Forget the fancy hotel conference room. You don't need the sit down lunch and pricey speaker. It's entirely possible to host a motivating and interesting kick-off meeting without spending a great deal of money.

Location, location, location

Hold the meeting at company headquarters. If there's no conference room per se, get inventive about moving furniture around to create the most comfortable space possible. If you have remote salespeople and can afford to fly them in -- great. If not, let those reps participate via the available technology at your company.

The President

If the president does not manage the sales force invite him or her to be the kick-off speaker. Ask them to review the overall company performance for the year. Encourage them to share goals for the year to come: their own personal goals and the company-wide ones. They should include their vision for the coming year as well. The president's participation will mean a lot to the sales staff.

Review the Numbers

Begin the meeting with a formal review of the sales numbers for the previous year. Be candid about the overall performance. If it's been a tough year, acknowledge that. Avoid an overall negative tone, though. Even disappointing numbers can be presented in interesting ways. Point out the year's sales highlights (examples: new accounts, revenue increases within existing accounts, stronger than expected sales in a particular product line).

Say something positive about the performance of each salesperson. Be specific. Say something like, "Jane had the largest percentage increase in her territory. Joe closed the biggest single sale we had this year." Salespeople appreciate being recognized.

Other Executives

Customers ask salespeople all kinds of questions. Because of this, it's helpful for them to have a broad overview of what's happening in different areas of the company. Enlist the help of other executives within your organization. Ask them to make a brief presentation about their department's performance and goals for the coming year. Have them include interesting statistics relevant to sales.

Involve Customers

Invite a current customer to speak at your meeting. Ask the salespeople for suggestions about whom to ask. If possible, select a customer who chose your company from among several when it came time for them to make their decision.

Encourage them to talk candidly about their selection process and why they chose to do business with your company. Ask them to discuss what impressed them about some of the other vendors.

Being able to speak to a customer minus the pressure to close a sale is a wonderful opportunity for any salesperson. They will learn a great deal from listening to what the customer has to say.

Speaker

Some (but not all) sales consultants or trainers will come in and make a short presentation or conduct a workshop for a modest amount of money. Perhaps your sales staff could use some help with closing techniques or addressing objections. Ask colleagues or peers to recommend talented speakers. Call a few and inquire about their fees for this sort of event.

If that's a budget buster, rent a CD and show it during the kick-off meeting. Many well known sales trainers make their presentations available in that format. Most are well-produced and full of helpful information and reminders.

Sales Contests

Create both group and individual sales contests. Unveil them during the kick-off meeting. Try to come up with competitions that are just a little bit different than anything you might have done before. Make them challenging but winnable.

At the beginning of any new year, reps are typically pumped up and ready to go. They will be receptive to and enthusiastic about a sales contest.

Complaints

The kick-off meeting is not the place for a gripe session - no matter how compelling the issue. Head off any discussion right away. Say something like, "Let's you and I talk about that separately. It's a valid concern. I will discuss it with you as a group or individually - but not at this meeting." Schedule a time to talk about the issue right then and there, and move ahead with your agenda for the day.

Don't let a small or non-existent budget stop you from holding a kick-off meeting. The sales reps will notice and appreciate the effort you went to. They'll leave the meeting feeling motivated and ready to sell. You can't put a price on that.