Sales Meeting

Meetings can be some of the most effective uses of time in business and they can be some of the biggest time-wasters in business.  To keep meetings useful and effective you will want to make sure the information that is being discussed in the meeting applies or is of interest to everyone in attendance.

“People attending a meeting should have common needs and interests,” states an Oklahoma sales executive. “This enables you to present subject matter that is applicable to all.  A clerk in the accounting department doesn’t need information on sales techniques, nor is he interested in it. ‘Birds of a feather’ should be flocked together. Then your sales meetings will show results.”

Of course, general information is more universal in its application. Such subjects as sick leave policy and payroll deductions can profitably be presented to employees whose jobs are quite different, as well as to experienced, and inexperienced salespeople.  But information on how to use new cash registers would apply only to cashiers.  Rules regarding expense accounts would concern only those who travel.

For such specific information, the audience should be narrowed to the people concerned.
The type of meeting helps determine the size of the audience. For instance, a training meeting ordinarily includes time for every person attending to try out what they have learned. This indicates that training sessions can best be conducted for small audiences.

Some meetings include group discussion. In such instances, a small audience is best. Group discussion is not sufficiently dynamic to keep the interest of a large crowd.
An inspirational meeting, on the other hand, can be conducted for a large audience. The size of the crowd tends in itself to be inspirational.

Again, to make a meeting as effective as possible it should be of value to every person in attendance.  Give some thought to who will be best served by attendance at a meeting before asking people to attend.

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