When most people think about the business world, they probably picture suits, boardrooms, and meetings filled with suit-clad people. Unlike the television show The Office, however, actual office parks aren’t typically places where a lot of fun stuff goes on. Companies and company leaders who want to create loyal – and lucrative – teams may want to consider making games a big part of their operations, though!
Salespeople, in particular, can benefit greatly from gamification, which (you guessed it) turns the sales process into a game. It’s pretty simple:
That reward doesn’t have to be anything substantial, either. Gamification works even if it’s for verbal praise or recognition and not a physical gift or item. If you have ever tried to teach a trick to a dog or trained a child to use a potty, you surely used some sort of treat as an enticement. The reward encourages good behavior, but the recipient eventually doesn’t need the treat to do what you wanted them to do. The same thing applies to salespeople.
Picture this. Your office starts a sales game that includes a big board on a wall that everyone passes each time they enter or leave your shared workspace. The big board has bright colors, all the salespeople’s names listed, and goals or milestones clearly denoted on it.
Every person’s name is accompanied by a colored bar that indicates volume sold, clearly showing who is winning in the race toward whatever the end goal is. Along the way, certain smaller milestones earn prizes like a gift card for free coffee, recognition at the next sales meeting or in the company newsletter, or even monetary bonuses.
This is gamification, and it has an assortment of benefits for both salespeople and the companies that employ the tactic. These benefits include:
Engagement is vital for a couple of reasons. First, it ensures that employees care about what they do and are not just punching the clock. Secondly, an engaged worker is a productive worker. They’ll get more done in less time, and everyone wins when this happens. According to one survey, more than 70 percent of employees said gamification makes them want to work harder. And when things are fun and they get rewards, suddenly it’s a lot easier to stay engaged.
Even the most successful people strike out way more often than they hit homeruns. It can thus be difficult to continue the process of making calls or knocking on doors – especially during a cold streak. Gamification gives salespeople additional incentives to stay motivated no matter what the current market (or personal) conditions. Salespeople will earn rewards as they meet goals, plus be able to see the daily leaderboard and who’s in front or chasing their tails. It’s not just about beating the rest of the team, either: Salespeople may just want to compete with themselves to improve on their own sales numbers, and they’ll have an extra push to do it.
Speaking of, perhaps the most interesting part of gamification is that it can spark a healthy dose of competition. Another survey found that nearly 90 percent of people felt more competitive when a task was gamified. Salespeople are by nature a generally competitive bunch, so this can really help them get their game faces on.
Another advantage of a leaderboard is that it can give employees insight into what they do well, what’s working for them, and what isn’t as effective that they may need to work on. This is especially helpful for those who often find themselves closer to the bottom of the rankings. It encourages such sales reps who aren’t performing to figure out ways to do better, which could include seeking guidance or coaching from their co-workers.
So many salespeople have been temporarily (or perhaps now permanently) working remotely in the last couple of years, and that means team chemistry has taken a big hit. Gamification can do something about that.
The big board in the conference room or hallway can be digitized to be viewed from anywhere, ensuring the friendly competition stays alive no matter where your salespeople are. They can have fun vying for top spots whether they are working from home, a coffee shop, on the road, in the office, or from their kids’ soccer game – even if they’ve never met in person. This may also enable them to get to know one another better and create even more potential for collaboration.
Fun and games are great, but what ultimately counts is that your salespeople are reaching their targets. Watch how fast they get there when you plan to reward them for hitting your company goals. Even if it’s just a pat on the back, your competitive team will do what they can to win.
Whether you’re feeling like your salespeople are losing interest or just want to spur them on a little more, gamification can be a big boost. To learn more about implementing this, get in touch with MetaGrowth Ventures. We can also talk to you about finding exceptionally motivated salespeople to help you boost your company’s growth.