Sales Contest Suggestions
A sales contest has a bit of suspense, a bit of a change of scenery to it. It reeks of hope for those that normally don’t lead the pack within your organization. Hope springs eternal for those that occupy the lower rungs of the sales ladder.
At one of my former places of employment, we had an inventory ( bricks ) that was WAY TOO HIGH. The young Sales Manager had tried being a buddy, he had tried being an ass and had gotten tired of trying. I suggested that he partner up with one of the mortar companies that we dealt with and have a sales contest for colored ( pigmented ) mortar used with any brick that was already in stock. Grey mortar and brick that had to be brought in were not counted towards the final totals.
The prizes were higher commissions for the stock brick, versus any that had to be trucked in, and a cruise from the mortar company for everybody who met their goal.
The results were almost comical. All of us who had told the Sales Manager that we couldn’t sell any of the brick off the yard were fighting over those sad excuses for bricks. And all of us who had told him that we couldn’t sell colored mortar were selling it left and right and at a premium price.
Another promotion that I suggested was to put up a ” Brick of the Week “ for the inside sales and customer service reps. The first one to move that lot of bricks got a $50 gift card to a restaurant, where I had negotiated buying $1000 worth of gift cards for $800.
Sales contests that work are hard to devise, but their effects are almost always positive. If you need help coming up with a contest for your organization, I’ll be gald to help you, but my daily fee is $600, plus expenses and you don’t want to pay that.
I normally charge way more than you can afford per hour for phone consultations, and the free consultations are all gone
The two suggestions I mentioned above made well into six figures for the respective companies. I’m sure they’d pay my usual fee for another six figures.
Comments
58 Responses to “Sales Contest Suggestions”
Leave a Reply
Can you email me a list of your “top 10″ themes for sales contests? Stuff we’ve done in the past: olympics, a who’s your daddy theme, etc.
“If you need help coming up with a contest for your organization, shoot me an email and we’ll set up a time to talk. I noramlly charge $75/hour for phone consultations, but if you mention this post, I’ll do it for free.”
Hi Christine -
I’ll get that together for you in day or two.
I’m traveling at the moment and will be back around my resources on the weekend.
Thanks for asking !
Hey, that’s something which attracts anybody’s attention.
but if you mention this post, I’ll do it for free.”
Will appreciate if you can help me work some suggestions for a Mutual Fund company sales contest for their agents. And of course would love to get a copy of the “top 10″ themes. Sounds like interesting reading. look forward to your post around here.
Hey Kapil,
I’ll work on that this weekend and email any suggestions I can think of.
Thanks for asking.
Thanks Mike, look forward to your response.
Just wondering if you still have that Top 10 Theme Contests and if you have any ideas for Medical Supplies. We are a very small company and everyone has duties and sales responsibilities.
Hi Lisa,
I’ll try to put some together this weekend.
Someone inside will know more about your people, their likes and dislikes and what you can and can’t do with procing, delivery etc, but I’ll try.
Hi Mike,
I would love to get some ideas from you for my company. I couldn’t find your direct email, but I hope you’ll email me back. My company employees over 250+ salespersons and I’m always looking for fresh ideas.
Hi Debra,
I’ll send you a reply. Thanks for asking.
Can you send me a creative sales contest letter please .
If you can be a bit more specific, I’ll try to help.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Mike,
I sure would love to get a copy of the “top 10″ themes if possible, I run a company in the audiobook world with 25 people working. By the way, thanks for a great site
Thanks again
Hey Pat,
The Top 10 is a dream, it’s different for every market.
I’d be gald to try and help you.
But I’d need a lot more info about your sales force, what they do, how they do it, etc.
Hi Mike - I have to contact you immediately after reading that you would help devise a sales contest for free. I have always sensed that sales people like the simple sales contests (ie. highest sales wins a reward). Other contest may be too cheesy for their caliber? That would be my challenge with my top level team. We are selling to a new market, and I want a contest to encourage the team to start making calls to this new market. I would like to drive the excitement of this new change and potential sales growth. Suggestions?
Hi Julie,
I’ve sent you an email to see if I can help you.
Aloha Mike,
We are an art gallery with commission based pay. We offer weekly cash incentives for highest sales total, highest individual transaction, personal best, most transactions and a sale each shift worked.
I would love to have some contest/game ideas for my sales team. We like to do something fun each month, where everyone has an opportunity to be the winner. By the way, your website has been the best in offering help with ideas that motivate and inspire!
Any good suggestions on games?
Would love to have some ideas for an inside veterinary sales company! Thanks!
Hi,
I too am looking for good fun sales games and compiteytions for my sales team, I have a field and and tele team. Any suggestions?
Mike,
I am with a publishing company based out of Atlanta, GA. I am trying to find interesting and creative ways to motivate the sales team. My goal is to get the AE’s to produce more Ad sales for our April Issue. Any suggestions?
Thank you,
J
Hi - I need a new contest to motivate 13 marketing managers to bring in referrals. Our sales force calls on physicians and referral coordinators to drive MRI referrals. We have done the “lost” business and “new referrals” and awarded cash for the highest total, but I would love something fresh and new to get them out there gathering a larger market share. We are divided by North and South regions - I am manager for the South. How do you feel about “pitting” the divisions against each other? Any ideas would be appreciated - thanks a million.
Hi Jennifer and Mary.
I’ll look around and see if I can come up with some suggestions.
Looks like this would make a popular book. Wonder if anybody’s ever written one worth having ?
Good morning! I am sitting with the sales management team for a top 100 building company. As part of our normal Thursday meeting, we are trying to figure out how to motivate the sales team (40 people). We have had great success in the past with sales contest but are struggling to come up with a theme/original idea for a new one. Where would we get the “top 10 list”? Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Hey Tim,
I’ll send you a personal email.
Hi Mike,
My name is Joan and I’m in the Bridal/Formalwear business. Need to motivate my staff of 5 ladies. Morale is kind of low and cannot get any real energy going.
What’s some thoughts? You mentioned a free consultation, so thought I would take you up on it.
Thanks,
Joan
Belles & Beaus Bridal & Formalwear
Atlanta, Georgia
joanandlamar@aol.com
Hi Mike
I work as an operations manager for a bank and have 10 branches reporting to me. Looking for new ideas for sales contest to boost referrals/sales from the teller line. Any help will be greatly apprediated.
Mary
Hi Mary,
I better let you see this post before you take any advice from me.
http://simplenomics.com/bank-tellers-gone-wild/
I’m a bank hater from way back
After you see this, then I’ll see if I can offer any help.
Thanks for stopping by !
Hey Mike
I agree with some of what you say. GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE should be the #1 concern of all businesses. However, you would really have to look at the situation from the inside out to understand what the teller goes through each day. Unfortunately, there are those people that are out to get whatever they can and do it anyway they can. We can not even put faith in the Official Check always being good anymore. Tellers have to be constantly on alert for fruad, forgery, fake ID and the list goes on even down to what they accept on deposit. Having said all that, I would still like to see what kind of referral/sales contest you would recommend. We really do not want our teller explaining anything in detail. We just want them to make our customers & non customer aware of the products we have to offer them and if they are interested, then refer them to a Customer Service Rep.
Thanks
Mary
Thanks for understanding our side Mary.
I for one, don’t want a teller to do anything except process the transaction I put in front of them and be friendly. I’d also be willing to bet that a large majority, say 85-99% of all other customers feel the same way.
I belive the only one’s that want the teller to try this are you guys - the banks. Your desires are not our desires, I’m afraid.
There’s a time and place for everything and in line, where other people can listen in, is not the place to discuss any of my banking business.
I’ll be gald to do a blog post or two to see if anyone can help us find a sales contest theme or two and to see if they want tellers trying to alert them to any of the banks offerings.
We can then proceed in the direction that takes us.
I could be wrong and the only way to find out is to use the Socratic method - ask the populace.
OK, Mike what I’m hearing from you is you are not interested in good customer service just a “Robot” to stand and do whatever you want him/her to do. Good Customer service involves a lot more than that. If we don’t make are good customers & non customers aware of the products we have that may help them, then we are not giving “Good Customer Service”. Banks are no different than any other business so it sounds like you don’t really believe in what you are promoting (the Sales Contest). Banks sell services rather than actual products. So lets follow you thoughts then we can do away with the Sales Associates, Car Sales people and the list can go on. Oh, we could also do away with your job since there would be no need for Sales Contest since we don’t want anyone talking to us and explaining what they have to offer/help us.
M.E.
Hi Mary,
I’m sorry if you read my comments to mean a robot, but all I did was tell you the truth.
I’ve spoken to dozens, if not hundreds, of people over my 44 years, while standing in line at banks and not one time did one of them ever say ” I wish they’d tell me more about what they offer. I need some more financial services and they just don’t seem interested in taking more of my money. ”
You’re comparing apples to onions in your latest comment. Let’s stay on topic - banks.
I may want an associate at the restaurant to tell me about the specials of the day.
I may want the associates at several other types of institutions or businesses to tell me about what they offer, but I don’t want the teller at my local bank to do anything but get my transaction done, nicely, and let me get out of the way of the other people in line, which is exactly how the other people in line feel too.
I didn’t mean to infer indifference, I meant to infer that I feel like I already know the outcome of the tests.
I’ve sold nearly $50 million dollars woth of goods in the last 13-14 years alone, Mary, so I feel like I know people and can read them. I may be wrong, which is why I offered to do this for you for free. Your bank wouldn’t want to pay what the marketing arm of my company charges just to find out what I believe we’ll find out.
I’m going to think about this for the rest of the weekend and I’ll write a post on Sunday night asking my readers to help us by telling us how they feel about what you want your staff to do. I may even set up a separate page on another domain, so it’s not influenced by anything previously written here and so I can offer the data to other banks as well.
BTW - banks ARE different from other businesses, because the public doesn’t go in there to BUY anything, we go in for service… only.
YOU GUYS decided to start selling things to us, to increase profits.
And my job is not to try and come up with sales contests. I sell for a living. I write this blog out of the desire to help those that aren’t as skilled at selling as I think I am, to become better at selling and marketing.
The info is free, although it’s worth more than what a lot of authors charge for.
With 3 days left in April of ‘07, I’ve had 64,947 visitors this month, who I’ve given service to, for no charge, no late fees, no membership fees, etc. That’s about 2500 per day, and I haven’t tried to sell them anything except good service.
Hi Mike, I have a small sales team of about 10 account managers for an elite business program for AT&T in the mid-west. We are a fairly new vendor in this program and I am trying anything that might help in producing the client the numbers they expect. But as expected we are having the typical growing pains. Any additional ideas you might have would be a great help. Thanks
I see we don’t share the same point of view which surprises me since you are in sales. You are wrong about banks being different from other businesses. The only difference is we sell a service and yes the public does come into the bank to buy our services. I see no difference in the teller telling our customers what special rate we may have on a CD than the associate at the restaurant telling you what they have on special that day. When we tell the customer about our specials, we are providing a service that may help them. We are not trying to force anyone to buy something they don’t need. I personally would appreciate a teller letting me know about any special rates that may give me a better opportunity to make more interest, etc.
Banks are institutions, the same as libraries, hospitals, etc.
I don’t go in there to buy, but for their services.
I don’t go to a hospital looking to be upsold from a gall bladder operation to a brain transplant.
I don’t go to a bank looking to be sold anything, but to get a service performed.
Here’s what you guys have forgotten or may not have ever known:
Everybody is not your market. You’re wasting the time of the person you talk to and those in line behind them, when you try to sell them a product they’re not in the market for.
A teller trying to sell me a CD, especially at the ridiculously low rates you offer, is wasting our time, as I’m not in the market.
Why don’t you identify, thru another means such as direct mail or email, those that are in the market, then have them talk to someone in private, not in line looking to get a service performed.
When a person steps on a car lot, they’ve identified themselves as a prospect.
When I get in line at my local branch, I HAVE NOT identified myself as a prospect and will be slightly perturbed if you try to sell me something I’m not in the market for, the same as if you walk up to me on the street and try to sell me a parcel of swamp land in Phoenix.
It’s really that simple. I’m the customer, I’m right. You guys at the banks forgot that a long, long time ago.
I came to you expecting some good advice and all I have received is you negative thoughts. So there is no need to waste each others time anymore. I sure hope the people that do get advice from you gets a better deal than I have.
I can see I would have been very upset If I would have called you on the phone and paid $75.00 for what you are selling.
Thanks for nothing…
What you’re looking for is someone to give you data to back up your opinion.
If you wanted the truth, you’d have listened to an actual bank customer, which I am.
The real problem here is the koolaid you’ve been drinking and your unwillingness to stand up and tell the higher ups the truth when they asked you if it was a great idea for tellers to be sellers.
I sleep very well at night becuase I don’t drink koolaid or blow smoke up people’s asses.
Hey mike..
I think you can help me.
I need some ideas/themes for sales contests in an insurance firm and even some innovative contest launching letter heads. Do respond, if you can help, it would be great.
Regards
Pooja Kapur
Hey I am a Store Manager for a retailer…I saw your ideas. I have lots of ideas…but I also like to hear from other people. I was wondering if you could let me pick your brain for an hour or half!
saram_17@hotmail.com
thanks
Hi Sara,
I’ll send you an email in a day or so with some details.
Thanks for asking.
I am looking for some sales contests to motivate about 35 associates to get customers to open credit cards, drive conversion and sales.
Sorry Marcella,
I don’t think any exist to do that.
I don’t se anyone begging for a new credit card and without a hungry market, your “associates”, who sound like telemarketers, have no chance.
I like your take on things. Can you send me some contest ideas. I’m currently working on a pilot 35 account managers referring customers to a vendor selling our banks product. So the contest would be to drive referrals up and conversion rates. I have some ideas but I need more!!!!!
Thanks
Could you please send me some sales contest ideas. I recently took over the contest portion of our telecommunications company and I am continuously looking for new, solid ideas to motivate my Sales Account Managers. THanks!
Mike,
Love your work. I have a team of about 15-20 Real Estate Agents and wanted to know if you have any great ideas for a sales contest that accomplishes two goals 1. increase sales / revenues and 2. creates a sense of team building and strengthens us as a group. I was thinking something that ran for a couple of months and then culminated in a trip for those that qualified to the mountains for a weekend of skiing? Let me know if you have any thoughts or have come across something that would be a fit for the real estate industry. The market is “down” and the media is saying the sky is falling and I want to generate some positive vibes and let them know that there are tremendous opportunities in today’s market and that the market being down is just an excuse for people who aren’t putting forth the effort. Let me know your thoughts. Sorry for the stream of consciousness.
Will
Hi Will,
I like your site.
I work, during the day, in the brick, block and stone industry. Our business is down around 30%, so if anyone tells you that, it’s true.
There are many opportunities for your sales people, but mostly, this type of market is good for getting rid of the dead wood in your trees. If they can’t handle the down times, they shouldn’t get to enjoy the good times, I believe.
As for contests, somewhere in the comments or in the post, I’m sure I said I’d couldn’t do anymore, as I just can’t come up with enough to supply the 30 people per day who email and ask for ideas.
We have 40-50 sales people and never run any contests. My thought is this: If you don’t care enough to do it for yourself, a cruise is only a bandaid on a gaping wound.
I’d concentrate on finding them a new toy, like their own blog or audio slide shows of properties. Something that would force them out of their comfort zone and force them to learn a new skill, thereby enhancing their marketability and ability to serve their customers.
Do they write articles for your site ?
Do they do any podcasts ?
Do they contribute to their industry or see what they can take from it ?
If you’d like to talk more along those veins, I’d be willing to help.
Email me - mike@(this domain name) if you’d like to work in that vein.
Thanks for stopping by !
Hey Mike,
I searched for “Sales Contest” on Google and found your site - so glad I did. Not only is it informative, but oh, so entertaining. The bank diatribe was more than amusing. I agree with you wholeheartedly.
I recently assumed a Human Resource Management / Training and Development role with a Car Dealership - following a successful Sales and Management career in the Telecommunications industry. I sure would appreciate your insight and suggestions with respect to some fresh ideas for Sales Contests (sales staff of 16).
I will look forward to your response.
SLK
Hi Shaeon,
I’ll see what I can come up with, but there’s been so many sales contests already done by the automobile sales industry that I doubt I can out-think them and what they’ve already done.
Hi Mike,
I’d like to say first that I just love your site!!
I work for a inbound call center and I was just recently promoted to a team leader. I will be working with 30-40 reps. I was wondering if you can give me some ideas on different contest that I can do.
Thank you for your time.
Nelly
Hi Mike,
I found your site through a google search of “sales contests”. I am in the staffing industry and manage a team of 10 sales reps. There has been a quite a bit of turnover in the last couple years and hopefully are back on our feet with a new yet promising group! We have a salary plus bonus pay based on sales numbers pay structure. Over the last couple years with the loss of a few tenured people, we have also lost many clients. In this industry there are several competitors, 20-30 in our marketplace alone. With a team made up of newer people it takes about 6-8 months before you build your business enough to earn bonuses. This is a numbers driven company with daily goals which you discuss and account for at end of business each day. The promise of cash rewards (bonuses) in the future doesn’t seem to be enough motivation. I could really use some suggestions on different contests to run and ideas to motivate my team. As in all sales people we are extremely competitive, so part of the difficulty in thinking up contests is also thinking up a reward to drive people.
I welcome and look forward to any suggestions you may have and appreciate your feedback. Thank you!
HI Jessica,
” This is a numbers driven company with daily goals which you discuss and account for at end of business each day. The promise of cash rewards (bonuses) in the future doesn’t seem to be enough motivation. ”
That statement alone is the reason you have such turnover and such apathy. There’s no possible way to help a group that has to make a certain number of calls and convert a certain number into buyers.
I’d never work under such conditions and I doubt any real sales talent will either.
What you have is desperate souls who are doing what they have to do until they can find something less pressure packed. I doubt there’s one person there who isn’t actively pursuing other employment.
Real sales talent is employed partly for their industry/product knowledge and partly for their relationships with those people, not for being able to dial fast and talk fast.
I’d like to point you towards a newer post where I used an article from the legendary Dan Kennedy -
http://www.simplenomics.com/do-sales-contests-work/
Read that and then you can decide what you want to do next.
I’m not trying to be mean spirited, but I see no way in which I can be of any help to you in that situation.
I’m way to simple, which is usually a good thing.
Mike,
I would like to consult with you. I came up with the idea this morning of running a sales contest to launch a product line. I have booked tradeshows for the first quarter and would like some advice.
Thanks
HI Fran,
I’ll email you and see if I can help you.
Please send it to me!!! I will send you my marketing ideas!
We want to encourage our sales force to increase business by offering a contest. We are a real estate company with 85 full time associates. Sales are slower but listing remain strong. They are very professional and are great fun. Any suggestions?
Hello. I know that it has been a while since you and the banker went back and forth, but I just wanted to let you know that a bank IS like any other business in the fact that, unfortunately for those who feel as though we are just robots whose main purpose is to just process your transaction and get you out the door (or herd you through like cattle), we DO keep our business running through selling products. I am a supervisor and would NEVER want my tellers selling something to someone when there is a line and they are one of only 2 tellers, or if the customer didn’t need it. We have to make sure that we are doing the most for our customers and when our rates go up, we like to offer that to customers. How else would you know if you could make more money with a CD or if your account isn’t the best one for you? Please don’t think that when you go into the bank that you are a marked target. Tellers have a job to do and it is very un-professional for you to say that we are doing you an injustice to offer you something that we feel would benefit you. And by the way, if you don’t want to be offered a product, let your banking center know that. Just don’t get upset if the customer in front of you does.
I’m thinking that you too are missing the point Sara.
You don’t have my permission to sell me anything, unless you ask first, even if it’s your job.
It’s not about you, it’s about me, even if your boss wants you to do it, it’s still wrong.
If you ask the person who’s 12 people in front of me if she’d like to hear more about CD’s and she says yes, then she needs to immediately be moved to another line, not have such a complex issue explained in the only one we have for doing our business.
Use Google and search for “permission marketing” and then come back.
I’m gonna say this one more time - it doesn’t matter what the markting wonks want, it doesn’t matter what some VP wants, it really only matters what the customers want and we have overwhelmingly said we do not want to be sold when we’re in line trying to get out as quick as possible.
Believe me, we’re smart enough to ask if we need some other banking product.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mike,
Let me clarify something for you.
If the customer 12 people in front of you is asked about a product and accepts the offer, we do move them to someone else. We, as tellers, are not selling the product, nor can we set the product up at the teller window in most cases, we are just referring them to someone who does.
Do you not understand that if we decide, on our own accord, not to offer a product/service to a customer based on ANY reason, it could be considered discrimination?
We are not trying to make anyone uncomfortable or trying to say that you are not smart enough to ask for yourselves, it is just our job. Let us do it in peace. Other stores, restaurants, etc. ask for up-sales and that is what we are essentially doing. Why is it not acceptable for us to do that as well?
In other words, if you don’t like being sold products that will help you earn money or save smarter, use online banking and direct deposit. Leave the tellers alone.
How about this instead, O’Wise One: You guys leave me alone and just do what we want you to do - process our tranactions and leave the selling to the cheap suited fools with too much bad hair that get paid to do that ?
I have Direct Deposit, but every now and then I have to deposit a check that someone send me and I want to do it without being sold a product that nobody would ever want, which you guys try to feature as ” …new, improved and great !… ”
Your store restaurant inference is hilarious. When I go in there I want to buy items/food. It’s the only reason to go.
When I go in a bank, I don’t want to buy anything. In fact it’s the last place I’d ever buy anything.
Keep drinking the bank flavored kool-aid. They love you and want you to keep thinking exactly this way. You’re a lifer !
By the way Sara. This is twice you commented on the wrong post.
You read about bank tellers in another place and don’t know how to find it, get back there or what to do, so you just comment off-topic on any post you can find.
You’re a perfect bank teller, because you can’t think, use logic or tell right from wrong.
Lifer.