| Many books have been written using sports scenarios | | | | the rest of the sales team doesn't even try to win the |
| as analogies to teach important selling principles. One | | | | prize. Often they believe that the contest is stacked in |
| critical component that must be factored into the | | | | favor of your top producers, lowering morale even |
| sports arena is the element of competition. In sports, | | | | further. The overall effect of using competition in the |
| athletes work to be better at their events, or in their | | | | workplace, then, is that it will not motivate your people |
| team positions, than others playing the sport. Teams | | | | to work harder, but will instead, discourage and |
| strive to defeat the opposing teams with participants | | | | demotivate your staff. |
| working to do their best to win. On the surface, this | | | | The best incentive programs are designed where |
| concept of competition seems like a valuable tool to | | | | every participant can be a winner. By having sales |
| implement with a sales organization. In fact throughout | | | | professionals compete against their past sale |
| this manual sales professionals have been referred to | | | | performance levels, you can generate a lot more |
| as members of a sales team. The logic is that in | | | | enthusiasm for your contest and avoid the morale |
| sports, competition encourages the athletes to do their | | | | issues that a head-to-head competition creates. A |
| best, therefore in selling, competition will also encourage | | | | point or chit system for a grand prize drawing is an |
| sales professionals to strive for better sales results. | | | | effective tool as well. Assign points for improved |
| When you set up sales contests that pit sales | | | | performance and then draw a winner from the points |
| representatives against each other for cash or a trip | | | | or chits placed in the larger pool. With this approach, |
| to the Bahamas, the temporary gains you achieve are | | | | each sales staff member has a shot at the grand |
| more than erased by the long term morale problems | | | | prize and can be winners of smaller prizes for the |
| this type of competition creates for your sale | | | | number of points accumulated during the sales contest |
| organization. What usually happens is that one or two | | | | period. |
| people win the competition every time. After a while, | | | | |
