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I manage a team of financial sales reps who operate on commission. i have been doing weekly 1/1's with great effect. I have been purposely avoided the weekly team meeting. actually I jumped all over the 1/1 in hopes to replace the weekly meeting.

I can appreciate the tem building aspect of the weekly meeting however my folks are scattered all over the city. we would all be on a conference call.

The main reason I was so interested in dropping the team meeting is they always turned into bitch sessions about support, prices, guidelines or the market in general. People would come away from these things drained by the other comments. In sales misery really does love company if you are having a down month. "see its not my fault they are having the same problem"

So far Manager Tools has been on the money with the "TRINITY". Is the weekly team meeting that important?

bflynn's picture

Is it important is a question for you.

Let me suggest two things that might help.

1) you should not allow your meetings to become complaint sessions. With a proper agenda and a little control to keep on topic, complaints can be handled offline, if they're legitimate. Use the parking lot for things that get off topic. Without looking it up, my memory says it was one of the first six podcasts that covered how to conduct meetings. It sounds to me like you're drifting from the course.

2) Is your sales really a team oriented activity? Think about your direct's incentives. If they're individually based, do you really need the team orientation? Most sales organizations that I have seen pit sales people against each other, not in a team environment. The competition is controlled just enough that it doesn't severely harm the company. Why would you care about the team building aspect of the weekly meeting if every other part of your sales organization is individually focused?

With that said - I think you should continue a short weekly meeting. Have a strict agenda and stick to it. Use the meeting to announce results, praise those who are achieving, perhaps embarrass those who are not and generally work on your culture. Ultimately, if it helps your results, use it. If not, then it is ineffective and should be changed or stopped.

Helpful I hope?

Brian