Sales meetings should not be weather reports

A useful sales meeting answers three things: what changed, where are we stuck and what decision is needed?

Use twenty minutes

Five minutes for the scoreboard. Ten for two stuck deals or skills. Five for named commitments with dates. Anything that needs a longer discussion gets its own meeting.

Managers should coach the thinking, not perform the selling on behalf of the rep. Ask what evidence supports the forecast, what the buyer has agreed and what the rep will try next.

End in verbs

Call. Send. Ask. Decide. Review. If the commitment is ‘follow up soon’, the meeting has produced fog.

Leadership becomes visible in the operating rhythm. Clear standards, honest data and useful coaching beat motivational speeches with dramatic background music.