Sales off-sites and team kick-offs are significant investments in your team's development and success. However, without a strategic approach, these events can quickly become a wasted opportunity. Studies show that a staggering 80% of training content is forgotten within just 30 days. Over many years at CEB, now Gartner our teams studied the difference between successful and failed training initiatives and identified 3 keys stages for driving change - Awareness, Adoption and Application.
Building on this research and our lessons learned implementing training and change programs with hundreds of companies, this article identifies seven best practices to maximize the impact of your sales kick-offs and training initiatives. These proven strategies will help mobilize your team around your company strategy and ensure they retain and apply the knowledge gained long after the event concludes.
1) Prime the Pump
Are you building the right kind of awareness and taking all the pre-event communications and preparation seriously or winging it at the last minute? Sales teams can be notoriously skeptical or hesitant about change. Getting the team ready in advance and having them excited to learn and take on new challenges is key. Make sure they are not just bombarded with brand new ideas at your SKO but pre-wired to take them onboard. This will ensure your team will be more open and willing to move out of their comfort zone.
2) Deliver on both the WHAT and the HOW
Most off-sites and SKOs are heavy on telling the team WHAT they need to do, but light on HOW to do it. It is one thing to say, 'we need to move our customers off legacy products' or 'toward a platform approach' - or tell your teams they need to 'multi-thread and deepen relationships'. It is another thing to provide them with actionable strategies and build the skills and behaviors to get them there.
Always make sure when introducing new concepts you create a highly interactive experience with opportunities for practice in a controlled environment. This way your teams can try applying the concepts with some real time coaching before they are sent into the trenches.
3) Less Rah-rah, More Aha!
Motivational and entertaining speeches can make people feel energized but the effect usually wears off faster than the hangover after the final night's awards ceremony. Make sure there is a clear link between the keynotes and training to your company strategy and objectives. If the concepts you bring in are dynamic and inspiring -- and most importantly, if the team believes they will help grow their pipeline -- you will see your team unlock their own energy and creativity which is the first step to lasting behavior change.
4) Shift from the Focus on Individual Development to Teamwork
The purchase process is now more than ever a team sport on both sides of the table. Go-to-market teams that train, practice and learn together, will always play together better with your customers and create a more aligned buying experience. Cross-pollinating is the best way to improve knowledge, mutual respect across your functions and create deeper customer understanding. Try to find ways to engage sales, marketing, product and service teams around growth strategies as often as possible to give your team the most effective boost.
5) Coaching & Reinforcement
If you're introducing new approaches, skills, and strategies, it's crucial to prepare your managers to support the team through the learning curve. And the results are compelling. Gartner data shows that high-performing coaches have teams that perform 19% better against goal than those that don't. Getting this right means:
- Equipping first line sales managers with coaching skills to guide their teams effectively.
- Allocating dedicated time for coaching sessions in the weeks following the training.
- Providing them with resources (like cheat sheets or guides) to reinforce the training confidently.
- Not letting your managers off the hook of their most important job by trying to short-cut coaching with some kind of AI Coach or SaaS tool. All the evidence is that technology is a great complement but no replacement for manager and peer coaching.
One of the most important things we've learned is that managers need clear guidance on how to objectively observe and reinforce new behaviors. Without this, they may inadvertently lead their teams in different directions, undermining the consistency and effectiveness of your training efforts.
6) Create Job-embedded Tools and Processes
To ensure consistent application and continuous improvement, it's essential to provide tools and processes that support your team in using their new skills and strategies daily. Ask yourself: Do your teams have the resources for peer-to-peer learning, applying the new strategy to opportunities and account management, and collaborating effectively? Does your CRM and tech stack support these new behaviors and processes? Addressing these questions proactively will prevent your team from resorting to ad-hoc solutions that may not align with your intended goals.
7) Move from an Event Mentality to a Programmatic Approach
The days of the "big bang" approach to training are over. While kicking off with an impactful live session is great, it's crucial to maintain momentum. Live sessions, especially in today's hybrid work environment, offer valuable in-person interaction and engagement. If feasible, aim for at least two live sessions per year to drive impact and cohesion. However, the real key to sustained growth is ongoing, regular training and practice sessions, often facilitated remotely. This approach prevents the initial excitement from fizzling out and helps your team gradually build new skills and habits. Additionally, consider spacing out different learning topics to ensure each concept is fully absorbed, practiced, reinforced, and adopted before moving on to the next.
+++++
These are some of the primary learnings based on the years of experience from our Insight Revenue founding team after engaging with hundreds of companies on SKOs, training and transformation initiatives. These lessons have been critical for us as we innovate our implementation models for our customers to drive maximum adoption and impact.
See the visual below for an example of the application of these principles in our typical Insight to Value program, starting with a live team kick-off followed by ongoing training, coaching and customized process and tool development.
We hope these tips come in handy. Please reach out if you need any help brainstorming a strategy for your team!
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Sales off-sites and team kick-offs are significant investments in your team's development and success. However, without a strategic approach, these events can quickly become a wasted opportunity. Studies show that a staggering 80% of training content is forgotten within just 30 days. Over many years at CEB, now Gartner our teams studied the difference between successful and failed training initiatives and identified 3 keys stages for driving change - Awareness, Adoption and Application.
Building on this research and our lessons learned implementing training and change programs with hundreds of companies, this article identifies seven best practices to maximize the impact of your sales kick-offs and training initiatives. These proven strategies will help mobilize your team around your company strategy and ensure they retain and apply the knowledge gained long after the event concludes.
1) Prime the Pump
Are you building the right kind of awareness and taking all the pre-event communications and preparation seriously or winging it at the last minute? Sales teams can be notoriously skeptical or hesitant about change. Getting the team ready in advance and having them excited to learn and take on new challenges is key. Make sure they are not just bombarded with brand new ideas at your SKO but pre-wired to take them onboard. This will ensure your team will be more open and willing to move out of their comfort zone.
2) Deliver on both the WHAT and the HOW
Most off-sites and SKOs are heavy on telling the team WHAT they need to do, but light on HOW to do it. It is one thing to say, 'we need to move our customers off legacy products' or 'toward a platform approach' - or tell your teams they need to 'multi-thread and deepen relationships'. It is another thing to provide them with actionable strategies and build the skills and behaviors to get them there.
Always make sure when introducing new concepts you create a highly interactive experience with opportunities for practice in a controlled environment. This way your teams can try applying the concepts with some real time coaching before they are sent into the trenches.
3) Less Rah-rah, More Aha!
Motivational and entertaining speeches can make people feel energized but the effect usually wears off faster than the hangover after the final night's awards ceremony. Make sure there is a clear link between the keynotes and training to your company strategy and objectives. If the concepts you bring in are dynamic and inspiring -- and most importantly, if the team believes they will help grow their pipeline -- you will see your team unlock their own energy and creativity which is the first step to lasting behavior change.
4) Shift from the Focus on Individual Development to Teamwork
The purchase process is now more than ever a team sport on both sides of the table. Go-to-market teams that train, practice and learn together, will always play together better with your customers and create a more aligned buying experience. Cross-pollinating is the best way to improve knowledge, mutual respect across your functions and create deeper customer understanding. Try to find ways to engage sales, marketing, product and service teams around growth strategies as often as possible to give your team the most effective boost.
5) Coaching & Reinforcement
If you're introducing new approaches, skills, and strategies, it's crucial to prepare your managers to support the team through the learning curve. And the results are compelling. Gartner data shows that high-performing coaches have teams that perform 19% better against goal than those that don't. Getting this right means:
- Equipping first line sales managers with coaching skills to guide their teams effectively.
- Allocating dedicated time for coaching sessions in the weeks following the training.
- Providing them with resources (like cheat sheets or guides) to reinforce the training confidently.
- Not letting your managers off the hook of their most important job by trying to short-cut coaching with some kind of AI Coach or SaaS tool. All the evidence is that technology is a great complement but no replacement for manager and peer coaching.
One of the most important things we've learned is that managers need clear guidance on how to objectively observe and reinforce new behaviors. Without this, they may inadvertently lead their teams in different directions, undermining the consistency and effectiveness of your training efforts.
6) Create Job-embedded Tools and Processes
To ensure consistent application and continuous improvement, it's essential to provide tools and processes that support your team in using their new skills and strategies daily. Ask yourself: Do your teams have the resources for peer-to-peer learning, applying the new strategy to opportunities and account management, and collaborating effectively? Does your CRM and tech stack support these new behaviors and processes? Addressing these questions proactively will prevent your team from resorting to ad-hoc solutions that may not align with your intended goals.
7) Move from an Event Mentality to a Programmatic Approach
The days of the "big bang" approach to training are over. While kicking off with an impactful live session is great, it's crucial to maintain momentum. Live sessions, especially in today's hybrid work environment, offer valuable in-person interaction and engagement. If feasible, aim for at least two live sessions per year to drive impact and cohesion. However, the real key to sustained growth is ongoing, regular training and practice sessions, often facilitated remotely. This approach prevents the initial excitement from fizzling out and helps your team gradually build new skills and habits. Additionally, consider spacing out different learning topics to ensure each concept is fully absorbed, practiced, reinforced, and adopted before moving on to the next.
+++++
These are some of the primary learnings based on the years of experience from our Insight Revenue founding team after engaging with hundreds of companies on SKOs, training and transformation initiatives. These lessons have been critical for us as we innovate our implementation models for our customers to drive maximum adoption and impact.
See the visual below for an example of the application of these principles in our typical Insight to Value program, starting with a live team kick-off followed by ongoing training, coaching and customized process and tool development.
We hope these tips come in handy. Please reach out if you need any help brainstorming a strategy for your team!
