, a website that covers all stages of the home buying and selling process, open communication at daily team huddles and monthly in-depth meetings allows for team members to connect and build a sense of community, Manager of Digital Sales Elizabeth Larkin said.
Financial-technology company Dosh also uses open dialogue to help guide its meetings. “A collaborative and communicative environment allows for our sales representatives to share their successes and learn from one another on what works and what doesn’t,” Sales Director Rob Kenny said.
Built In Austin caught up with Barnes, Larkin and Kenny to learn more about how they use open communication as a way to keep their team members engaged during sales meetings.
In order to better serve their customers, realtor.com holds short team huddles twice a day and longer, more in-depth meetings once a month, Manager of Digital Sales Elizabeth Larkin said. These meetings allow for team members to connect and build a sense of community.
How often do you hold sales meetings with your team and what are the key objectives of those meetings?
At realtor.com, we hold team huddles every day, twice a day, and then hold a monthly meeting that is more in-depth.
In the morning huddles, we motivate for the day with key information needed, including special promotions or details related to product launches. Then the huddle at the end of the day takes a pulse on what worked well and where we have opportunities for training. We go more in-depth in the monthly sales meetings with presentations related to marketing campaigns, product and service rollouts, and how we are mapping to our quarterly goals.
It’s critical that the sales team has insight and transparency for what is going on in the business. We want every member of the team to feel that they are set up for success. Taking this time to connect intentionally allows us to share and build an internal community. Aligned with our company goal to “build, reconstruct, build better,” we know that everything we do is a process of continuous growth and delivering excellence.
Taking this time to connect intentionally allows us to share and build internal community.”
What actions do you take before or during meetings to ensure they’re productive, useful and engaging?
I am constantly checking in with leadership to make sure that what I’m sharing is up to date and aligned with the company initiatives. Between the meetings, if there are any topics that come up that could use further training, I’ll take those topics and work with the learning and development team. We then collaborate to include what was learned, work with marketing to position the messaging and create a process to improve. This enables a system of information in, education out, and informs the lifecycle of the sales rep and enhances our product.
What role do your salespeople play in shaping the conversations and/or decisions that take place in those meetings?
Our salespeople have a huge impact on the day to day at realtor.com. Whether we are remote via Zoom or face to face, it’s the conversations that we have that shape how we show up to be our best. They are the frontline. They hear our customers’ voices upfront and on full blast. I take their feedback and figure out how we can improve to make them and our company thrive. It is my job and my joy to secure their success.
At Modernize, peer-to-peer participation from sales reps is an important component of each meeting. Barnes encourages open communication throughout the meeting so reps can learn from each other and better serve their customers.
How often do you hold sales meetings with your team and what are the key objectives of those meetings?
We hold weekly meetings with the sales team. First up is a one-hour meeting on Mondays. During this meeting, we review team results from the previous week, i.e. deals closed, contract value, forecast versus results versus targets, and any other critical learnings or updates across the business. After, each rep explains their results from the previous week, highlighting specific wins or challenges they faced. They are the CEO of their pipeline, and it’s their job to dictate to the business why they’re winning or not and how they’ll beat their targets.
We then review their late-stage deals and next steps to earn the business of the prospect, collectively strategizing on how we can help them win new business. We keep it fluid and encourage interaction and peer-to-peer participation to increase expertise and camaraderie. We celebrate that everyone has different strengths and can learn from each other.
Next up is a short 30-minute standup meeting on Wednesdays. We review priorities for the week and ask, “Are we on track to hit our goals by the end of the week?”
And lastly, on Fridays, we hold a 30-minute “Feel Good Friday” meeting centered around everything that went well that week. These meetings help us build rapport as we can’t be in the office together — it’s our chance to unwind, have some fun and close the week strong.
We keep it fluid and encourage interaction and peer-to-peer participation to increase expertise and comradery.”
What actions do you take before or during meetings to ensure they’re productive, useful and engaging?
I always try to be prepared: I familiarize myself with the holistic wins and challenges for the business itself, the sales team and each sales representative. I review Salesforce reporting for week-to-date, month-to-date and quarter-to-date progress against targets and forecasts that were delivered the previous week.
Additionally, I review revenue reporting to understand how recently signed deals are progressing versus contract value. I also review opportunities and activities from the previous week by rep and across the team.
I ask a multitude of questions: “Are we light at the top of the sales funnel or bottom? Have we created a ton of new opportunities or not enough? Is a specific rep continuing to struggle closing an opp? Is a rep crushing it doing something new that we need to share?”
Preparation, setting clear and concise goals, and empowering the team to be the CEO of their pipelines is critical to start the week.
What role do your salespeople play in shaping the conversations and/or decisions that take place in those meetings?
They are critical stakeholders in the meeting’s success. Without their rapt attention and participation, the meetings have no value to the business or to them. We practice “radical candor,” and we need their feedback to stay relevant in order to grow and win. These meetings evolve as their skills do, and it’s incumbent upon the group to make every meeting better than the last.
Sales Director Rob Kenny said that in order to have productive sales meetings, collaboration is key. A collaborative and communicative environment allows for sales representatives to share their successes and learn from one another on what works and what doesn’t.
How often do you hold sales meetings with your team and what are the key objectives of those meetings?
I like to set a weekly cadence for a brief sales meeting with the team, usually about 30 to 45 minutes. The primary focus is to discuss any internal updates and cover an “around the horn” to highlight any account and pipeline news across the team. We also discuss any hot button issues or challenges we’re experiencing, how to best work through them and collaborate as a team, and anyway I can help to remove these barriers.
I’m always open to ways to make the meetings better, more productive, fun, etc. If someone on the team has a great idea, let’s try it out.”
What actions do you take before or during meetings to ensure they’re productive, useful and engaging?
First, I want to make sure the team has their updates captured in our suite of sales and pipeline data tools prior to the meeting. This is part of their daily and weekly activities so meetings can run effectively and efficiently. During the meeting, I want them to focus on three to four key accounts they’re engaged with that week or that have the highest priority needs.
Additionally, I like to foster a collaborative environment and have an opportunity for open dialogue to share successes and creative approaches to prospecting and maintaining good relationships that have helped win business.
What role do your salespeople play in shaping the conversations and/or decisions that take place in those meetings?
They take a collaborative role. I believe that none of us is as good as all of us. I’m always open to ways to make the meetings better, more productive, fun, etc. If someone on the team has a great idea, let’s try it out. The metrics are the metrics, which will always be the backdrop of any meeting.
One thing I’ve done in the past is have a rotating meeting lead. I’ve seen this be a great opportunity for an individual to incrementally develop their own skills in leading a conversation and quarterbacking a group. Ultimately, the team is vital in the active dialogue and sharing the pulse of our business through their book of business.
