// Research

How to Run an Impactful Sales Kickoff

Sales kickoffs (SKOs) are among the most visible—and expensive—sales enablement investments. A high spend often doesn't translate to ROI.

Even when sellers leave feeling motivated and energized, the feeling seldom sticks. New initiatives and skills go unadopted, and reinforcement is scarce.

To find out how organizations are running their SKOs, we surveyed 221 sales leaders, enablement professionals, and sellers. In our analysis, we discovered five key drivers that have the strongest influence on seller behavior impact.

The findings in this report provide a blueprint for designing SKOs that engage sellers during the event and support sustained performance after.

This report will give you fresh insights into what separates high-impact SKOs from the rest. You'll learn how organizations with successful SKOs design their events to be relevant and impactful while keeping the momentum going after.

You’ll also get actionable tips and best practices for planning your own SKOs, such as:

The central pillar all of your SKOs should be built around
How to keep energy and engagement high during your SKO
What to measure to prove success and ROI for your SKOs
A checklist for end-to-end SKO design

Fill out the form to download the report.

Pictured above are some of the activities that contribute to achieving SKO goals. The data is clear: Engagement is king.

Your SKO should be built around participation at every stage, including intentional opportunities for team building. Social connection isn't just nice to have—it strengthens accountability and engagement during and after the event.

Notably, while executive keynote presentations are often a part of SKOs, they're reported to contribute less than many other activities. While hearing from leaders can contribute to strategic alignment, these presentations rarely offer the interactivity that truly drives behavior change.

Most SKOs are disconnected from the practice and strategic alignment that leads to impactful behavior change.

RAIN Group can help you build SKOs that justify the investment and give your sellers the tools to thrive in a modern market.

Solutions include:

SKO strategy to align, engage, and activate sales teams
Facilitation of sales training workshops to upskill sellers
Engagement and experiential design integration, including gamification and AI
Reinforcement and measurement tracking to prove ROI

Learn more about our sales kickoff solutions. east

Teach your sellers the ins and outs of sales prospecting and how to incorporate it into their regular sales activities with RAIN Sales Prospecting.

Based on our research, this program gives your sales team a proven process for generating meetings and filling the pipeline with qualified prospects.

Learning modules include:

Building an Attraction Campaign
Analyzing Your Numbers and Prospecting Research
Prospecting with LinkedIn and Social Media
Setting Appointments with Emails and Referrals
And more

Learn more about RAIN Sales Prospecting. east

// Research

How to Run an Impactful Sales Kickoff

Discover what drives real impact in sales kickoffs.

The SKO Shakeup: Running an Impactful Sales Kickoff

Key Findings in This Report

Get More Out of Your SKO Investment

Insights to Supercharge Your SKOs

Contact Us