Gamification as a Sales Training Strategy

From Talking Heads to Strategic Conversations: How CibaVision Transformed Its Product Launch 

When organizations gather their sales teams for a national meeting, the intent is rarely to repeat information that could have been delivered in advance. Yet too often, valuable face time is consumed by presentations and product walkthroughs—leaving little room for dialogue, insight, or strategy. 

That was the exact challenge facing CibaVision, a global lens care company preparing for a major new product launch. 

The Challenge: Less Lecture, More Conversation 

CibaVision wanted to eliminate the traditional “talking head” format from its launch convention. The goal was clear: 

• Ensure the sales team arrived with a solid grasp of the product fundamentals. 

• Use the National Sales Meeting to focus on real conversations—how to position, sell, and implement the new offering in the market. 

  
  

To make that possible, the organization needed a way to move information transfer out of the meeting and replace it with something far more valuable once everyone was in the room together. 

The Solution: Flip the Learning, Then Let Teams Play to Win 

The solution began before the conference even started. 

CibaVision developed a proprietary, in-house digital training module that every sales representative was required to complete prior to attending the National Sales Meeting. This “flip learning” approach ensured that baseline knowledge—features, benefits, and key facts—was already in place. 

Once on site, Play with a Purpose designed and facilitated a Play to Win experience that transformed learning into action. 

Sales representatives rotated through four interactive labs, each aligned to the pre-work training. 

• First half of each lab: High-energy games designed to surface and test knowledge. From matching challenges and smoothie-building competitions to a Jeopardy-style game show and Executive Squares, reps demonstrated what they knew while competing for prizes. 

• Second half of each lab: Structured discussions focused on application, gaps in understanding, and real-world selling scenarios. Instead of reciting product attributes, teams talked strategy.

The Outcome: Insights That Changed the Go-to-Market Plan 

Because the sales team arrived already informed, the conversations went deeper—and further—than anyone anticipated. 

During these discussions, previously unseen gaps in the go-to-market strategy surfaced. Marketing leaders were able to listen, probe, and adapt in real time. In fact, insights uncovered during the labs led the CibaVision marketing team to completely revamp a portion of their launch strategy. 

Had the meeting been devoted entirely to content delivery, those issues would never have emerged. 

Why It Worked 

This approach succeeded because it respected both time and talent: 

• Information was delivered before the meeting. 

• Face time was reserved for collaboration, insight, and decision-making. 

• Play created a safe, engaging environment where knowledge gaps could be exposed without friction. 

  
  

The result was not just a more engaging meeting—but a smarter launch. 

The Takeaway 

When teams come together already informed, meetings shift from passive consumption to active contribution. Flip learning paired with purposeful play doesn’t just make meetings more fun—it makes them more strategic. 

That’s the power of Play with a Purpose.