Just like we’re not attending trade shows, most companies aren’t holding traditional sales meetings. To stay on top of things, many of them have moved those meetings online.
In the past few months, I have been a speaker at several virtual sales meetings for building materials companies. I saw first-hand that some companies are doing it better than others.
Interstate Bricks is one company that is doing it right. Not only did I speak at one of their meetings, but I also tuned into a number of the other presentations to see how they kept the audience engaged over the course of three and a half days.
Here’s How Interstate Bricks Pulled Off a Successful Virtual Sales Meeting
1. They Planned Ahead
Interstate did a great job of planning the content and the agenda. Everyone knew what was going to be presented at what time, including breaks.
Too many Zoom meetings have no agenda, so it’s hard to keep the attendees engaged.
2. They Created Enthusiasm and Anticipation
A few days before the meeting, every attendee received a big box. It contained a bright orange Interstate hoodie and a number of other boxes with instructions about when to open them. There were cookies to enjoy on breaks as well as business-oriented items that were to be opened at a specific time.
3. They Made It Fun
Every day there was a different dress code or theme. One day we were to dress as our favorite sports team. On another day we dressed in high visibility clothing for safety.
4. They Kept the Audience Engaged
In addition to the presentations from leaders, the salespeople played a big role in the meeting. Many of them made presentations sharing their real world knowledge with the other members of the sales team. They also brought in a few outside speakers like myself.
There were several breaks each day, which kept the audience engaged instead of listening with one ear as they multitasked. There were also games and contests each day to break up the more serious content.
Virtual Meetings Don’t Have to Be Inferior
I was impressed by how the audience stayed engaged over three and a half days over Zoom. As virtual meetings are new to many companies, they see them as Zoom calls rather than sales meetings that are being held virtually. This leads to presentations that are talking at the audience instead of engaging them. That, in turn, leads to the audience tuning out and only getting a portion of the message.
Taking the same amount of time you take to plan a live meeting will go a long way to ensure that your virtual sales meeting is a success. And as virtual meetings are less expensive than live meetings, you may want to consider holding them more frequently
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