Sales Contest Ideas
Looking for a way to boost employee engagement and performance? Need a change of pace during a slow work week? Sales contests can inspire healthy competition between team members and keep numbers on target for your end-of-the-month goals.
The gallery below is full of ideas to help sales teams improve sales performance and have fun doing it.
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How to Deploy a Sales Contest or Game at Work
While each game in the gallery above comes with a set of detailed instructions, there are a few best practices that you should consider when playing games with your sales reps.
Planning a Sales Competition
When to choose sales bingo
Unlike traditional board or card games, the overall objective of a sales game has very little to do with the game itself.
While your salespeople might aim to win prizes, the game is designed to serve as a motivator and sales incentive to help reps meet KPIs, metrics, and other objectives.
As you plan your sales game, be sure to select objectives that align closely with employee performance from a corporate perspective. Choose a time frame that makes sense based on your metrics and responsibilities.
For example, if you’re managing a team of sales reps, it probably won’t make sense to build a game around workplace cleanliness and office organization. While some of these objectives can be included as secondary tasks, they have no impact on employee performance. Use them sparingly.
Playing Sales Games
Sales managers and leaders are unlikely to participate in any contest or game designed for sales reps.
These roles act as game administrators for the length of the contest. They announce the contest, award prizes or clues, guide the direction of the game, resolve disputes, and keep things running smoothly.
This is a critical role for the game because managers and supervisors should also track and update leaderboards, monitor individual sales performance, and give public recognition for wins as the game progresses.
Remember: Your sales contest is simply a way for team members to reimagine their sales goals. If the game helps reps increase sales, capture qualified leads, or overcome challenges that they’ve struggled with in the past, it’s important to celebrate that win and make moves to lock-in that short-term accomplishment for long-term and consistent results.
Post-Game Review
It can be hectic to conduct real-time reviews of the entire sales contest when administrators are trying to keep a level playing field.
That’s why post-game reviews are so important. Both individually and with a team, sales leaders should review results, determine winners, and gauge whether the new sales contest improves the internal sales process.
At the close of the contest, administrators should announce winners, acknowledge top salespeople and thank the entire team for playing. Whether you give away a gift card for a high dollar amount or a series of smaller prizes, work to bring the contest to a strong close with good feelings all around.
Common Questions About Sales Contests and Games
Below, we’ll answer a few common questions about sales contests and workplace gamification. While these games can be powerful motivational tools, they can be difficult to implement without a clear understanding.
Do sales contests really work?
Yes. Sales games are a great way to break up the monotony of the workplace and give employees a way to focus on something other than spreadsheets and CRM tools.
In fact, 89% of employees say they’d be more productive if their work was gamified, and over 30% of sales reps said that contests and awards programs get them fired up to sell.
What rewards should I offer to my team?
While many of these choices come down to your budget, employees say that cash awards like gift cards are preferred. This is especially true for sales reps making below $80,000 per year.
Is cheating a major issue?
While it’s uncommon, cheating can occur during your sales game. Taking steps to prevent this is key, especially if you’re giving away larger prizes. You can prevent cheating by setting objectives that have some kind of metrics backing. For example, if a rep wins points by selling at 10% over their weekly average, the numbers can prove out whether or not they were successful.
How do I set appropriate goals for my contest?
Any sales contest operates by asking reps to accomplish a goal (or set of goals) within a given time frame.
The game itself is a middle step between what your organization is already asking employees to do and how they’re currently performing — but at a more granular level.
For example, if your employees use sales qualified leads (SQLs) to sell products, you might take steps to set goals for tertiary tasks that improve the conversation. This could be a reward for reps who upsell a product, get a referral, or something substantive that improves their overall sales performance.
To find appropriate goals, dissect every part of your sales process. Find key metrics and tasks that you are already asking your reps to accomplish and set them up as game objectives.
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Run Sales Contests at Scale with IncentivePilot
Whether you need to monitor sales activity or award raffle tickets for your game, deploying and managing a sales contest at scale can be a challenge, even for experienced leaders. IncentivePilot helps enterprise companies easily deploy sales games, contests, and other incentive programs across an entire organization. Focus on teamwork and delivering great results with your contest. Let IncentivePilot handle the rest.