The Secrets to a Successful Sales Kickoff

What is a sales kickoff event?

A sales kickoff, or SKO, is an event at the start of the year where companies invite their sales teams to recognise achievements from the previous year and energise and align teams towards commercial strategies and goals for the new year.

What is the business case for a sales kick off? 

- Education

SKOs are a great opportunity to create understanding of new products or remind teams of business processes, boosting their confidence when working with clients. For example, you could have time in the agenda for a keynote speaker or training workshop to brush up on sales techniques, emboldening teams to do their best work. An SKO also serves as a way to get everyone in one room, able to engage with a topic and ask questions so that you can introduce a business change or new product in a way that ensures understanding and positive change.

- Energising the workforce

Accenture’s Life Trends reported that work is feeling transactional for employees and leaders alike, and that creating a successful value exchange between employer and employee depends on the energy expended for the benefit of the other. Five years since it began, it’s undeniable the pandemic has influenced office culture. Forrester research indicating that between 2022 and 2023, global employee engagement fell from 41% to 37%, and culture energy from 63% to 59%. An SKO can be utilised as a strategic communications tool that restores energy through person-to-person connection and motivational tactics that encourage teams to want to do good for themselves and their company.

- Appreciation

As 82% of employees say it’s important for their organisation to see them as a person rather than just a ​“human resource,” but only 45% believe their organisation does view them as such (according to Gartner), appreciation is a large part of motivating your sales workforce and creating emotional connection. People need to know their effort and achievements are noticed and valued in order to reinforce these behaviours positively and your SKO can be a chance to reward top performances from the previous year.

- Reinforcing the company mission and goals

Complex external forces have led leaders to pivot from one change to the next in recent years, ultimately unsettling the workforce. When so much is beyond a business’ control, steering a team for the year ahead means creating cohesion and purpose. When united by a mission and aligned with company objectives, the workforce is more ready and motivated to tackle challenges and act as ambassadors for the business. SKOs allow leaders to set goals for the year and ensure their teams understand them.

- Employee experience

Productivity is heard more by employees than other metrics such as customer value or strong working culture. But an SKO is your chance to prioritise the employee experience which in turn drives customer experience. Investing into a valued workforce through events that provide the space for appreciation, connection, and education, makes them feel valued and inspired to do their best work. Therefore they help customers to feel the same, 

So your SKO has a lot to live up to. How do you plan a successful sales kick off? 

- Set clear goals

Every SKO should have defined goals and a purpose that can be measured against for the following year. You may design your SKO around key business goals which you want the team to achieve in the year ahead such as new business growth, or set specific goals for the SKO such as increased understanding of a new product, or improved employee satisfaction scores.

- Choose a consistent theme

All SKOs needs a key message to tie the content together for attendees to relate to and rally around. This is a clear message from the leaders about how the organisation is going forward in the year ahead. For example, if your goal is to improve company culture and connection it may be something like ​‘Better together’ or if you’re encouraging innovation it may be ​‘Rise to the challenge’. Whatever this may be, messaging should be consistent across the event identity and content. For Kimberly Clark’s ​‘Playing to win’ sales kick off, we produced the event at Twickenham Stadium and organised rugby themed workshop activities to keep the energy high.

- Plan out your agenda

Once you have your goals, every content session is a tactic to achieve them whether it be to celebrate wins through an awards presentation, client testimonials, or highlights video, or to educate teams with hands on product workshops and exhibition booths. An SKO usually includes a look back at the previous year, new updates and goals, external speakers, internal leaders and motivational keynotes, and team building exercises, not to forget networking breaks. Employee experience and engagement is a key goal for sales kick offs, so implementing an exciting and wide range of content is essential. 

- Connect teams

Events are centred around human connection and SKOs should be no different. You can facilitate authentic connections and collaboration, even with a virtual event, through interactive activities such as group breakout sessions, team challenges, training workshops. Your SKO is a great opportunity to unite teams, inviting department heads to share more about how they can work with sales. Our tip is to consider an internal social platform where attendees can connect and vote on topics among other activities. 

- Follow up

It may be a one day or a three day event, but SKOs are invaluable for setting the tone for the year and shouldn’t be forgotten about once the venue has been de-rigged. Follow up with attendees to collect feedback, share reminders, and tangible successes post event. Take advantage of a motivated workforce by providing micro events, check ins, and online content resources dedicated to the theme of the kickoff to continue the conversation. 

Ready to plan a better sales kickoff? Get ideas, strategies and support to kick off your year from the team at Broadsword.