Teams from all disciplines rely on huddles: medicine, manufacturing, athletics, software development, financial services, and the military, to name a just a few. In sales management, as in other fields, the purpose of sales huddles is to get everyone on the same page, at the same time, and send them into action with focus and enthusiasm. Huddles typically include brief updates, recognition, skills reinforcement, accountability, and motivation.
Sales huddles are essentially condensed versions of sales meetings that are shorter in duration and held more frequently. Generally speaking, the frequency of sales meetings and huddles is directly related to the length of the typical sales cycle. For example, a team of financial advisors building their pipeline might have a team sales meeting once a month and a huddle once a week.
Most contact center teams have huddles every day at the start of the shift. Find the right frequency for your team. Sales huddles should be quick and inspiring, and highlight a sales skill. Don’t let operational issues overwhelm the agenda. Keep a “parking lot” for problem solving and other items better addressed at a later time.
Starting the week off with a sales huddle at 7:00 or 8:00 AM Monday morning is a good example. It ensures 100% of your team is ready to get to work. Think about it: certain military and medical teams would never start a day, or an operation, without a briefing. Sales may not be a matter of life or death, but it’s important enough that you need to get everyone on the team on the same page, right?
