at workTIPS, TOOLS & INTELLIGENCE

FOR DEVELOPING TALENT

SALES ENABLEMENT

Sales Kickoffs: Guide and Add Value

Kathy Koultourides

AUGUST BONUS 2020 ISSUE 2013

Why SKOs ................................................................................................................ 2

Genesis of SKOs ..................................................................................................... 2

TD’s Role ................................................................................................................... 6

Create Goal-Supporting Activities ............................................................... 9

Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 13

References & Resources ................................................................................... 14

JOB AID

Sales Kickoff Participant Action Worksheet .......................................... 15

TD at Work (ISSN 2373-5570, Electronic ISSN 2373-5589, ISBN 978-1-95215-7-028, Electronic eISBN 978-1-95215-7-035) is published monthly by the Association for Talent Development, 1640 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. TD at Work is available for subscription in print or digitally. The subscription rate for the Monthly All-Access (12 print and digital issues, plus archive access) is $119 (ATD national members) and $159 (nonmembers). The monthly digital subscription rate for 12 issues is $69 (ATD national members) and $99 (nonmembers). Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and additional entries. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TD at Work, 1640 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314. Claims for replacement of subscription issues not received must be made within three months of the issue date. Copyright © August 2020 TD at Work and ATD. All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems—without the express written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, please go to copyright.com, or contact Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 (telephone: 978.750.8500, fax: 978.646.8600). ATD Press grants permission for the material on pages 15–16 to be reproduced for personal use.

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VOL. 37 • ISSUE 2013 • AUGUST BONUS 2020

SALES KICKOFFS: GUIDE AND ADD VALUE

sales enablement

COPYRIGHT © ATD 1Sales Kickoffs: Guide and Add Value |

AUTHOR

Kathy KoultouridesKathy Koultourides, CPTD,

is the founder and principal of KKnow How, a sales

training and performance improvement consultancy.

During her career, she has led the sales training function for four Fortune 200 companies, collaborating with executive

leadership to design and develop L&D activities at

dozens of sales kickoff events using customized breakout

activities to drive results.

Content Manager, Sales Enablement

Kimberly McAvoy

Editor, TD at WorkPatty Gaul

Managing EditorJoy Metcalf

Senior Graphic Designer

Shirley E.M. Raybuck

Welcome to the sales kickoff meeting. Dur-ing January through March or October through November,

swarms of sales professionals, sales lead-ers, and sales support personnel gather—in person or remotely—to enthusiastically par-ticipate in panel discussions, team building exercises, product training, and more.

Thousands of companies use and revere the SKO to prepare

their sales teams to meet goals and objectives established for the

coming year and to celebrate those who exceeded their goals in the

previous year.

SKOs traditionally have taken place in hotel ballrooms, confer-

ence centers, or event facilities. Yet, as the future evolves, these

meetings may move to a virtual format or a hybrid version of in-

person and virtual events. Regardless of format, SKOs will remain

a perennial favorite.

In this issue of TD at Work, I will:

• Outline the importance of an SKO.

• Detail what the C-suite expects from the event and how it ties to

the organization.

COPYRIGHT © ATD2 | Sales Kickoffs: Guide and Add Value

• Explain talent development professionals’ role in

the event, including how to align it to C-suite expecta-

tions and what you need to know and implement

for success.

• Advise how to create activities that align with organi-

zational goals.

• Include guidance and tips from sales leaders and front-

line sales professionals.

Why SKOs

SKOs come in all shapes and sizes. Many Fortune 500

companies opt for large centralized events that can last

nearly a week. Other companies opt for regional events

that are more intimate with frontline and area leader-

ship rather than including corporate staff. Smaller orga-

nizations may bring their sales professionals together

locally for an employee-focused event. Regardless of the

approach, all SKOs are designed to accomplish the same

thing: motivate, inspire, lead change, answer questions,

and provide tools and direction for achieving sales goals in

the new fiscal year.

SKOs are a lot about the numbers. They likewise

require a substantial investment and a sizeable chunk of

the sales and marketing budget.

The average attendance cost per sales representa-

tive for an in-person event is $2,000. When you adjust

the figure to account for the opportunity cost of remov-

ing the sales rep from the field, the average cost jumps to

$5,000, according to sales and marketing executive con-

sultant John Marcsisin. Multiply that by 10, 100, 400, 1,200,

or even 4,000 sales professionals, and that’s some serious

coin. Yet, according to a Bizzabo blog post, 85 percent

of C-suite executives believe that in-person events are a

critical component to their company’s success.

In the months preceding an SKO, the CEO, CFO, and

the board of directors will begin the budget process,

which usually opens with a charge to increase earnings.

That results in a call for growth—in more cases than not,

double-digit growth. After leadership has established

that number, the chief sales officer or the chief market-

ing officer takes the growth goal and breaks it down.

They use data gathered from market analysis and volume

and price trends and the competitive advantage gleaned

from completing a SWOT analysis to determine how to

build a plan for achieving the sales team’s part of the

revenue goal.

Gary Sova, retired executive vice president for mar-

keting and sales at Republic Services, shares, “The sales

leadership team must consider where the opportunities

are in the marketplace. Key questions include: Where

does low market share exist in our sales territories?

How can we grow it? Where does our high market share

exist? How can we protect price and retain customers in

those areas? What were the big revenue anomalies (sales

deals) that occurred in the past year that won’t repeat?

How many deals do we need to close to make up for

the anomalies we secured last year?” Sales leaders don’t

answer those questions in a vacuum—regional, area, and

local managers are involved in the discussion, as are the

sales reps. This analysis and more assists the sales lead-

ership team in creating a sales plan.

Once the plan is in place, the chief sales officer

or the chief marketing officer needs to sell it to the

field. Think about it: Sales leadership will likely be

increasing the reps’ sales quotas, asking the team to

deliver more. Compensation plans may have been mod-

ified and new tools introduced, and there may have

been any number of transformations taking place. In

other words, there’s change.

Genesis of SKOs

While driving growth is a motivating factor for invest-

ing in an SKO, senior leaders carefully consider other

factors that are critically important for theme selec-

tion, constructing the agenda, and positioning the

messaging. These factors fall into two categories: orga-

nizational environment and audience demographic.

Each category has several drivers that can create the

SKO’s charter.

Organizational EnvironmentThe organizational environment is a set of forces that

can potentially affect the way a company operates.

Business instructor Wendy Stewart says the organi-

zational environment can include entities, conditions,

and factors within a firm that influence choices and

COPYRIGHT © ATD 3Sales Kickoffs: Guide and Add Value |

activities. Leaders and the SKO planning committee

should consider the following drivers when determin-

ing the agenda for the event.

Mergers and acquisitions. This is synonymous with

growth. Many companies use mergers and acquisitions as

a growth tool. Some are neat and orderly, and some are

messy and confusing. Either way, if an organization has

gone through a merger and acquisition, chances are it has

affected the sales organization in some way, shape, or form.

The SKO provides an opportunity for leadership to enhance

the integration and assimilation of the legacy companies.

Change in direction. Businesses change direction from

time to time and in different ways. Some changes can

create seismic shifts in the sales department. A completely

new supply chain or change in distribution channels can

affect pipelines and forecasts. Perhaps it’s an alteration to

a popular product or service offering. The SKO provides an

opportunity to educate the sales force on the changes to

Virtual Sales Kickoffs

Sales kickoff meetings have traditionally always been in-person events. However, trends are moving toward virtual or hybrid (combination in person and virtual) meetings. This is certainly a new frontier when dealing with hundreds of attendees and is easier and more doable with smaller groups.

Several industries are forging the way. They are using technology in new and innovative ways to bring people together, create interactive breakout sessions, and enable real-time Q&A sessions with panel presenters. If you are exploring a virtual SKO, keep these considerations in mind.• Choose a platform. Platforms like WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Zoom have virtual training platforms that are like

their virtual meeting platform counterparts, except that they offer streamlined registration and scheduling; in-session collaboration using video; and the ability to work on documents together, share handouts and notes, and usewvirtual breakout rooms to encourage small-group interaction. The platforms enable you to run games and tests and present and collect Kirkpatrick Level 1 reaction evaluations. Companies that specialize in event organiz-ing have virtual meeting management platforms that can handle large events with multiple, concurrent break-out sessions. They can even create and manage virtual vendor expos.

• Expectations. Create a theme and title for your event and build a quick video that outlines how your virtual SKO will work. Include details such as the keynote speaker, the scheduled virtual educational sessions, and registration and participation information. Make the video upbeat.

• Connect and communicate. Create resources for ways attendees can connect with one another leading up to and during the event—for example, via a private Facebook group or Twitter or Instagram. Frequently post messages and questions to those platforms leading up to the event to create buzz, throughout the event to give kudos and shout-outs for thought leadership and idea generation, and after the SKO to highlight meeting events.

• Rewards and recognition. Host a virtual rewards and recognition ceremony acknowledging top performers. Look to award shows, such as the Grammys, for inspiration. Use music. And give it a personal touch, such as including videos from the offices where the honorees hail.

• Networking events. Schedule virtual meet-and-greet sessions with key leaders. Encourage live chat and video. Use a moderator to facilitate the interaction to ensure smooth interactions without participants talking over each other. Send electronic gift cards from a national restaurant chain to attendees so they’re able to order appe-tizers to be delivered deskside.

• Team participation. Create virtual breakout rooms for team collaboration, discussion and focus groups, and educational and skill sessions. Send out team shirts to the attendees for a feeling of camaraderie.

• Create a virtual briefcase. Provide attendees with whitepapers, flyers, handouts, and coupons for company merchandise and swag.

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