Incorporating the concept of gaming into a firm’s sales strategy to add teeth to the plan and make it more stimulating is a time-honored practice. Nevertheless, rapid and steady strides in the area of software programming have led to the development of software applications with gaming features, thereby making it more convenient to integrate gamification with the sales policy. With the advent of the internet in the nineties, the commercial or business environment has become increasingly competitive.
Professionals involved with promoting and selling a product or service, now have to compete with rivals in the online realm, apart from struggling in meatspace or the physical world for garnering a larger slice of the market pie. Now, in such a dog-eat-dog setting, it is quite natural for the majority of sales representatives and executives to become demotivated and demoralized, eventually having an adverse effect on their performance. And this is where a gamification tool or technique can be exploited for fine-tuning marketing and sales strategies as well as boost up employee engagement and commitment.
Demystifying the concept of sales gamification
Gamification in general, has to do with harnessing and extrapolating the game-design principles and elements to non-game areas, including user engagement, staffing, organizational productivity, efficacy of systems, crowdsourcing, and much more. To put it in perspective, sales gamification basically implies replicating a game-oriented setting superimposed on the work environment of salespersons. Almost all performance parameters, including cold calls attended, deals closed, and revenue earned to name a few, are gamified for making the contest or competition more riveting, eventually motivating marketing executives to excel.
The salesmen vie with each other for securing the first position on the leaderboard, just as it happens in a game of golf or archery. And quite akin to a golfing competition, the best performer receives an award in the form of an incentive like a cash endowment, all expenses paid trip to an exotic locale, and so on. It is the entertaining aspect together with the recompensing attribute of gamification that makes the technique so conducive with the sales strategy of an organization. Gamification can also come in perfectly handy for gaining a better understanding of digital content and online tools and techniques, for instance a customer relationship management app or CRM software, with a view to improving (sales) performance.
Ten creative tips for gamification of your sales stratagem
1.Let your sales reps take advantage of a scoreboard for staying competitive
Enable your sales force to access an online CRM software app with gamification features, especially a digital leaderboard or scoreboard, which lets them take a look at their day-to-day performance and achievement(s). The leaderboard also displays the ranks of the team members in terms of their performance, thereby enabling them to compare and contrast their performance, ultimately inducing them to push the envelope further.
2.Have in place a CRM software equipped with gamification functionalities
Get your sales team into the habit of taking advantage of CRM software embedded with gamification functionalities if you want them to become adept in sales gamification. In this context, it is extremely crucial you opt for the appropriate software for killing two birds with a single stone-bettering the bottom line through increased sales and inspiring your reps to use the CRM app.
3.Offer lucrative incentives to keep the reps consistently motivated
The more motivated your sales personnel are, the better will be their performance, which in the long run will lead to organizational growth and development. Offering monetary awards and incentives is unquestionably the best way to get them going. Linking gamification objectives to monetary prizes and rewards will surely spur them on to be in their element.
4.Define the yardsticks for reviewing performance
Once the gamification CRM is installed, your next task would be to delineate the yardsticks or parameters for tracking performance like scheduled appointments, total calls, and successful deals. You’ll be able to devise your gamification policy based on these performance metrics.
5.Ensure that your sales team is making the most of the CRM app
Do not expect your sales force to take to the CRM software on the very day you introduce the same. As a matter of fact, it could take them quite a long time to become habituated or adapted to using the app, much longer than you expect. Now, such an attitude is quite normal or usual, as they’d be busier calling on prospects and clinching deals.
But if you can effectively demonstrate that utilizing the CRM will facilitate maintenance of customer data, sales reports and records, then the salespeople would be more willing to use the software more often. Regular use of the customer relationship management app will help them to streamline their activities, leading to improvement in performance.
6.Incentivize all team members who abide by the game-oriented strategy
The gamification method ensures that the best performer wins the trophy or the award. However, you should also see to it that other participants receive some kind of incentive to keep them engaged or else their morale will suffer, causing them to lose interest in the program.
7.Tracking is crucial: Make sure you keep track of sales reps’ performance
Tracking and assessing how your salespersons are faring is crucial for comprehending whether their efforts are paying off and also for figuring out if your business objectives are being achieved. There are enough tracking analytics and tools for evaluating overall performance.
8.Pick and choose from premium, free and open-source CRM software/apps
Choosing a CRM software loaded with gamification features will make it easier for your sales team to achieve their sales targets. You can pick and choose from different CRM apps like ‘Highrise’, ‘Nimble’, ‘Streak’, ‘Pipeline Deals’, ‘Podio’ and ‘Odoo’. Nevertheless, since most of these software or apps are relatively expensive, you can make available free and/or open-source CRM solutions like ‘Zoho’, ‘Suite’, ‘Really Simple Systems’, ‘RAYNET’, ‘HubSpot’, ‘Bitrix24’ and ‘Agile CRM’
9.Incorporate distinctive quality traits of your reps into the CRM
It does not need to be emphasized that a salesperson is successful in closing a deal because of some unique or exclusive personality trait. You need to identify the inherent behavioral attribute of each and every sales rep and thereafter, integrate these character traits with your CRM. Doing so will go a long way in enabling you to tweak and fine-tune the gamification procedure.
10.See to it that the CRM app you choose is consistent with your business needs
Ascertain that the CRM app you install is consistent with your organization’s sales strategy. If you have a large business establishment, you can outsource the designing of gamification software to a professional. Alternatively, you can opt for an all-in-one CRM solution if you’ve a small or medium-sized business.
