Sales Gamification - The What, Why, and How
Alison Zook
Dec 3, 2020
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Competitive colleagues in friendly competition
In your constant search for new ways to motivate your employees and strengthen your company culture, you've probably come across this idea of "gamification," the concept of turning everyday work into a game for a better employee response. But what exactly does it mean? How does it work? What does sales gamification look like on the ground level? Here's a quick overview.
The What
In many ways, sales gamification is an
, a new perspective on the regular rewards of salesmanship. After all, we've been using gaming terms in the sales world forever. We "won" the contract. You have to get across the "finish line" of the quarter. Some recognition plans even include "gold, silver, and bronze," employees of the month.
Gamification, however, brings that competitive, gratifying attitude to each new day. Each phone call, sale closed, or customer interaction can earn the rep points in the game, points which can add up to a set goal. It's a reminder that work can be fun, even in the middle of the pay period.
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The Why
So why should you, a busy manager or owner, spend time getting started with sales gamification? Isn't the promise of commission enough? Some rockstar employees may see it that way, but most salespeople are looking for something else in a workplace: culture.
Having a fun company culture is crucial for morale. According to , 60% of 2015 college graduates said they’d rather work somewhere with a “positive social atmosphere,” though it might mean taking a paycut. Even if your commission program is the best available, you'll still be missing something without the element of fun. You can offer your people that fun side of the company in many ways: office parties, outings, even periodic Nerf battles. But it all requires a pause in productivity. Not so with gamification. Your people can have fun
making sales, generating leads, and assisting customers.
The How
The concept of sales gamification isn't new. But before our current digital/mobile age, it always meant a ton of overhead work for the manager, keeping track of daily points, choosing prizes, and updating leaderboards, usually on a physical whiteboard.
Mobile technology has streamlined the gamification, automating much of the process and freeing up managerial time for… management. We call this Performance Engagement, the ideal union of performance management and employee engagement.
At Arcade, we're all about Performance Engagement. Our unique mobile-based software allows each company, region, or store to custom-build sales games to suit each operation. We'll work with you to find the best gamification solutions, fine tuning as you go. Everything is customizable per your needs, from sales game duration to the prizes themselves. In fact, employees can choose their own prizes. Say goodbye to time-consuming surveys that try to find an office-wide consensus. With our system, reps can earn points for each task completed (according to your parameters). These can include customer interactions, upsales, sales closed, or even other tasks like customer survey completion. Employees can then spend these points in the Arcade Store, choosing from a plethora of different rewards, all set by you. These can be anything-- gift cards, sports tickets, vacation getaways, even preferred parking spaces. Since their points depend on it, they'll track their own tasks completed through the Arcade app. It's a quick and easy thing to do via smartphone. And since Americans check their phones 96 times per day, you'll be harnessing that screentime impulse, rather than punishing it. While your people are having fun, competing in sales games, and using Arcade's social media feature to recognize each other's achievements throughout the day, there's a bonus for you: data. You'll get real-time data feedback on each employee's performance — where they're doing well, and areas where they need improvement. A well-designed performance engagement platform doesn't just save you time with gamification. It saves you time with management in general.
If you’re ready to gamify your workplace using the best software platform available, reach out to us here at Arcade. We’re ready to help you make sales fun again.
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Alison Zook
Ali is part of the Success team at Arcade.