How to Decide on the Length of Your Sales Meeting

The length of the meeting should be governed by your objective, because the meeting must last long enough for the objective to be reached.  If you cannot accomplish your purpose, something must be changed. You need either a longer meeting or a smaller objective. In such cases, the fault usually is in the objective.  Settle for an objective you know you can reach.

An inspirational meeting might be quite short. You can inspire a group in only ten minutes, with a good pep talk.

An instructional type meeting would ordinarily last longer.  Instruction should be retained by the audience and it takes time to drive information to the retention point.  For instance, it’s often advisable to present the information visually as well as verbally, or twice instead of once.

A training meeting is still longer, as it involves trial performance. The salespeople need to try out the new methods under supervision during the meeting.  To develop proper habits and techniques takes time.

Your meeting may include some of all of these—inspiration, instruction, and training.  In such cases, allow more time for the instructional part, and more time still for the section on training.  The length of the sections can then be totaled to determine the length of the overall meeting.

If salespeople are being brought in from great distances, longer meetings are appropriate. Travel is getting more and more costly.  Having already invested in their travel, you’ll want a maximum return for your investment. So travel expense and how often meetings will be held are additional factors to consider when deciding on the length of the meeting.

Sometimes you’ll complete a meeting ahead of schedule.  If you are sure the objective of the meeting has been met, end the meeting!  Stalling for time in order to “run out the clock” is a waste of valuable manpower and it precludes ending the meeting on a high note.

Selecting the Best Time for Your Sales Meetings

Internal factors, such as customer traffic, often have a bearing on the time for your meeting.  However, a short meeting can be held nearly any time. A long meeting should be scheduled for a period of the day that is not ordinarily productive.

Early morning meetings are best because people are more alert and receptive at that time of day.  This also enables salespeople to plunge into their work immediately – before enthusiasm has worn off.  Evening meetings, on the other hand, may send everyone home to sleep off their enthusiasm.

The same principle is observed in selecting the day of the week. The early part ordinarily is better. Meetings at the end of the week may generate fire at the time it is least productive.

By considering the needs of the customer, the salespeople and the organization your sales staff can get the most from sales meeting attendance.

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“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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