4 Reasons Why Managers Need Weekly Meetings With Their Salespeople

A good sales manager is like a superstar coach that extracts the most out of their players. Salespeople, like athletes, don’t want to be micromanaged-especially if they are in a slump. If they’re on a hot streak, good luck trying to get them to sit down for a meeting.

Great sales managers know that a weekly check-in with their sales team is necessary for the success and well being of the organization. These check-ins should not last more than ten minutes and aren’t necessarily a substitute for your sales meetings.

1. Engagement

Input from your Salespeople is invaluable. They are the frontline of your organization. If clients aren’t happy about your product or service, they are typically the first to know about it.

Conversely, if a product is performing well, the organization needs to know this right away to ensure there is enough supply to meet demand or to adjust pricing models. Salespeople tend to want to spend their time selling, not reporting back to superiors. If you don’t set the expectation to meet and discuss what’s happening in the trenches, you may not get valuable intel from your boots on the ground.

Employees should have ample time to share their thoughts, ask questions, and provide answers during discussions. Not only will employees be more attentive to the discussion, but it will also keep employees energized and curious about the topics discussed.

2. Spillover

Poor performance can be tied to a variety of things. A salesperson’s dip in production is often tied to challenges in their personal life. It isn’t practical for any organization to fire or let a salesperson go on their first slump. Nor is it ideal to let the drought go on for too long without finding out what’s wrong.

Weekly check-ins are an opportunity for you to connect with your team. Not everyone is going to come out and admit that they might be going through a rough patch at home and they certainly aren’t going to divulge any private information to you if the only interaction you have with them is when you ask for their sales reports.

You aren’t their therapist. I’m not suggesting that you give any type of advice. I am simply suggesting that you ask and listen. Showing empathy goes a long way and people don’t forget it. You can get the best out of your salesforce when they know you care versus barking orders for your ivory tower corner office.

3. Assessment and Defined Goals

Most companies assess employees annually. Many things can change in a year, and this span of time is too long making these assessments less accurate. Imagine monitoring a diet plan on a yearly basis? Weigh yourself today and weigh yourself next year to see any loss or gain. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Yet, that is how some organizations operate.

Quarterly assessments are enough you argue? Better, but weekly is best. People and processes should adapt to change, and changes can happen within a week. I am writing this entry during the 2020 COVID pandemic in which working virtually during stay-at-home orders validated that weekly goal setting and review is desperately needed.

Don’t be afraid to set goals for your salespeople. Most people know they need to have a target to aim for, and yet they don’t. If you know that your salesperson is more than likely not identifying a target, it is your responsibility to set it for them. Hold them accountable and let them know you will be reviewing their progress at your next meeting.

4. Wins

It sounds crazy, but you have to sell, sell, and re-sell your team on your company’s vision and the benefits of representing your organization. When something new, it’s easy to be excited about the unknown possibilities. As time goes on, the reality of what it takes to succeed in any endeavor and in any organization kicks in and that initial euphoria wears off.

You have to provide that weekly jolt of energy to remind them and the best way to do this is by sharing the success stories of others in the organization. Notice the word share-not gloat.

Nobody wants to have someone else’s success rubbed in their face, but everyone loves a good comeback story. If you’re going to share someone else’s win, be sure to include the obstacles they overcame as well. And guess what? You’ll have access to a plethora of success stories when you meet with your top producers on a weekly basis. This stuff works folks.

When practiced regularly, being sure to adhere to the 10-minute rule, weekly check-ins are invaluable. These meetings build trust, accountability, and loyalty which ultimately lead to less turnover of your salespeople and more profits for your organization.