Who has the greatest impact on your station’s revenues and on your personal income, your biggest client or your top sales person?

          I think the answer is obvious….it’s your top sales person.

          Now imagine this. Your biggest client has just issued a challenge. “My management team and I are reviewing all of our media buys with a view to cutting one of them. I need you to attend a meeting to explain to our group what the heck we’re doing on radio, why we should continue, and why your stations are the best choice if we do continue”.

          Now answer this question. How much time, effort and creativity are you going to put into preparing for that client meeting?

          Now answer this question. Will you put the same energy and creativity into preparing for a sales meeting that includes your top biller? 

          Over time, many of us have lost sight of how important, and productive, sales meetings can be. We look at our watches at 8:15 AM and say to ourselves, “I guess I’d better prepare for our 8:30 meeting”. Sound familiar?

          ENS Media Inc. conducted a survey of media sales reps in 2005 which revealed that 89% of sellers thought sales meetings were “usually a waste of time”!

          Do we really want to waste the time of our most valuable assets?

          The litmus test of how valuable your meetings are to your staff can be found in how often your senior people find excuses, like unavoidable client meetings, to not attend them. Chances are, if they are ducking your meetings, yours too, are “usually a waste of time”.

          I suggest we should put more time and effort into planning and preparing more productive sales meetings.

          Properly conceived, sales meetings can achieve four important objectives each and every week; training, communication, motivation and entertainment.

          For a few guidelines which might help you, click on Sales Meeting at our website, www.wensmedia.com

P.S. Wayne is publishing 52 weekly sales meeting templates plus 12 monthly special event meeting templates this Fall for your 2007 sales meetings. For less than $4.00 per meeting you will have something “new” to present at each and every one of your meetings next year. If you want to be on the list of managers who receive a no-obligation information kit about this special offering this Fall, please email [email protected] to indicate your interest.