Competition, ferocity and motivation make us all tick. Doing something that bit better than the person sat next to you, closing more deals or being the first in line for that elusive promotion.
The need to be the best is in us all somewhere; it’s just tucked away in a dark, obscure corner for a few of us.
Instilling a drive into your business to make this year better than the last is always paramount. But if you’re lumbered with a sales team that just ‘make do’ every month, meet their targets but don’t smash them and get through the month by the skin of their teeth; improvement and growth as a business becomes even more difficult.
The need to be the best we mentioned? That is where the fight really comes alive. A simple contest in your sales department can change any sales person for the better.
Challenge them to close more deals, find more opportunities or sell more of your high margin items.
Many sales managers will be of the inclination that their sales people don’t need a contest because they can sell perfectly well without one. Sure, you can get by every month and make sales, but your team is more than likely to sell more with one.
The rules? There has to be an incentive, a goal, a prize. Whether that is an Amazon gift voucher, the latest tablet device or simply a couple of free days off. The prize is entirely your call and should be something your team would work for. If they all support a local sports team, why not get tickets to the next match?
Get everyone on board – put up a poster, send out an email announcing the contest and regularly let your team know who is in the lead with an active leaderboard. The returns that a contest will generate will far outweigh the small amount of effort required on a manager’s part.
Generate some buzz that will drift around the team, get them talking about it and soon they will be battling it out to blow their competition out of the water.
A bit of healthy competition is conducive to a healthy, profitable sales operation.
