The Ultimate Guide to Sales Contests
Organizing a sales contest is a great way of engaging your frontline people and at the same time boosting your sales. But how do you choose the right incentives to really ignite motivation and get those competitive juices flowing – for everyone? Read on for our best practice guide and get some great sales contest inspiration!
First of all, what is a sales contest?
Well, it’s when a group of people competes to see who can sell the most of something over a given period of time. A sales contest can also be organized internally in an organization to engage the sales teams or externally to engage frontline salespeople in retail or elsewhere. So, usually, there's a prize or two involved. But maybe more importantly: Fame and glory for top performers. It's a way to set focus and turn up the heat for a limited period of time.
Why is a sales contest a good idea?
No one is immune to the powers of gamification. That's why a contest is a great way to boost sales. If you have a group of people who sell stuff, they will be extra motivated if they can track their sales, earn points and have a chance of winning a prize. This fact is actually scientifically proven. The chance of winning or earning points increases performance and motivation.
A sales contest idea in its simplest form is as easy as ringing the bell or adding a line next to your name on a whiteboard every time you make a sale. When you are working with remote teams and/or want your results and data to be more measurable, the solution is going digital. But you absolutely want to keep that excitement and instant gratification that ringing the bell gives.
PS: Make sure you're prepared in advance to maximize your ROI.
What makes a sales contest succeed?
A successful sales contest's first goal is of course to increase sales. That's a given. But retail sales contests are also a great opportunity to achieve so much more than that! During a sales contest, you have the attention of your frontline people, that's a perfect time to include some brand storytelling and product knowledge. Use your time in the spotlight wisely, and you will get a long-term effect of your efforts – something that goes way beyond the spike in numbers for that month. Ultimately you might be creating educated and also motivated brand ambassadors for life! For some steps to take to boost your sales contest, check out our article 5 steps to organizing a successful sales contest
Best use of prizes to reach your goal
Research shows that awards boost both motivation and learning. It also increases knowledge retention! So the reasons to add a prize to your contest are many. The good news is that it surely doesn't have to be a huge prize to have a huge effect. So, even if your budget is tight, you should always include some sort of award for the contestants. But, and this is important: There should be a prize opportunity for EVERYONE. A common sales contest mistake is that it just engages the top performers. Make sure your prize strategy reaches wider than that, and also you yourself will be rewarded.
Get Sales Gamification Inspiration
A lot of brands and businesses run successful campaigns, both with Mevo and without. Read how Samsung motivated front-line salespeople to sell more of their phones. In fact, close to 90% of the sales staff answer that they are surely more motivated to sell Samsung after the contest than before. That's what a truly successful sales contest should result in. The value of long-term brand ambassadors is almost impossible to put a number on.
Ok, so how do I get started?
In order to maximize your ROI, preparation is key. We always recommend keeping a narrow and precise focus on a few, but important points. Moreover, including an element of knowledge and product training in a sales contest will increase your chances of creating brand ambassadors.
Checklist of the basics you need before kicking off.
There are some great sales gamification tools out there for organizing sales contests digitally. Awesome brands like Miele, Samsung, Salomon, and Red Bull choose Mevo sales gamification app to make sure their brands stay top of mind where it counts the most.
By engaging their frontline salespeople they ensure increased sales as well as increased product knowledge while sharing brand storytelling.
After the action is over
Running sales contests is a part of your whole-year-cycle. Completing it is a matter of simple steps, but quality and results are created before, during, and maybe especially after the contest itself. This part is crucial and easy to forget once the dust has settled and the finish line has been passed. But now it's time for you to step up: You have to distribute prizes, shine a light on the winners and also tap into the experience of the contestants. So, read our 5 steps to sales contest follow-up for some pointers. Oh, and start planning the next one. Seasons change, and you are well on your way to creating lasting brand ambassadors.
Further resources
Interested in learning more? Here are some more great resources, both from us and from places that inspire us