Game and business – seemingly two incompatible concepts. However, game mechanics have long surpassed traditional applications, becoming a powerful tool for business development. Successful MLM companies employ gamification elements to enhance the efficiency of distributors' work and achieve their goals.

In this article, you will discover what gamification is and what tasks it solves in business. You will also grasp the role, key methods, and principles of gamification in MLM projects.

 

What is gamification in business?

Every person enjoys participating in games, competitions, and contests. It's like an integral part of life, connected with a natural inclination for competition, the desire for victory and the pursuit of recognition. The process of gaming not only relaxes after a hard day but also aids in achieving greater efficiency at work. This is precisely why gamification is widely applied in business.

Gamification is the incorporation of game elements and principles into various non-game processes: everyday life, education or business.

In business gamification enables increasing sales, retaining customers, enhancing employee efficiency and brand loyalty, leading to higher profits and company growth. Integrating game elements into regular work processes helps address the core challenges faced by many companies:

  • Monotonous tasks in the daily schedule become boring, leading to loss of interest and even errors. Game elements transform routine work into an engaging activity, increasing engagement and work quality.

  • A large number of tasks or very complex tasks lead to increased stress levels, loss of motivation, burnout and decreased employee efficiency. Gamification mechanisms allow motivating the team by creating healthy competition and rewarding achievements.

Gamification has become the most effective marketing tool. According to TalentLMS research, 89% of employees from various companies feel more productive, and 9 out of 10 people are happier at work due to gamification. 83% of them are confident that game elements enhance their motivation. Such statistics confirm the positive impact of gamification on business success.

 

Gamification in MLM projects

Network marketing is based on product distribution through a network of independent distributors using a compensation marketing plan. It is this plan that serves as a unique element of the gaming mechanism. Distributors in MLM seem to be playing the game, receiving rewards for performing the necessary actions. For example, attracting customers, making sales and building your own network structure.

In network marketing, several gamification methods are employed to attract distributors and support their productive activities:

  • Points. They are awarded to distributors for sales, recruiting new participants, and even completing training. Accumulating points motivates them to work more. It's the quantity of these points that determines the level of profit, enables receiving bonuses, and advancing to a new level within the hierarchy of network structures.

  • Leaderboards. Distributors who accumulate the highest number of points during a specific period take the top positions on the leaderboard. They attain a higher status and receive pleasant rewards, which further motivates them to earn more points and improve their performance.

  • Prizes and Rewards. For their efforts and achievements, participants in network structures receive not only profits but also other valuable prizes. For instance, an apartment, a car, or a vacation package. The opportunity to receive a reward significantly enhances the effectiveness of distributors.

In order for the utilized gaming methods to truly bring benefit, it is necessary to understand the fundamental principles of gamification in business:

  • Reward

The main principle of gamification, as in any game, successful task completion is rewarded. Understanding that effective customer and partner attraction leads to increased profit enhances the productivity of distributors.

Develop a transparent marketing compensation plan and clearly outline collaboration terms. Create a bonus system and allocate rewards for achieving set goals.

  • Competitions

Everyone has a spirit of competition and a desire to showcase their leadership in something. The desire to earn a higher income or recognition and to outperform competitors greatly motivates and drives to work even more productively.

Create a healthy competition among individual distributors, network branches, or entire structures. To achieve this, organize contests for the best participants of the week or month, rewarding winners with pleasant bonuses. Implement an open ranking of top distributors as an interactive panel on the website to enhance the excitement.

  • Status

The inner desire to achieve a specific status within society or among colleagues serves as a strong motivator. Even progressing through levels in a game and attaining a certain rank brings emotional satisfaction. This is precisely why elevating and assigning specific statuses within the company encourages putting in maximum effort.

When designing a marketing plan, include the possibility of awarding statuses to partners upon reaching specific milestones. Distributors should see that moving to a new level will grant them a higher status and privileges.

  • Motivation

Continuous engagement in a game requires strong motivation, ensuring constant progress. The same goes for MLM business. Financial incentives and gifts aren't always sufficient to retain distributors. Emotional attachment and satisfaction, the feeling of importance and belonging, sometimes motivate much more effectively.

Develop a user-friendly personal account interface and an appealing website with interactive elements that evoke positive emotions. Regularly organize offline or online team meetings to foster a friendly atmosphere and exchange experiences. Utilize chatbots for swift responses to all distributor inquiries.

 

Distributors can effectively grow your network company only by understanding the nuances of the MLM industry. Employing gamification for distributor training facilitates quicker and more efficient acquisition of new skills.

By dividing the training process into several levels with gradual information presentation, it becomes more engaging and convenient. Such a system enables progression to a new level of training only upon complete completion of the previous one. Awarding points for achievements further motivates distributors to engage in learning. There are also other ways to utilize gaming elements for training:

  • creating an open dashboard displaying participants' training progress, which encourages even greater efforts;

  • organizing webinars for collaborative problem-solving sessions that promote teamwork and knowledge sharing;

  • developing a chatbot as a virtual mentor to provide quick advice, tips, and facilitate learning.

Gamification in MLM business is the best tool for attracting distributors and actively growing the company. Understanding the needs and desires of your partners, making the right choice of gamification methods, and effectively integrating them into the project's software will provide the opportunity to conquer the MLM industry.

The FlawlessMLM team has years of experience in successfully launching and gamifying MLM projects. We will help you develop an optimal compensation plan, create an appealing website, integrate chatbots, and implement any other of your wishes. High-quality software development tailored to each MLM project allows us to deliver the best solutions while embodying your ideas.