According to Jeff Schneider of Sandler Training in Management & Leadership, here are some tips to cover in weekly meetings with salespeople:

1. “Where are we in relation to goal?

Here, you are trying to get an update on what the status is regarding progression toward a given, mutually understood, mutually accepted goal.  Try to get a snapshot of where things are now compared to where they were during the last meeting  

2. “Where do you need help?”

A one-on-one meeting is the perfect opportunity to ask a salesperson where they need help. This is extremely important. They may need tactical help; they may need organizational resources you can send their way or help them track down; they may just need someone to talk to about what’s going on in their lives.

3. “Let’s look at the behavior plan.”

It’s important to look closely at the leading indicators – the measurable behavioral targets that support business development – and not just the lagging indicators, like closed sales and total revenue. Setting performance targets for the leading indicators should be the focus of the salesperson’s behavioral plan, If the salesperson is doing the behaviors but still struggling, it may be a sign that there is a coaching or training issue.

4. “Let’s look at the coaching plan.”

Discussing the salesperson’s ongoing coaching plan is another vitally important part of the meeting. Salespeople want to improve over time, and you may need to provide coaching/training to support their goals. This should include identifying the next professional role they may want to move into, determining how realistic that is and, if possible, helping them to prepare to move into that role.

5. “What are the most important calls you have coming up?”

Review pre-call planning. Let the salesperson tell you about their big upcoming discussions … and then decide which ones you want to plan for together. Get into the habit of planning at least one joint call. That will help you assist your sales team take their game to the next level.

Cover these five topics during your weekly meetings with salespeople, and you will both stay focused and on track.