The structure
- The manager states where the plan stands: how much is done, how much is left before the end of the week.
- Each rep: how many enquiries handled, how many closed, how many stalled threads today.
- Each rep: one main task for today.
- The manager: what is in the way, and what they are removing.
Three numbers from yesterday
- enquiries handled
- deals closed and the amount
- stalled threads that need going back to
What not to do at a stand-up
- do not review conversations: that is its own genre and its own slot
- do not criticise in public: conversations about results happen one to one
- do not discuss anything that concerns two people
- do not turn it into a report for the manager: they can see the numbers in the system
A practical test of whether a stand-up is useful: if no rep changed their plan for the day afterwards, you do not need it. It exists to move attention onto whatever is burning.
When to hold it
At the start of the working day, but after the reps have looked at enquiries that arrived out of hours. Otherwise the stand-up misses the freshest picture.
What to do if people are in different places
The same format by voice in a group chat, or a short video call. A written format works too, but then the manager has to answer each person, otherwise it turns into a one-way report.