Playing a game is often the go-to way to pass some time.
Whether you’re playing a tried and true game like Monopoly, or something new like Words with Friends, it’s a great way to spawn some friendly competition.
But what if you could use that same tactic at your organization to improve performance? You can with the right sales gamification tool. In the marketing realm, sales gamification software works to enhance the sales process by adding competition and recognition as a form of additional motivation for your sales representatives.
At your organization, all you need to do is indicate which metrics the team will be judged on and the sales gamification tool ranks employees based on how successfully they hit those metrics. Doing so is often used to enhance employee performance, and some common examples are running a contest or giving out bonuses and prizes. Even hitting a metric could be deserving of a simple shoutout in your sales performance management tool.
This is becoming more common than you may think. In fact, one company that implemented sales gamification tools reported twice as many meetings completed where they pitched their product. Those increased meetings had also led to a 230% increase in closed deals…It’s an easy way to motivate your lower performers to hit their numbers.
How to use gamification at your organization
When deployed correctly, gamification can boost performance in on your sales floor, but how do you go about rolling out this new process? First, choose the type of gamification method that works for your organization:
- Badges: Provides team members with a visual representation of the achievements that each sales rep has accomplished.
- Points: Assigned to specific tasks that you want your sales team to accomplish. After a period of time these will be tallied to determine a winner or purchase-based rewards
- Leaderboards: Showcasing a leaderboard allows employees to see how the entire team is doing, which provides a competitive edge to the entire process.
- Contests: Contests can be held either on a weekly or monthly basis to increase the desire of sales reps to be more productive by making more phone calls or closing more deals. There should always be a worthwhile reward at the end.
- Progress bar: Think of how your favorite video game displays a progress bar, or how LinkedIn shows you one to showcase how complete your profile is. You can do the same thing to let your team know how close they are to achieving a goal.
It’s likely that you already use some of these gamification examples in your organization. For instance, maybe you’ve orchestrated a sales contest or even a dial “power hour” where your AE’s call as many clients and try and schedule as many meetings as possible. If so, then you’ve used the power of gamification.
The key to choosing the right gamification tool is to know how and when to roll it out to your sales team as a way to address business objectives and align their focus to close more deals. Thankfully, this can all be monitored in real-time using other tools, like your CRM or help desk software.
Before you choose which gamification tool is right for your organization, there are some things you should first consider.
1. Choose your key metric
Prior to picking out a gamification tool, you must first align with your team on what your key metric will be. This will be a behavioral trait of your employees that can yield an increase in productivity. You can do this by observing your sales team in meetings. Find out what the attributes are leading to successful closures. When you enter those insights into your CRM, it will gamify the process for you.
2. Identify your category
Now that you have pinpointed your metric you can identify which gamification software category will work best.
- Performance Management: This category of gamification software allows managers and teams to better understand each employee’s specific job responsibilities, in addition to tracking job-related goals, and measuring improvement. The gamified elements within this software tool would track employee progress and increase engagement.
- Learning Management Systems (LMS): Use this type of gamification software when you’re looking to build, track, and improve employee and customer training modules. Gamified learning is typically incorporated into these systems to advance user outcomes and increase engagement. A corporate LMS can help organize all of your employee training efforts.
- Employee Engagement: Gamified elements within this type of software promotes productivity and revenue across various departments within your company. Not only can this be used to motivate sales teams to increase profit, but also reduce turnover, provide important feedback, boost morale, and increase training efficiency.
3. Determine the must-have features
When choosing a sales gamification tool, narrow down which features are most important to you and your sales team. That way, you can be sure that your team will get the most out of the app. Some popular gamification tool features include:
- API
- CRM integration
- Mini-games
- Mobile compatibility
- Website widgets
- E-Commerce integration
- Social interaction
- Artificial intelligence
4. Start simple
If you want your gamification tool to succeed among your team, it’s best to start small and simple. For instance, consider beginning with a workable reward system and assess how your team responds. Try running a contest that reflects where in the year you currently are — like a contest surrounding a holiday like the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving.
Did this contest achieve the goal of increasing ROI? Did it increase morale? Were reactions amongst the team generally positive? Did it encourage some friendly competition?
If not, then purchasing gamification software might not be the best strategy for your team. You may need to find a different way to engage your sales representatives. But if you answered yes and the test run improved engagement, then purchasing a software tool that integrates well with other technology you use, and the wants and needs of your team, is in your best interest.
Wanna play a game?
There’s no denying that there’s a huge market for gamification software, plus a wide variety of available solutions, for you to choose from. Consider taking advantage of trial packages and demos to ensure it’s a good fit before you roll out a new tool to your entire sales team.
The success of the sales gamification tool will rely on how well management implements contests and other techniques. Listen to feedback and pay attention to what’s working and what isn’t. Also, while games are fun and all, make sure your team doesn’t lose sight of the main goal: increasing ROI. Because after all, when there’s an increase in revenue, everyone wins.
