Before the meeting
Ask everyone to update their deals by the day before: stage, value, close date and next step. The meeting is for decisions, not data entry.
The agenda
- Numbers (5 minutes). New enquiries this week, deals won and lost, and the forecast for this month.
- Stuck deals (10 minutes). Anything with no activity for two weeks or a close date in the past. What is the next step and who owns it?
- Big deals (10 minutes). The three to five largest open deals. What could stop them, and what help is needed?
- Losses (5 minutes). Why did we lose what we lost? Is there a pattern?
Questions that keep it useful
- “What’s the next step, and when?”
- “What has the customer actually said?”
- “What would make this close sooner?”
- “Should we close this out?”
Who should attend
Keep it to the people who own deals and the person who sets priorities, usually the owner or sales lead. In a very small business that may be two people. Invite someone from delivery once a month to hear what is coming, so they can plan staffing and materials.
Make decisions, not reports
Every item discussed should end with a decision: a next step and an owner, a request for help, or a decision to close the deal. If the meeting finishes without changing anything in the pipeline, it was a status update, and those are better read than heard.
Record decisions directly on the deal during the meeting. That way nobody has to type up minutes, and the pipeline reflects what was agreed.
A sample 30-minute agenda
| Minutes | Item | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | This week’s numbers | Enquiries, wins, losses, forecast |
| 5 to 15 | Stuck deals | A next step and owner for each |
| 15 to 25 | Largest deals | Risks and help needed |
| 25 to 30 | Losses and lessons | One thing to change |
Keeping the pipeline honest between meetings
The meeting works best when the pipeline is already up to date. Ask everyone to update their deals by the end of the day before, and use a saved view of “deals with no activity in 14 days” to spot anything that has slipped. Over time the meeting gets shorter, because there are fewer surprises.
Running the meeting remotely
If your team is spread across sites or working from home, the meeting works just as well on a video call. Share the pipeline on screen, work through the agenda and update deals live. Keep cameras on if you can; it helps the conversation. Record decisions on the deals rather than in a separate document, so people who miss the meeting can see what was agreed.
Keep the same time each week. A consistent slot, such as Monday at 9am, turns the meeting into a habit rather than something that gets cancelled when the week gets busy.
Quick checklist
- Hold it at the same time each week and keep it to 30 minutes.
- Ask everyone to update deals the day before.
- Review numbers, stuck deals, big deals and losses, in that order.
- End every discussion with a next step, an owner and a date.
- Record decisions directly on the deals.
- Close out deals with no activity for 60 to 90 days.
- Invite delivery once a month to hear what is coming.
Keep it short
Start on time, work from a saved view in the CRM, and take longer conversations offline. If a meeting regularly runs over, the pipeline has too many stale deals in it.
Common questions
How long should a sales meeting be?
Thirty minutes is enough for most small teams if the pipeline is updated beforehand.
Should we meet weekly or fortnightly?
Weekly keeps deals moving; fortnightly can work for teams with long sales cycles.
What if nobody updates their deals before the meeting?
Start each meeting from the pipeline as it is. People soon update it to avoid awkward questions.
This guide is general information for Australian businesses, not legal, tax or financial advice. Check anything specific to your situation with a qualified adviser or the relevant government agency.