During a decades long sales career in the high tech industry as a front line representative, sales manager and vice president of sales Steve Martin participated in more than a hundred sales kick off events. He’s witnessed the good, the bad, and a whole lot in between.

In an effort to help sales organizations put their best foot forward during the most important meeting of the year, Martin has come up with the following list of “Top Five Sales Kick Off Meeting Mistakes.” Steer clear of these stumbling blocks, he says, and you’ll be well positioned to send your team members out better educated about their products, enlightened about the company’s future direction, and energized to take on the new year’s sales quota.

Mistake Number One: It keeps going, and going, and going…
Research indicates that, on average, people at a one-hour presentation will only hear about seven and one-half minutes’ worth of what’s said. Also, just 72 hours after a meeting, participants will forget 95 percent of what they’ve heard. The longer your meeting (three, four, or five days, for example) the less your sales team members will retain of your message. Look for ways to keep things short.

Mistake Number Two: Where’s the recognition?
When was the last time you heard about a manager being fired for offering too much recognition to his or her salespeople? The reality is that salespeople thrive on recognition, and many managers are too parsimonious about doling out expressions of appreciation. Throughout the kick off event, make a point to offer specific, personal compliments to individual team members while being sure to give out all awards in full view of the entire organization.

Mistake Number Three: And next to the podium…
One great way to kill any possible kick off momentum is with a parade of presenters successively draining ever more enthusiasm from the crowd. Having every departmental manager in the company talk for 15 minutes is a very low (read: nonexistent) priority for your sales kick off. When putting together your list of who’s going to speak, refer back to your goals for the event, and don’t spare the “delete” key.

Mistake Number Four: Where’s the funny?
Sales is a high pressure, stressful, rejection filled profession, and one of the benefits of the annual sales meeting is that your reps get a little time away from all of that for reconnecting, swapping war stories, and camaraderie. Give them the chance to blow off a little steam. One fun activity is to challenge the various sales regions to make their own short marketing videos for an upcoming product release. Team members can laugh and bond together as they watch each region’s entry.

Mistake Number Five: Communication traffic only goes one way.
Do your kick off meetings reflect more of a “talking at” or “talking with” approach to the salespeople? Instead of treating your team members as passive recipients of information, involve them in your panels. Let top salespeople share stories about their biggest wins (and losses). Top performers are a key resource, and should be used to full advantage to promote the behaviors and attitude that led to their success.