How To Deliver A Great Pre-Shift or Morning Kick-Off

Anyone who manages a sales team is tasked with motivating that team at the start of each day. Most companies refer to this as a pre-shift. Others call it a morning kick off. Regardless of what you call it, they are one in the same and they are by far the most important sales call of the day. You have to sell your team on policy changes, campaign changes, comp plan changes, the product and most importantly, themselves. A seasoned sales manager can throw a pre-shift together at a moments notice. Seasoned or not, it is best to be prepared.

When I managed call centers, I would take notes throughout the day. Things I heard that needed to be addressed and things I heard that merited praise. Doing this allowed me to stay on top of quality and performance. It also let them team know that I do pay attention to what they are saying. This is a great way to keep your team in compliance and to recognize progress. The most popular format for a pre-shift is I.E.R.M. (I Eat Red Meat). I found R.I.E.M. to be much more effective. It mimics the sandwich method often used when giving feedback of starting positive and ending positive and Raking In Easy Money just sounds better than red meat, especially in today’s vegetarian, gluten free society.

I always played music in the call center. I would start the music before shift started. I had an alarm set to go off one minute before the start of shift. When the alarm sounded, I would turn down the music and head over to the sales floor. The music turning off was everyone’s cue that shift is about to start. I programmed them effortlessly. I always made sure I had their undivided attention, nothing in their hands, everyone sitting up straight and looking at me. I never stood behind a podium or desk. During my pre-shift I would pace and make sure I made eye contact with every individual on the floor at least twice. This kept them focused, engaged and alert. I always had my notebook in my hand with bullet points to make sure I covered everything. Having an outline for my pre-shift allowed me to transition smoothly and control the mood on the floor.

Recognition: What you recognize depends on the day of the week and the previous days performance. Monday mornings recognize the week before. Tuesday recognize Monday’s performance. Thursday you can recognize anyone who has already achieved their weekly goal or is 90% of the way there. Always build up. Start from the bottom tier and work up. Never recognize someone who underperformed. This motivates agents to want to perform so they can be recognized the next day. Always push for climax. When you arrive at the top performer, make sure to include something like “And leading the way…” This will result in an enthusiastic applause and great energy on the floor. Beginning the day by recognizing performance or improvement drops the team’s guard and opens up their minds to listen and “hear” what you say. If your team is struggling with performance then recognize improvement. People like to be recognized. Some people will push harder for recognition than they will for money. This practice will also motivate the reps to get to work on time so they can witness and experience the recognition.

Information: You have the team’s attention and their hearts. Now you can roll out policy changes, quality updates or reminders, changes in schedule, etc. The most important thing to remember here is it is not what you say but how you say it. You have to sell everything you say. If you fail to sell it, some sort of rebellion is inevitable and that also means poor performance. The effects of this can last for weeks if not properly handled. Find the twist. You have to find the point that will make sense to them. If it is a comp plan change, you will have to focus on the higher tier payouts or say something to the tune of this change prevents layoffs. You have to find that twist that will win them over. They may not like the change but once the accept it, they will stop fighting. This portion of the pre-shift can either be the most boring part or the most dangerous. How you deliver the message will determine the results.

Education: This is the coaching part of the pre-shift. It is easy to complicate this portion. Human beings naturally gravitate toward negative. Focus on one thing that will impact multiple areas. It could be something as simple as eliminating pauses or handling the first no. This approach takes the pressure off the agents. If they feel like they JUST need to fix one thing to get better they will do it without feeling overwhelmed. If an agent eliminates pauses, they will keep people on the phone longer, keeping people on the phone longer means more deals being closed. Ultimately, you get the result you’re looking for without applying too much pressure. It is your job to choose the one area that will get those results.

Motivation: This is the part the agents are looking forward to. Always start with daily spiffs, if you have those and roll out any contests you are running. Unfortunately, not everyone is money motivated. They should be, but they are not. You will have to sell this part too and the game you are playing if applicable. If they are not excited about the contest, your day will start slow. If you do anything involving teams, make sure the teams are even. Do not pair up top performers with other top performers. Also, do not team up friends. If possible, put people who do not normally hang out or talk. Pair new hires with top performers. This is a creative way to get the top performer to help the new hire on his or her own accord. You want to unify your team every chance you get.

When your pre-shift or kickoff ends, you want a burst of energy. If it does not feel like kick off at the Superbowl then you failed. It is important that they immediately start dialing. This is not the time to get coffee or go to the bathroom. This will break the momentum and undo everything you just did. I had a first hour rule. No one off the floor for the first hour and then only one at a time. It is not about micro managing or being a control freak but rather setting the stage for success. If they fail, you fail. Mastering your pre-shift will eliminate 25% of your work load. A poorly delivered pre-shift will create more work and frustration.

I will be publishing more sales related articles. If there is anything in particular you would like me to write about, please leave a comment. I also have a podcast, Tornado Torres on all the major platforms and a YouTube channel under the same name. Both links are below. If you really found this to be useful, leave a tip. Thanks for reading.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1235192/podcast/website

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpRxGntTVTVUwhFzZvD9N_Q?view_as=subscriber