Getting sales reps to participate in training can be a challenging task for many organizations - does this resonate with you?
Since most salespeople are often highly motivated by the desire to close deals and earn commissions, they may view training as a distraction from their primary focus.
Sales training can be viewed as tedious or irrelevant to their specific role or industry, leading to disengagement and resistance to participation with no accountability being enforced.
To help overcome some of these challenges, it's important to make training engaging, relevant, and actionable.
You can also think about integrating some sort of incentive or recognition for participation and achievement.
Who (in sales) doesn’t like a little healthy competition?
By making training a priority and creating a culture of continuous learning, organizations can help sales reps see the value in ongoing education and development, ultimately leading to better results and increased success.
Let’s explore some unique contest ideas (that will hopefully get your creative juices flowing) that you can use to help your sales team complete their sales training:
- Shark Tank competition 🦈
- Sales escape room 🏃
- Sales battle royale ⚔️
- Sales podcast competition 🎙️
- Sales training video competition 🎬
Shark Tank competition 🦈
A Shark Tank-style competition can be a fun and innovative way to challenge your sales reps to think creatively about their sales pitches.
Have each rep pitch a new product or service, and have a panel of judges, including sales leaders and company executives, evaluate and provide feedback.
Award prizes to the best pitches, and consider developing the most promising ideas.
Sample activity instructions to get you started:
- Each rep will pitch a new product or service to a panel of judges, including sales leaders and company executives.
- Each pitch should be no longer than 5 minutes and should include a brief overview of the product or service, target market, and sales strategy.
- Judges will evaluate each pitch based on creativity, market fit, and sales potential.
- The top 3 pitches will receive prizes, and the company may consider developing the most promising ideas.
Sales escape room 🏃
Transform your sales training into an interactive experience with a sales escape room.
Set up a series of challenges and puzzles that require your sales reps to use their knowledge and skills to "escape" a challenging sales scenario.
This type of training encourages collaboration and teamwork, while also providing a fun and engaging experience for your sales reps.
Example instructions to get you started if you are doing this in-person:
- Divide your sales team into small groups
- Each group will be locked in a room and given a set amount of time to solve a series of sales-related puzzles and challenges.
- The puzzles and challenges should be designed to test their knowledge and skills related to the training material or product.
- The first team to successfully complete all the challenges and "escape" the room will win the competition and receive a prize.
Example instructions to get you started if you are doing this in the virtual world:
- Divide your sales team into small groups or breakout rooms.
- Assign each group a team leader who will be responsible for coordinating the group's efforts and communication during the game.
- Choose a virtual escape room platform, or create your own game using online tools like Zoom, Slack, or Google Docs.
- Provide each group with a link to the virtual escape room or access to the game materials.
- Set a specific time limit for each group to complete the game, and ensure that all members of the group are available during this time.
- The game will consist of a series of puzzles and challenges related to the training material or product.
- Each group will need to work together to solve the puzzles and challenges to progress through the game and "escape" the room.
- Encourage groups to communicate regularly and assign roles to each member based on their strengths and skills.
- The first group to successfully complete all the challenges and "escape" the room within the time limit will win the competition and receive a prize.
- Debrief the game with the entire team to discuss what was learned and how the experience can be applied to real-life sales situations.
Rebecca Stewart
Sales battle royale ⚔️
A sales battle royale competition can be a unique and fun way to foster healthy competition among your sales reps.
Divide your sales team into teams, and assign them a target market or product category. Set a specific sales goal for each team, and track their progress over a set period of time.
The team that generates the most sales wins the competition and receives a prize.
Example instructions to get you started if you are doing this in-person:
- Divide your sales team into teams, and assign each team a target market or product category.
- Set a specific sales goal for each team and track their progress over a set period of time (e.g. 1 month).
- Teams can use any sales tactics they choose, as long as they are ethical and in line with company policies.
- The team that generates the most sales within the set time period will win the competition and receive a prize.
Example instructions to get you started if you are doing this in the virtual world:
- Divide your sales team into teams, and assign each team a target market or product category.
- Set a specific sales goal for each team and track their progress over a set period of time (e.g. 1 month).
- Teams can use any sales tactics they choose, as long as they are ethical and in line with company policies.
- Use a CRM tool or other tracking system to track each team's progress and sales activities.
- Regularly communicate with each team to provide support, answer questions, and motivate them to reach their sales goals.
- Hold regular virtual team meetings to discuss progress, share best practices, and provide feedback.
- Consider hosting virtual sales events or webinars to help teams generate leads and close deals.
- The team that generates the most sales within the set time period will win the competition and receive a prize.
- Debrief the competition with the entire team to discuss what was learned and how the experience can be applied to real-life sales situations.
Sales podcast competition 🎙️
Have your sales reps create a sales podcast that covers a specific topic related to the training material or product.
The podcast can be hosted by one or more reps and should aim to provide listeners with helpful tips and insights.
Have a panel of judges evaluate the podcasts based on quality, engagement, and effectiveness, and award prizes to the best ones.
Example instructions to get you started:
- Each rep will create a sales podcast that covers a specific topic related to the training material or product.
- The podcast should be no longer than 10 minutes and should aim to provide listeners with helpful tips and insights.
- A panel of judges will evaluate the podcasts based on quality, engagement, and effectiveness.
- The top 3 podcasts will receive prizes, and the company may consider using the best podcasts as part of its sales training program.
Katie Van Hoomissen
Sales training video competition 🎬
A video competition can be a great way to encourage your sales reps to create engaging and informative training materials.
Have your reps create a training video that covers a specific topic or product. The video should aim to be informative, engaging, and creative.
Award prizes to the videos that are the most effective and creative.
Example instructions to get you started:
- Each rep will create a training video that covers a specific topic or product related to the training material.
- The video should be no longer than 5 minutes and should aim to be informative, engaging, and creative.
- A panel of judges will evaluate the videos based on quality, engagement, and effectiveness.
- The top 3 videos will receive prizes, and the company may consider using the best videos as part of its sales training program.
Wrapping up
Incorporating unique and innovative contest ideas into your sales training program is a great way to keep your sales reps engaged and motivated.
These ideas are just a starting point, and you can tailor them to your specific needs and goals.
By making your sales training more interactive and fun, you can help your sales team to develop the skills they need to succeed while fostering a sense of camaraderie and healthy competition within the team.
Oh yeah... and HAVE FUN!
Debbi first published this article on LinkedIn
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