Gamification is now being applied to a huge range of industries and departments. Your sales team is likely already using some form of gamification, but there are ways to make it even more effective, especially when linked to a sales incentives program. Here's how it can improve your sales incentive program.
Gamification is no longer just a buzzword used in the tech community. The concept of turning different aspects of work into a game is now being applied across industries and departments, with the hope that it will improve productivity, performance and engagement.
When introducing incentives into your sales department, gamification could be what makes it the most effective strategy possible. In fact, there's probably already some element of gamification in your current sales program. Think about it - sales targets are usually reset each month or quarter, and your reps have to "level up" every time they make a sale in order to gain commission or a bonus.
However, a gamified Sales Incentive Program can take this one step further, making sure everyone in the team is rewarded in a fun way for their hard work. What might gamification look like, and how can it help your sales incentives strategy?
What gamification looks like
Modern gamification shouldn't just involve a whiteboard with a few rankings written on it. Instead, digitising rewards so that your sales team can access the stats when and where they want will help bring your sales incentive program into the 21st century. This will also encourage peer-to-peer recognition as your employees become more actively involved in their rewards programs, which helps to take the perception away that incentives are being exclusively manager-controlled.
Try having different levels. All too often, sales incentives only end up rewarding the top performers, leaving those in the middle who do solid work on a daily basis out in the cold. By having different levels, you give everyone a chance to gain recognition for their work. In the case of your lower performers, a few small incentives and the feeling they are making progress could be all they need to kick-start them to achieving more.
The games must also have great rewards that match the amount of effort employees have to put in to achieve it. For example, high ticket prizes such as travel could be reserved for those who exceed their targets substantially, helping to make sure your higher performers stay motivated.
Why is gamification so effective?
1) Not everyone is motivated by money anymore
It's easy to view sales people as solely motivated by money. Films like Wolf of Wall Street and Jerry Maguire don't exactly help this perception, but studies have found that sales people are actually spurred on by much more than dollars.
Research from Tas Group (as reported in sales-intiative.com) found that 40 per cent of sales people are motivated by making progress or winning, something that gamification can clearly help with. Gamification will help make people excited, focused and energised, all important traits to have in a sales team.
2) Helps to set transparent and clear goals
Sales people have to hit certain quotas in order to remain in their job. Gamification helps to set clear goals that will enable your employees to reach their targets bit by bit without overwhelming them.
3) Shows ways to improve
By incentivising different levels of performance, gamification helps to map out a clear path of progression. Sales people can go from booking meetings on to more important tasks and finally making a sale. They can see clearly what they must do to improve and reach the next level, helping with performance and progression.
This also means that everyone gets to be involved, instead of just rewarding higher performers each time.
Power2Motivate's Sales Incentive Programs are easily customisable, meaning you can gamify it in any way you wish. Team members have the ability to choose from a huge range of prizes in our global rewards gallery. To find out more, contact the team today.