Lately, I have been receiving a number of questions about how sales leaders and organizations can effectively execute virtual sales kickoffs. With government regulations, quarantine restrictions, and city ordinances in place due to the pandemic, sales kickoffs during these difficult times can certainly be a challenge.
Thus, this is where creative thinking is of paramount importance. I would like to share with you creative tips on how you can indeed execute an effective sales kickoff in this virtual/hybrid environment.
A Schitt’s Creek Emmy Party
While watching the Emmy Awards this year, I was really inspired by the team from Schitt’s Creek—a Canadian television show who won multiple awards that night. They were gathered in a small group and had their own little party. It then dawned on me: what if we imitate that for sales kickoffs?
Imagine sending video equipment to multiple members, departments, or offices and having your own little party for your sales kickoff. You will create a sense of unity and build camaraderie. It’s an out of the box idea, but it just might work for some of you.
Virtual, Fun Events
Another creative idea for your sales kickoffs is to incorporate virtual, fun aspects. For example, you could integrate virtual wine tasting, virtual cooking, or a virtual scavenger hunt. Additionally, if you are an organization that regularly works with charities during your sales kickoffs, create a virtual charity event. Encourage people to sign up for these different events and ask them to report on what they did and learned.
Presenters
For the formal parts of your sales kickoff, I encourage you to have presenters that do not go over 90 minutes. You can’t expect people to sit on Zoom and watch a virtual presentation for hours and hours. Specifically, I recommend that virtual presentations are 60 to 90 minutes long. Also, don’t forget to give people extended breaks—not just 15 minutes, but 30 minutes.
Virtual Background
Designate someone on your team to create a virtual background for everybody to use. This way, everybody has a professional background and doesn’t have to worry about where they’re participating from—whether it’s their car, living room, or basement. It will also help everybody feel comfortable interacting.
Although they are just a few, I hope those ideas will help you effectively execute your virtual sales kickoffs during these uncertain times.
[…] limit yourself by only talking to one individual. This is a time to get creative. I want you to think about every single employee in that company as being valuable to you. They can […]