Sales Contests Motivate Reps and Facilitate Coaching

A client writes, "Last quarter I sponsored a sales contest: any rep reinstating a dormant account (hadn't done business with our company for at least one year) would receive a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant. The first rep to do so would win the largest gift certificate. One of the salespeople, always a mid-level producer, reinstated the first account.

"I call all new customers personally to welcome them to our organization. I contacted this customer to welcome them back - but my real motive was verification. I couldn't believe this guy won the contest. He's never won any contest I've ever sponsored.

"Since winning, he's been a changed person, more energized and positive. He's shown the gift certificate to almost everyone in the company. After taking his girlfriend out to dinner, he told the entire sales staff about the meal, from cocktails to dessert.

"Is this just a fluke? How do I keep this going?"

Ah, the power of a sales contest. Stories like yours (not uncommon) are one of the reasons I always encourage sales leaders to have one running as often as possible. Let's see how you can capitalize on his recent success.

First Things First

Before his positive energy wears off, have a chat with him. Say, "Tell me about reinstating this account. How did you approach them? What did they say? What do you think made them decide to buy from us again?"

Encourage him to go into the details. Learn about his thought process. Look for trends. When he talks about his experience with this former customer, what gets him most excited?

Building on the Success

As sales leaders we sometimes overlook the average salesperson. After we've managed them for a period of time, we assume there's little we can do to help them move to the next level.

But a middling producer still gets the job done to a degree. He has some skills. Based on your experience with and observations of this rep, where do his strengths lie? What does he do particularly well?

Take advantage of his victory and schedule some coaching time with him. Begin the first session by telling him where you think he excels. He may or may not know. Using his strengths as the basis, gradually move on to addressing the areas where he needs to improve. On a sales high, he'll be much more receptive to anything you have to say.

Prepare to be Pleasantly Surprised

A company I worked for sponsored a summer sales contest. If you were on track to make your monthly quota, on Friday afternoons you received a free pizza lunch. It was quite the popular contest.

One of the reps I managed (a chronic under producer) stayed on quota all month (for once) and was the first one in the conference room on Fridays for pizza. I couldn't believe it. Neither could the VP of Sales.

After the contest was over I had a chat with him. I said, "You stayed on quota all month for some pizza, salad and soda. We're talking about, maybe, $30 worth of food in total. If you made quota on a regular basis, you could earn thousands more in commission. Let's talk about that."

That made a big impression on him. We began to discuss bringing the same energy and focus he showed for a pizza lunch to his regular work habits. His sales slowly began to improve.

Run the Numbers

Think about how much more your rep could earn if he went after every sale like he did with this dormant account. When you have the approximate amount, show it to him. Encourage him to build on his success. Remind him of the contest when he seems to be slipping back into his old ways. And sponsor another contest soon! They can be an inexpensive way to boost performance.