The success of sales contests are largely dependent on the kind of template used in conducting it. There are different types of sales contest templates to choose from when planning your contest.

What's A Sales Contest?

A company or organization that is into business often holds competitions among its employees/members for them to develop more interest and sense of urgency in what they do. 

Sales contests have various terms depending on the type being held, but basically its goal is always the same: to promote increased productivity through developing effective marketing skills.

This idea was perhaps taken from sports where players constantly compete against one another to win trophies, rewards, money, etc. Businesses use this concept because aside from getting better results out of their performers it also develops camaraderie among their team members.

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Types of sales contest templates

There are various kinds templates available, each catering to the specific needs and requirements of the person/company holding it. Here are some samples:

1). Quota completion – this is perhaps the most common type of template that allows participants to compare their individual performance with respect to achieving their target income for a certain period. 

The top achievers, usually those who reached 125%-150% quota, will receive rewards which can be anything from cash to bonuses or vacation days off.

2). Strategic account challenge– this type focuses more on how an individual performs in regards to his capabilities in managing existing clients and adding new ones into his list. 

Usually held annually, this kind of template is perhaps more intense than the quota completion since it tests how effective an individual can produce in terms of achieving high results.

3). Webinar participation – this type often comes with various sessions and topics which are usually related to what members/employees need to know or be updated about. Usually, webinars are connected online through the use of internet tools like Skype, GoToMeeting, WebEx, etc. 

There are also cases when companies hold live seminars for their employees where they're required to attend; those who don't will be given demerits (usually 3-5 demerits per absence).

4). Task completion – this kind of template involves the completion of specific tasks assigned by their managers within a certain time frame.

Usually, these tasks are drawn from the job description of managers and some may actually be part of what employees regularly do depending on the company's stature. 

Some companies require their employees to write blogs while others give them topics to e-books or other forms of written materials that can help in developing skills which will be later tested.

5). Points race – this is perhaps the most common among all templates used but it has a different twist depending on each company's intention. 

It involves points earned by giving out new leads for clients, closed deals or referrals. The winner will then be decided after a certain period of time through computing how many points one has earned compared to his peers/coworkers/managers. 

This type of template is perfect for organizations that need to improve their productivity by increasing the number of leads generated, or by improving how they manage their existing clients.

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Sales contest tips

Since templates are very common these days even among non-corporate entities like schools and private sectors, it's best to actually study each one closely before determining which one will work best for you. Here are some quick tips on this:

1). Study first – make sure that you'll be able to generate a good income from the specific type of template you intend to use. Sometimes there are differences in how much can be earned depending on what kind of template will be used. 

Study your co-workers/managers' performances too so you'll be able to determine whether your income targets can be achieved or not.

2). Have a plan – once you've figured out the type of template that's perfect for you, then it's time to actually define what the rules and requirements are going to be. 

This is where having a well-defined plan comes in because it will help you figure out ways on how you will achieve these goals working together with your peers/coworkers/managers.

3). Reward faithfully – this is perhaps the most important aspect of being successful when holding a template because it reinforces the purpose behind doing so. 

As much as possible, do not give yourself disproportionately huge rewards just because you're managing one of the top teams/groups who earned huge profits from the sales contest. Your reward should be directly proportional to what you have earned from the said contest.

4). Don't run after short-term benefits- only choose the best options available for you. Sometimes it takes time before people or teams can actually understand what type of sales contest template works best for them, so give them enough time to decide which direction they should take.

5). Give Value- Make sure that you're going to do something more than just giving out rewards every now and then. How about surprising them with a new office's design? Or a brand new computer system that they could use anytime during their work hours?

Maintain a good relationship with your co-workers/managers so you'll be able to know what they think about the type of sales contest template you're currently using. 

This is important because it will help eliminate any unnecessary misunderstandings that could happen if they don't have a clue on what kind of sales contest template you have in mind.

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Sales Contest Ideas

Here are twelve sales contest ideas, three of which require no preparation.

1. The Salesperson of the Month Award (3-8 weeks)- This one requires nothing more than some good customer feedback forms for your salespeople to use as they make cold calls or meet with customers. You can also display winning certificates on the office wall. 

2. Birthday Contest (2 days)- Ask everyone who comes into the office on his or her birthday to fill out a simple form indicating how many years old he or she is turning this year. Then, have someone tally up all these numbers at the end of week—that's all there is to it! 

3. Phone Call Contest (2 days)- Have all your reps call every customer they made contact with within the last month—if they can't remember any, then too bad! Then tally up the results at the end of day two and give out a prize for the highest number of contacts. 

4. Sales Goal Contest (9 weeks)- Let reps compete head to head in a contest to see who can sell the most in a given time period—nine weeks, perhaps, or even six months. The competition will get fierce, and everyone will have an incentive to outsell his or her peers. 

5. Weekly Contest (1 day)- You'll want weekly contests so that employees don't take too much time off between competitions, but you'll also want them to be simple enough so that they don't take up too much of everyone's valuable workday. 

Put different dollar amounts on top three customer accounts at the end of every week, with the largest dollar amount to whoever has called on that customer the most number of times.

6. Sales Goal Contest (2 days)-  This one is fun and easy: At the end of two workdays, tally up how many sales reps have closed a deal, and present the prize for this contest to whomever brought in the greatest revenue. 

7. Weekly Trivia Contest (3 minutes)- Have everyone write down three trivia questions about your company products, current events in your industry, etc., then read them out at the end of every week. Whoever is the last person to get all three wrong gets a prize—simple, short and fun! 

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Incentive Sales Contests

Incentive marketing is a concept through which companies offer targeted incentives to benefit from their products and services. This includes a wide range of marketing techniques such as promotional contests, sweepstakes, giveaways, coupons and direct mail offers. 

Incentives can be given out to customers, employees and distributors alike. Such incentives are targeted to increase the sales of a product or service, reach new markets or simply retain existing customers. 

Sales contests are one effective way to help enhance sales efforts among sales professionals towards specific goals.

Sales contests can be used as an incentive strategy for increasing sales productivity in customer-facing organizations like retail, telemarketing and other business-to-consumer (B2C) functions. 

With a carefully customized contest, you will be able to promote the exchange of profitable business between your company and its existing customers as well as attract new ones from competitors' base. 

Also it systematically motivates your entire workforce by having fun together while winning prizes for all!

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Types of Sales Contests 

There are three major types of sales contests: 

1) Customer Acquisition/ Retention 

2) Lead Generation 

3) Sales Process Improvement 

These could be classified under two main categories depending on the type of target audience - Business-to-Business (B2B) or Business-to-Consumer (B2C). 

While B2B contests are targeted at existing customers to acquire new ones, B2C contests are focused on attracting more customers into the sales funnel by encouraging them to try out your product or service.

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Best Practices of Sales Contest Launches

1. Announce your sales contest on the first day - This is to ensure that employees are clear about why they are being given extra incentives to work hard during this period, what do they stand to gain from it etc. 

Also it will keep enthusiasm high as people have been waiting for something interesting/new from you which will help them start off with a positive attitude. 

2. Open the floor for questions – Make sure you open up a Q&A session at the end of the announcement so that employees can clear their doubts and seek clarifications, ask if there is any other information missing or need further explanation on whatever was said in the announcement. 

3. Create an ambience conducive to learning – Keep the announcement short, yet effective. Prepare your employees beforehand through emails or presentations so that they are prepared for everything that you have to say about the contest. 

4. Emphasize how the company is doing well and why the contest is being held – People will be more excited if they know what they stand to gain from participating in a sales campaign. 

5. Be clear about the need of holding this contest – Let your employees know how important it is for them to participate in this contest as failure can result in negative consequences for them personally/company etc. 

6. Communicate expectations clearly - Don't assume people understand what you want out of them or that they are capable of delivering what you want without making sure first through timely communication.

7. Follow up with regular updates on progress throughout the contest period - This will ensure that there is more engagement among employees and they are on their toes all the time, monitoring how well they are doing.

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Conclusion

Sales contest templates are the same as any other sales contest, but they do more than just give recognition to those who sell most or best. They are also meant to motivate others to do better.

This is done by showing how you can win trophies, gift certificates or prizes for doing your job. This motivates them to try their best to be the top salesperson in the contest.

The idea is that you give everyone an equal chance at earning points toward a prize during each sales period. 

The person who earns the most points wins the contest at the end of the year The point scoring system can be as simple or complex as desired, but usually it involves only one type of sale (a specific number sold, value sold or profit). 

This simplifies record keeping and makes it easier for others to understand how they can become involved in earning points toward winning. It also encourages salespeople to reach deeper into their customer base or to expand it by developing relationships with new customers.

The goal of the contest is to motivate and reward salespeople for doing what they would be doing anyway. The contest simply gets them focused on specific results and gives them a fun way to "track" those results as the year progresses. 

And, although prizes are often offered as incentives, everyone should want to win because there's nothing sweeter than knowing you're number 1!