Personal training and coaching have been some of the fastest-growing professions in the US over the last couple of years. Despite the internal drive that the best of us possess, having an external force that pushes us beyond the limits of our own will is necessary to achieve extraordinary results, which is exactly what our leadership team is witnessing firsthand.
In new home sales, a complete and effective training curriculum will consist of weekly one-on-one strategy sessions between regional managers and sales associates, productive sales meetings, and weekly self-guided activities reinforced by a firm sense of accountability from the leadership team. This combination allows each team member the space to practice by doing, receive active feedback, and contribute to the group by knowing they are a part of something bigger than themselves. It will take longer for individuals to develop the skills necessary for our team of Rockstars if training sessions are not designed within a well-planned curriculum.
Within this article, we will focus on how to facilitate an effective training session with your sales team. The first thing you have to address is the perception of what your sales meeting actually is and what it entails. Many new home sales leaders spend their entire meeting time discussing backlog, construction, and/or closing status. While these are all essential parts of the sales process, they don’t pertain to a sales meeting; if the first hour is the construction meeting, then call it that. Don’t give your team members reason to believe your sales meetings are not useful simply because you have set the wrong expectations of why they exist.
One of the first key components of a good sales meeting agenda is incorporating a motivational aspect within the presentation delivery. Great sales leaders understand the value of having an engaged team that is empowered to accept the challenges that await them. Each team member should come and leave each meeting feeling excited and empowered to accept the challenges of the week. Here are several strategies you can utilize to motivate your team during your sales meetings.
Break the Ice
Implement a quick activity that wakes everyone up and encourages them to share with the group. This allows them to learn more about each other and begin to establish some deeper relationships. Team members who are in remote locations and don’t have a personal interaction with other areas of your division now have an opportunity to feel connected to the team on a relational level with this approach.
Share an Inspirational Message
Leaders can sometimes be intimidated by sharing inspirational messages because they believe that they have to be the deliverer of said message. Inspiration can come from a variety of places, and can be done in the following ways:
- A quick eight-to-ten-minute news story or YouTube video designed to inspire the industry or humanity.
- Someone on the team can share a great story. It could be a personal example or a story about one of their prospects or customers. Having a team member share a real-life story makes everything feel personal and more relevant to those listening.
- Share a relevant news article from the industry or economic driver that may directly benefit your team or market specifically. When there is positive news, share it immediately and discuss why it is beneficial for the group!
- Scheduling an inspirational guest speaker for 10-15 minutes is a powerful tool. A meaningful message from someone who has overcome obstacles and achieved quite a bit can really kick start a sales associate's week, and give him or her the energy to push through almost any situation.
Recognize and Reward Accordingly
Salespeople deal with a great deal day in and day out, so it is important to recognize achievements on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis. Never underestimate the power of distributing trophies, awards, and gifts to your team. Individuals take great comfort and pride in knowing that their hard work does not go unnoticed, so we need to make it our mission to provide them with this feeling.
When a sales team dreads attending sales meetings, the root cause can mainly be attributed to the lack of motivation and inspiration provided by the leader or speaker. Taking time out each week to motivate individuals to want to go that extra mile and strive for their very best is the true sign of exceptional leadership. With these strategies in mind, creating and facilitating an effective sales meeting should be a breeze and will eventually turn into second nature for those in leadership.
Interested in learning more about our formal training process? Check out this sales training article outlining our proven approach to new home selling.
