How to Have More Effective Sales Kickoffs in Virtual and Hybrid Environments
Though there is no denying that it will take more than a little ingenuity to overcome the challenges facing SKOs and other large-scale events in our current reality, it is still possible. As with any event, preparation and early planning will be key. Though we have had a couple of years to get used to the new normal, the desire to return to the old ways will be present. Resist the urge and consider the following tips as you move forward with this year’s SKOs.
It is hard to ignore that sales kickoffs (referred to as SKOs) have changed dramatically over the past few years. Much of the blame has been placed on the pandemic, but the shift toward more digital designs has been occurring for some time now. COVID-19 merely accelerated the adoption and reliance on digital components for SKOs.
SKOs have also moved away from just including sellers and now integrate other departments into the events — a move that has fostered greater alignment and camaraderie among cross-functional groups. Adding additional roles such as technical support, customer success, and marketers into sessions can help focus the broader team on common business objectives and foster more effective internal cross-function collaboration.
More importantly, organizations have asked for other departments’ input on their events’ designs and content. Although the typical driver of SKOs has not changed much, the ownership of events and their themes no longer lives solely within marketing. Sales, finance, customer success, and sales engineering contribute the most.
These events impact everything from organizational culture and transformation to strategic alignment, which is why it is so critical to make sure they are as effective as possible. In fact, research by Demand Metric revealed that companies with high employee engagement are able to retain over 80% of their customers.
Challenges present in sales kickoff development
It’s time to rethink your SKO strategy from pre-pandemic times. Agendas should be filled about 60% of the way, with the rest of the time being all about networking and informal collaboration. As we transition into post-pandemic ways of working, a strong focus on rebuilding relationships and developing a unique company culture will be critical to the success of large events such as SKOs — and, more importantly, to fostering effective camaraderie among employees and customers.
Among the nuances that organizations need to consider are virtual chat and Q&A moderators, higher audio/visual quality, deliberately planned hybrid breakout environments, and virtual or hybrid team-building exercises. These are no longer just “nice-to-haves,” and the importance of each has amplified the need for companies to rethink how they approach the design of their SKOs and large events. Although these considerations provide solutions to challenges, our client feedback and interviews show that there is also room to capitalize on this new virtual/hybrid reality in the form of effective data management.
SKOs are often ripe with data. Participant action commitments, progression through different sessions, and individualized development goals (before, during, and after the events) can all be tracked and captured. The same can be said for qualitative and quantitative feedback on event structure and content, strategy announcements, new product launches, and more. Recognizing the need to capitalize on that data has been a challenge for many — and a great success for some.
Arriving at a means to overcome kickoff challenges
Though there is no denying that it will take more than a little ingenuity to overcome the challenges facing SKOs and other large-scale events in our current reality, it is still possible. As with any event, preparation and early planning will be key. Though we have had a couple of years to get used to the new normal, the desire to return to the old ways will be present. Resist the urge and consider the following tips as you move forward with this year’s SKOs:
- Get creative with virtual experiences.
Design has always been key to ensuring you can communicate your message and meet your objectives during SKOs. Although the outcomes you hope to achieve will dictate the overall design, keep an open mind to the possibilities found in digital experiences. This step starts with empathy. We all know how it feels to be disengaged in virtual meetings. What would it mean for you to be fully engaged and excited during a virtual meeting or event? What were the key elements of events or meetings that made you feel like that in the past?You have to find a way to grab your audience’s attention during virtual SKOs. You can do this by making the event interactive, adding video and even music. Events should also only be about 45 minutes long to prevent Zoom fatigue. The sessions shouldn’t be a marathon; instead only take up about four hours a day and spread events out throughout the week. You can also break up the day by allowing peers to catch up over coffee chats or happy hours, and you can include assignments during these to make sure people socialize. - Craft a clear strategy and stick to it.
Ensure you have created contingency plans for last-minute changes or interruptions to your in-person SKO. We recently engaged a client who needed to change from an in-person SKO to a fully virtual meeting mere weeks before the event was set to happen. Is your team ready to handle a change like that?If the event is in person, considerations such as registration, logistics, travel and expenses, and communication have not changed. The most significant shifts for in-person design purposes are health and safety protocols. How well-prepared is your organization to operate in a digitally focused world? Are there established digital strategies and execution plans to ensure success in a tech-enabled environment?The design and policies for virtual and hybrid events aren’t new for many organizations, but research revealed that 71% of event organizers find that connecting the audience that’s in person to the virtual audience is challenging. What’s your team’s strategy for structuring virtual and hybrid events in 2023? Do you have resources and a data-driven approach to ensure successful implementation?
- Showcase your company culture and people.
It is a common pitfall to focus SKOs almost exclusively on product launches or new initiatives. However, this is a missed opportunity to engage your people and connect them to their work. Giving people a chance to contextualize major organizational moments allows them to feel more personal connections to the “why” behind the work. Which would be more effective in engaging you? An energetic speaker with 20 slides describing the specifics of a new product line, or a Q&A with the executive leadership team focusing on what they have heard from the field and customers that generated a new solution?For companies undergoing rapid and/or major change (think preparing for recession, dealing with uncertainty, labor challenges, and the like), this can be particularly critical to gaining buy-in and driving more sustainable change post-SKO. Building in small group activities, allowing space for reflection, and developing a concrete post-session reinforcement plan will allow you to maximize the large investment your organization is making. SKOs can also help establish or build your unique company culture, supporting talent retention and acquisition efforts.In today’s business landscape, companies need to brace for economic uncertainty, unpredictable labor challenges, and potential recessions. This is where a well-planned SKO can play a pivotal role in driving sustainable change and gaining buy-in from the team.
- Never forget the end customer.
SKOs offer a unique opportunity for sales teams to discuss the impact of the current economic environment on their businesses, share insights on market trends and customer behaviors, and brainstorm effective strategies to overcome the challenges presented by the crisis. By leveraging the collective expertise of sales professionals, businesses can develop innovative approaches to adapt to the changing landscape, improve their sales performance, and emerge stronger from any crisis.Inviting customers to your kickoff events is one way to tie in market trends and a “customer-back” focus. Customer panels have become very successful ways to communicate customer needs and desired business results to large groups of SKO participants. These moderated panels serve as chances to identify short- and long-term customer concerns and help sellers prioritize the benefits of their solutions.Organizations constantly search for innovative ways to keep their teams motivated, energized, and engaged. SKOs offer tremendous opportunities for organizations to drive change, build camaraderie, and bring people together effectively. Leveraging data-centric approaches such as analyzing team engagement levels, incorporating data-driven technology, collecting feedback, and tracking ROI ensure the success of SKO events.
Written by Patrick Kammerer.
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