MEDDIC & Sales Kickoff Events

Wow - it's that time of year again!

Christmas is fast approaching and before you know it... BAM!! Sales Kickoff season will be in full swing. 

SKO events - Sales Kickoff events - are a fantastic opportunity in the go to market calendar. They allow you to thank employees, celebrate success, launch new solutions, and of course, develop and retain your teams.

No enablement team or Sales Kickoff planner would run an event without some sales training. 

Having the whole team together is the perfect time to:

• teach new concepts
• reinforce good habits
• lay the foundations for this year's success. 

In this blog, we offer our top 3 tips for productive, impactful sales training using MEDDIC.

For teams using MEDDIC or MEDDPICC, and every version thereof, this is your opportunity to provide a small dose of MEDDICation (!) to aid pipeline creation and conversion from the very start of the new financial year. 

Tip One: Focus on Team Connection

Our first tip for any Sales Kickoff event is to remember that this is one of the only times of year that your teams will come together. 

This is a unique event that should be designed to encourage meeting, connecting and collaborating across teams - particularly if your team is new or works remotely. This will be the first time or, for many, one of the few times, where the team gets together face to face. 

Focus on exercises and team building activities which drive good behaviours, but also get the team working together.

Ideas include:

• Sharing win stories focusing on Identified Pain (I) and Metrics (M)
• Discuss Champion (C) planning ideas
• Brainstorm Account Planning for strategic accounts (generate pipeline using M, I, C)
• Cement the key benefits of new solutions with Pain (I) and Metrics (M)

Tip Two: Set Realistic Learning Objectives

Sales Kickoff events, even though they are two to three day events, will fly by. 

By the time your executives have set the scene, celebrations have occurred and new solutions have been launched, there remains very little time to upskill the teams with sales enablement.

So be bold but realistic about your team's learning goals. 

For example, in a half day we recommend perhaps focusing on just two letters of MEDDIC. 

Teaching MEDDIC in pairs, as a new concept or as a refresh, can ensure much greater retention of the learning. 

Also, in a four hour window, two letters can be covered in great depth. This gives ample time for theory questions, exercises and discussion, which will definitely lead to higher retention rates in the learning. 

Tip Three: Be in the Boat 

While Sales Kickoffs are often designed for individual contributors, we encourage the entire leadership to get involved in the training.

If you need to understand why - here are 3 great reasons:

1. This is an Opportunity to Coach

Kickoffs are an opportunity for every leader to coach their team. Just like in customer meetings or one to ones, new or old team members may have learning gaps. 

This is your chance to add value first hand by being available to coach your teams in person. 

2. Assess Competencies Live

There is no better way to assess your team competencies than by seeing the team learn and interact with different exercises. Even the most attentive managers know that there is never enough time spent with their teams. This is a prime window to spot development opportunities and to help your team succeed. 

A core competency which can be assessed and worked from a MEDDIC context is thinking about Decision Criteria - specifically your differentiators or USP (Unique Selling Proposition).  Rarely are teams able to really articulate this well. Creating an exercise to work on these together can really help the team for the coming year.

3. Be The Leader

Your presence - helping, coaching or supporting - is a fantastic way to demonstrate that you are part of the team and that their success is important to you. Spending time in these environments helps you drive relationships and loyalty - both things that cannot be bought. 

Regardless of how much MEDDIC/MEDDPICC sales training you might have had, you are there to learn too, even if what you're learning is about your team rather than the MEDDIC subject itself.

Summary

In summary, remember that Sales Kickoffs are a fun packed human interaction experience, which can pass by very quickly. Keep your learning objectives realistic, but also be bold with what you're hoping to achieve and ensure that all the go to market leaders are involved and ready to work with their teams on their success for the year.

If you are interested in new ideas, inspir’em sales meeting exercises and lesson plans are available to continue the development journey of your teams.

Contact us today to further boost your sales and see your revenue grow.

For more tips on applying MEDDIC in the real world - join our community at inspir’em today.