If you’ve ever tried to get a remote sales team fired up, you know it’s not easy. Leaderboards can help—if you build them right. This guide is for sales managers, ops folks, or anyone who’s tired of clunky dashboards and one-size-fits-all “gamification.” We’ll walk through how to set up leaderboards in Spinify in a way that actually works for remote teams—no fluff, no pointless bells and whistles.
Why Even Bother With Leaderboards?
Let’s get real: leaderboards can be motivating, or they can just annoy everyone. The key difference? Execution. When done right, they give reps a clear sense of progress and a little healthy competition—without shaming the folks who aren’t crushing it every week.
Leaderboards are worth it if: - Your team is remote or hybrid, and people miss those informal “who’s doing what” chats. - You’re tracking clear, fair sales metrics (not just “calls made”). - You want to recognize wins and spot problems early.
Skip or rethink if: - You have a tiny team (like, three people—it’ll just get awkward). - Your culture’s super-collaborative and hates competition. - You only care about “activity” numbers, not real results.
Step 1: Figure Out What You Actually Want to Track
Before you even log in to Spinify, get clear on what matters. If you track the wrong stuff (like raw dials, or demo bookings with no sales), your leaderboard will just cause noise or sandbagging.
Questions to ask: - What’s our real goal? (Revenue? New deals? Meetings booked?) - Is this metric fair to everyone? (Don’t reward only the folks with the best territories.) - Can we actually pull this data reliably from our CRM or sales tools?
Pro tip: Start with one or two core metrics. Too many, and nobody pays attention.
Examples of solid leaderboard metrics: - Closed-won deals (by revenue or count) - New pipeline created - Qualified meetings booked - Month-over-month improvement (good for leveling the playing field)
What to ignore: - Vanity metrics (“calls made,” “emails sent”) - Anything you can’t automate—manual data entry kills buy-in
Step 2: Get Your Data House in Order
Spinify pulls data from your CRM (think Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive). If your data’s a mess, your leaderboard will be too.
Checklist before connecting Spinify: - Make sure every rep is logging their deals and activities the same way. - Clean up any duplicate users or old records in your CRM. - Decide how often you want the leaderboard to update (real-time, daily, etc.).
If your CRM integration is spotty, fix that first. Don’t let the leaderboard highlight your worst data problems.
Step 3: Connect Spinify to Your Sales Tools
Here’s where you actually open up Spinify and get started.
- Log in to Spinify.
- From the dashboard, go to Integrations. Pick your CRM or sales tool.
- Authenticate the connection (you’ll need admin rights for your CRM).
- Map fields from your CRM to Spinify—be picky. Only pull in the fields that matter for your leaderboard.
Heads up: If you’re using spreadsheets or a CRM Spinify doesn’t support, you can use CSV imports. But honestly, that’s a pain long-term. It’s worth getting a solid integration set up.
Step 4: Build Your First Leaderboard
Time to actually show something on the screen.
- In Spinify, hit Create Leaderboard (sometimes called "contest" or "competition").
- Pick your metric (“Closed-won revenue”, “Meetings booked”, etc.).
- Set your time frame—daily, weekly, monthly. Weekly is usually best for remote teams (daily is too noisy, monthly feels endless).
- Choose which reps or teams to include. Don’t force everyone into one board if you’ve got SDRs and AEs doing totally different jobs.
- Decide on your display options: Numbers, progress bars, avatars, etc. Keep it simple at first.
What to skip:
Don’t mess with complicated “point systems” or bonuses for random activities. Stick with the main number that matters. You can always add nuance later.
Step 5: Customize for Remote Motivation (Not Cheesy Gimmicks)
Remote teams can’t see a leaderboard on a giant TV. You have to meet them where they are.
Tips that actually work: - Use Spinify’s Slack or Teams integration to post updates in a channel everyone checks. - Set up automated emails for key milestones—like when someone hits 100% of goal. - Let reps pick their own avatars or team names (small, but people like it). - Use “personal best” leaderboards so folks can compete against themselves, not just the top dog.
Stuff to ignore: - Loud sound effects or silly animations (people will mute them instantly). - “Public shaming” boards—don’t show who’s in last place. - Too many notifications. You want to motivate, not spam.
Step 6: Announce and Explain (Don’t Just “Turn It On”)
The fastest way to kill a leaderboard? Drop it on your team with no warning.
Best practices: - Explain why you’re rolling this out (“to recognize wins and keep things transparent,” not “to monitor you”). - Show exactly which metrics are tracked. - Invite feedback and adjust. If you got the metric wrong, change it—don’t dig in your heels. - Make it opt-in for the first round if people are skeptical.
Pro tip: Run a “pilot week” with a fake prize (like bragging rights or a silly trophy) to get people used to it.
Step 7: Review, Refine, and Actually Use It
Leaderboards are not “set and forget.” If you ignore them, so will your team.
- Check the leaderboard in your team meetings. Celebrate wins, ask what’s working for the top folks, and give shout-outs for improvement—not just for being #1.
- Watch for sandbagging or weird behavior (like people gaming the numbers).
- Rotate metrics every month or so to keep things fresh and fair.
- If nobody cares after a month, ask why, and don’t be afraid to pull the plug or overhaul.
A Few Honest Lessons from the Trenches
- Less is more. One clear leaderboard beats five confusing ones nobody checks.
- Don’t overdo the “fun.” A little friendly competition helps. Forced “gamification” makes adults roll their eyes.
- Visibility is key. Remote teams need to see the leaderboard—Slack/Teams integration is your friend here.
- Metrics matter. If the leaderboard drives the wrong behavior, it’s worse than nothing. Don’t reward activity for activity’s sake.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Sweat Perfection
Spinify can help rally your remote sales team, but only if you set it up with intention and keep things low-maintenance. Start small, pick a real metric, and be ready to tweak as you go. The best leaderboards become part of the team’s rhythm—not just another dashboard to ignore.
Ready to give it a shot? Set up your first board, keep an eye on what actually motivates your team, and don’t be afraid to change things up. The best system is the one your team actually uses.