Sales contests that only reward your top performer demotivate everyone else. Instead, structure competitions around improvement, consistency, or specific behaviors so more people have a shot at winning and actually change how your team sells.
Your top sales performer doesn't need another trophy. Okay, hear me out. Of course, your best performers deserve recognition. The problem is when every competition is designed around them. If the same person wins week after week, the rest of your team starts doing the maths. I'm $40 grand behind Sarah. I'm not catching that. And once winning feels impossible, The competition stops motivating them. So sometimes your competition shouldn't reward the highest number. Reward improvement, consistency, a specific behavior, progress against target. Give more of the team something worth chasing. The goal of a sales competition isn't to prove who your best salesperson is. The goal is to influence what your team does next. Would that work with your team?
