| Scheduled Conference CallsTelephone conference | | | | decisions, action steps, who is accountable, and |
| calls are rated by sales team members as being | | | | time frame for every agenda item, and read |
| almost as effective as face-to-face sales team | | | | those notes at the end of the meeting.- Keep |
| meetings, but are much more convenient. | | | | your name off the list. Your job is to follow up.- |
| Conference calls can not only let you disseminate | | | | Rotate who takes decision minutes.- At the end |
| information, they can be used to coach and | | | | of the meeting- ask for ideas for topics to include |
| develop people. They can serve as a "virtual | | | | in the next agenda- ask for feedback from the |
| water cooler" for building the team vs. training a | | | | team on strengths and areas for improvement |
| group of remote individuals. Use telephone | | | | for future |
| conference calls to share information, develop | | | | conference call meetings- Follow up on decision |
| skills and strategies, and build your team.To help | | | | minutes.Conference calls can't replace face-to-face |
| maximize conference calls:- Set a consistent | | | | contact, but they are a convenient and practical |
| agreed-upon time.- Use an agenda. Ask team | | | | way to connect with team members and connect |
| members for their ideas before the meeting as | | | | the team.The only downside is the need to |
| to topics on the agenda.- Don't over pack the | | | | coordinate schedules and the emergencies that |
| agenda. Assign a time to each item and use the | | | | arise that can cause people to miss the phone |
| agenda to move things along.- Begin by quickly | | | | calls. The way to maximize the benefits and |
| reviewing the agenda and checking for | | | | manage the downside is for you to be the role |
| agreement.- Distribute any materials to all | | | | model - be prepared, do not cancel, start and end |
| participants before the call.- In advance, assign | | | | on time, use every minute to help your people |
| topics to team members. Better yet, ask for | | | | succeed, and ask for feedback on how to make |
| volunteers.- Rotate responsibility for five-minute | | | | the conference call team meeting even |
| presentations among team members as a way to | | | | better.Phone meetings are a helpful, effective |
| create peer coaching and recognize achievement.- | | | | way to connect people and share best practices. |
| Include Best Practices as an agenda item of | | | | Moreover, they are likely to turn a group of |
| every meeting and use it to spotlight exceptional | | | | remote salespeople into a team.About Linda |
| performance and share ideas.- Make the | | | | RichardsonLinda Richardson is President and |
| conference call interactive. Ask vs. tell. Ask how | | | | founder of a leading sales training and consulting |
| others feel about what a team member | | | | firm. She is a recognized leader in the sales |
| volunteers before giving your view, adding value, | | | | training industry and is credited with the |
| or tying it all together.- Make sure there is an | | | | movement to consultative selling, which is the |
| action step with clear accountability and a time | | | | corner stone of Richardson's methodology. Ms. |
| frame for every agenda item so that the | | | | Richardson has written 9 books on selling including |
| meetings are not viewed as a waste of time.- | | | | her most recent, The Sales Success Handbook. |
| Ask one team member to take notes on the | | | | She has been published extensively in industry. |