How to conduct a problem solving conference

Most sales executives don’t enjoy problem solving conferences. That’s because they don’t like problems.
Good sales leaders are promotional minded. They’re creative. They’re organizers and producers. Thus, they don’t enjoy “fence mending.” They want others to do the problem solving.
But problem solving cannot always be dumped in the lap of a subordinate. The difficulty may be of paramount importance. Sales may suffer sharply if a solution is not effected. Therefore, problem solving conferences cannot be shirked.
“What the devil are we going to do about slow moving items?” This is the way many problem solving conferences are begun. But there’s more to conference procedure than asking a few others for their opinions. There’s a standard conference procedure to follow.

1. State the problem. Be sure it’s a single problem, small enough to be tackled. Time is often wasted in the discussion of a complex problem which involves several other problems. If necessary, break the problem into smaller segments. Then go to work on the segment that can be most easily solved.
There’s another consideration. Do the conference members have authority to settle the matter? Do they have authority to effect the solution they hope to reach? If the matter is above their scope of authority, the boss should join the conference.

2.* Get the facts. All pertinent facts should be developed. When
it’s difficult to make a decision, it’s because some of the facts are
missing. The facts will clearly point toward the right solution
when all the facts are known.
Opinion will often be presented as fact. Don’t accept it. Ask the contributor, “Wait is that fact or opinion?”
For full development of each fact, ask the why of it. It might be factual that the advertising department has failed to advertise slow moving items. But why? There’s a reason for everything. Seek the why of each fact so you can get to the crux of the matter.

3.* List possible solutions. Don’t worry about order of im
portance. List them as they arise. And list all of them.
A proposed solution may at first seem impractical. Accept it anyway. Your own opinion cannot take precedence over that of conference members. If you’re to regulate opinion there’s no need for the conference!
Some proposed solutions may be only partial solutions. It makes no difference. Accept them anyway. They may later be amended or two of them put together.

4.* Select the most likely solution. Usually there’s discussion,
if not argument. But in due time there should be agreement as to
the best possible solution.
Sometimes you must change a proposed solution in order to get agreement. Do whatever is necessary to produce a “meeting of the minds.” For instance, the most popular proposed solution might be “Switch to weekly deliveries.” If necessary, this could be changed to “Switch to deliveries each Monday.”
This step is the pay off. Push hard for it without forcing your own opinion on the others.
If a decision cannot be reached, it’s usually because more facts are needed. How can you get them? Who has them? If necessary, adjourn until this additional information can be obtained.

5.* Effect the solution. Having selected the most likely solution,
put it into effect. Give it every opportunity to work. It may not
be “letter perfect,” so minor variations may be necessary. If it doesn’t work, select the next most likely solution. Then give it a chance to solve your problem.
If the problem still exists, continue until all possible solutions have been tried. One of them should take care of the matter.

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

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