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Jump Start Your Sales Contests

 

 Have you noticed that some sales contests get more buy-in and participation than others? Here are three tips you can use to design sales incentives and contests that get everyone selling.

1.  Offer a “jump start” incentive. Very often account executives take a “wait and see” attitude, not participating in your contest until they see others have some success.  Or, sometimes they just procrastinate, not reaching their full potential because they wait until the final hour to begin selling.
An incentive for the first eligible sale in your contest  will get everyone selling earlier and more throughout the entire time-span.

2. Your sales people are already paid commissions for “results”. Try introducing activity-based incentives versus incentives for bottom line results.  Often, account executives believe that the reps with the big account lists will automatically win your results-focused contests. This attitude can curtail the efforts of both the “junior” reps, and the reps with the “fat” lists.
By offering a prize for the most activity you want to encourage, the most presentations for example, everyone has an equal opportunity to win.
Here’s a little trade secret…every time I run a contest where first prize goes to the person with the most “no’s” and second prize goes to the person with the most “yeses”, both prizes are always won by the same person!

3.  Prizes and incentives do NOT always have to cost big dollars. Learn what motivates each of your account executives as individuals, and offer well thought out incentives that appeal to each of them. In some cases it might be recognition, a plaque or a celebratory dinner with their spouses or significant others. In others it might be the opportunity to further their career by sending them to a training course or seminar.

 

If you want to have a sales contest that captures more non-traditional business categories, check out TOMA Research at www.wensmedia.com. TOMA campaigns coupled with well-designed “activity” incentives have been proven to bring hundreds of thousands of new business dollars to stations across North America.  

Good News

Good News

            Your sales people get beat up on the street all day long with “Business is bad” or ”Your rates are too high” or “Radio doesn’t work”.
            Sometimes they are even beat up back at the station with “Your accounts receivable are in terrible shape” or “That rate is not high enough” or “We can’t do that for your client”.
            Your sales meetings should be a haven of positive energy and optimism.
            Positive energy is contagious and can be fostered at your sales meetings by requiring every sales person to share a piece of “good news” at every sales meeting. 
            Qualifying good news could include:
1- Recounting a big or new sale they’ve made.
2- Sharing a success a client had using your stations
3- Discussing a great new creative concept.
4- If none of the above occurred this week for a given account executive, they can share a news story or information they have uncovered about growth in your market, or an upbeat story about the local economy that every one can use.
            Bringing “Good News” to the sales meeting table should not be optional, it should be a requirement. There is always good news available if we just look for it and sharing it allows for more staff participation in what might otherwise be a one-way communication session from management to staff.
            The opportunity for everyone to share their successes can be a huge boost for the story-teller, plus give evidence to the others that success is possible.
            Good News about the local economy can be the lift your entire team needs in the face of adversity.