“Come to the Meeting to Get Your Beating”
A Message for Sales Executives Everywhere From Jeff Shore
“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.”
~Wade Boggs
I was recently discussing effective sales meetings with Ryan Taft, one of the (outstanding!) trainers on the Shore Consulting team. He described the sales meetings hosted by one of his former managers as a weekly event that he had entitled, “Come to the Meeting to Get Your Beating.”
Ouch! But, that’s the way Ryan saw this weekly gathering and he was accurate in his assessment of the meeting turned beating scenario. Every Monday morning, he would drive 45 minutes for the privilege of being publicly humiliated, followed by receiving a sound berating. If it wasn’t the sales leader throwing the punches, it was a manager from production, or accounting, or warranty. Ryan pictured them lined up outside the door, pounding their fists into the open palms of their other hands, warming up their punches as they anticipated administering the weekly beating to the sales team members. Wow, what a great way to start one’s work week. Downright inspiring.
Unfortunately, this scenario still exists in the sales world today. Sadder still is the fact that so many managers are clueless to the fact that they are doing great damage to their salespeople, to their production numbers, and even to their customers. They are role-modeling attitude and company culture in their actions, and it is virtually impossible for salespeople to detach and rise above these constant doses of negativity.
What’s the Point?
What would solve this problem? To start, it would be hugely helpful if the sales executives in question asked themselves this: What is the purpose of a sales meeting? Too often, a sales meeting is destined for crappiness simply because the objective is not clear.
In my opinion, the purpose of a sales meeting is very simple: to equip sales representatives to make more sales. Be it through training, coaching, encouragement, motivation, information, or positive challenge, managers should prepare their salespeople to sell more effectively. If this one premise were adopted, how would it change the way many sales managers run their meetings?
Sales Meeting or Sales Rally?
Here’s one simple idea that can yield tremendous payoffs: Change the name of your weekly gathering from “Sales Meeting” to “Sales Rally.” Think about it – if you were charged with holding sales rallies each week, would it change the way you prepared for them? Would you switch up the agenda? Would you aim to present elements that were more positive and upbeat? Would you ask anyone who was coming to present specific information to do it in a way that was positive and inspiring? You would! Let’s face it, the difference between “meeting” and “rally” is huge! (Ever heard of a “monster truck meeting?” Yeah, no.)
As a sales manager, the single biggest change that going from “meeting” to “rally” will result in is your attitude. You will approach the meeting not as a beat-down, but as a build-up. This kind of positive input for your sales team will result in greater positive output as they are equipped and inspired to succeed.
Sales leaders everywhere: Come to meetings to praise your people, not to bury them…and watch them change the world!
If you change your mindset, you will change your world. Equip yourself with timely, powerful tools to conquer your inner discomfort, win more sales and create amazing results for your customers and yourself: sign up for my weekly, FREE, instructional/motivational video, The Shore Thing, at jeffshore.com.
About the Author:
Jeff Shore is a highly sought-after sales expert, speaker, author and executive coach whose innovative BE BOLD methodology teaches you how to change your mindset and change your world. His latest book, “Be Bold and Win the Sale: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Boost Your Performance,” (McGraw-Hill) was published in January, 2014. Learn more at jeffshore.com and follow Jeff on Twitter.
For more than three decades, Jeff has guided executives and sales teams in large and small companies across the globe to embrace their discomforts and deliver BOLD sales results. In a crowded field of sales experts and training programs, Jeff Shore stands out with his research-based BE BOLD methodology. Combining his extensive front-line sales experience with the latest Cognitive Behavioral Therapy research, Jeff has created a highly effective, personalized way to reset sales paradigms and deliver industry-leading results. Jeff doesn’t just teach you how to sell, he shows you how to change your mindset and change your world.
