Sales Meeting Cadence Template (+ Excel Example)

Do you have an operating rhythm for your meetings?

It’s when you have a set of consistent meetings that have a specific objective and involve the right stakeholders that aim to address one specific goal.

In a sense, it’s a meeting cadence that helps your company move towards your goal. Each meeting provides a checkpoint to understand how the team is performing against their goals and what obstacles are getting in the way.

But you don’t know what’s the right meeting cadence?

In this blog, we’ll review different types of meetings you can set on a consistent basis. Plus, get access to a meeting cadence template that you can use.

What Is a Meeting Cadence?

A meeting cadence is a recurring schedule of meetings that helps your team stay connected and informed. Think of it as an operating rhythm for your teamwork, helping information flow smoothly and regularly across the organization.

Having a meeting cadence allows you to check progress toward goals. It also provides a structure for checking progress or dealing with specific obstacles.

Regular meetings allow you and your team to share real-time updates so everyone stays on the same page.

Establishing a meeting cadence creates a space for focused discussions. This allows everyone to think, collaborate, or even debate ideas.

Here’s a simple example of a weekly meeting cadence:

Day	Meeting Type	Focus
Monday	Sales Team Meeting	Get an update from your team members and update them on any organizational news.
Wednesday	One-on-One’s	Review your team member’s performance, provide coaching, and check in on their career goals.
Friday	Weekly Wrap-Up	Review achievements and talk about lessons learned.

Your meeting cadence may vary based on your team’s needs, but the goal is to have a consistent set of meetings that your team knows will happen. They know the meeting objectives and exactly what to prepare beforehand.

How A Team Meeting Cadence Is Run

When you run a team meeting cadence, you establish a regular operating rhythm for your team to keep them aligned and informed. It’s not for major shake-ups but rather to maintain steady progress and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Here’s what you need to have an effective meeting cadence:

• Preparation: Before the meeting, outline the agenda. Know what performance metrics or project updates will be discussed. This helps you keep track and progress visible.
• Frequency: Decide how often to meet. Weekly or bi-weekly are common choices. Consistency is key to maintaining momentum.
• Kick-off: Start by briefly stating the meeting’s purpose and objectives. This sets a clear tone.
• Update and Review: Use a simple table format to summarize current stats and milestones.
• Discuss: Foster a conversation about any roadblocks and celebrate wins. Keep it positive and solution-oriented.
• Take Notes: Assign a dedicated notetaker to write down what was discussed and action items from the meeting.
• Action Items: Clearly outline the next steps. Assign responsibilities and deadlines. This helps everyone know what’s expected before the next meeting.
• Wrap-Up: Finish by reiterating action items and expressing confidence in the team’s ability to execute them.

Your meeting cadence is meant to keep your team’s activity fluid and transparent.

Why You Should Have a Meeting Cadence

Establishing a meeting cadence can streamline your workflow and optimize team coordination. A well-planned sequence of meetings helps you achieve your objectives effectively.

Here are several benefits of having a meeting cadence.

Increased Productivity

By setting a regular meeting cadence, you ensure a structured opportunity for discussing progress, obstacles, and strategies. Your team can prepare updates beforehand, which leads to the following:

• More focused discussions: knowing there’s limited time promotes efficiency.
• Prompt problem-solving: regular check-ins allow for quicker responses to issues.

Reduce Meeting Fatigue

This will sound counterintuitive, but having a consistent set of meetings can reduce meeting fatigue. An erratic meeting schedule can be draining. A predictable cadence means:

• Fewer impromptu disruptions: your team can plan their day around the known meeting times.
• Enhanced personal management: when meetings are pre-set, members can balance work and rest better.

Give Autonomy Over Time

Since your meeting cadence has a consistent and predictable schedule, you can give your team more autonomy over time. A fixed meeting rhythm can:

• Give them more control over their own schedules.
• Allow planning of deep work periods around meeting times.

This autonomy respects personal work styles, fostering a more satisfied and productive team.

Provide Team Focus

Having a clear purpose for each meeting in your cadence gives your team focus. Consistent meetings bring everyone onto the same page by:

• Framing clear objectives.
• Reinforcing team goals.

This clarity helps your team prioritize tasks in alignment with collective targets.

How to Choose the Right Meeting Cadence

Selecting the right meeting cadence is crucial for keeping your team on track and focused on the goals. 

It’s about finding that sweet spot between meetings that are frequent enough to maintain momentum and not so frequent that they become counterproductive.

You can have meetings on a consistent basis, such as:

• Daily Meetings
• Weekly Meetings
• Bi-Weekly Meetings
• Monthly Meetings
• Quarterly Meetings

The right meeting cadence ultimately depends on your goals and what you want the team to accomplish. Nobody enjoys meetings for the sake of having meetings because it’s a poor use of time. So, connect your meetings with a purpose and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Align to Your Team’s Goals

To align your meeting cadence with your team’s goals, start by identifying what you need to achieve and by when. This will determine the urgency and frequency of your meetings. For example:

• High Priorities: If your team is working on a high-priority project, consider having brief daily stand-ups to keep everyone aligned.
• Establish the End Goal: Outline the end goal at the beginning of your engagement to ensure that everyone is working towards the same objective. This may require more frequent check-ins in the early stages of a project to set the right direction.

Create a checklist to make sure your meetings align with your goals:

• Identify priorities and end goals
• Decide on meeting frequency based on urgency
• Schedule meetings to fit into the team’s workflow

Define the Purpose of the Meeting

Every meeting should have a clear purpose to ensure it is necessary and productive. When defining the meeting’s purpose, consider the following:

• Check-in on Progress: Regular meetings should be scheduled to monitor project progress. For instance, a weekly 30-minute meeting to discuss updates.
• Meeting Duration: Keep meetings concise. A good rule of thumb is that the shorter the meeting, the more focused the discussion. For example, aim for 15-30 minute sessions for check-ins and up to 60 minutes for more in-depth discussions.

To define your meeting’s purpose, use the following framework:

• What is the main objective of this meeting?
• How will the meeting move us closer to our end goal?
• Is the scheduled duration appropriate for the purpose?

Daily Meetings

Daily meetings allow team members to connect on immediate tasks, share quick updates, and address urgent issues. When effectively managed, a daily meeting cadence ensures everyone is on the same page.

This is even more so since most teams are distributed and work remotely. 

Here are some common examples of daily meetings that you can run.

Stand-Ups

Purpose: To quickly share progress and identify blockers.

• Who: Entire team
• When: Start of the day
• Duration: 15 minutes max
• Format:
  1. What did you work on yesterday?
  2. What will you work on today?
  3. Do you have any obstacles?

Tip: Keep it sweet and short to maintain brevity.

Check-Ins

Purpose: To offer support and facilitate collaboration.

• Who: Individual team members + manager
• When: End of the day
• Duration: 10 minutes max
• Format:
  • Discuss any assistance needed.
  • A quick review of the day’s accomplishments.

Tip: Use this time to adjust priorities for the next day.

Weekly Meetings

A weekly meeting cadence template keeps you in sync with your team, helps track progress, and ensures everyone’s aligned with goals and outcomes.

It’s also the easiest to manage since you can have a recurring meeting on the same day and time each week. Plus, the frequency of weekly meetings sets an expectation for what to prepare before the next meeting.

1-On-1’s

You have the chance to connect with each team member individually. Use this time to:

• Discuss Progress: Touch base on current projects and offer support.
• Review Roadblocks: Discuss challenges or issues in their work.
• Provide Feedback: Give and receive constructive feedback to foster personal growth.

Team Meetings

This is your opportunity to bring everyone together. For example, have a weekly sales meeting to review team goals, provide updates and tackle any roadblocks getting in the way of your team. Focus on:

• Updates: Share team achievements and news.
• Collaboration: Plan the week and solve problems as a group.

Leadership Meetings

Gather your company’s leaders to strategize and make decisions. Key activities include:

• Review Key Metrics: Examine performance data and insights.
• Plan for Growth: Set objectives for the upcoming weeks and assign responsibilities.
• Team Performance: Review any areas for improvement with the team or opportunities for growth amongst the team members.

Sprints

For teams using Agile methodologies, weekly sprints are crucial to:

• Plan Tasks: Determine the week’s workload and set priorities.
• Retrospectives: Reflect on the previous sprint to improve the next one.

Bi-Weekly Meetings

Bi-weekly meetings balance frequent check-ins and give team members enough time to make significant progress on their tasks.

This cadence helps you stay on top of important business elements. You’ll touch base on specific items, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

They are ideal for in-depth discussions, brainstorming sessions, and strategic planning. They offer a regular but not overly frequent forum for team engagement and decision-making.

Early Stage Sales Pipeline Review

Objective: Gauge the progress of specific deals in each sales rep’s pipeline. This review is for early-stage deals that likely won’t close in the quarter but are highly likely to close next quarter. This bi-weekly meeting helps maintain deal momentum and gives your sales reps a space to ask for support.

• Agenda:
  • New Opportunities: Review new opportunities since the last meeting.
  • Stalled Deals: Highlight any that need action.
  • Pipeline Creations: Review upcoming initiatives to grow pipeline.
• Action Items: Assign tasks for movement on each opportunity.

Forecast Review

Objective: Review the deals forecasted to close in the current quarter. Deals are typically categorized as commit, most likely, best case, and omitted. Use this bi-weekly meeting to gauge the likelihood of when the deal will close, current roadblocks, and any changes in major deals.

• Metrics:
  • Projected Sales: Review expected figures for the period.
  • Accuracy Tracking: Compare past predictions to actual results.
• Action Items: Update strategies to meet or exceed the forecast.

Renewal Review

Objective: Review active customers forecasted to renew within the current quarter. Discuss any major churn risks and what action plans need to be taken.

• Data Points:
  • Renewal Dates: Review upcoming renewals, prioritizing by date.
  • Account Health: Assess satisfaction and risk factors.
• Action Items: Outline steps to secure each renewal.

Monthly Meetings

Monthly meetings can review the past month’s achievements, set objectives for the next month, and discuss broader strategic initiatives.

These meetings allow for a deeper dive into performance metrics, resource planning, and cross-functional alignment, ensuring that the team or organization moves in the right direction with a clear focus.

Won/Lost/Churn Deal Review

Reviewing won, lost, or churned deals helps understand the sales process and customer lifecycle. Focus on:

• Reasons behind wins and losses
• Obstacles in the way of each deal
• Customer feedback

Quarterly Meetings

The quarterly meeting cadence provides a structured approach to assessing and steering company performance. It aligns teams and informs stakeholders of progress and future objectives.

Board Meetings

You conduct board meetings once every quarter to provide your board and investors with a company update. This includes how the company performed against targets in the previous quarter, major updates across each department, and forecasts for the upcoming quarter.

These meetings are crucial for:

• Reviewing company-wide strategic plans
• Making high-level decisions

Board members review financial reports and look forward to policy and direction decisions that affect the next quarter and beyond.

Performance Reviews

Quarterly performance reviews offer a regular opportunity to discuss individual achievements and areas of improvement.

Review any OKRs that are accomplished or not. Use this time to:

• Set goals for the upcoming quarter
• Provide feedback

Remember, your objective is to motivate and guide employees toward better results and career growth.

Quarterly Business Reviews

During quarterly business reviews (QBRs), you evaluate past performance and strategize for the coming quarter. Summarize:

• Revenue
• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Pipeline growth
• Quota attainment
• Forecast accuracy

You aim to assess alignment with the annual goals and adjust tactics accordingly.

Company Townhall

Townhall meetings are an open forum conducted quarterly to:

• Engage with all employees
• Share major achievements
• Update on company health and outlook

Encourage participation and feedback to foster a culture of transparency and inclusion.

How to Plan a Meeting Cadence

When planning your meeting cadence, assess your team’s goals and needs. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish and how often you must gather to meet those objectives.

Determine the Meeting Types: Identify the types of meetings necessary for success:

• Weekly team updates
• Bi-weekly project check-ins
• Monthly strategy sessions
• Quarterly goal reviews

Set the Frequency and Timing: Decide how often each meeting should occur. Balance regularity with the necessity, ensuring you don’t convene meetings more often than needed.

Create a Schedule: Build a schedule that includes all meeting types, clearly outlining the dates and times. Consider creating a table like the one below:

Meeting Type	Frequency	Day	Time
Team Updates	Weekly	Monday	10 AM
Project Check-Ins	Bi-weekly	Thursday	2 PM
Strategy Sessions	Monthly	First Tues	3 PM
Goal Reviews	Quarterly	Last Fri	1 PM

Communicate: Inform your team about the planned cadence. Use emails or team communication platforms to share the schedule and include calendar invites to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Regulate Attendance: Outline who needs to be at each type of meeting and clarify attendance expectations to avoid confusion.

Review and Adapt: Periodically review the effectiveness of your meeting cadence. Gather feedback from your team and adjust the schedule as needed to improve productivity and engagement.

Keeping a consistent, well-organized meeting cadence helps maintain focus, drive collaboration, and ensure your team is working effectively towards common goals.

6 Tips to Optimize Your Team’s Meeting Cadence

Creating an effective meeting cadence will improve productivity and focus within your team.

By fine-tuning who attends, preparing an agenda, managing size, respecting schedules, seeking feedback, and being adaptable, you can enhance the quality and effectiveness of your meetings.

1. Invite the Right People

Invite only those essential to the topic or decision-making process for each meeting. This increases efficiency and ensures that time is not wasted for those whose presence is unnecessary.

2. Prepare the Agenda Beforehand

A well-structured agenda should be distributed in advance to allow participants to prepare. This ensures everyone is on the same page and ready to contribute, making your meetings more productive and focused.

3. Consider the Right Meeting Size

The optimal meeting size varies, but keeping it to 7-8 participants is a good rule of thumb.

You can also use Amazon’s two-pizza rule, which states that no more than ten people should be in a meeting so each person can get a slice of pizza. Smaller groups tend to engage more and make quicker decisions.

4. Don’t Move the Calendar Invite

Once a meeting is scheduled, stick to it. Continuously moving meetings can disrupt your team’s workflow and decrease meeting attendance.

5. Get Feedback from Your Team

Regular feedback on your meeting cadence can reveal insights into what works and what doesn’t. This allows you to tailor your approach to better suit your team’s needs.

6. Be Flexible

While consistency is important, be ready to adapt your meeting cadence to your team’s changing needs and priorities. Flexibility can be key to maintaining efficiency during busy or slower periods.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I set up an effective meeting cadence for my team?

First, assess your team’s goals and deadlines to set up an effective meeting cadence. Schedule regular meetings, such as weekly check-ins, and make room for one-on-one sessions. Set a clear agenda for each meeting to keep discussions on track.

What are some best practices for scheduling project meetings?

When scheduling project meetings, aim for times when all team members are typically available. Prioritize agenda items directly related to project milestones. Send calendar invites well in advance and include necessary preparation material.

Can you suggest tips for maintaining a consistent meeting schedule with remote teams?

Ensure all team members have access to a shared online calendar, and rotate meeting times if members are in different time zones. Use video conferencing tools to facilitate face-to-face interaction and set expectations for attendance and punctuality.

What should I include in a meeting cadence plan to ensure productivity?

Your meeting cadence plan should include the meeting’s purpose, frequency, duration, participants, and desired outcomes. Assign roles such as note-taker and timekeeper, and create a process for following up on action items.

How often should I schedule meetings with my manager?

Schedule meetings with your manager based on the urgency and complexity of projects. Weekly or bi-weekly one-on-ones are good practices to discuss your performance, share updates, and get your manager’s support.