A sales challenge aims to stimulate sales representatives’ performance through the gamification of achieving sales targets. However, the benefits of a sales challenge don’t stop there: a sales challenge can also be a sales force retention technique because it promotes collaboration and mutual support among sales reps and allows managers to more effectively unite their teams.
What are the benefits of a sales challenge? This series of articles will cover the various operational, managerial, quantitative, and qualitative gains brought by gamification of performance in business.
Operational and Managerial Benefits of the Sales Challenge
How to leverage operational and managerial resources through the sales challenge?
- Uniting your sales force : a 5% increase in sales from the peloton would result in profit growth 4 times greater than a 10% increase in sales from the so-called ‘laggards’ or ‘top performers’. The sales challenge provides sales directors with the keys to engage their entire sales force without leaving out the majority of high-potential sales reps: the peloton. Everyone has the opportunity to train, grow, and thrive in their profession during an internal contest or competition.
- Training your sales reps : develop your sales reps’ skills in a fun way through quizzes and the sharing of best practices and relevant articles, for example. From this perspective, digital sales coaching applications allow for configuring themed quiz series that can be accompanied by playful elements, mimicking the addictive effect of certain video games. It is important to value both participation and efforts made (NPS, coverage rate, number of phone calls) as much as raw results (e.g., correct quiz answers) in your scoring system, in order to create strong motivation among your sales reps.
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- Optimizing your product launches : by focusing on coordination and information transparency from headquarters to the field regarding the launch product. Furthermore, it’s beneficial to capitalize on the enthusiasm generated among your sales force by this new product by creating a challenge aimed at developing a rigorous action plan and enhanced training for sales reps on the said product. To summarize, the success of your launch will be guaranteed if these two elements are mastered internally: pedagogy and communication.
- Encouraging CRM adoption : investing in a CRM tool is one thing; getting your teams to adopt it is another. 63% of CRM deployments fail in large companies. How to promote their adoption? Gamify CRM development metrics (e.g., number of appointments entered in the tool, number of connections to the tool, knowledge of the tool) and reward the top CRM-adopting sales reps.
- Motivating your sales force during reorganization : sales challenges are a good way to relieve pressure and add “fun” during difficult periods where uncertainty prevails. Highlight your sales reps’ value through the gamification of their sales objectives.
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Conclusion
The sales challenge is not only a performance tool and a gamification tool for sales objectives but also a support tool for sales reps. Furthermore, when the challenge is run through a digital platform, other factors contributing to sales reps’ well-being are stimulated, such as performance visibility, e-coaching, transparency, and information fluidity.