Why Approach Sales Kickoff Differently

Sales kickoffs (SKOs) have evolved a lot in the last 5 years. While there are many benefits of virtual sales kickoffs, leading companies continue to look for an edge. SKOs need to be more than just a tradition; they need to show ROI.

"Whatever the size of your organization, a SKO typically represents a relatively significant investment due to travel expenses, meeting expenses, opportunity loss for the sales team, and productivity loss for other attendees. It’s important to make your SKO not only enjoyable but also impactful." 

As we barrel toward January, this is the time to ask yourself whether your SKO is simply an event or the beginning of a well honed strategic effort that will continue to propel your sales organization to achieve your objectives for the year.

 

How to Get the Most Out of Your SKO

How you plan your SKO is important, but thinking about how you deliver the message is just as critical. Questions you need to ask when planning an SKO include

  1. Will attendees retain what they learn?
  2. Who gets to attend?
  3. What about employees hired after the SKO?
  4. Is the entire organization prepared to support your goals?
  5. What is the ROI?
 

You can have good answers to these questions if you stream live and then capture your next SKO. For around 5% of what you spend on your physical SKO, you can answer with confidence:

  1. Will attendees retain what they learn? Yes, anyone who attends the live SKO will have access to all of the presentations on demand.
  2. Who gets to attend? Anyone in your organization will be able to attend live or on demand. No longer do you have to decide who gets to go and who doesn’t.
  3. What about employees hired after the SKO? New hires will be able to watch your SKO in its entirety, virtual employee onboarding will help them to hit the ground running.
  4. Is the entire organization prepared to support your goals? Yes, by attending your live or virtual sales kickoff, your company will be in total alignment with your sales plan.
  5. What is the ROI? By adding a small amount to the SKO budget, you can increase retention of content, allowing anyone in your organization to attend, onboard new hires, and deliver your goals company wide.
 

SKO On a Budget

This all sounds great, but what if you are being asked to reduce your physical SKO budget? If you are decide to stream live and create on-demand sessions, you can greatly reduce the number of individuals that attend the physical event while still giving everyone access to all of the content. 

For an even greater savings, you can take the entire keynote presentation and educational content of your SKO and deliver it entirely online, using the budget you have to plan a networking-only physical event. You can use that budget to host regional happy hours, add new sales incentives, or increase the number of people eligible for President’s Club. 

Check out how SonicWall took its SKO to the virtual world, facilitating live sessions and “hot topic” Q&A sessions along with a robust library of informational resources.

 

Need assistance with your sales kickoff? Learn how 6Connex can help, or download our free e-book, the Ultimate Sales Kickoff Playbook, below.

 

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