Have you ever collected frequent flyer miles for your travels?
Ever filled out a profile on social media to reach 100% completeness?
Ever watched a 30-second ad while playing a mobile game to get free items?

If you answered yes to one or all questions, then you’ve been gamified!

What is Gamification?

Gamification is the process of using principles of game design to make an end-user experience more engaging and fun.

It’s more than just a buzzword. Google Trends highlights it as one of the most effective marketing tools today.

Why?

Because everyone enjoys playing games! Games press all the right primitive buttons in the human brain, which is why they’re so popular and addictive.

Direct selling companies can benefit a lot from gamification

It’s no secret that retention of distributors in this industry is a challenge, especially in the first year.

Using gamification for direct selling companies can tremendously help in winning this challenge. Imagine distributors not seeing their marketing as work, but rather as something fun that they want to do.

Here’s how:

Increased Engagement and Motivation

We’re all predisposed to engage in games. It’s part of our psyche.

By presenting a path to mastery and showcasing a reward system, you’re treading into the innate competitiveness of your distributors. 

This will, in turn, make them more invested because they have a specific goal in mind. It will allow them to put the energy of their entire focus on one piece of the sales puzzle at a time.

This is powerful.

Using gamification for direct selling companies enables you to tap into the ambitious side of your distributors, too.

More often than not, the reward is not what encourages workers to succeed. It’s usually the competition and the game itself! After all, it’s their pride on the line.

Gamification becomes an avenue where distributors can objectively assess and measure their success against their peers.

Monitoring distributors’ activities in real-time using a public leaderboard is likewise an effective motivator. It awakens the competitive nature in everyone. When the top performers are rewarded publicly, it motivates those at the bottom to catch up.

Incentives and rewards are valued a great deal more if they are “won.” We value the things that are hard to get, that few others have.

If a distributor works hard to get a reward and is recognized for it, it will drive others to do the same, creating a virtuous cycle. Plus, a group of distributors outperforming one another will undoubtedly yield positive results to the business.

Build a Stronger Connection

Most direct selling distributors do independent or remote work. And while there are perks in this kind of “freedom,” it can also make them feel alone.

Running a game can make them feel more connected to the company since it sets a collaborative environment. Increased collaboration eventually leads to a stronger and more stable network.

In spite of the healthy competition, distributors will see others more as their colleagues than their rivals.

During meetings, they can speak freely about their best practices that help them achieve their goals or rank high on the leaderboard. It opens up communication without conscious effort.

Ultimately, gamification for direct selling companies is an efficient way to encourage, motivate, and connect with distributors. It’s also fun! Mixing business with pleasure has never been this rewarding.