Sales Meeting Theme Ideas You Can Use

A lot of people have trouble coming up with sales meeting theme ideas for their sales people. The following are some sample sales meeting theme ideas to get your brain working and help you come up with your own ideas.

Holiday Based Sales Meeting Theme Ideas

Holiday – Sales Meeting Theme Ideas
New Year – Set goals for the new year.
Washington’s Birthday – Never lie to a customer.
Valentine – Fall in love with your prospect.
March Winds – A big blow won’t necessarily get the order.
April Showers – Shower each customer with service.
Easter or New Growth – A chance for a new start.
Green Thumb – Cultivate new customers.
Spring Fling – Wake up and live!
Baseball – Hit home runs with your prospects.
May Day – Calls for a celebration
Decoration Day – Salespeople; the infantry of American business.
Graduation – Training series now over.
June Bride – Marry your customer.
July 4th – Be hot as a firecracker.

Summertime – Shirt sleeve session.
Vacation -Work now—retire later.
Fishing – Fish for the big ones.
Back to School – Start of training series.
Football or Kickoff – Beginning of new program.
Columbus Day – Astounding discovery.
Halloween – Spooks are laziness, neglect, et al.
Golden Harvest – Commissions to be reaped.
Horn of Plenty – Money for everybody.
Thanksgiving – Management thanks salesmen.
Winter Whirl – Build a hot fire.
Christmas  – Gifts for salesmen.

Subject Based Sales Meeting Theme Ideas

Subject – Sales Meeting Theme Ideas
Prospecting – Look for customers.
Go Getter – Take action.
Opportunity – Make the most of it.
Treasure Hunt – Let’s find it.
Pirate – Don’t let competitors in.
Enthusiasm – go, Go, GO
Gold Rush – Get your share.
Big Game – Hunt Find the big sales.
Pioneers’ – Party Be among the first.
Black Magic – Calls pay off like magic.
Wheel of Fortune – You can make a fortune.
Carnival – Don’t be a pitch man.
Circus or Big Top – Ringmaster, clown, thin man.
Masquerade – Prospects wear different disguises.
Vaudeville – Have a variety of talents.
Cowboy – Roundup customers.
Bury The Hatchet – Regain lost customers.
Fiesta – Celebrate over the Latin market.
Sell-a-bration – A sales rally.
Bonanza A real gold strike.
Road to Success – Take it. Go!
Transportation – Let work be your vehicle.
Aviation – Let’s fly high.
Atomic Energy – A huge sales explosion.
Courtroom – Trial for poor sales practices.

Watch for future posts on sales meeting theme ideas.

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To prepare a sales meeting agenda, select topics in keeping with the objective.
If you want to motivate salesmen, what subjects would be most likely to do it? Wouldn’t something on enthusiasm be inspirational? What about positive thinking?  Should you have someone give an account of how he succeeded?

Sales Meeting Agenda Qustions

Let’s suppose you want to train instead of motivate in your sales meeting agenda.  In what areas is training needed?  Is it: product information or closing techniques?   Can your training needs be satisfied at one sales meeting or should a series of sales meetings be scheduled?

Which training needs are most important?  For example, isn’t it all important for every person to master his or her sales presentation? Which needs are most urgent? Shouldn’t you do something now to get them to move overstocked items?

By asking questions such as these you can then decide upon appropriate subject matter for your sales meeting agenda.

Arrange Your Sales Meeting Agenda by Subject

Items for the agenda should be arranged in logical sequence. Tips on approaching the customer are placed before methods of presenting the product.  A demonstration of the product should precede closing the sale. 

The sales vice president of an industrial concern said, “A natural sequence (in your sales meeting agenda) makes for better understanding. Schedule any general information first. Then narrow the subject matter toward your objective, becoming more specific all the time.”

Sample Sales Meeting Agenda

Objective: To make strong closers of the salesmen.
1st Subject (3 minutes): Recent sales trends showing a need for closing more sales.
2nd Subject (3 minutes): The steps in a sale—attention, interest, desire, action.
3rd Subject (15 minutes): Step number 4—how to close, or how to prompt action.
4th Subject (15 minutes): A movie or some demonstrations on trial closes.
5th Subject (3 minutes): Summary, plea for application in the field, inspirational close.

Sales Meeting Agenda Sequence

In the foregoing sample sales meeting agenda, note the logical sequence of subject matter. The need or reason for strong closing is developed before emphasis is placed on the subject. This makes the salesperson want to learn more about closing techniques.

Then the steps in a sale are briefly covered. This shows the relationship of the close to the other steps, pointing up its importance. Thereafter, all emphasis is on the close itself.

Review additional posts for more information on planning a Sales Meeting Agenda.

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What will a good sales meeting do for you?

There’s a sales meeting somewhere.  Morning, noon, or night— a sales meeting is taking place. There are more this year than last, and next year there’ll be more than ever.  

Sales meetings are popular because of one thing . . . they pay dividends!

They’re often the difference between profit and loss, the difference between success and failure.  Sales meetings are that important.

Meetings can work wonders for the people attending.  After a snappy sales meeting in Akron, Ohio, a salesman remarked, “I learned more about selling in one hour than I had in the last year!” Another commented, “I always get ‘pumped up’ when I go to our sales meeting. I’d be lost without them.”

Good sales meetings are profitable for all concerned.  However a sales meeting must actually be good for everyone to benefit.  If there’s reason to believe a sales meeting will not be successful, improve your plans … or don’t stage the meeting.

If there’s doubt about the need for a sales meeting, establish the need … or don’t call the meeting.  A poor meeting is torture. Even a mediocre meeting is not acceptable.

An effective sales meeting is instructional and inspirational, both interesting and exciting. Everyone attending becomes a participant, at least in spirit. They accept and approve, nodding their heads in agreement with the speakers and demonstrations.

Sales Meeting = Increase In Sales

Your greatest benefit will be an increase in sales. While this increase cannot always be measured, it is the main reason for having a sales meeting and the natural result of good meeting.  You should expect an increase in sales. If necessary, you should insist upon it.

The Sales Manager of an Eastern concern stated, “We’ve tried ‘em all—contests, push periods, red-letter days—everything from Christmas bonuses to a founder’s day banquet. But the best way to stimulate sales is by meetings—regular and well planned sales meetings.”

A case in point: a chain system of variety stores had few meetings. “Most stores had monthly get-togethers,” a vice president reported. “And to be honest about it, those monthly meetings were sometimes skipped. But last year we insisted on weekly sales meetings—good weekly meetings. And sales increased 16 percent, apparently for that reason alone.”

Review some of the other post on this blog to learn more about planning an effective sales meeting.

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Often a story can be based upon two of the four reasons for laughing.

1.    Man’s inhumanity to man.
2.    A natural target.
3.    The unexpected.
4.    Sex.

This increases its effectiveness.

To illustrate: “At one of our sales meetings, a fellow flinched every time an automobile horn was sounded on the street. He jumped so much that he disturbed the other salesmen. So we stopped the meeting and asked him for an explanation.

“He said, ‘A few days ago, my wife ran away with our chauffeur. Every time I hear an automobile horn, I’m afraid it’s that chauffeur bringing her back!’”

There’s a double sock there. First, the unexpected is spoken. Then there’s man’s inhumanity to man. The audience laughs because the fellow might get his wife back when he obviously wishes she would “drop dead.”

Analyze the basis for humor in each story before telling it. If it has two platforms for laugh-getting, tell it in such a way that you fully capitalize on both foundations.

HOW TO HANDLE THE PUNCH LINE

The final sentence or phrase of a joke is referred to as the “punch line.” It’s the part that prompts the audience to laugh.

Be very sure that your punch line is worded correctly. The audience must understand its relationship to your build-up, other¬wise there’s no punch.

For instance, at a sales meeting a speaker told of: “A farmer was passing an insane asylum with a wagon load of fertilizer. An inmate called out, ‘Hey! Where are you going with that fertilizer?’

“The farmer replied, To put it on my strawberries.’  ” That’s funny,’ said the inmate. 1 put sugar and cream on mine.’”

The speaker got a laugh, but it could have been better. His punch line should have been more closely related to the build-up. For example, he could have “pulled the string” with: “That’s funny,” said the inmate. “I put sugar and cream on mine, and they’ve got me in the nut house!”

The improved phrasing more clearly points up the insanity angle. It doubles the laughter! Why?

Because of man’s inhumanity to man. The inmate thinks he’s smarter than the farmer but that he’s in the insane asylum in spite of it. The improved phrasing brings this out more strongly.

The main point here: Build-up makes way for the punch line, gets the audience ready for it. Naturally, the build-up should establish the basis for the laugh—inhumanity, natural target, the unexpected, or sex. But the punch line should bear out this basis. Unless there’s strong relationship between the build-up and the punch line, the story loses much of its sock.

Sales Meeting Information

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“We have an outside speaker at most of our large meetings,” reported a Memphis sales executive. “It’s usually a ‘big man’. someone who can attract a sizeable crowd. And, of course, such a person is a skilled public speaker, but with all his skill, he invariably depends upon humor. Without some good jokes, his effectiveness would be questionable.”

Suggest to your speakers that they use a little humor. It keeps your sales meetings from being so “dry.” Not everyone can tell a joke well. But everyone can learn to do so. Joke telling can be compared with any other skill. For instance, it can be compared with the ability to use a typewriter. Not everyone knows how to type, but everyone who wants to do so, can learn.

Sales Meeting

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The basis of nearly every joke will fall in one or more of four categories:

1. Man’s inhumanity to man.
2. A natural target.
3. The unexpected.
4. Sex.

Let’s discuss each of these. First, what is meant by man’s in¬humanity to man?

Man’s Inhumanity to Man

Most of us like to laugh at the other fellow. It makes us feel superior and feeds our egos. Thus, most people laugh at the fellow who’s hit in the face with a gooey pie or who’s the butt of a story. It’s a little cruel to laugh at the plight of the other fellow, but usually we do.

For example, there’s the story about a man who owed some money to his next-door neighbor. He couldn’t pay the debt so, naturally, he was worried. His wife kept telling him not to worry, but the man worried anyway.

Finally the wife said, “You don’t have to worry. I’ll show you. . .”
She went to a window and yelled to the neighbor, “Hey, Fred! Do you remember that $100 my husband borrowed from you? Well, he can’t pay you. He’s dead broke!”
She slammed down the window and turned to her husband. “See there? You don’t have to worry. Let him worry!”

An audience will laugh at this joke. The laughter is basically directed at the neighbor. There’s no reason why the audience should dislike the neighbor. He had done nothing wrong. Yet the audience will laugh at his dilemma. Why? Because of man’s inhumanity to man.

Knowing why the audience laughs, you can tell a story more effectively. You can make the butt of the yarn look as ridiculous and stupid as possible. This increases the mirth!

A Natural Target

A tyrant is a natural target. For example, many stories belittling dictators have been told through the years. People laugh because of their contempt for the villain. They get pleasure in seeing him ridiculed.

Another example is a story on a mother-in-law. The latter is proverbially a meddlesome individual. Therefore, people laugh at seeing her taken to task: “I’m here before you with mixed emotions. Sorry about one thing and glad about another. I’m like the fellow who saw his beautiful new car roll off a cliff, with his mother-in-law inside!”

A competitor or his product is a natural target. A wise salesperson won’t berate his competitor when talking to a prospect. But there’s nothing wrong with getting in a “dig” or two at a sales meeting.

For instance, “A salesperson for one of those cheap imitative products dropped by the other day. He said, ‘The price you’re getting for your merchandise is atrocious!’
“I told him, ‘I can see why you think as you do. For merchandise like yours, the price we’re getting really would be atrocious!’”

Adding more coals to the fire: “We know what our product is worth and it is priced accordingly. We presume that the imitators know what their merchandise is worth, and we give them credit for pricing it accordingly!”

Having fully realized that you’re aiming at a natural target, you can fire your guns more effectively. Your choice of words should show contempt. Your tone of voice should ridicule. The audience will be delighted!

Be sure your natural target is not present at the meeting. For instance, at a department store sales meeting, the merchandise manager told a joke on an old maid (another natural target). Many people laughed. But the old maids didn’t!
 
The Unexpected

People can be made to laugh when surprised. Apparently it’s fun to be fooled, because the unexpected has been the basis for many jokes. For instance . . .

“A man was on top of a tall building, ready to jump off. A policeman saw him and said, ‘Hey, wait a minute! You don’t want to do that. Let’s talk this thing over.’
“So they talked it over for three or four minutes. Then they both jumped off!”

OR

“A sales trainer had finished a lecture and was attempting to start group discussion. He asked for questions or comments, but none were forthcoming. Again he asked, ‘Questions or comments, if you will please.’ But a deadly silence ensued.

“When everyone became a bit embarrassed, the trainer quipped, ‘All right. Thank you very much for all those fine questions and comments. Now we’ll go on to the next subject.’
“The audience laughed. The tension was broken. A lively discussion followed, simply because the trainer had said the unexpected.

Another illustration: “Everyone on this side of the room who likes pie, please raise your hand … if you like ice cream, raise your hands.” The speaker points to one side of the room, then the other. “I now pronounce you pie a la mode!”

They’ll laugh gustily, since it’s the unexpected.  When selling a laugh on this basis, make the turn of events as completely unexpected as possible. Phrase your remarks in such a way that the audience is taken fully by surprise. You then have maximum effectiveness.

Sex

Since the day of Adam and Eve, sex has served as the foundation for funny stories. The sex urge is both fundamental and intriguing. Since you’ve doubtless heard many jokes on the subject, elaborating hardly seems necessary.
 
Here’s one that regales an audience: “Years ago I was working in a little country store when a lady came in, who wanted to buy a dress. Having selected one, she asked if she might try it on.
“As I said, it was a little country store. We didn’t have a dressing room. We had simply a curtain in the rear of the building.

“The lady stepped behind the curtain, and I handed her the dress. At that moment the boss walked up and said, ‘Bill, if I catch you trying to peek while this lady tries on that dress, I’m going to fire you!’
“Now, after I lost that job . . . (!)”

The foregoing leaves something to the imagination. This is much preferred to an uncouth story or one containing profanity. Vulgarity cheapens any story. In effect, it weakens the position of the speaker; it depreciates him in the mind of the audience.

A professional speaker has often told of a food salesperson, a liquor salesperson, and a mattress salesperson. The food salesperson said, “I hate to see a woman dine alone.” The liquor salesperson said, “If there’s anything I hate, it’s to see a woman drink alone.”
And the mattress salesperson said not a word!

Sales Meeting Speaking

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It takes 10 or 15 minutes to clinch a point—that is, to drive it home properly. Therefore, a speaker should seldom try to make more than one point. When more than one point is to be made, however, the five-step plan can still be used.

The five steps are observed in putting across each point. For example, the speaker goes through the five steps in making his first point. Then he repeats the five-step procedure for each additional point.

Here is a review of the FIVE-STEP PLAN

- Decide Upon the Point
- Determine Whether It’s Appropriate
- Develop Examples of What, How, When, Where It Works
- Restate the Point With a Plea for Action
- Work up an Interest Getter

Sales Meeting Prep

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Poor talks have done more to ruin sales meetings than any other one thing. While you can minimize the amount of speaking and number of speeches, some talking is always necessary.

In every possible instance, get the speakers to use the five-step plan in organizing their material. Their talks will be more interesting and effective.

Result: Your sales meeting will undoubtedly be improved.

HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPEECH

- Collect Material for the Talk
- Decide Upon the Point
- Determine Whether the Point Is Appropriate
- Develop Examples—The Meat of the Talk
- Restate the Point, Making a Plea for Action
- Work Up an Interest-getter

Sales Meeting

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But most of us aren’t children. Maybe that’s why we sometimes have trouble! Or perhaps the assembling is sometimes not simple at all, any plan should be so simple that people can use it. That’s another feature of this five-step plan for organizing a speech. It’s quite simple. People speaking at one of your sales meetings can learn how to use it in no time at all.

Here’s a summary of a speech. It shows the logic and simplicity of this plan:

CALL BACKS

Interest-getter:    “This afternoon a man dropped dead in my office! I was startled and shocked!
“Perhaps you knew him. He was a merchant, and one of you tried to sell him our line of goods. He was overstocked at the moment, so he bought nothing. He said he’d buy a couple of weeks later. And he would have bought, had the salesperson returned, because he liked our products. He liked them so well he refused to buy any other line.

“But our salesperson never returned, so the merchant ran completely out of merchandise. With nothing to sell, he soon lost his store. Then he had no income at all. Finally the poor fellow starved to death.

“Just before dying, he visited me to ask why the salesperson never returned. That’s how he happened to die in my office.

Point:    “A ridiculous story? Of course it is. But some-times we do fail to call back. And that’s the main point I’m trying to get across. Let’s make call backs – lots of call backs! Call back early and often”

Reasons for Point: “Why? Because a well-timed, follow-up is good salesmenship. Call backs pay off. They always have and they always will. They bring you more customers, bigger sales, and more commissions.

Examples:    “For example, when you call back on the merchant who has never bought your line, you make him feel important. And sometimes you can get an order from him.

“Where a merchant is already using your line, call backs produce still more sales. The customer is impressed by your sincere desire to serve and, therefore, gives you more of his business.

“We’ve found that call backs can most easily be made when . . .”
“There’ll be times when your call backs should instead be made . . .
“And it’s sometimes a good idea to make call backs even though the customer . . .”

Restate with Plea      “So let’s make call backs – frequent call backs.

For Action:    That’s what the highest paid salespeople are doing, and it’s what all of us should do. Make call backs!”

Deciding on the Point of a Talk

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When their attention has been captured, they start wondering, “So what? This doesn’t affect me, does it?” The point answers such questions. It pins things down and gives listeners the specific idea for which they are now ready.

After the point has been made, people want reasons or justification for it. They’re thinking, “Why? Why should we do that, or why is that true—just because he says it?” So it is logical to give reasons for the point. The reasons help sustain interest and sell the major idea.

By this time the audience is thinking, “Sounds okay so far, but how would it work in actual practice? Is it just theory, or is there proof of it?” The speaker holds the audience by giving examples which answer their questions. He supplies the who, where, when and how—the information the audience wants.

At this point the audience knows what to do and how to do it.  All that’s needed is the inspiration to take action. By returning to the point and closing on a high note, the speaker climaxes the speech in a manner that inspires action. Thus, the audience is left with a feeling of completeness and satisfaction. Listeners are given the information they want at the right time—from the beginning of the speech to the close.

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