If you’re in the majority, you probably fill your meeting time with forecasting rubbish. You know: “what’s in the sales funnel? when is that going to close? what do we need to get them over the hump?”
For God’s sake, dump that technique. There is no growth in funnel review. If you must do that (which you must) do it in a short time frame, or one-on-one.
Instead use valuable group time to do valuable group work.
What is that? Here’s a suggestion from one of our clients after he’d been working with us for a few months.
“Bill, I use 75% of the sales meetings asking them one question: What have you done since last meeting to help your clients solve problems?”
At first, he reported that he got very few comments. But since we (Caskey) were training his people to reinvent themselves in the sales process–away from being the master persuader (where it was all about you) and toward a process where they were focused on the prospect and their problems, they eventually got it.
As he observed his most recent sales meeting he said he was shocked at how the mojo in the room had improved. The motivation level was enormous. And it all had to do with changing the focus of the meeting–to solving customer problems.
Try it. It takes some courage. But it works.
