Virtual Sales Meetings & Virtual Trainings — Part 2, Overcoming Hurdles

In our last article, Virtual Sales Meetings & Virtual Trainings — Part 1, The Benefits, we reviewed numerous advantages of virtual sales meetings. Of course we’re big fans, and we see the benefits in action through the eyes of our clients.

That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t potential hurdles. Whether you’re making a change from physical events to virtual events or adding a virtual training element to your in-person programs, you’ll want to consider the potential hurdles and how to best overcome them.

Don't Forget About the Face Time

A 100% virtual sales kickoff can’t offer the same face-to-face opportunities as a physical event, and that element can be very important to keeping your sales team connected. With that in mind, we recommend adding small group viewing, happy hours, or other in-person time when geography and budget allow.

 

Keep it Social and Fun

“Off-the-clock” time with teammates can be critical to building and maintaining a cohesive, high-performing sales team. Creating small moments of in-person connection tied to your overall program and leveraging the fun and personal elements of a virtual environment can help keep the social elements in your program.

 

Manage Participation with Detailed Reporting

You may be concerned employees accessing a virtual keynote session from a home office can simply walk away after hitting “launch.” However, even at a physical event where you can literally see a salesperson in the room, you can’t be sure they are engaged with the presentation. Virtual sales training environments offer many ways to drive engagement along with crazy-detailed reporting.  So in the end, you’ll actually know more about who really participated.

 

Travel - Reward or Penalty?

For some employees—especially those who rarely travel—the chance to get out of the office and visit a new city is a big reward. This is tough to overcome, but transparency about the corporate budget, coupled with different incentives and rewards, can go a long way towards overcoming disappointment.  And remember, travel can also be a burden; the option to skip the travel hassles may be very welcome to some.

 

Don't Settle for All Work and No Play

Virtual training can be seen as more practical, less fun.  When moving to a virtual training model, it’s important to make it as fun and personal for employees as your company culture allows. Virtual sales kickoffs can include fun elements to engage employees, such as background designs, employee-submitted content, and the gamification leaderboard.

 

Taking your training programs into the virtual world can provide a real boost to sales enablement. Keeping in mind the potential challenges from the start is the best way to make the transition with the greatest positive impact on your team.

If you’re interested in talking through how to make virtual sales training work best for you, connect with the 6Connex team to discuss how we can serve your unique needs.

 

SonicWall's SKO Takes a Virtual Leap  DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY

 

 

Related Resources

Virtual Sales Meetings & Virtual Trainings — Part 1, The Benefits

Virtual Sales Meetings & Virtual Trainings — Part 3, Employee Reactions

How to Extend the Life of Your Sales Kickoff on a Virtual Platform

4 Ways to Build an Engaging Sales Kickoff Agenda

5 Key Benefits of a Virtual SKO

3 Ingredients to a Successful SKO


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