Gamification is essentially utilizing game mechanics to encourage and motivate participation, engagement, and loyalty in the workplace.
From daily operations to social media, gamification can be applied by using rules of play and a point system to encourage action.
It creates an environment of healthy competition that appeals to humans’ sense of achievement and fulfillment.
The right set of game mechanics will attract distributors and get them onboard. Here are ten basic game mechanics that can be applied to accomplish a specific goal:
Fast feedback
Encourage distributors by consistently congratulating them for reaching a quota or goal.
It is also a good idea to motivate them into pursuing the next milestone.
The key here is to give quick feedback and respond to their actions right away, to send the message that they are relevant and important parts of the team.
Transparency
Be transparent by pinpointing each distributor’s progress relative to your goals as a team. That way, they will know exactly what you expect and the crucial part they play in accomplishing the team’s goals and mission.
Goals
Create short-term and long-term goals to give your team a vision of what they will achieve individually and as a team.
It is also important to educate your distributors about the company values and their potential for long-term growth and learning.
Badges
Besides “bragging rights,” badges provide a concrete indicator of your distributors’ accomplishments. It is also a key to giving them recognition for a job well done.
Leveling up
Leveling up elevates a distributor to a more advanced set of missions, activities, and rewards. Much like leveling up in a video game, this will open greater opportunities for success.
Onboarding
Players learn how to play a video game from the introductory tutorial sessions. Your distributors will learn the same way.
Simple tasks help new distributors master basic strategies and practices that will lead to better performance.
Competition
Closely related to transparency, show distributors how they rank as individuals or as a team compared to others. This will strike their competitive chord and give them a slight push to work harder and achieve better results.
Collaboration
Encourage knowledge sharing and enable your distributors to achieve greater challenges by offering opportunities for group achievements.
Community
Maximize achievements by creating a cohesive community to share and celebrate.
Make each distributor feel included by updating them on others’ progress. Build a safe community environment where they can share goals and rewards.
Points
A point system is used to track individual and team progress, which can then be exchanged for virtual goods or real-world incentives. These could be discounts, freebies, or anything else that will keep your distributors motivated to continue doing a good job.
Gamification is a time-tested strategy to keep team members motivated and you can apply it to your distributors as well. It is not only effective for increasing performance, it is also a fun way to build relationships with colleagues.