Thoughts on Marketing
Sales Kick-Offs: Avoiding the Yawn
[Originally published as The Marketing Mix newsletter on Substack]
Forget Dry January. For many of us, the start of the year means we’re getting the sales team together for a few days – hopefully in a warm destination. To kick off the year, set direction and get them energized.
For me, running the Sales Kick-Off has always been one of the most rewarding – and exhausting – parts of leading Marketing. So for anyone who’s embarking on their own SKO, here’s some guidelines I follow:
- Focus on three areas: skills training, identifying obstacles (and fixes); and building relationships
- Find an interesting, non-clichéd theme that generates excitement and ties the whole event together [See below for some ideas]
- Maximize the opportunities for sales, marketing, and operations folks to collaborate and to socialize. It’s a chance to build bonds between everyone who’s involved in the customer journey
And please, please, please avoid the interminable hours of individual sales-updates. They drain the energy from the room, and put the focus on the wrong things. Save those for zoom calls after the event.
[And if you’re breaking into a cold sweat at the thought of all this, I can help! Scroll down to read more.]
My favorite Sales Kick Off was a “Rock Stars” event in Orlando. Opengear had just closed out another record year, and we wanted to celebrate the achievement, plus get everyone revved up to do it all again.
The swag included a “Tour Shirt” with a cool logo on the front, and a VIP lanyard; we brought in Marvelless Mark Kamp for his “Unleash the Rock Star Within” keynote (and to teach us some drumming); the top salesperson for the year was given an Opengear-branded guitar; and we held the final night event at the Hard Rock Cafe, featuring a band of Opengear musicians.
If you start the year off as a Rock Star, it’s tough not feel motivated to succeed! 🤘
Themes That Rock!
Sometimes, choosing the right theme for an SKO is the toughest part. It’s the thread that pulls it all together – keeping on message with the events, the swag, the team building and so on. So where can you look for inspiration?
Location. Tie-in to the city you’re heading to: Louisville, KY gives you Horse Racing. Or maybe Bourbon (my mind is already buzzing with the possibilities on that one). San Diego could inspire a Bootcamp theme, or Top Gun…
A Movie Title. There’s a built in story; and a ton of graphics and content as a springboard. Pick the movie that best fits with your aspirations, your challenges, or your celebration.
Another of my favorite SKO themes was “Ready Player One,” based on the book and film. It fit well with our tech-focused team; and allowed us to emphasize the need to be prepared for the coming year. Plus, it gave us a lot of visuals to work with.
Topical Events. A kick-off in March might have an Oscar theme. Anything this year could tie into the Olympics….
If you want to brainstorm some themes for your next Sales Meeting, let’s chat.
Need some help with your Sales Meeting?
If you’ve ever wished you had some help planning, running or MC’ing your Sales Kick Off – maybe this is the year 😏
I’ve run Sales Meetings for small teams, and large groups; in fancy locations and co-working spaces; and I take pride in making them an unforgettable experience.
Let me take the strain, and free you up to run the business (and enjoy the event!).
The best of The Marketing Mix
I’m busy working on Season 2 of The Marketing Mix podcast, which will launch soon. In the first couple of episodes, I’ll be talking with a B2B marketer from Prudential on how to approach diversity issues in your outreach strategy; and a PR expert who explains the value of Public Relations for a growing business.
In the meantime, you can hear the best of my interviews in the Season 1 recap episode. Listen here.
Drink of the Week
With the first snowfall of the year, my mind starts to drift towards a tropical beach vacation. And one of my favorite drinks from a trip to Mexico was a Jarrito de Mezcal.
I was drinking them every day…but I think I fell for some local marketing, since I’ve never been able to find a cocktail recipe by that name.😁
The menu lists mezcal, passionfruit, mint, lemon juice and pineapple as the ingredients. My best guess is that it included some of the Mexican-brand Jarrito soda, to give it it’s name. But the word “Jarrito” also means a small clay pot.
Either way, absolutely delicious. And if it’s snowing (or raining) outside your window, it’s a nice way to mix a bit of sunshine in a glass 😎
Cheers!
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Cheers!
Steve