How to Host a Killer Virtual Sales Kick-Off Event in 2022

Are you busy planning a virtual sales kick-off (SKO) meeting like Meetingbox Customers are?

Good, because it is so important to close the 2021 chapter and give your team a moment to reflect and feel the anticipation and hope of what’s to come in 2022.

We know, we know … in-person sales kick-off events are irreplaceable, but that does not mean virtual sales kick-off events cannot add to that due to the rise of remote work, pandemics, or travel restrictions making hosting an in-person event impossible.

No one wants to add one more meeting that could have been a long email into the mix. But with a little effort and creativity, you can plan a truly memorable event.

To do this, you should not simply take what worked in person and replicate it online, but you should re-imagine your kick-off entirely. Virtual sales kick-off events are digital-first.

Hosting a virtual sales kick-off is very similar to hosting a large virtual conference. It all starts with selecting the right hosting platform. The platform should be able to host 500+ people, contain breakout room functionality and have gamification features (*cough* Meetingbox *cough*).

The perfect sales kick-off requires an approach that is tailored to your team.

That said, every effective kick-off event shares a few things in common.‍

Establish Clear Goals

After reflecting on last year's successes and failures, it is important that you share your strategy for the coming one. Are there any specific goals or intentions? What about connecting with old customers as well introducing new ones- both would be great! Examples of goals could be solutions around products that solve customer pain points. Another goal might be to increase the adoption rate of the product you are selling or to create more efficiency in the existing sales process and sales tech stack. You can also focus on Pushing recurring revenue streams over non-recurring revenue streams or try to increase overall brand awareness in order to generate a really solid and refined inbound lead stream.

Once you’ve set your goals, you need to make sure the right people attend your virtual kickoff. Remember, a kickoff isn’t just about sales. Today, more people touch the customer — and have an impact on business — than ever before, such as customer service, operations, and finance. Invite all key stakeholders to participate so you can get on the same page.‍

Inspire

To inspire your team, it would be a good idea to not only invite leaders from the sales world, but domain experts: external speakers. To inspire and engage the team. It also shows that the company is willing to invest in its employees. You can also introduce customer success stories to the team to create a more enhanced account experience.

This aspect is important for your team to focus on impending business objectives. SKOs are commonly used by businesses to implement large organisational changes, such as new technology, a new sales organisational structure, new product launches, new strategies, etc. The necessity of these adjustments should be communicated in an inspirational way so that the company's benefits are emphasised. This is usually accomplished through a keynote speech given by company executives. However, to motivate their workers and gain buy-in, creative organisations may include games or other interactive sessions.

Celebrate Success

How often do you get the opportunity to bring your whole sales team together in one location? It's unlikely to happen regularly. As a result, your SKO is a crucial moment for recognition, team-building, and enjoyment. After all, the purpose of an SKO is to energise your sales team as much as it is to educate them.

Use Breakout Rooms

Breakout rooms are available on most virtual event platforms. They provide the advantage of breaking up your audience into smaller, more manageable groups. At the same time, the level of interaction will improve. Interaction becomes quite difficult when a huge group is present. As a result, whenever you have the opportunity, break up the gathering into smaller groups.

Great platforms will provide the opportunity to offer your team relevant consumable content in addition to breakout meetings on the platform - such as educational videos or documents.‍

Deliver Killer Content

Organise sessions that are both fascinating and engaging, and that provide information that will help your salespeople perform better. Examine current market conditions. Honour your company's accomplishments. Share some customer testimonials. Consider inviting a customer representative to speak at your event about their commercial use case. You can also invite your own sales reps to share successful strategies and experiences, as well as hold panel discussions with your sales executives to answer questions, share insights, and reflect on this special year. Sharing this content is simple and efficient in a virtual event. Meetingbox provides webcasting solutions that enable your presenters to interact with their audience, deliver content and videos, and engage in live Q&A sessions. You can also use live polls to allow your event planners and content presenters to respond during presentations.

You can have a Virtual Event on-demand after the actual event - which will allow people to go back and check out the content and watch the videos. It's the only type of event that lives on!‍

Make it Fun

You can’t take the team to the Michelin star restaurant for dinner. 2021 was different, and 2022 will be too. Create experiences that embrace the situation we’re in rather than trying to work around it. Some many providers and partners can help make these experiences truly special. You might bring in a chef or mixologist for a live class (send out ingredients and the recipe beforehand), a mentalist or magician to entertain, or a comedian. Games aren’t off the table—what about solving a mystery as a team? Even better: work together for a social cause by collaborating with a non-profit. Whatever you do, include a way for participants to share digital selfies throughout the event. And you can still gift winners with a round of golf in their location.‍

Avoid All day events

Typically, a sales kickoff lasts a whole day or perhaps several days. Virtual sales kickoffs should not last more than a few hours. If you have a lot of territories to cover, consider splitting it up and spreading it out over a few days, or be creative with how you release content outside of the event. Consider conducting a few different sessions that are convenient for different locations if you're a larger organisation with offices in multiple time zones or nations.

Why are you still reading this? Book a demo and start planning your next Sales Kickoff meeting!