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Discover a variety of challenges designed to boost sales team engagement and achieve specific objectives. These sample challenges are solutions that can be adapted, refined and customized to meet the specific needs of each organization.
It's important to note that each sales challenge presented here can be adapted to other sales populations, such as SDRs, BDRs, CSMs or AMs.
Each business challenge presented is designed to meet specific objectives: improving team engagement, meeting business targets, increasing sales or supporting the launch of new products or services. In addition, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are integrated to measure the impact of each challenge, along with suggested timeframes for effective implementation.
These challenges are not just internal competitions, but also innovative ways of improving collaboration, strengthening team cohesion and celebrating individual and collective successes. By following these models, sales teams are encouraged to exceed their limits, while fostering a dynamic and motivating working environment.
Here are 10 examples of sales challenges you can adapt to the specific needs of your organization to maximize their effectiveness and create a significant impact on your sales performance!
What is a sales contest?
A sales contest is a focused, time-bound incentive program designed to motivate a sales team (or individuals within it) to achieve specific, measurable objectives. Unlike standard compensation structures, contests create excitement, friendly competition, and a sense of urgency by offering rewards (monetary, non-monetary, or recognition) for hitting targets or outperforming peers within a defined period.
1. Champions League
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Increase sales
- Reaching the sales target
How it works
Group sales challenge :
- Reward the sales team as a whole or the best team in the sales organization (by account size and/or by geographical sector), depending on the size and commitment of the company, with the "Champions League" prize.
Individual sales challenges :
- Reward the best Salesperson(s) (by account size and/or by geographical sector) according to the size and wishes of the company with the "Ballon d'or" prize.
- Reward the best Manager(s) (by account size and/or by geographical sector) according to the size and wishes of the company with "The Best" prize.
Indicators
- Sales generated in € (Weighting: 70%)
- Number of appointments made (Weighting: 30%)
Duration
- 1 month or 1 quarter
2. Naval battle
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Increase sales
- Reaching the sales target
How it works
Each commercial has the right to touch the opposing team one or more times:
- 1 appointment booked: 1 touche
- 1 prospect transformed into an opportunity: 2 touches
- 1 contract signed: 3 touches
Group sales challenge :
- Reward the first team from the sales organization to hit all the opposing boats. Depending on the company's wishes, the challenge can be repeated every day for 1 week, rewarding the team that wins the most rounds.
Individual sales challenge :
- Reward the salesperson who gets the most hits for his or her team.
Indicators
- Number of appointments made
- Number of leads transformed into opportunities
- Number of contracts signed
Duration
- 1 day to 1 week
3. Discovery of America
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the knowledge and skills of the sales team
- Reaching the sales target
- Increase sales
How it works
Following training and practice, each salesperson must apply what they have learned and improve the discovery phase of the sales process.
The best salesperson(s) with the best prospect-to-opportunity conversion rate wins the sales challenge. To avoid any cheating and to ensure fairness between sales reps, each sales rep must complete a minimum number of discovery phases to take part in the sales challenge (Example: usual target for the number of discovery phases over a given period).
Indicators
- Number of discovery phases
- Conversion rate from prospect to opportunity
Duration
- 1 week to 1 month
4. Novelty is rewarded
Objectives of the contest
- Supporting the launch of a new product or service
- Improve the knowledge and skills of the Sales team
- Increase sales
How it works
For the launch of a new product and/or service, the Sales teams will have 1 week of training, 1 week of practice, and 1 week of hands-on experience.
Group sales challenge :
- During the role-play week, if the Sales team obtains X appointments (defined beforehand) to present the new product and/or service to customers, the team wins a collective prize. (Allow 70% to 80% of the overall budget for the reward).
Individual sales challenge :
- Reward the three best Salespeople, i.e. those who have booked the most appointments. Allocate the remaining budget as follows: 50% to the 1st, 30% to the 2nd, and 20% to the 3rd.
Indicator
- Number of appointments made to present the new product and/or service
Duration
- 3 weeks
5. Award for regularity
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Reaching the sales target
- Increase sales
How it works
The aim is to reward sales staff for their regularity over a quarter. To begin with, select one or more of the indicators on which they are assessed every month (e.g. number of appointments made, sales generated, etc.).
Group sales challenge :
- Reward for achieving the objective(s) at the team level for three months in a row.
Individual sales challenge :
- Reward for Sales staff who have reached their target(s) for 3 months in a row.
Indicators
- Number of appointments made
- Sales generated
- And so on.
Duration
- 3 months
6. World Cup
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Reaching the sales target
- Increase sales
How it works
To begin with, the sales team is divided into several teams, the number to be determined according to the number of employees (between 3 and 10 people per team). To select the nation that each team will represent during the World Cup, a quiz on the chosen sport (football, rugby, tennis, etc.) is organized. Depending on the ranking, each team in turn selects the nation of its choice.
Then, during the "World Cup" challenge, each team will collect points according to the action it has carried out:
- Appointment made: 1 point
- Appointment made: 2 points
- Contract signature: 5 points
Finally, each week, each team plays another team. During this week, points are scored as normal. However, the difference in points between the two teams at the end of the week is added to the winning team's score and deducted from the losing team's overall score.
Group sales challenge :
- Reward for the sales team that comes first overall. A cup may also be awarded for the occasion.
Individual sales challenges :
- Reward for the salesperson with the most points. A medal can also be awarded for the occasion.
- Reward for the salesperson who has had the best opportunity. A medal can also be awarded for the occasion.
- Reward for the salesperson who has signed the largest contract. A medal can also be awarded for the occasion.
Indicators
- Number of appointments made
- Number of appointments made
- Number of contracts signed
Duration
- 4 to 6 weeks
7. Recommendations & Introductions
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Reaching the sales target
- Increase sales
How it works
The aim is to get as many referrals and customer introductions as possible.
Group sales challenge :
- Reward if the predefined number of referrals and introductions is reached.
Individual sales challenge :
- Reward for the Salesperson(s) with the most recommendations within the sales team.
Indicator
- Number of recommendations
Duration
- 1 week to 1 month
8. Sniper
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Reaching the sales target
- Increase sales
How it works
After forming equitable teams of salespeople. For each opportunity with a prospect, each Salesperson assigns a percentage to the success of the opportunity resulting in a sale. Each percentage represents 1 point. At the end of the month, the accounts for each salesperson, and therefore each team, are drawn up. For sales opportunities signed during the month, the sales rep and his team win the points. If not, the points are deducted from the sales rep and his team.
Group sales challenge :
- Collective rewards for the first three sales teams to score the most points over the month.
Individual sales challenge :
- Individual rewards for the three sales staff with the most points over the month.
Indicator
- Conversion rate for each opportunity
Duration
- 1 month
9. Mario Kart
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Reaching the sales target
- Increase sales
How it works
To begin with, the sales team is divided into several teams, the number to be determined according to the number of employees (between 3 and 10 people per team). A quiz is organized to select the Mario Kart character of their choice (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, etc.). Depending on the ranking, each team in turn selects the avatar of their choice.
Then, every week, the sales challenge starts again from scratch on a new Mario Kart circuit (Mario Circuit, Bowser Castle, Rainbow Road, etc.). A ranking with the points for each team is updated daily until the end of the sales challenge.
Here's how many points you get for each action you take:
- Call to a prospect: 1 coin
- Appointments: 10 coins
- Appointment made: 50 coins
Finally, each day, each team plays another team in a mini-game (Chifoumi, mini golf, tic-tac-toe, sudoku, etc.). The team that wins the mini-game unlocks a malus to send to the opposing team of its choice. The malus varies according to the day of the week or the difficulty of the mini-game:
- Banana (-10 coins)
- Bomb (-20 coins)
- Green shell (-30 coins)
- Red shell (-40 coins)
- Blue shell (-50 coins)
Group sales challenge :
- Collective rewards for the top 3 sales teams in the overall ranking at the end of the sales challenge. Cups can also be awarded for the occasion.
Individual sales challenge :
- Individual rewards for the 3 sales staff who bring in the most coins for their team. Medals can also be awarded for the occasion.
Indicators
- Number of calls made
- Number of appointments made
- Number of appointments made
Duration
- 2 to 4 weeks
10. Sales x Marketing
Objectives of the contest
- Improve the commitment of the sales team
- Reaching the sales target
- Improving sales
How it works
Firstly, the sales team needs to be split into several teams (by account size, industry, randomly, equitably, etc.).
Then, to convert the efforts made during a marketing event (webinar, content downloads, trade show, etc.), the marketing team will send a list of prospects divided equally between each team. Each action carried out by a salesperson will earn points for their team.
Here is the breakdown of points for each action taken:
- Calls made = 1 point
- Appointment made = 5 points
- Appointments made = 10 points
Group sales challenge :
- Collective reward for the sales team with the most points at the end of the week.
Individual sales challenge :
- Individual rewards for the three sales staff who score the most points during the week.
Indicators
- Number of calls made
- Number of appointments made
- Number of appointments made
Duration
- 1 week
FAQ Sales Contests
How do I choose the right sales contest for my team?
Align contests with your primary objective. For short-term activity spikes, Naval Battle (1 week) or Sales x Marketing (1 week) work best. To develop skills like prospecting, Discovery of America focuses on conversion rates. For sustained revenue goals, Champions League (1 quarter) or Award for Regularity (3 months) provide structure. New teams benefit from simple individual contests like Sniper, while established teams gain camaraderie from team-based games such as World Cup or Mario Kart.
What sales techniques pair effectively with contests?
Contests reinforce core techniques when strategically matched:
- Discovery calls: Use Discovery of America to practice BANT/MEDDIC frameworks.
- Pipeline accuracy: Sniper trains realistic forecasting.
- New product adoption: Novelty is Rewarded incentivizes demo techniques.
Always combine contests with training (e.g., role-plays pre-launch) to ensure skill development beyond short-term wins.
How long should a sales contest run?
The duration depends on your goal. But it can be anything from a week to a quarter. Shorter contests (less than 4 weeks) maintain urgency, longer contests are suitable for quarterly strategic objectives.
