The most well-known companies in the world understand that teamwork isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Your sales teams really are “on the frontlines” of the business, as they are often the first point of contact for new customers. 

Sales team activities are the focus of today’s article, we’ll be looking at the activities you can perform with them to get spirits up and turn them into an unstoppable force.

So without any further ado, let’s get down to some sales team-building activities.

How are team-building activities good for sales teams?

Team-building activities are exercises and games designed to improve teamwork. They can be part of an everyday routine or saved for big special occasions, like an annual retreat in a luxurious hotel. The key to running them effectively is picking activities everyone will enjoy.

Forbes has highlighted that for a manager, “team building is the most important investment you’ll ever make”. Your sales teams carry the flags to new customers and strengthen those crucial customer relationships. A sales team that doesn’t work well together is like a football team of skilled individuals who constantly lose. They might be superstars by themselves, but powerful teams need more than great individuals.

These activities are designed with sales teams in mind, though they’ll benefit every department in the company. So let’s knuckle down and get into 20 of the best sales team-building activities.

20 of the best sales team-building activities

Here are 20 of our best sales team-building activities to try now!

1. Body of words

‘Body of words’ is a fun quick-fire game for sales teams to try out. Divide your employees into groups of four to eight, with one leader. The leader needs to think of a word that has the same number of letters as there are team members, but minus one. Then, the leader gives their team the word. Here’s where it gets funky. The team has to spell out the word with their bodies. Each member has to pose to form the shape of the letter using their body. 

Games like this work well at the start of meetings, as no materials are needed. The aim is to keep things loose and light, laughter is a great way of bringing out a person’s creative side and keeping the atmosphere positive at work.

2. Customer persona workshop

Here’s a great role-playing activity for your sales team. Make your two teams, then one member then plays the customer persona. You can make the customer as tricky as you like. You might even discover that members with some acting experience can draw out unique responses from other players. It’s up to the other members to come up with a solution for the customer who needs a problem fixing.

It’s a great chance to get your teams to gel, and keep those crucial customer-satisfaction skills in check. Your customer needs their criteria ready beforehand to measure whether they’re satisfied with the solution. Give this role-play a shot for your sales teams.

3. Elevator pitch

The activity ‘elevator pitch’ is a tried-and-tested game for your sales teams. It’s named after the amount of time the activity should take, which is the duration of a short elevator ride (30 seconds to 1 minute).  The aim is to professionally introduce yourself, as though it’s your first time meeting someone. For a sales team, pitching yourself to a customer works best.

Then comes the pitch. You can keep things as simple as these 3 steps to begin: Who are you? What do you do? What do you want? The elevator pitch is one of the simplest ways a sales team can practice what it’s like to meet new customers and role-play client interactions.

4. Feedback circles

Here’s a great activity that works as a mirror to reflect how well your sales teams are doing. The aim is to create a circle where each person takes turns to share their sales techniques and strategies. Everyone else in the circle will chime in with something positive about what the speaker says.

It’s done with the intention of positivity, and it’s actually highly beneficial for new employees, as they feel a boost in confidence when sharing their new ideas. It allows everyone to hear a fresh perspective and potentially discover some new hidden talents in your sales teams. Try getting everyone gathered around for Feedback Circles in your next sales team meeting and get reflecting. 

5. Goal-setting workshop

A goal-setting workshop is a fantastic sales meeting idea that takes things back to basics. It’s important to not overlook the goals and ambitions within your sales teams, as they spend so much of their time working to please others. 

Ask each member to write down 3 of their goals before the team meeting. Once you’re in the meeting, ask everyone to share. The aim should be to generate team goals and company goals that align with the aspirations of the team members. Give this a try for your next meeting. Your sales teams will thank you for it.

6. Sales Jeopardy

Bring the classic TV show to life and put a twist on it to satisfy your salespeople. Create categories and questions that relate to the sales department. These could include things like sales tactics, product knowledge, or industry trends. Get them shown on a board or screen, and have your teams duke it out to see who knows the most.

By gamifying the learning process you’re making it easier for your sales teams to absorb and retain the key details of the company. Corporate team-building activities that include a little healthy competition work wonders for sales teams too!

7. Market analysis competition

By performing a market analysis with your sales teams, you’re getting into some of the most valuable information they can use. It’s a very effective activity for knowledge-pooling and leaving no stone unturned. 

You might want to start with a technique like the SWOT analysis to get to grips with internal and external factors. Market analysis can be branched out even further to get information from outside the office too. Try interviewing your customers or try a focus group in a neutral location, including customers and stakeholders. Let your teams try this out in a competitive manner to see who returns the best information.

8. Speedy demo challenge

Here’s a quick activity to keep things engaging, a ‘speedy demo challenge’. Your sales staff are most likely skilled in persuasive speaking, so why not throw them a wrench and have them do it for random and quirky products?

Split staff into teams and let them know they’ll be trying out their best sales techniques and presentation skills. Then let them know you’re talking about selling everything from rubber chickens to inflatable sumo suits.

It’s a great way to blow some steam and keep things light-hearted. Your salespeople will have to think on their feet and adapt to the unexpected. Grab your most outrageous props and see who has the strongest sales charm.

9. Product knowledge trivia

Creating a trivia game on product knowledge brings the finer details of the company’s stock to the front of the sales team’s minds. It’s a great way to refresh or make sure everyone knows the ins and outs of what they’re selling. They’re going to take that information out every time they meet new customers and often won’t have the product with them.

Keeping a healthy dose of friendly competition can work wonders for team morale too! It’s an informal way to unwind while still showing off some expertise. Try this out the next time you meet with your sales teams and see who comes out on top.

10. Sales success journal

Having your teams create and share a sales success journal is a powerful team-building activity for work. Supply your sales teams with a journal each and ask them to jot down their successes when they can. The focus is on things that went well, but those successes often come through trials and tribulations, so encourage your staff to record those too.

It creates a narrative of empathy towards the difficulties they might be experiencing. The information gained helps your teams fine-tune their strategies and get to know each other more deeply. So go ahead and encourage some reflection among your sales teams and watch them sparkle in reflection.

11. Salesperson of the month

Make recognition the aim of your next activity by rewarding your standout members with a ‘Salesperson of the Month award.’ Our day-to-day activities can sometimes be so overwhelming, that months can roll by without recognizing someone who stands out. 

By regularly and honestly sharing who stood out each month, the extra efforts of your staff don’t go unnoticed. Entice standout performances by giving incentives to each month’s winner, like gift cards, company swag, or online course memberships. Don’t let your stars go unrewarded!

12. Team magazines

Here’s a wonderful activity to bring your sales team closer together. Though it takes a little while longer to plan and execute, the rewards are fantastic. Form 2 teams from your sales staff and ask them to allocate roles in the creation of a sales magazine. Topics to include should be sales tips, success stories and potentially even some funny office moments.

The aim is to humanize and informalize the often stressful roles the sales staff have to play. Let them get creative with the inclusion of pictures and support them in their tasks of bringing in fresh new perspectives and outlooks. A sales magazine is a great way to drum up team morale.

13. Shark tank

Bringing household TV games to life is a great informal way of practicing through sales training games. Everyone knows the quickfire TV sales show of Shark Tank. Emulating this game in the office brings out the entrepreneurial spirit of your salespeople.

Form teams of 2 to 6 people and rotate the performing groups. The other groups can act as investors as the performing groups try to sell the product. Keep it light by including some unusual products for the salesroom, like mood-changing mugs or an online emoji translator. Set sales targets for investors and see what deals float out of the Shark Tank.

14. One question

Here’s a sales game that works fantastically for all sales teams. It’s called “One Question” and the aim is to role-play an employer and employee. One member of staff is given a fake job they need to complete. This chosen person can hire one other person to help, but before they hire them, they have to figure out if the other person has the right skills.

When hiring, they can only ask one question to figure out if they have what it takes to help with the job. A competition can be created by awarding points to the most creative question or impression during the role-play. This is a great way to practice salesmanship and critical thinking.

15. Two truths and a lie

Another quick-fire game to help your sales teams get to know each other better. “Two truths and a lie” is a tried and tested ice-breaker that works wonders for sales teams too! With just a slight bit of planning through minimal materials, laughter can spread around the room like wildfire. 

One person is tasked with the job of creating 3 sentences about themselves. The key is to make sure 2 of the sentences are true, while 1 is a lie. The chosen player reads their sentences out loud, then listeners are asked to choose which sentence stands out as a big fat lie. Award points to a correct guess and rotate each person in the room to speak. Hilarity and curiosity ensue.

16. Sales common book

A “Sales common book” brings to life a more personal touch to your sales teams. Set a blank book up in clear sight in a common area, like the break room. Keep an assortment of pens nearby, from artistic markers to Bic biro’s. The point is that there are no limitations to what can be added, just a blank canvas for creativity to flow and for personalities to shine.

By keeping things open and free, a sense of unity can be gained. When the book is filling up, don’t tuck it away, keep it open on display for all to see. It’s a great conversation starter and a reminder that everyone is in this together. 

17. Silver lining

“Silver lining” is an activity focused on the bright side which aims to use the power of positivity in overcoming challenges. Sales teams spend a lot of their time in difficult situations, standing at the bottom of sometimes insurmountable mountains. So focus on positivity for that extra push.

Get your teams sorted into pairs, then ask each duo to share a personal story that was very tough or demanding. Anything from sales pitches to personal setbacks should be encouraged.  When the story is finished, this is when the listener retells the story, only focusing on the positive things that were done or learned. Try it out as a kickoff activity at the start of the next sales team meeting.

18. Blind retriever

Here’s a great physical game that relies on communication and trust, which are killer skills for your sales teams. “Blind Retriever” is a game for groups, so establish those first. Then, one brave soul from each team puts on a blindfold. The person in the blindfold is then guided by the others to reach a finishing point. They need precise instructions, as the room can be set up with obstacles as chaotic as you wish.

It brightens up the meeting room (as long as it’s cleaned up after!) and brings in teamwork skills through play, developing communication skills and trust in each member. Try this one out on a day when play is needed and get creative!

19. Back of the napkin

“Back of the napkin” is a quick activity that needs nothing but participants, pens, and napkins.  Set up teams and explain that each team will receive one open-ended question. It can be fun and silly, or relate closely to their sales activities. Surely the best question ticks both boxes? Something along the lines of “How would you sell ice to a penguin?”

Give each team a napkin and a pen. Each team has a time limit to sketch out a solution to the problem as a graph, a chart, or any form of a presentable image. It won’t rely on words, but pictures. Each team presents their solutions, to which judges can crown the winning team. 

20. Sell me this pen

One of the most well-known, quick teambuilding activities companies use regularly is “sell me this pen,” made famous from The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s a spin on the classic “elevator pitch”, but players need to sell a small item that is within reach.

Sellers pitch it to teams, using their on-the-spot persuasive speaking skills, and when they’re finished, the door can be open to some playful grilling during the answer session. Try this out with any small item laying around the office and watch the results.

Organize a sales team-building retreat with us!

Here at Surf Office, getting your teams to their highest level of performance is what drives us. So why not consider a team retreat with us? Imagine the usual confines of your office settings melting away on a sandy beach or taking the time to appreciate nature on a countryside retreat.

Like this idea but not sure how to put it all together? No problem, this is where Surf Office comes in.

We've had the pleasure of organizing over 700+ retreat experiences, including remote teams, for many different companies. Here’s how what we offer:

• Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
• Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
• Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
• Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
• Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
• Onsite support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅

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Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America and Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.

Reward your sales teams with a luxurious getaway, that can still develop their sales skills and team performance. Get in touch to organize one of our work retreats today!