SKO meaning: what is a sales kickoff?

SKO stands for sales kickoff: an annual meeting, usually held in January or February, where a company's sales and go-to-market teams gather to launch the new sales year. At an SKO, leadership shares targets and strategy, reps are trained on new products and messaging, and top performers from the previous year are recognized.

If you heard "SKO" in a meeting and nodded along, that's the short answer. The rest of this guide covers what happens at a sales kickoff, who attends, how it differs from similar events, and what it takes to put one on.

What does SKO mean in sales?

In sales, SKO is shorthand for the sales kickoff, the event that marks the start of a new fiscal year for a revenue team. You'll hear it used as a noun ("Are you going to SKO?") and as a season ("We're in SKO prep"). Most B2B companies with a sales team of any size hold one, and larger companies may run several regional SKOs.

The term is mostly used in software and B2B services, but any company with a quota-carrying team can hold one. Some organizations rename it to a GTM kickoff or revenue kickoff (RKO) when marketing, customer success and partnerships attend too.

SKO and similar terms at a glance

What happens at a sales kickoff?

Every SKO is different, but most include five building blocks:

• The plan. The CRO or head of sales presents last year's results and this year's targets, territories, segments and compensation changes.
• Product and messaging. Product leaders walk through the roadmap; marketing introduces new positioning and campaigns.
• Training. Enablement runs workshops on discovery, demos, negotiation or a new sales methodology, often with role-play.
• Recognition. An awards dinner or ceremony for top performers, often where the President's Club winners are named.
• Connection. Team dinners and activities that give a distributed sales team a shared starting point for the year.

A typical in-person SKO runs two to three days, often at a hotel with a general session room and several breakout rooms.

Who attends an SKO?

At minimum, account executives, sales development reps, sales managers and sales leadership. Many companies also invite solutions engineers, customer success, marketing, sales operations and enablement. The executive team usually attends at least the opening day, and some companies invite partners or a customer panel.

When are sales kickoffs held?

Most SKOs land in January or early February, timed to the start of the fiscal year. Companies with a different fiscal calendar hold them whenever their year begins. Because planning a multi-day event for a large group takes months, SKO organizers often start in late summer or early fall. If you're the one organizing, our sales kickoff planning page covers timing, venues and a sample agenda in detail.

Organizing this year's SKO? We plan sales kickoffs end to end, from hotel and general session room to the awards dinner. Get a free SKO proposal within 48 hours.

Why companies invest in an SKO

A sales kickoff is one of the larger events a revenue team holds, so the reasons for it tend to be practical:

1. Everyone starts the year with the same story. Reps hear the plan, the messaging and the priorities at once, instead of in a dozen fragmented calls.
2. Training sticks better in person. Role-play and live feedback are harder to replicate over video.
3. Recognition motivates. Celebrating last year's winners in front of peers sets the bar for the year ahead.
4. Relationships speed up deals. An AE who knows the solutions engineer and the product manager personally gets help faster.

In-person, virtual or hybrid SKO?

Virtual kickoffs became common for a few years and remain a fallback for very distributed teams or tight budgets. Most companies that can afford it have returned to in-person SKOs for the training and connection benefits. A hybrid approach, with an in-person kickoff for most of the team and streamed sessions for those who can't travel, works when part of the team is overseas.

Where to hold an SKO

Sales kickoffs suit cities with large group hotels, easy flights and lively evenings. Las Vegas and Nashville are classic picks for capacity and nonstop flights, while Miami offers a warm January. Companies that combine the kickoff with a reward often extend into a resort stay; see our page on incentive trips for that format.

What does an SKO cost?

Costs depend on the destination, hotel tier, length and how much AV and staging the general session needs. For context, Offsiteio destination packages start from about $1,100 per person, and full multi-day programs we've planned have run $1,450 to $2,402 per person, with flights quoted separately. Our corporate retreat cost guide breaks down each driver, and it applies to SKOs too.

Plan your sales kickoff

Send headcount, target dates and the cities your reps fly from. We'll return a free itemized SKO proposal within 48 hours, with a venue, a draft agenda and one per-person price.

SKO meaning FAQs

What does SKO stand for?

SKO stands for sales kickoff, the annual event where a sales team launches its new year with strategy, training and recognition.

What is the purpose of a sales kickoff?

An SKO aligns the sales team on targets and strategy, trains reps on new products and messaging, recognizes top performers and builds energy for the year ahead.

How long is a typical SKO?

Most in-person sales kickoffs run two to three days, usually with an arrival evening, one or two full days of sessions and an awards dinner.

What is the difference between an SKO and a President's Club?

An SKO is a working event for the whole sales team. President's Club is a reward trip for top performers only, with little or no work agenda.

What is an RKO?

RKO usually means revenue kickoff: the same idea as an SKO, but including marketing, customer success and other go-to-market teams alongside sales.