Gongs are ingrained in sales culture. Nearly every sales floor across the world has one or something similar. For those of us with massive gongs in the office, visitors are frequently asking “What’s with the gong?” The concept of the sales gong is an integral part of building an inside sales culture. Here’s why:
Sales Gongs Benefit Your Organization
- In sales, we get beat up a lot and hear a lot of NOs and ‘no response’ answers. You need to celebrate small wins along the way. Celebrating by banging the gong brings tons of positive energy to the sales floor.
- Everyone likes praise and recognition–especially salespeople. Praise is best when immediate, specific, and publicly recognized. When the gong rings out at the ExecVision-Vorsight office, everyone stops to find out who’s celebrating. Sales gongs are the ultimate form of immediate, specific, and public recognition.
- Sales reps spend most of their day on the phone while looking at a computer screen. It’s a bit of a drag if you don’t break up the day by getting out of your chair for some physical activity. The gong is a great physical outlet to channel your energy into. Our ping pong table is great for this too–I swear there is a direct connection between ping pong and sales numbers.
- Big ass gongs are fun. Who said work has to be dull? Break up the routine of inside sales and have some fun.
- Gongs sound really cool.
When I saw the impact of our little “made in China” trinket, I made the executive decision to upgrade our sales gong. After scrolling through 8 pages of eBay junk, I won this bad boy for $199.99. Even better, the seller happened to live near my in-laws in Tonawanda, NY. They graciously drove it down and bingo, ExecVision & Vorsight had a new secret weapon.
Massive gongs from Bali are a bit loud and tend to reverberate a lot, so I knew we can’t be banging it willy-nilly. With my new investment in tow, I laid some ground rules to ensure everyone could find an opportunity to hit the gong, including teams outside of sales. At our offices, you must hit the gong if:
ExecVision Sales Team
- You get a signed agreement from a client for our Conversation Intelligence software
- A client reports they are getting big ROI from their sales coaching initiative
Vorsight SDRs–Outsourced Appointment Setting
- You schedule the first meeting for a new client
- You pull a hat trick (three meetings scheduled in one day)
- A client reports that they closed a deal as a result of a meeting you scheduled for them
Vorsight Sales Development Managers
- A client gives a huge compliment to one of the SDRs
- A client decides to expand the number of meetings we schedule for them each month by 20+
- The team hits their meeting goal for the week
Marketing
- A prospect submits an inbound request for a meeting
- The sales team closes a deal from a marketing-generated lead
HR & Talent Acquisition
- You hire an amazing person to join our team of rockstars
- You finalize plans for a big company event like the annual party
- Friday team lunch arrives
What Sales Gong is Right For You?
For some sales teams and organizations, the traditional sales gong doesn’t fit their celebratory needs. This happens for a number of reasons–they’re closing too many deals so the gong becomes an annoyance, some or all of the team works remotely, etc. When this happens, it’s crucial to identify a new sales gong–something that resonates with the same effect in a new way.
Our ExecVision team ran into this exact problem. Much of our product team works remotely and other team members may be out of the office for conferences or training. To resolve this, we turned to a virtual gong, so to say. (If you can’t resist that satisfying sound, check out this virtual gong.)
When someone at ExecVision closes a deal or makes an upsell, an email with the details is sent out to the entire team. The team then replies to the email with their kudos and congratulations.
Sales leaders can also opt for virtual gong software like Ambition, Slack integrations such as Troops.ai, and apps like Champ by InsightSquared. What’s important here isn’t the manner in which you bang the gong, it’s about the celebration. When you’re celebrating wins with your team, individual and team performance improves–Success breeds success!
Where to Buy Your Sales Gong
Now it’s time to buy your sales gong. There are a ton of options out there. Do you start with a desktop gong? Do you care about the sound it makes and how loud it is? Is there existing office decor you want the gong to fit in with?
With those questions in mind, it’s time to get shopping. Steve turned to eBay for the ExecVision gong because he knew he’d find something authentic. Amazon is another great place to look, but be sure to read the product descriptions thoroughly if you’re looking for something in particular.
Local music shops are great when you’re looking for a specific sound. Many carry gongs from brands like Zildjian, Meinl, and Paiste.
If you’re looking for the largest online selection of gongs, you have to check out Gongs Unlimited. They carry a wide selection of gongs ranging from professional music brands to ornate handmade gongs from Nepal, Tibet, and even the US. Gongs Unlimited also features fun options like smiley face gongs or custom engraving. How awesome would a gong with your logo or something like “Smashing Quota” be?
What are the benefits of having a massive gong on your sales floor? How does your team celebrate wins?
