Planning retreats are valuable practices, if done correctly. One aspect of a retreat that is central to the idea is going off-site for a period of time. Getting out of the office has many pros that can help your team refresh and refocus for a successful year. Check out some of the benefits that getting out of the office can provide:
Overcome the Whirlwind
The whirlwind of daily activities, deadlines, and paperwork is one of the most threatening things to overarching business strategy. It’s extremely difficult to step back from the whirlwind and focus on the larger picture. Having an off-site planning retreat is a viable way to cut through this all-consuming stress of deadlines, paperwork, and to-do items, and allow employees to get a fresh perspective on their 2018 goals.
Understand the Relationship between Sales and Marketing Teams
Structural understanding is the cornerstone of any successful business. Too often, we see sales and marketing teams that are not working in tandem, which leads to too few or simply unqualified leads. This disconnect can be hard to spot in the daily operation of your business, but if you take the time step out you can identify misalignments and get all team members back on the same page, working towards a shared goal.
Create a stronger-knit team
Working in a group to approach 2018 planning from all sides provides a great way for your team to bond. While “fun” activities such as paintball or go-carting are sometimes used as corporate bonding events, these activities actually increase competitiveness and are not a pragmatic use of funds (according to Ben Dattner, a workplace consultant and an industrial and organizational psychologist). But having individuals bring their own expertise and perspective to the table in a group effort to analyze your business and craft a customized sales and marketing plan provides a productive way for your team to become closer-knit. Each employee’s ideas are heard and valued, and your team must work together for a plan to effectively be implemented.
