How & Why to Integrate DEI in Your Sales Kickoff Meeting

For many companies, an annual sales kickoff meeting is an essential jumpstart to the sales process. It represents the time when sales strategies are discussed, cutting-edge techniques are evaluated, goals are set, and team camaraderie is developed.

Yet even the best-laid plans by your management team can be foiled if they don’t incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into your sales kickoff meeting. Without an emphasis on DEI, you’re setting your sales team up for failure and persistent missed opportunities.

Failing to integrate DEI into your initial kickoff makes it harder to do so later in the year, once sales initiatives are underway. Even the most successful sales teams seldom meet as a unit, with roughly three quarters of the top-performing sales teams meeting twelve or fewer times each year. This means the sales kickoff meeting is often your best chance to properly plot a course for a successful sales year. It’s your foremost opportunity to ensure your sales process reflects the values of DEI at every step.