Sales & Marketing Management - September/October 2008 - (Page 34)

TECHNOLOGY TRAINING INCENTIVES TRAVEL/MEETINGS Let workers help themselves A new way to maximize ROI from corporate gatherings Getting your team to plan the details of their own corporate future is a very effective way to keep your participants engaged, communicate ideas and elicit enthusiastic “buy-in” for future endeavors. W istock photo ith corporate belts tightening and every program under scrutiny, company-wide meetings can be written off as a luxury that can be postponed or eliminated altogether. Few, however, can dismiss the importance of face-to-face meetings for building cohesive teams, communicating corporate vision and inspiring a workforce. The trouble with many company meetings is that the huge expenses for travel, lodging and entertainment generally do not translate into real change. Employees relish the face-time with their cross-country peers. They enjoy the expensive motivational speakers and appreciate the how-to sessions. But upon returning to their respective offices, what lasting impact can you point to that justifies the tremendous expense? Let’s explore an alternate scenario that still brings cross-country corporate peers together for face-time. But instead of a program built on outside coaches and motivational speakers, a different approach puts the SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 employees in the spotlight. Rather than being entertaining and “motivational,” your corporate meeting becomes a roll-up-your-sleeves working session, during which your own expert employees problem-solve. The program is about solving your own company issues, and your employees are the stars. Set a measurable goal Well before your meeting, articulate what you want to achieve in a measurable manner, such as “I want to increase the sales of a specific product/category by 8% within the next 60 days,” or “I want to significantly increase the morale of my team.” Once you have determined your overall goal, build in a quantifiable measurement so you can gauge the success of any plan you put in place. A quantifiable measure can be as simple as sales data or the results of an HR-administered employee satisfaction survey. The thorough integration of this goal, which will be www.salesandmarketing.com www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com 34 SALES &MARKETING MANAGEMENT http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - September/October 2008

Sales &�Marketing Management - September/October 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Brian Tracy University Smart Sales Sales Strategy Smart Marketing Marketing Strategy Smart Management Management Strategy The Low-Cost Sales Leader Why Sales Process Gets the Shaft Training Q&A Technology Making the Case for Travel (Part II) Travel/Meetings On the Road The Way I See It

Sales & Marketing Management - September/October 2008

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