When it comes to creating a high-performing, sales-driven culture, money is an important motivator, but it’s not the only one. Smart contests, competitions, recognition and rewards can make all the difference.

Steve de Marco, V.P. of Worldwide Sales for Xactly, joined App Talks, a new video series on AppExchange customer success stories, to share how he used Hoopla to build and motivate a high-performing sales team, and how Hoopla’s highly-visible, live sales coverage is becoming a pervasive motivation tool throughout the company.

Hoopla is a SaaS application that integrates with Salesforce, making it easy for sales managers to create contests and broadcast live, real-time performance updates on sports-style leaderboards. Check it out on the AppExchange.

The thinking is smart. The results are awesome. Check out a few of our favorite quotes and enjoy a ton of provocative thoughts from Steve in the App Talks videos.

Create a Culture of Competition

“Chris Cabrera and I were telesales reps back in the heyday 90s, at Silicon Graphics. We were totally motivated and inspired to win. So when we started to build a new telesales team in a remote office, we were looking for ways to bring that spirit of competition to life.”

Listen to how it all started.

Get Everyone Engaged

“We thought rest of the sales team wouldn’t be interested, but guess what, we found that other generations gravitate to live contests and leaderboards just as much…They want to see their faces on the screen and at the top of the leaderboard just like anyone else. On top of that, our leaderboards engage other parts of the company with sales results. Engineers, finance, HR and others see who’s winning and they get just as fired up.”

Check out how to use contests as an engagement tool.

Motivate Team Performance

“[Millennials are] a very smart generation, and very technologically savvy. They’re very competitive. If we put their goals in front of them, make them very visible, and allow them to see where they are against their goals – so they can constantly see that they’re progressing and achieving, and on their way to win…they will be the most hardworking, loyal employees you can imagine.”

Learn how to keep reps motivated.

Recognize Early and Often

“Recognition is everything. Reps obviously want to be paid the right amount, but once you accomplish that, then what else? It’s that recognition, seeing their face on that scoreboard, seeing that they’re the leader. The right type of salesperson wants to be top dog, at the top of the list, and that level of engagement is just fantastic. We ran a contest where the sales rep of the month got the really cool parking spot closest to the door. Completely non-monetary, didn’t cost us much as a company, but drove a ton of great behavior and competitive spirit.”   

Find new ways to recognize reps.

Supercharge Productivity

“Tools like Salesforce coupled with Hoopla help to foster a high-energy environment. It’s all about the visibility. High technology, new technology that allows sales reps to really understand what their goals are and where they stand.”

“One of the best hiring tools we have is bringing candidates into our sales floor. If they’ve come from a low-tech, blasé environment and they walk into our sales organization – when they hear that buzz, feel that energy, see people’s names up on the screens – you can just tell…you got ‘em.”

Listen to Steve’s insights on creating a cool, energetic, engaging culture.

Lessons Learned

1. Don’t wait – get started with motivating your team now.
2. Keep it simple. Have contests based on daily sales activities to drive the behavior you want.
3. Let it take you where you want to go, because you’ll realize pretty quickly that there are so many great metrics and activities you can measure and use to motivate your team.
4. Create a strong, fun, energetic culture coupled with frequent, real-time recognition. Very few employees will want to walk away from that, even if they’re offered more money somewhere else.

If you want to create a great team culture with contests and competition, don’t miss this great advice.

Check out 200+ reviews and insights from other Hoopla customers on AppExchange.