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7 Sales Contest Ideas for January

5 minutes read

It’s a new calendar year and the beginning of a new sales quarter. You have,

  • New hopes for your business
  • New sales targets for your team to achieve
  • And new opportunities which they should pursue

But at a time when most of your employees are freshly coming out of vacation mode, how can you ensure that they don’t waste the crucial first few weeks of the year?

One best way is to gamify the sales activities for your team. Going strong with sales contests in the first month of the year helps in,

  • Getting the sales reps started with their work in a fun and enjoyable environment after they have returned from their vacation
  • Setting the priorities right for the new year
  • Engaging the sales reps effectively in pursuing their sales targets
  • Motivating them to achieve more by rewarding their achievements

This blog brings to you some amazing sales contests ideas with exciting themes which you can run in the month of January.


1. New Year, New Leads

Why has this contest been selected for January? New Year (January 1st)

Goal: To get your sales reps to fill the pipeline with as many leads as possible

Duration: One day

Points: 10 points per lead

Winner: The person who succeeds in bringing in more number of leads into the sales pipeline than everyone else by the end of the day

Reward: Dinner reservation for the winner and his family at the best restaurant in the city


2. Popping Success

Why has this contest been selected for January? National popcorn day

Goal: Your reps must be having monthly sales quotas set for them to achieve like,

  • Selling a certain number of new products by the end of the month
  • Closing x number of deals by the end of the month
  • Bringing in a certain amount of sales by the end of the month

Through this contest, motivate your reps to achieve their monthly sales quota in a timely manner.

Duration: One month

Winner: Everybody who succeed in achieving their monthly quota before the end of the month

Reward: A popcorn basket that is filled with money


3. Say Cheese

Why has this contest been selected for January? Cheese lover’s day

Goal: Increase the sales of a newly launched product. You can set a target here for each rep to sell at least 10 new products that are launched that year

Duration: One month

Points: 50 points per product sold

Winner: Top 3 people who sell more number of new products than everyone else by the end of the month

Reward: Cash incentive and a prize hamper with different kinds of cheese


4. Get a Compliment

Why has this contest been selected for January? National compliment day

Goal: The goal is to earn the best customer reviews.

Duration: One month

Points: 10 points per best review

Winner: Select the top 3 reps who have the maximum number of best reviews by the end of the month.

Reward: Cash incentive + Amazon gift vouchers


5. Hats off

Why has this contest been selected for January? National hats day

Goal: To get your reps to close as many deals as they can in the given period of time

Duration: One month

Points: 50 points per deal closed

Winner: The rep who closes more number of deals than everyone else in the sales team

Reward: Present a big hat that is filled with cash


6. Earn quality family time

Why has this contest been selected for January? Global family day

Goal: To get your reps to hold as many meetings as possible with the clients

Duration: Two weeks

Points: 20 points per meeting booked

Winner: The top 3 reps who do more number of meetings with the clients than anyone else

Reward: Sponsor a family outing for the winners to a resort or an amusement park


7. Republic day rush

Why has this contest been selected for January? Indian republic day

Goal: To get your reps to earn as many referrals from the existing customers as possible

Duration: One day

Points: 20 points per referral

Winner: The person who brings in more number of referrals than everyone else in the team

Reward: Reward the winner with an amazon gift card


Looking for sales contest ideas for your particular industry?

Insurance - 7 Sales Contest Ideas for Insurance Agents

Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices - 5 Sales Contest Ideas for Pharmaceuticals and Medical devices

Call Center - 9 exciting and engaging call center contest ideas to boost your employee’s productivity

Manufacturing - 5 Amazing Contest Ideas for Manufacturing Units

Retail Stores - 7 Fun Sales Contests for Retail Stores

Retail Banking - 7 Sales contests for Retail Banks


Looking for sales contest ideas for different months? Check out this list below:

February– 7 Sales Contest Ideas for February

March– 8 Sales Contest Ideas for March

April– 7 Sales Contest Ideas for April

May– 8 Sales Contest Ideas for May

June– 8 Sales Contest Ideas for June

July– 8 Sales Contest Ideas for July

August– 7 Sales Contest Ideas for August

September– 8 Sales Contest Ideas for September

October– 8 Sales Contests For October

November– 8 Sales Contests for November

December– 7 fun sales contests for December


Looking for more Seasonal Sales Contest Ideas?

5 Sales Contest for Summer

5 Sales Contests for Winter

8 Sales Contests for October

8 Sales Contests for November

8 Sales Contests for December

7 Fun Sales Contest Ideas to Motivate your Team for Thanksgiving and Black Friday


Looking for creative and funny team names?

25 Creative Sales Team Names

34 Funny Sales Team Names


Searching for award names and prizing ideas to give out to your contest winners? Read these articles below:

creative employee recognition awards.

23 Sales incentive ideas to keep your sales team motivated


How will you communicate the contest to your participants?

Once you have a perfect contest idea and a suitable name for it, focus on communicating it effectively to your participants. Follow our sales contest communication template to announce your contest.

Published on Fri Sep 3 2021

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