Sales challenges are very popular with sales teams, but they must be subject to very rigorous organisation and effective communication in order to motivate the staff concerned and improve the company's overall sales performance.
Simple rules applied to realistic objectives
The success of a sales challenge depends on the choice of ambitious but achievable objectives (whether personal and/or group) to avoid discouraging the participants. An in-house contest helps drive sales performance, but the objectives must also be strategic for the company (development of the client portfolio, launch of a new product range, etc.) and enable the easy calculation of the return on investment.
The rules should be simple and precise and define the nature of the challenge (individual or collective), its duration and a reminder of the objectives to be achieved. They should be posted online on a website dedicated to the contest, so can they can be viewed at any time. Finally, you should make sure that the challenge is customised, by integrating the company's values and even its colours and logo. It should also be made to stand out by giving it an original theme that can be reinforced by the creation of a musical identity.
Communicate actively throughout the duration of the challenge
If you want your contest to come alive, you need to create a quasi- permanent buzz around it. The most effective means of communication is to invest in an internet platform. This dedicated website should be easy to access by all employees, whether mobile or sedentary, and enable participants to follow their personal progress and that of their colleagues in real time to maintain the spirit of competition.
The contest organisers need to designate a team to administer and manage this website. Depending on the total duration of the challenge and the progress of the participants, the team can intervene from time to time to offer "boosters" and provide new tools to assist the salespeople.
Original rewards and lucky winners
It's advisable to offer rewards in kind (e.g. holidays, gifts, etc.) to add aspiration and emotion to the competition. They should be highlighted by exhaustive communication on the challenge website, on the company's premises (posters, banners, etc.) and by sending emails. When the contest ends, the results should be published rapidly and clearly, so there can be no argument.
The winners' names should be announced via the usual means of communication (website, notice boards, emails, etc.), but don't forget to congratulate the winners in person. To show how much you value the winners (and their performance), it's a good idea to give them their 15 minutes of fame via mini interviews, reportage on the contest website or speeches at the award ceremony, for example.
To make sure your event runs smoothly, particularly your sales challenge, download our ebook:
