7 Team-building Ideas for Your Next Sales Kickoff

A successful sales kickoff (SKO) not only sets the tone for the year ahead but also strengthens team cohesion and boosts morale. However, finding fresh and engaging team-building activities that cater to an entire group can be a challenge. 

Here are 7 team-building activities designed to foster collaboration, facilitate learning, and drive engagement during your next SKO.

1. Let People Watch Lectures at Home

The last thing your staff wants to do at your event is study. This is especially the case for dispersed or remote teams in which team members likely want to take advantage of the rare opportunity to connect with one other.

Distribute materials like video tutorials, podcasts, or reading materials on new product features or sales strategies ahead of time so sales staff can get familiar with key learnings before the event. This will make their learning sessions more productive and effective, as participants will arrive with a foundational understanding of the material. 

It will also take the pressure off the event to deliver education that can be learned in private, which will free up time for more engaging and interactive activities that focus on team building. This in turn allows for deeper, more interactive discussions during the sales kickoff, such as live Q&A sessions or small group workshops where attendees can dive into case studies or problem-solving exercises related to the pre-learned content.

2. Offer Practical, Hands-on Workshops

If diverting the sales team’s attention from sales to education outside the event is not possible, think strategically about how to design educational sessions to appeal to a range of learning styles for maximum engagement and retention. 

Many people prefer to learn by doing rather than in a one-to-many lecture format. Hands-on workshops allow participants to apply the learnings in real-world scenarios, giving them practical problem-solving experience that will help to reinforce the material.

For example, you could organize breakout sessions where teams work together on mock sales pitches or role-playing scenarios that mirror real-world sales challenges, like attracting foot traffic at an expo. These workshops can be facilitated by experienced sales leaders who provide immediate feedback and guidance.

3. Gamify the Experience with Team-based Challenges

Gamifying the learning objectives is a great way to engage more of a participant’s brain when conveying crucial knowledge. It works by using the same mechanics that make video games so engaging, like a sense of progress, a reward system, collaboration towards a common goal, and a dose of healthy competition. 

You could set up a sales simulation game where teams compete to close virtual deals, refine workflows, or master new products. For example, a leading data storage company partnered Stova to create a virtual scavenger hunt in which participants were awarded points for locating key objects containing information ranging from sales tips to product notes. These could easily have been made into a team challenge, or combined with other game elements like quizzes or live polls.

In this way, gamification not only bolsters learning but can be a great tool for reinforcing team-building objectives, as participants must communicate effectively and strategize together to progress.

4. Reward Participants with Retreats and Incentives

Particularly as sales staff may have gotten used to working from home, they may be more critical of travel requests in which they have to sacrifice time away from their routines and their families. Adding incentives to the event and reinforcing components that could not have been done virtually is a good way to bring them on board with any travel involved. 

For example, incentive trips and retreats appended to the end of an sales kickoff not only give event participants something to look forward to throughout potentially dry educational sessions, but also go a long way in recognizing and thanking your staff for showing up consistently throughout the year, being team players, and making the trip. 

Moreover, choosing an attractive destination with interesting features not only makes sales staff happy to come in general, but can also offer a range of team-building activities, such as outdoor adventure courses, guided tours, or team sports, to break up the learning sessions.

5. Create Memories Through CSR Activities

Employees are paying more attention to working culture these days and actively look for companies that demonstrate alignment with their values. Arranging activities around corporate social responsibility (CSR), charity, or fundraising initiatives not only increases your workforce loyalty, but will couch team building in a meaningful experience with more emotional resonance, making it both more memorable and more effective.

For example, organizing a day of volunteering at a local nonprofit or hosting a charity auction where teams compete to raise the most funds can foster a sense of unity and purpose. These activities allow participants to bond while reinforcing shared values and contributing to a greater cause, enhancing the overall impact of the SKO with a socially constructive element.

6. Try “An Hour in the Life” Exercises

They say that you should never judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. This exercise aims to give coworkers insight into other roles, even if it might not be practical to spend a day in the life of a coworker. This not only helps them to gain an appreciation for their colleague’s challenges but also broadens their understanding of their own role in the larger context of the team. 

For example, create a scenario in which sales staff switch roles with members of the support team. By doing so, they can gain first-hand experience (within a controlled environment) delivering on the promises they made during the sales process after closing the deal. Participants can follow this exercise with a debrief session to share their insights and discuss how they can better support each other.

7. Incorporate Some Friendly Competition

In the same vein, use the sales kickoff as a practical opportunity for sales staff to improve their sales skills and work out the kinks in their product pitches. Have senior sales reps or managers give real-time feedback in a no-stakes pitching environment, and gamify the experience by letting sales staff compete for a few extra paid vacation days or a suite to spend the rest of the event in. 

For example, you could assign teams to develop creative pitches for fictional products, encouraging them to think outside the box and leverage their sales techniques in fun and innovative ways. The competition can culminate in a presentation round judged by a panel of peers, with awards given for the most persuasive, creative, and entertaining pitches.

Conclusion

While finding fresh and engaging team-building activities for your next sales kickoff can be a challenge, getting it right will boost learning and retention while fostering camaraderie within the sales team. 

Start by providing learning material ahead of time to make learning sessions more effective and create space for interactive activities that focus on team building. Use hands-on learning opportunities and workshops to appeal to different learning styles. Gamifying the experience can also make learning sessions more engaging by using incentives and competition to motivate participants. Thanking sales staff by hosting the event in a desirable location and planning activities around it is another great way to incentivize employees to come and participate, especially where those activities allow them to do something meaningful and memorable for a good cause. Lastly, use the event as an opportunity to connect with other teams and glean rare insights into broader company operations. 

Having supported thousands of corporate events, we are full of ideas about how to run a truly transformative sales kick-off. Contact Stova now to learn more about how to take your SKO event to the next level.