Creating a Successful Fall Contest for Your Team

“If you make it fun, they will come!” was my motto as a fitness instructor. Let’s face it: Most people dislike exercise. I figured out a way to successfully draw people back into my classes, and I have taken the same approach with my team in the HVAC industry.

How can we drive our teams to ask for reviews or referrals and make it fun? Glad you asked! We can create contests that the entire company can participate in. To win a game, the entire team must participate.

Create Written Rules of Engagement

For a team to win, only one person on the team can have zero points. Outline how teams will be picked.

Create a Point System

Assign points to everything that earns a spiff

• All system enhancement products
• Reviews
  • 4-star reviews
  • 5-star reviews
• Referrals
• Lead generation
• Leads sold
• Dialing for Dollars
  • Capturing an appointment

Determine Prize Choices

If creating teams, everyone on the winning team gets to choose from a variety of prizes. For large prizes, stretch the contest out over three months. For smaller prizes, stretch the contest out over a month or a week. It could be as simple as a certificate of achievement celebrated at weekly meetings for the most improved for the week, largest dollar sale, or most featured products sold (at times, you may want to extend a contest if the minimum is not met).

Create A Marketing Campaign for the Team

• Use visual scoreboards.
• Communicate the status daily.
• Create a family-driven contest by sending out letters to spouses, families, and significant others detailing the contest, rules of engagement, and prizes. 
• Create a “Success Corner” story in the company newsletter.

Determine Team Criteria

Every team will have one of the following:

• Demand Service Technician
• Junior Technician
• Office person
• Installer
• Installation Helper

Group contests can help create a unified front that gives everyone a sense of purpose. If contests are created for individuals, it can create envy, which can cause a disgruntled environment and, in turn, slowly sabotage motivation and success rates. It’s important to share experiences and focus on how the team members have achieved their successes. Hold open sharing sessions during regular company meetings, and remember, everyone longs to belong.

About the Author

Catherine Bares is a service coach and trainer at Business Development Resources (BDR), the premier business training and coaching provider in the home service industry. She has over two decades of HVAC experience, primarily focused on service operations and sales. She held numerous positions over the years, from a dispatcher to a service manager and working her way up to general manager. While service is her passion, Catherine has proven total-company operations knowledge and has demonstrated her ability to manage, coach, train, and inspire.