Sales Meeting Theme Ideas You Can Use

Sales meetings can be an important part of the sales training process.  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.  These themes will work great whether you are planning a local, regional or national sales meeting.

Holiday Based Sales Meeting Theme Ideas

Holiday – Sales Meeting Theme Ideas
New Year – Set sales 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 – Use your sales training to 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 – Sales Training series is 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 sales training series.
Football or Kickoff – Beginning of new sales training 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 salespeople.
Winter Whirl – Build a hot fire.
Christmas  – Gifts for salespeople.

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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Themes are somewhat flexible, but be sure the theme selected is in accord with the objective of the meeting. The sales meeting theme should actually help accomplish your objective.

Now apply the theme to your agenda. Go over each event, tying in the many ideas suggested by the theme. As stated, a little imagination pays big dividends.

At a small meeting, strong tie-in of the theme can appear to be juvenile.  But at larger meetings, there’s room for color. And if women are present, the audience is usually going to be more receptive to the use of a theme.

For example, a sales meeting conducted for 10 or 15 men should not receive strong application of the theme.  Why put on a show without an audience?  With a group of 200 or more, however, emphasis on the theme should be heavy.

Here is an example of an outline that was successfully used by one of the largest corporations in the country.  This shows how ordinary sales meetings, completely lacking in luster, can be made colorful, interesting and enjoyable.

THEME-ROUNDUP
Type of Selling – Jobbing or Wholesale

Sales Meeting Agenda Before Applying Theme

Start with talk on why we need more customers.

Second speaker talks on how to get more customers.

Third speaker talks on how to keep customers.

Sales  Manager  closes  meeting with pep talk.
 
Agenda After Applying Theme
Play recorded western music, something peppy, for five minutes prior to meeting while group is gathering.

Emcee, dressed as cowboy, introduces roundup theme before presenting the first speaker.

“The Big Roundup” is title for speaker wearing ten-gallon hat who tells why we should “round up” more customers.

“How To Lasso New Customers” is subject for speaker wearing a bandana who tells how to make a sales presentation.  At end of talk he throws lasso around “customer” to dramatize successful completion of sale.

Rustler Skit—A competitor is caught trying to steal a customer.

“Keep ‘em Corralled” will be covered by speaker wearing a tin badge and six shooter who tells what he does to “keep ‘em in the herd”—how to “brand” a customer for life.

“Open Range” is topic for Sales Manager, who closes meeting with inspirational talk on the abundance of prospects, urging salespeople to be “top hands” or first rate “range bosses” by thoroughly developing their territories.

As shown by the foregoing example, it’s easy to build your meeting around a theme. Simply outline your agenda, select a sales meeting theme and apply it. A drab and uninteresting meeting suddenly becomes alive. It now has impact and meaning. Those attending will stay awake, will learn more, will be more inspired, and will welcome the next meeting.

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Once a sales meeting has been planned, the big job is in getting the salespeople to listen! People are not as good listeners as they once were and attention spans are low.

Employees, particularly salespeople, no longer sit in awe and respect while company officials talk for hours on end.  The modern salesperson has a greater feeling of independence. He’s attentive as long as the meeting is so interesting that it commands or deserves his attention.

Use Demonstration, Not Conversation

The day of dry speeches is over.  Salespeople want to be shown. They want demonstration, not conversation. So why base a sales meeting on speeches?

Everyone wants action – something to see or do. Showmanship in sales meetings is now essential!

Build Your Meeting Around a Central Sales Theme

A central theme is good showmanship.  If well projected, the theme puts life into a sales meeting and helps keep the attention and interest of the audience.

A Long Beach retailer declared, “Our meetings are much better received now that we’re using central sales themes. Each meeting has more overall significance and meaning. And the theme helps connect each event within a meeting. It provides continuity.”

How to Select an Appropriate Sales Theme

There’s no limit to the number of ideas around which a sales theme can be built. But before selecting a theme, review your agenda. Then decide which theme will help most in dramatizing your agenda.

Sales themes are somewhat flexible. But be sure the theme selected is in accord with the objective of the sales meeting. The sales theme should actually help accomplish your objective.

For example, if your objective is to get salespeople to make more calls, the “Back to School” theme is not appropriate. The words, “Back to School” imply training rather than motivation.  Sales themes such as “Go Getter” or “Big Game Hunt” would be better.

The “Go Getter” sales theme is centered on the idea of making every salesperson a “Go Getter.” The “Big Game Hunt” is based upon searching for some big customers or big sales.

Also, you should consider the sales theme’s appeal to your particular type of sales organization. Two-fisted salespeople at the wholesale level would sneer at a Valentine theme. However, it would be acceptable to a group of ladies who sell cosmetics direct to the consumer.

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Meeting themes are somewhat flexible. But be sure the theme selected is in accord with the objective of the meeting.  In other words, the theme should actually help accomplish your objective.

For example, if your objective is to get salespeople to make more sales calls, the “Back To School” theme is not appropriate. The words, “Back To School” imply training rather than motivation.  Meeting themes such as “Go Getter” or “Big Game Hunt” would be better. The “Go Getter” theme is centered on the idea of making every salesperson a “Go Getter.” The “Big Game Hunt” is based upon searching for some big customers or big sales.

Also, you should consider the theme’s appeal to your particular type of sales organization. Two-fisted salespeople at the wholesale level would sneer at a Valentine theme. However, it would be acceptable to a group of women who sell cosmetics direct to the consumer.

Themes of interest and benefit to new hires may be boring to salespeople with more experience. This, too, should be considered. Some firms conduct separate meetings for new people.

How To Apply Your Central Meeting Themes

Apply the theme to your agenda. Go over each event, tying in the many ideas suggested by the theme. A little imagination pays big dividends.  At a small meeting, strong tie-in of the theme can appear to be juvenile. But at larger meetings, there’s room for color.  For example, a sales meeting conducted for 10 or 15 people should not receive strong application of the theme. Why put on a show without an audience? With a group of 200 or more, however, you would want to put emphasis on the sales meeting themes.

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