How to start your meetings on time?

You should make it a point to welcome guests and new salesmen. Put them at ease the moment they enter the room. This is common courtesy. Moreover, it helps create the desired atmosphere. Introduce them to others before the meeting is started. Then, when under way, introduce each newcomer to the group. Do it with a big smile, as if it’s a pleasure.
Would name badges help in producing a feeling of friendliness? Yes, unless all members of the group are already acquainted with each other. Badges also bolster the individual with a feeling of belonging. Give badges a trial when the circumstances warrant it. But be sure to have the names put in large print so they can be easily read. Unless the names can be read from a distance of two or three feet, the entire effort is wasted.

Meetings that start late are as welcome as a blindfold at a burlesque show! It’s frustrating, disappointing, and discouraging to be penalized for promptness. That, in effect, is what happens when a meeting is started late. The people who showed on time are penalized for it. Minutes are stolen from their lives because of poor planning. “Nothing irks me more,” said a salesman, “than to sit there until the late-comers have arrived. It takes the incentive out of a
guy”

Much has been said about starting on time, but little has been said about how to do it Here are specific suggestions:

1.* Schedule the meeting for an unusual time. Try 9:02 instead of 9:00 or 7:29 instead of 7:30.
Chambers of Commerce throughout the country found that people are more punctual if meetings are not scheduled on the hour or half hour. Booking the get-together at an odd time helps point up the exact minute. It makes you, as well as others, more time conscious. However, having made a point of it, be certain to start on time.

2.* Appoint an extroverted sergeant-at-arms. Station him at the door to collect a 25 cent fine from all late-comers at future sessions. Accept no alibis. Make no exceptions-not even top brass! Ultimately, let the group vote on how to use the money collected. “This has worked better for me than anything else/’ said a Grand Rapids executive. “When you’re late you get a little kidding along with the fine!”

3.* Be sure you have a full agenda. Better to have too much than too little. The fellow who’s afraid he will run out of “gas” is in clined to start the meeting late. He’s afraid the program will be completed well ahead of schedule, and that this will make him look bad. So he stalls for time. When he finally does begin, he makes things worse by proceeding slowly. The thought of an early finish makes him afraid to plunge into his agenda. Don’t be afraid you’ll overload the agenda. Just use some judgment in which items to omit if you find that you actually have overloaded it.

4.* Avoid alibis. “They don’t expect me to start on time. Besides they want to visit with each other first.” Ever hear excuses like these? If people don’t expect a meeting to begin at the proper time it’s because prior meetings did not. Poor procedure in the past is no reason for such procedure in the future. As for visiting, anyone desiring to visit simply can do so before the appointed hour instead of after it. Moreover, if visiting is really important it should be included in the agenda. A salesman confided, “Surely-we visit while waiting for the meetings to start. But it’s not out of choice. It’s because we have nothing else to do. We’d much prefer to skip the visiting and get going with the business at hand.”

5.* Complete all plans and arrangements well before meeting time. Do everything there is to do. See everyone there is to see. Many meetings have been started late because the person in charge figures, “I’ll see Mac just before the meeting. There’ll be plenty of time to work out the details then.” Mac may be late. Even if he’s on time, there’s confusion. Others are arriving. Their greetings and questions make final arrangements difficult. Complete everything ahead of time. You’ll be glad you did . . . and so will your audience.

6.* Place an alarm clock on the speakers’ stand. Set the alarm for the time the session should begin. Watch it closely. If the alarm does not sound off at the proper moment, then cause it to ring anyway. Let it ring for several seconds while the salesmen settle down. After shutting it off, start the program immediately. “We tried the alarm clock at our meetings,” said a Richmond sales supervisor. “It worked so well that we now wonder how we ever did without it. Once your audience expects it, they’ll be disappointed if you stop using it.”

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

Tags: sales meeting

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