Modern selling

Leveling Up Your Social Selling Program with Gamification [Case Study]

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An automotive manufacturer saves 90% on test operations. A fuel supplier cuts costs by $1 million with a new digital POS solution. A footwear retailer increases their pipeline by $3 million in six months. The common denominator? All of these companies underwent a digital transformation with help from Infosys, a leading global provider of IT and consulting services.

But what does Infosys do when they need to undergo a transformation of their own?

They get creative.

Recently, the Infosys sales team sought to boost revenue by expanding their reach within both new and existing accounts. Since many of their prospects could be found on LinkedIn, the obvious solution was to adopt a social selling approach using Sales Navigator.

Getting buy-in from a big team

But as with any new program, finding the solution that fits your needs is only half the battle – after that, you’ve still got to get the rest of your team on-board. Because Infosys is a big company – with more than 200,000 employees around the world – they also have a proportionally big sales force. They needed to find a way to engage the entire widely dispersed sales team, all at the same time.

Initially, the Infosys sales effectiveness team employed a relatively standard approach to training that included on-site trainers, educational videos, and examples of industry-specific workflows. This approach was successful in teaching the fundamentals of social selling with Sales Navigator, but to increase buy-in even further, the team realized that they needed to generate greater excitement for the new program.

Gamification breathes new life into training

That’s when Jagjit Singh, Manager of Sales Strategy and Transformation at Infosys, came up with a brilliant idea: Why not gamify the training program? After all, salespeople are naturally competitive, a trait that pairs nicely with all the elements of game design – point scoring, rules of play, and rewards for achievements.

Drawing from personal experience as a lifelong gamer, Jagjit developed a game where players would have to complete tasks and improve their Social Selling Index (SSI) scores to level up their characters, unlocking new avatars to show off their progress. In devising the scoring system, the team identified 20 actions that would help sales reps learn how to most effectively use Sales Navigator for social selling. These included obtaining an introduction through TeamLink, reaching out to a contact via InMail, and receiving a response from a prospect.

The game featured a total of six avatars. Players who were just beginning their social selling journey were assigned the rank of Wanderer. By completing the prescribed tasks, players could climb the ranks, eventually achieving the highest level of Champion.

The team then reinforced engagement by sending out regular newsletters where they profiled top performers, shared stories of their successes, and recognized achievements across all levels. These efforts drove a new level of enthusiasm for social selling, and ultimately, helped train the entire team on the best ways to use Sales Navigator.

The results are in – gamification gets high scores

The sales team’s widespread adoption of social selling has led to some next-level results: Using Sales Navigator, Infosys has generated nearly $450 million in pipeline revenue. And on an individual level, sales reps using Sales Navigator to source deals are achieving 30% higher win-rates.

Other sales teams trying to adopt a social selling program can learn a lot from Infosys’ experience. If you’re struggling to get your team on-board, consider the following lessons:

  • Vary your tactics – One training method may work OK for a while, but if enthusiasm begins to wane, you’ll want to switch up your approach.
  • Gamify your training program – Tapping into the competitive nature of your sales reps can make the training process not only more effective but more fun.
  • Provide external rewards – Acknowledging your sales reps’ achievements in newsletters and other communications can boost overall engagement in the program.

Want to learn more about how LinkedIn Sales Navigator helped Infosys (once they did get their team on-board)? Download the case study to see how social selling lets Infosys find prospects quicker and close deals faster.

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