25 sales contest ideas that get the whole floor playing.
A sales contest is a short race on one number, with a prize at the end and a scoreboard everyone can see. Here are 25 sales competition ideas, from simple individual races to team goals, game formats and seasonal themes, each with how to score it and how to show it on the office TV. Plus contest names for every month and prizes that work.
Run them on GoalHorn, free for up to 5 reps; ideas marked Team or Floor need those plans.
Five rules for a contest that works.
The idea matters less than how it runs. These five decide whether the floor is still playing in week three.
One clear number
Revenue, deals, appointments or points. If reps have to ask how they are scored, the contest is already losing.
A short window
An hour, a day, a week or a month, with a fixed end. Long contests are won in week one and abandoned in week two.
Everyone has a shot
Mix formats: a race for the stars, most improved for the middle, a team goal and a little luck for everyone.
A live scoreboard
The standings on a TV the whole floor sees, updating as deals land, with a moment for every win. See what makes a sales leaderboard work.
Rules compliance has seen
In mortgage, insurance and securities sales, check what prizes and metrics your rules allow before you launch. More in what works in sales gamification.
Individual races.
Rep against rep. Simple to explain and the easiest to track.
1. The monthly race
Everyone is ranked by revenue for the month, and the top three win.
2. Most improved
The rep who beats their own last month by the biggest share wins. Newer reps get a real shot.
3. First to the bell
The first close of each day wins a small prize. Mornings get busy fast.
4. Power hour
One hour, phones only, most appointments set wins.
5. Streak week
Close at least one deal every day. The longest streak wins.
6. Personal best
Everyone who beats their best month ever wins. Nobody has to lose.
7. Biggest deal
The single largest deal of the week takes the prize.
Team contests.
Everyone pulls the same way. Good when a few stars win every individual race.
8. Unlock the prize
When the team hits the goal, everybody wins: lunch, a half day, an outing.
9. Office against office
Two offices or teams race on the same number.
10. Draft day
Managers draft mixed teams like fantasy sports, so every team has veterans and new hires.
11. Setter and closer pairs
Pairs share one score, so setters care about show rates and closers about follow-up.
12. Everybody scores
The team wins only if every rep closes at least one deal this week.
Game formats.
A dose of luck keeps the middle of the board playing until the last day.
13. The horse race
Each rep is a horse and the goal is the finish line.
14. Points game
Activities earn points: 1 for a call booked, 5 for a demo, 20 for a close.
15. Poker hand
Every deal earns a playing card. The best five-card hand at month end wins.
16. Spin the wheel
Each closed deal earns a spin for a prize, from coffee to a day off.
17. Sales bingo
A bingo card of wins: a referral, a renewal, an upsell, a same-day close. First full row wins.
18. Bracket
Head-to-head weekly matchups, tournament style, until one rep is left.
19. Mystery prize
The prize stays sealed in an envelope until the team hits the goal.
20. Golden hour
When the manager calls it, deals in the next hour count double.
Seasonal contests.
A theme gives a contest a start, an end and something to decorate.
21. The Q4 sprint
The whole quarter against the year-end target, with a prize for the team and the top three.
22. Monster month (October)
Every deal over a set size is a monster worth a bonus.
23. Turkey bowl (November)
Two teams play for the trophy before the holiday weekend.
24. Twelve days of closing (December)
A different small prize every day for the first close of the day.
25. New year, new record (January)
Everyone chases a personal best to start the year.
Sales contest names.
A name makes a contest an event. Eight that work any time, and one for every month.
- Close-a-thon
- The Big Board
- Bell Ringers
- Fast Break
- The Gauntlet
- Pipeline Rodeo
- Deal Me In
- The Comeback
- New Year, New Record (January)
- Love the Close (February)
- Spring Bracket (March)
- April Showers of Deals (April)
- May Day Blitz (May)
- June Bug Sprint (June)
- Fireworks Month (July)
- August Heat (August)
- Back to School Blitz (September)
- Monster Month (October)
- Turkey Bowl (November)
- Sleigh the Quota (December)
Prize ideas that motivate.
Prizes people tell their families about beat cash of the same value. Recognition in front of the room is part of the prize.
Time
A half day off, a long lunch, the first Friday afternoon off of the month.
Experiences
Dinner for two, concert or game tickets, a round of golf, a spa day.
A trophy that travels
A belt, a gong or a cup that sits on the winner's desk until someone takes it.
Team rewards
Lunch for everyone, an outing, or a budget the winning team spends together.
Giving back
A donation in the winner's name to the charity they pick.
Run the contest on the office TV.
A contest lives or dies by its scoreboard. GoalHorn turns a sheet of wins into a live one in about five minutes.
Pick the window
Set the board to today, this week, this month or this quarter to match the contest.
Name the score
Revenue, deals or appointments, or a name of your own like Points, with the goal for the contest.
Feed it
A Google Sheet your CRM fills, or the free template. Reps without a CRM log wins from their phones with a Google Form.
Pick the sound
The gong or bell on any plan, the air horn or cash register on Team, or your own sound on the Floor plan, which also runs up to three contests at once.
Close it out with the Replay
When a weekly or monthly contest ends, a Last week or Last month board races it back day by day and names the strongest finish. Play it at the prize ceremony.
One flat price for the whole floor.
Not per rep and not per screen. Monthly, cancel any time.
Free
One board for up to 5 reps, with the podium, race and goal scenes and a celebration for every win.
Team, $49 a month
Every rep on the board, every scene including the Replay, every look and sound, and no GoalHorn mark.
Floor, $149 a month
Up to three boards for contests, teams or offices, your own celebration sound, and rotating between two numbers.
Running a contest next week? Ask for a 14-day trial key.
Sales contest questions.
What is a sales contest?
A short competition where reps or teams race on a sales number, such as revenue, deals or appointments, for a prize and recognition. Good contests have one clear metric, a fixed end date and a scoreboard everyone can see.
How long should a sales contest last?
One to four weeks for most teams. A day or an hour works for activity sprints like a power hour. Past a month, the leaders pull away and everyone else stops playing.
What are good prizes for a sales contest?
Things people talk about: a dinner, event tickets, a half day off, a traveling trophy, first pick of something the team values, or a donation to the winner's charity. Recognition in front of the room matters as much as the prize.
How do you keep low performers engaged in a sales contest?
Mix the formats. Most improved, personal best, team goals and a little luck (poker hands, a prize wheel) give every rep a real chance, and a celebration for every win means nobody's deal goes unnoticed.
Are sales contests allowed in regulated industries?
Usually, with limits. Mortgage teams should base prizes on volume or units, never on loan terms, and broker-dealers face FINRA rules on non-cash compensation. Check with compliance before tying a prize to a product.
How do I track a sales contest?
Log every win in a shared Google Sheet (date, rep, amount), or let your CRM add the rows. Point GoalHorn at the sheet and the contest runs live on the office TV, with a celebration for every win.
Start the next contest with a scoreboard.
Free for up to five reps. $49 a month flat when the whole team is on it.