By Jim Berkowitz, CRM Mastery

Here is an article from Sales & Marketing Management's Management Advisor Newsletter, Plan a Successful Sales Meeting:

No one said sales meetings were supposed to be fun—you have to prepare in advance and take time away from clients to attend. Besides, you usually spend the duration day-dreaming anyway. When research shows that professionals feel 50 percent of meetings are a waste of time, you really can't blame your sales team for not being enthusiastic about your next gathering. But how can you get your reps to attend sales meetings without having to resort to begging?

Here are six tips to help you lead an effective and energetic meeting:

1. Set the Tone
There's more to a theme than just a few catchy words. A theme not only establishes the expectations for a sales meeting, but sets the tone and goals for the entire year. Making that theme meaningful can be the most important part of planning a sales event. Decide what message you want to send and what you want the meeting to accomplish. Also, be sure to introduce the theme early on to ignite focus and anticipation.

2. Kick It Off Right
Salespeople are active employees. They take the initiative every day to go out and take risks. It only makes sense that your sales meeting kickoff should actively involve your reps. Turning attendees into participants creates excitement. Start off with some light ice-breakers, and try techniques such as role playing to build team interaction.

3. Prevent Boredom
Make sure to engage your audience or you'll be getting those infamous blank stares. You can't maintain attention if all you're doing is talking at people. Try brainstorming activities or presenting skits in small groups. Also be sure to get feedback and suggestions as you go—it'll let attendees know their opinions have a place.

4. Let Them Shine
If you really want to engage your reps, make sure to use the meeting as a way to recognize your team's achievements. Throughout the meeting, find ways to acknowledge those who have gone above and beyond. Make them stand up and don't be shy with your praise. Salespeople tend to be egocentric, so the chance for peer recognition is highly valued.

5. Keep 'em Guessing
The quickest way to zap people's interest is to make meetings boring and run longer than expected. Keep reps motivated and focused for the duration with elements of surprise sprinkled throughout the meeting. They'll be much less likely to zone out if they're eager to see what's coming next. Try breakout sessions and alternating speakers to keep the momentum flowing.

6. Over But Not Out
It's done. Attendance was high, participants were enthusiastic and involved, and a wealth of new selling strategies took center stage. But was it a successful sales meeting? Post-meeting followup is important to keep the meeting in your reps' minds and to prepare for next time. Use a combination of ratings and open-ended questions when soliciting audience feedback for the most accurate results. Also, salespeople often thrive on competition, so by utilizing some mini-incentives or contests you can increase the amount of feedback you receive.