{"id":764,"date":"2024-04-09T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T08:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biworldwide.com\/en-au\/?p=764"},"modified":"2025-04-03T14:42:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T03:42:48","slug":"5-sales-contest-mistakes-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biworldwide.com\/en-au\/our-work\/blog\/5-sales-contest-mistakes-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Sales Contest Mistakes To Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t5 Sales Contest Mistakes To Avoid\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Sales targets less than they should be? Sales team motivation and channel partner engagement at an all-time low? Many organisations rely on effective sales contests to motivate their sales teams and increase their bottom line. However, sales incentive programs are only successful if they are executed properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Effective sales incentive contests require significant time, execution, and planning. Sales managers must lay a solid foundation in terms of introducing the sales contest and ensure strong follow-up along the way. 

If done right, sales managers can see their sales shoot through the roof and renew passion among their sales team. If improperly executed or built on faulty assumptions, sales managers can be left with sagging sales and a demotivated sales team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five sales incentive contest mistakes you might be making right now:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five sales contest mistakes to avoid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sales Contest Mistake #1:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy cash comp plan motivates my sales reps to perform at their highest level.\u201d<\/strong> 
The truth is, cash isn\u2019t always the key motivator and we have lots of evidence to prove this. A study by BI WORLDWIDE<\/a> found that\u202fmerchandise and travel awards<\/a>\u202fled to a 300% increase in sales over cash awards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sales Contest Idea #2:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI get the best performance when all of my sales reps work toward the same contest goal.\u201d<\/strong> 
Nothing can be further from the truth.\u202fWhen given the chance to select their own sales goals<\/a>, 98% of sales reps will select a goal and interestingly, 42% will aim for the highest sales goal offered. 
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\"image5e9iq.png\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sales Contest Idea #3:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of my lift comes from the top 20% of my sales force.\u201d<\/strong> 
We all love top performers, so much so that we often overestimate their actual impact. The truth is, most sales contest lift comes from the lower 80%, with only 35 \u2013 40% of sales uplift coming from the top 20 sales reps.\u202fUnlock your biggest sales potential<\/a>\u202fby targeting your middle and low performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sales Contest Idea #4:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe best time to run sales contests is during slow periods.\u201d<\/strong> 
This might sound like common sense, but actually, the opposite is true. Don\u2019t neglect the busy sales periods. Sales uplift runs 5-10% higher during busy periods because the opportunity to sell is greater. When sales reps are putting in maximum effort, they increase their closing rate.\u202fIntroduce an EXTRA incentive to close those opportunities<\/a>, then they feel greater excitement and sell even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"imageb438q.png\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And finally,\u202f<\/strong>Sales Contest Idea #5:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know what motivates my sales team to reach their goals.\u201d<\/strong> 
If that were true, then most sales incentive contests would be highly successful. But they\u2019re not. The reality is 75% fail<\/strong> to reach their goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, maybe it\u2019s time to take a closer look at what really inspires better performance and\u202fbase your <\/strong>next sales contest on science<\/strong><\/a>, not speculation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

…………. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At BI WORLDWIDE Australia, we believe there is in fact science involved in building sales incentives. By understanding human behaviour and what really motivates us through behavioural economics studies, we have data evidence from over 1,000 client programs that prove what works and what doesn\u2019t. There\u2019s no guesswork about our\u202fsales incentive programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contest structure you choose for your sales incentive program can have a significant impact on the results you’re able to achieve. To help you out, we’ve compiled the\u202fmost popular sales contest structures we’ve seen used recently<\/a>.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

…………. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact us<\/a>\u202fto begin developing a sales incentive contest that fits your unique needs and motivates your sales team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Sales Contest Mistakes To Avoid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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